Income Shifting: Save money in taxes WITHOUT working harder!

Want to save money in taxes WITHOUT working harder? One way is to shift income from a higher bracket taxpayer to a lower one or even a zero rate-bracket. Typically splitting the income between family members will save thousands in taxes. One method is by hiring family members to work in the business. One idea is you can legitimately shift income to your kids. It is perfectly legal if done correctly, but if your children are unreasonably paid, the IRS will take notice. Let me give you an example of how this can work.

Jane owned a consulting business. She had two teenage sons that legitimately did work for the business. Some of the tasks they did included vacuuming the offices, emptying trash cans weekly, taking care of recycling and shredding documents, filing receipts, stuffing envelopes, and doing yard work outside the office. Jane plans to pay her sons $5,000 each for the year. She was able to shift $10,000 from her high tax rate of 38% to her son’s ZERO tax rate. This is a $3,800 tax savings. She plans to use this $10,000 to teach her kids about budgeting.

Also, this income shift helped with her personal cash flow because she has the kids help pay for groceries and set aside the money for college. Another thing she plans to do is to put money aside in a Roth IRA for the kids. While the company will need to pay some payroll taxes, the savings far outweigh the cost. Another benefit is that her sons will learn basic knowledge of how she runs her business. What a GREAT tax deduction for her business – and it was EASY!

Here are some facts and tips around income shifting:

• Your kids can be any age, but their tasks must be reasonable for their age and skills. If the pay isn’t aligned with the work done, the IRS may challenge it.
• They need to keep a time card for work done – documentation is key, and it’s essential to follow this to avoid IRS issues.
• The work needs to be appropriate for the age and skill level.
• Depending on the situation, your child may not have to file a tax return. As of 2024, the standard deduction is $13,850, meaning a child can earn up to this amount without owing federal income tax, provided no other income is present.
• Consider helping parents or grandchildren who might be in lower income brackets.

Depending on your business entity, you can also reduce self-employment taxes with this strategy. For sole proprietors, children under 18 are exempt from Social Security and Medicare taxes. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership (with partners other than the child's parents), payroll taxes will apply.

For corporations, this is a great way to reduce taxable income. If you are a sole proprietor, there are taxes the kids don’t have to pay in their paycheck. The IRS allows this strategy, but they don’t volunteer the information to you.

Don’t get this strategy confused with gifting money to your child. When gifting, there is no work involved. Also, don’t get this shifting of income mixed up when parents move investment income (interest, dividends, and capital gains) to their children. That is called the “kiddie tax.” For 2024, unearned income over $2,500 could be taxed at the parent's rate.

Income shifting works well under specific situations and not everyone can meet the requirements. Depending on your situation, you may be able to take advantage of the income shifting opportunity, but first, talk with someone who knows the rules so you can play the income shifting tax game.