Question

Shauna Coleman is single. She is employed as an architectural designer for Streamline Design (SD). Shauna wanted to determine her taxable income for this year. She correctly calculated her AGI. However, she wasn’t sure how to compute the rest of her taxable income. She provided the following information with hopes that you could use it to determine her taxable income.

Shauna paid $4,680 for medical expenses for care related to a broken ankle. Also, Shauna’s boyfriend, Blake, drove Shauna (in her car) a total of 115 miles to the doctor’s office so she could receive care for her broken ankle.

Shauna paid a total of $3,400 in health insurance premiums during the year (not through an exchange). SD did not reimburse any of this expense. Besides the health insurance premiums and the medical expenses for her broken ankle, Shauna had Lasik eye surgery last year and she paid $3,000 for the surgery (she received no insurance reimbursement). She also incurred $450 of other medical expenses for the year.

SD withheld $1,800 of state income tax, $7,495 of Social Security tax, and $14,500 of federal income tax from Shauna’s paychecks throughout the year.

In 2017, Shauna was due a refund of $250 for overpaying her 2016 state taxes. On her 2016 state tax return that she filed in April 2017, she applied the overpayment toward her 2017 state tax liability. She estimated that her state tax liability for 2017 will be $2,300.

Shauna paid $3,200 of property taxes on her personal residence. She also paid $500 to the developer of her subdivision, because he had to replace the sidewalk in certain areas of the subdivision.

Shauna paid a $200 property tax based on the state’s estimate of the value of her car.

Shauna has a home mortgage loan in the amount of $220,000 that she secured when she purchased the home. The home is worth about $400,000. Shauna paid interest of $12,300 on the loan this year.

Shauna made several charitable contributions throughout the year. She contributed stock in ZYX Corp. to the Red Cross. On the date of the contribution, the fair market value of the donated shares was $1,000 and her basis in the shares was $400. Shauna originally bought the ZYX Corp. stock in 2008. Shauna also contributed $300 cash to State University and religious artifacts she has held for several years to her church. The artifacts were valued at $500 and Shauna’s basis in the items was $300. Shauna had every reason to believe the church would keep them on display indefinitely. Shauna also drove 200 miles doing church-related errands for her minister. Finally, Shauna contributed $1,200 of services to her church last year.

Shauna’s car was totaled in a wreck in January. The car was worth $14,000 and her cost basis in the car was $16,000. The car was a complete loss. Shauna received $2,000 in insurance reimbursements for the loss.

Shauna paid $300 for architectural design publications, $100 for continuing education courses to keep her up to date on the latest design technology, and $200 for professional dues to maintain her status in a professional designer’s organization.

Shauna paid $250 in investment advisory fees and another $150 to have her tax return prepared (that is, she paid $150 in 2017 to have her 2016 tax return prepared).

Shauna is involved in horse racing as a hobby. During the year, she won $2,500 in prize money and incurred $10,000 in expenses. She has never had a profitable year with her horse-racing activities, so she acknowledges that this is a hobby for federal income tax purposes.

Shauna sustained $2,000 in gambling losses over the year (mostly horse-racing bets) and only had $200 in winnings.

Assume Shauna’s AGI is $107,000.

a. Determine Shauna’s taxable income

Answer 1

a.
AGI (given)		$107,000
Deduction:
(a,b) Medical expenses: (working note 1)	$3,524.55
(c,d) State Tax ($1800 withheld + $250 (overpayment)	$2,050
e) Real Property Tax	$3,200
f) Personal Property Tax	$200
g)Interest on loans secured byher home	$12,300
h) Charitable contributions (1,000 + 300 + 500 + 28[200 miles x 14¢ per mile]	$1,828
i) Casualty loss(working note 2)	$1,200
j) to l) Itemized deductionssubject to 2% AGI floor (woking note 3	$1,360
m) Gambling losses	$200
Total itemized deductions	$25,862.55
Standard deduction	$6,350
Greater of itemiized deduction or standard deduction to be deducted		-$25,862.55
Personal exemption amount		-$4,050
Taxable income for year 2017		$77,087.45
Working note 1
1)Medical expenses = $4,680 (medical expenses for broken ankle), + $19.55 (115 miles x 17¢ per mile) + 3,400 (unreimbursed health insurance premiums) + 3,000 (Lasik eye surgery) + 450 (other medical expenses) - $8,025 (AGI of 107,000 x 7.5 percent) = $3524.55
Working note 2
($14000-$2000)$12000 loss must be reduced by $100 and then by 10 percent of AGI ($10,700). So, her deductible loss is $1,200 ($12,000-100-10,700)
Working note 3
j)Employee business expenses(300 + 100 + 200)	600
k) Investment expense and tax preparation fees(250 + 150)	400
l) Hobby losses	2500
Total Itemized deductions subject to 2% floor	3500
2% x $107,000 AGI floor	2140
Amount in excess of floor	1360