Question

Ben and Molly are married and will file jointly. Ben generates $300,000 of qualified business income from his single-member LLC (a law firm). He reports his business as a sole proprietorship. Wages paid by the law firm amount to $40,000; the law firm has no significant property. Molly is employed as a tax manager by a local CPA firm. Their modified taxable income is $386,600 (this is also their taxable income before the deduction for qualified business income). Determine their allowable QBI deduction for 2020. $fill in the blank 1

Answer 1

A. $8,000

B. $14,400

Step-by-step explanation:

A. Calculation to determine their tentative QBI based on the W-2 Wages/Capital Investment Limit

First step is to calculate the Applicable Percentage

Applicable percentage= 100%-($386,600 - $326,600)/100,000

Applicable percentage=40%

Now let Calculate the tentative QBI based on the W-2 Wages/Capital Investment Limit

GREATER OF BELOW:

Tentative QBI based on the W-2 Wages/Capital Investment Limit=50% of W-2 wages ($40,000 × 50% × 40%)

Tentative QBI based on the W-2 Wages/Capital Investment Limit=$8,000

OR

Tentative QBI based on the W-2 Wages/Capital Investment Limit=[ W-2 wages of ($40,000 × 25% × 40%)]+ [Unadjusted basis of qualified property of ($0 × 2.5% × 40%)]

Tentative QBI based on the W-2 Wages/Capital Investment Limit=$4,000+$0

Tentative QBI based on the W-2 Wages/Capital Investment Limit=$4,000

Therefore their tentative QBI based on the W-2 Wages/Capital Investment Limit will be $8,000

2. Calculation to Determine their allowable QBI deduction for 2020

First step is to calculate the General QBI deduction

General QBI deduction [($300,000 × 20%)× 40%]

General QBI deduction=$24,000

Second step is to calculate the Reduction Ratio

Reduction ratio= ($386,600 - $326,600)/100,000

Reduction ratio=$60,000/100,000

Reduction ratio= 60%

Now let calculate the allowable QBI deduction for 2020

General QBI deduction $24,000

Less Reduction of W-2 Wages/Capital Investment Limit ($9,600)

[($24,000-$8,000)*60%]

2020 Allowable QBI deduction $14,400

($24,000-$9,600)

Therefore their allowable QBI deduction for 2020 will be $14,400