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This is the first of a series of 2007 Tax reference sheets that I’ll be sharing with you over the next month or so. This one focuses on some of the major federal income tax key numbers. I’ll do future ones for estate planning, retirement planning and business planning in the not too distant future so stay tuned.
Since federal income taxes are such a large part of most peoples life or expenditures, I thought that you might like a summary or reference sheet for some of the important figures for 2007.
Many people believe that if someone is in the 28% tax bracket, they pay all taxes due at the rate of 28% of taxable income. This is not correct. A couple having a taxable income of $125,000 does not pay 25% federal income tax on ALL of the taxable income… but only on everything over $63,700. The first $15,650 is only taxed at 10%, the taxable income from $15,560-$63,700 would be taxed at 15% and so on. The figures below is taxable income (after deductions and exemptions).
I’ll start out with the tax brackets for the 2007 tax year.
The figures below show the various “steps” on how the
marginal income brackets are progressively taxed higher.
Married, Filing Jointly:
$zero – $15,650 is taxed at 10%
$15,650 – $63,700 is taxed at 15%
$63,700 – $128,500 is taxed at 25%
$128,500 – $195,850 is taxed at 28%
$195,850 – $349,700 is taxed at 33%
over $349,700 is taxed at 35%
Married, Filing Separately:
Note: Often times it make more sense for a married couple to file taxes separately for either tax reduction strategies or for non-tax reasons. Your tax advisor should help you decide if there are important reasons for YOU to take advantage of this filing status.
Tax brackets for Married Filing Separately: Simply cut the above taxable figures in half for those six tax brackets
Single:
$zero – $7,825 is taxed at 10%
$7,825 – $31,850 is taxed at 15%
$31,850 – $77,100 is taxed at 25%
$77,100 – $160,850 is taxed at 28%
$160,850 – $349,700 is taxed at 33%
over $349,700 is taxed at 35%
Single, Head of Household:
$zero – $11,200 is taxed at 10%
$11,200 – $42,650 is taxed at 15%
$42,650 – $110,100 is taxed at 25%
$110,100 – $178,350 is taxed at 28%
$178,350 – $349,700 is taxed at 33%
over $349,700 is taxed at 35%
Standard Deduction:
Standard Deduction is ONLY for those who do NOT itemize expenses like mortgage interest, charitable contributions, etc.
Married, Filing Jointly: $10,700
Married, Filing Separately: $ 5,350
Single: $ 5,350
Single, Head of Household: $ 7,850
Those who are blind or over age 65 can ADD $1,050 (if married) or $1,300 (if single or head of household) to the above Standard Deductions
Personal Exemptions:
Personal Exemptions are set at $3,400 per allowed person subject to Phaseouts (which are reductions in the Exemptions) based on taxable income. This is not an issue unless your taxable income is at least $117,300 (depending on filing status).
Maximum taxable EARNED income subject to FICA tax: $97,500
The Social Security and Medicare combined tax rate is 15.3% on income up to that figure. W-2 employees pay half of the 15.3% and employers pay the other half. Self-employed pay the whole amount.
Long-term Capital Gains and Qualified Dividend Rates:
For those in the 10% and 15% Income tax brackets only: 5%
For taxpayers in the higher tax backets: 15%
Capital gains on collectibles (coins, stamps, etc.) 28%
One of the important functions of a financial advisor is to help reduce taxes to your legal minimum due by using all appropriate deductions, methods and strategies. A good tax advisor is worth their weight in gold! So go find a pro-active tax advisor, not someone who just files tax returns.
And now, hopefully you will have a better idea of what that person is talking about.

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A 401k is a good place to start in planning for your future retirement, no matter how far away you may be from the actual time. A 401k account is a special type of savings account that is funded directly through your paycheck each pay period. How it works is that you and your employer determine the amount that is to be deducted from each paycheck you receive, then the employer determines your pre-tax earnings and deducts your 401k funds from the paycheck prior to taxes.
Once deposited in the special savings account, the funds in the 401k are then invested into many different types of mutual funds, bonds, and stocks. The great thing about a 401k retirement plan is that all of these investments are completely free of taxes until the time comes for you to withdraw your money from the 401k account.
Beginning in the early part of the 1980’s congress created the 401k retirement plan to allow people to begin saving money before they retire from their employment. It works as something of a financial net, ready for you when the time arrives.
There are several advantages with a 401k other than simply being a tax-exempt method of savings. Your employer may also have a match program. With this program, your employer would match part of your contribution into 401k. This means that whatever you contribute to your 401k, your employer will match a portion of it each pay period. Additionally, some employers raise the amount of their contribution when you have worked for them a certain number of years.
Another exciting aspect of 401k is that you have the option to determine where your funds will go when it is invested. To some, this is important and gives them the opportunity to maximize their retirement savings.
Furthermore, 401k has portability. If you should ever change jobs, you have many different options available in regard to your 401k. One of these options is to simply leave your 401k with your previous employer. This is the easiest option. However, you should be aware that the plan administrators could charge you for maintaining the account records. Another option is to roll the 401k over to the new employer’s plan. This will allow you to continue to deposit money into your 401k to add to the money you have already earned and saved.
You may also be able to rollover the 401k into an IRA. This is a great option, especially if employers only offer limited investments. You would have greater control over where your money is invested. Last, you could opt to completely cash the 401k out. This option has a few drawbacks. When you cash out your 401k plan, you must pay the taxes on that money and you could also be accessed a penalty for early withdrawal.
It is extremely important that you fully understand all of your options. Weigh the results of each one prior to making any decision about your 401k. Being educated, practical and informed before making your decision will help benefit your 401k and retirement in the long run.
Permission is granted to reprint this article as long as no changes are made, and the entire resource box is included.

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