Some Utahns With Large Families Paying More In State Taxes
Mar 19, 2019, 6:38 AM | Updated: 8:30 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – There’s less than a month to go before the state and federal income tax deadline on April 15.
The IRS is reporting tax refunds are $4 higher this year than they were during 2018, but the number of overall people getting refunds is down more than 3 percent.
The tax policy center reported about 80 percent of Americans will end up paying less in federal taxes while about 5 percent will ultimately pay more since the tax code update. However, in the first year of the sweeping tax changes, some Utah families are paying more in state taxes.
“We’re seeing Utah families, especially with a lot of children, paying anywhere from $200 to well over $1,000 extra in state income taxes that they did not plan on,” said Susan Spiers of the Utah Association of CPAs.
She said state taxes followed the federal guideline, which took away the individual child tax exemption. That means larger families in some cases are paying more this year.
While it may be too late to do much for filing 2018 taxes, there is something taxpayers can do right now to make sure they don’t get sticker shock again.
“This is prime time to start tax planning 2019,” Spiers said. “There are so many changes. If you’re not getting as big a refund or you’re having to pay, let’s get your paychecks adjusted now.”
