3 tips to avoid paying too much tax on Social Security

Retirees can save taxes on their Social Security payments by waiting to apply until age 70 and exploring states with no income taxes for potential savings.

Millions of Americans relying on Social Security for their retirement income are increasingly searching for ways to reduce taxes on Social Security as part of a financial trend this tax season.

Retirees can enhance their income by waiting to apply until age 70 and exploring states with no income taxes for potential savings. (Pexels (Representative image))

According to the IRS, federal rules currently allow up to 85% of Social Security benefits be taxable based on combined income thresholds.

However, retirees can use several legal planning strategies to increase their Social Security income and reduce the bite of taxes.

Additionally, if you wait until you are 70 years old to apply for Social Security, you can receive the maximum benefit; however, if you are careless, you might wind up paying a lot of taxes on that income.

Ways to avoid the tax bite and increase Social Security payments

States that do not tax Social Security

Some states do not tax your Social Security benefits or any other kind of income. If you have the option of moving to another state, you might want to investigate states with no income taxes.

According to Marca, states like Florida, Texas and Tennessee can help you save a significant amount of money in retirement. However, the total tax landscape should be considered, as taxes on IRA withdrawals, pensions, and property taxes might offset the savings.

Social Security application at 70

You can receive the full Social Security payment if you wait until you're 70 years old before applying for your Social Security payments, as per Marca.

There's another advantage to it. You have more time to transfer money into a Roth account. To reduce the tax burden, Marca advises doing this before you begin receiving Social Security.

You will eventually have to take the mandated minimum distributions, and you may be obliged to withdraw far more than you intended.

These distributions are calculated as a percentage, which means that those with substantial holdings may be obliged to withdraw more than $100,000 annually. If you include Social Security, you could end up with extremely high tax rates.

Withdraw funds from Roth before Social Security application

While Social Security is an excellent source of income, you should not rely completely on it for your retirement. The cost of living can exceed your Social Security benefit, and most people are aware of this possibility. That is why it is customary to contribute to 401(k) plans, IRAs, and other investment accounts.

Traditional retirement plans, however, have one downside. Withdrawals are considered regular income, and when combined with Social Security, they can put you into a higher tax bracket. As a result, it is Marca suggests withdrawing cash from these accounts or converting them to Roth accounts before enrolling for Social Security.

If you don't need the money right now, you should consider making partial Roth conversions instead of straight withdrawals from the account each year.