Josh Scandlen Podcast

If you are married filing jointly with taxable income of $77,400 or less, you are in the 12% tax bracket. However, add $1 more and you are in the 22% bracket. See how that works? $77,400 = 12% bracket. $77,401 = 22% bracket.  This is how marginal rates work: the more income you receive the higher the tax rate on that additional income will be. The tax you paid on your previous income doesn’t change though. You only pay higher taxes on the amount that puts you into the next bracket.  How Qualified Dividends and Long-Term Gains Are Taxed Now, let’s say you have total income of $70,000 which consists of $60,000 of work income and $10,000 in the form of Qualified Dividend Income (QDI) and Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG). But you need $80,000 to maintain your lifestyle.  So you take a $10,000 distribution from your IRA.  That puts you in the 22% tax bracket. The following April you go visit your tax guy to file your taxes.  Your tax guy gives you what you initially thought to be a pleas