Of the nearly 30 different items that can cause taxpayers to fall into the AMT, a few are much more common than others. Here is a quick look at the "top ten" list of those that snare the most Alternative Minimum Taxpayers.
1 – Personal exemptions
For the Regular Tax, every taxpayer is entitled to a personal exemption deduction for himself, and his spouse and/or other dependents. Since the AMT denies any deduction for personal exemptions, this is the single item affecting almost every individual paying the Alternative Minimum Tax.
2 – State and local tax deduction
This item, which consists of property taxes, state and local income taxes, and sales taxes, is only slightly behind personal exemptions in terms of the number of AMT payers affected. The reasons for this are the relatively heavy burden of state and local taxes as well as the fact that the AMT disallows every dollar of this deduction.
3 -Capital gains
This is not specifically listed as an AMT item, but the impact of capital gains on an individual’s Alternative Minimum Tax can be significant. At levels of taxable income where most AMT payers find themselves, an additional $100 of capital gains could add up to $7 of AMT being paid on top of the $15 imposed by the Regular Tax capital gains bracket.
4 – Miscellaneous Itemized Deductions
A taxpayer’s employee business or investment-related expenses may be deductible under the Regular Tax, but they are not for the AMT. This affects nearly a third of all AMT payers.
5 – Depreciation
Business owners and investors with rental property are allowed depreciation deductions for the property used in these activities. The AMT disallows a portion of the depreciation deduction that otherwise may be taken.
6 – Passive activity losses
Many investment activities are considered "passive" for tax purposes. An example is a taxpayer who acquires an interest in an investment partnership. As such, losses from these investments are limited in how they may be deducted for purposes of the Regular Tax. The AMT imposes even further limitations on the use of these losses.
7 – Private activity bond interest
An individual investing in tax-exempt municipal bonds may receive an unpleasant surprise when he discovers that Alternative Minimum Tax has to be paid on the interest income from a certain type of municipal bond – the so-called private activity bond. While there may be an increase in before-tax yield from this type of bond, the after-AMT results can be very disappointing.
8 – Standard deduction
A taxpayer is allowed no standard deduction in computing the AMT. A valuable planning idea here could mean that an AMT taxpayer might be better off not claiming the standard deduction at all.
9 – Medical and dental expenses
For purposes of the Regular Tax, individuals are allowed a deduction for medical and dental expenses, to the extent these expenses exceed 7.5% of Adjusted Gross Income. The AMT limits this deduction even further by instead imposing an excess-of-10% requirement.
#10 – Limitations on investment losses
In addition to the limitation on the use of passive activity losses as discussed above, there are other investment activities, not falling under the passive rules, the losses from which still will be limited for purposes of the Regular Tax. Again, the AMT places even further limitations on the use of these losses.
Conclusion
In addition to this top ten list, there are nearly 20 other individual items waiting to trip up the AMT payer. The individual items that catch any particular taxpayer are shown on that individual’s Form 6251 that is attached to his tax return. It is important to note, however, that planning opportunities exist that can lessen the impact of each and every one of these. Check these out at AMTIndividual.com.