{"id":13841,"date":"2025-07-17T19:11:26","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T19:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/?p=13841"},"modified":"2025-07-17T19:11:27","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T19:11:27","slug":"a-look-at-tax-breaks-for-individuals-in-the-recently-passed-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/a-look-at-tax-breaks-for-individuals-in-the-recently-passed-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"A Look At Tax Breaks For Individuals In The Recently Passed Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Mike H. from Frederick, MD asks: <\/em>I was wondering if you could provide just a quick breakdown of some of the tax breaks for individuals. In Maryland, I would benefit from increases to the SALT deduction, but I\u2019m also curious about overtime. Any insight would be appreciated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mitch\u2019s Response:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks for writing, Mike. There are too many provisions in the tax bill to review each one here, but I will try to focus my response on the areas you specified, plus some other key provisions for individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you mentioned in your question, one of the most widely publicized changes is the expansion of the SALT deduction\u2014the itemized write-off for state and local taxes. Since 2017, this deduction has been capped at $10,000. The new bill raises the cap to $40,000 starting this year. That sounds like a big win, but there\u2019s a twist: the expanded deduction phases out completely for filers with modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) above $600,000. That means the highest-earning taxpayers in high-tax states are still shut out.<sup>1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u><a href=\"https:\/\/go.steadyinvestor.com\/dos-and-donts-of-volatility?source=zim&amp;medium=blog&amp;term=mitchsmailbox_dos_and_donts_zim_07_17_2025&amp;content=dos_and_donts\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/go.steadyinvestor.com\/dos-and-donts-of-volatility?source=zim&amp;medium=blog&amp;term=mitchsmailbox_dos_and_donts_zim_07_17_2025&amp;content=dos_and_donts\">One Wrong Move Can Cost You. Download Our Guide to Stay on Track<\/a><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With market swings and tax changes like the expanded SALT deduction, investors can\u2019t afford to make the wrong move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I recommend that all readers download our free guide, <strong><em><u><a href=\"https:\/\/go.steadyinvestor.com\/dos-and-donts-of-volatility?source=zim&amp;medium=blog&amp;term=mitchsmailbox_dos_and_donts_zim_07_17_2025&amp;content=dos_and_donts\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/go.steadyinvestor.com\/dos-and-donts-of-volatility?source=zim&amp;medium=blog&amp;term=mitchsmailbox_dos_and_donts_zim_07_17_2025&amp;content=dos_and_donts\">The Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts of Stock Market Volatility\u00b2<\/a><\/u><\/em><\/strong>, covers the biggest mistakes we\u2019ve seen\u2014and how to avoid them. Insight, you\u2019ll get insights into:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Three best practices to successfully manage periods of market volatility<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The three most common mistakes investors make, and why they are so damaging to your long-term investing goals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Historical data that supports our conclusions and underscores the recommendations we propose<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have $500,000 or more to invest, get our free guide today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u><a href=\"https:\/\/go.steadyinvestor.com\/dos-and-donts-of-volatility?source=zim&amp;medium=blog&amp;term=mitchsmailbox_dos_and_donts_zim_07_17_2025&amp;content=dos_and_donts\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/go.steadyinvestor.com\/dos-and-donts-of-volatility?source=zim&amp;medium=blog&amp;term=mitchsmailbox_dos_and_donts_zim_07_17_2025&amp;content=dos_and_donts\">Download Your Free Copy Today:\u00a0<em>The Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts of Stock Market Volatility<\/em>\u00a0<sup>2<\/sup><\/a><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s also a marriage penalty. The $40,000 cap applies per tax return, not per person. Two unmarried individuals can potentially deduct up to $80,000 combined, while a married couple filing jointly is stuck at $40,000. For those trying to preserve their eligibility, tax planning can help. Contributing to a 401(k), IRA, HSA, or dependent-care FSA may reduce your MAGI and help keep you under the threshold. Qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from IRAs could also be helpful for seniors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for the overtime portion of your question, the bill also includes targeted deductions for certain types of income and expenses. Starting in 2025, workers will be able to deduct:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Overtime:<\/em> The \u201chalf\u201d portion of time-and-a-half pay, capped at $12,500 for singles and $25,000 for joint filers. Also phases out at similar income levels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Tips:<\/em> Up to $25,000 in qualified tip income. Phases out between $150,000\u2013$400,000 for single filers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Car Loan Interest:<\/em> Up to $10,000 on new, U.S.-assembled passenger cars. Phases out at $100,000\u2013$150,000 for singles and $200,000\u2013$250,000 for couples.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s worth noting that these deductions apply whether you itemize or not which is helpful, since the vast majority of taxpayers now take the standard deduction. But they <em>don\u2019t<\/em> reduce your adjusted gross income (AGI), meaning they won\u2019t help lower things like the Medicare surtax or IRMAA thresholds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The headline takeaway is that this new tax package offers a smattering of middle-class relief and a few strategic wins, but with lots of strings attached. Many of the new deductions are temporary, subject to income limits, and impacted by MAGI-related phaseouts or marriage penalties. In other words, they\u2019ll benefit some Americans more than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s also a reminder that tax law is constantly evolving. What\u2019s permanent today may not be tomorrow, and temporary provisions have a habit of sticking around or disappearing based on political winds. That\u2019s why we always advise keeping an eye on legislative developments, but not building your entire financial plan around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tax policy will continue to evolve, but in the face of market volatility, staying focused on what you can control is key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why I\u2019m offering exclusive access to our comprehensive guide, <a href=\"https:\/\/go.steadyinvestor.com\/dos-and-donts-of-volatility?source=zim&amp;medium=blog&amp;term=mitchsmailbox_dos_and_donts_zim_07_17_2025&amp;content=dos_and_donts\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/go.steadyinvestor.com\/dos-and-donts-of-volatility?source=zim&amp;medium=blog&amp;term=mitchsmailbox_dos_and_donts_zim_07_17_2025&amp;content=dos_and_donts\"><strong><em><u>The Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts of Stock Market Volatility\u00b3<\/u><\/em><\/strong>.<\/a> Drawing from 30 years of expert insights, this resource is designed to help you navigate turbulent markets with confidence. Inside, you\u2019ll find<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Three best practices to successfully manage periods of market volatility<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Three most common mistakes investors make, and why they are so damaging to your long-term investing goals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Historical data that supports our conclusions and underscores the recommendations we propose<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have $500,000 or more to invest, get our free guide today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mitch focuses on some of the key provisions for individuals in the recent tax bill, including the SALT deduction, overtime pay, tips, and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13575,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,71],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mitchs-mailbox","category-private-client-group"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13841"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13842,"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13841\/revisions\/13842"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}