Some itemized deductions are limited by a percentage of your gross income. An example is miscellaneous deductions. These provide a benefit only if your total outlay for costs such as investment fees and unreimbursed employee business expenses exceed 2% of your adjusted gross income.
If you consistently lose out on these deductions, check now to determine if pulling some of January’s expenses into December will help.
Keep an eye on your exposure to the alternative minimum tax whenever you plan a strategy for making the most of deductions. Some expenses aren’t deductible under those rules.