Careful timing can lower the tax you pay through retirement.
QCDs, gap-year Roth conversions, and RMD planning can lower the federal and Connecticut tax you and your heirs pay over time. Summer Associates models the multi-year result, including Medicare premiums, before you convert, give, or withdraw.
Or call (203) 327-4311 to talk with our Stamford office.
Enrolled agents
Our practitioners are enrolled to practice before the Internal Revenue Service.
Federal and Connecticut
We model federal and Connecticut tax together, so you see the state effect of a federal move before you make it.
Local to Fairfield County
Based in Stamford and serving clients for over 35 years.
Planning, not just filing
We focus on the decisions you can still change: elections, timing, and year-end moves.
Where retirees can lower the tax on their savings
In retirement, the order and timing of withdrawals matter as much as the amount.
Give from your IRA with QCDs
Send up to $111,000 directly from your IRA to charity. It counts toward your RMD and never enters AGI.
How it works →DistributionRoth conversions in the gap years
Convert pre-tax IRA money between retirement and RMD age to fill low tax brackets.
How it works →DistributionPlan RMDs and withdrawal order
Coordinate taxable, pre-tax, and Roth withdrawals so income stays smooth year to year.
How it works →New lawCapture the $6,000 senior deduction
A new deduction of up to $6,000 per person 65+ for 2025–2028, phased out by income.
How it works →EstateUse the $15M estate exemption well
Portability, step-up in basis, and lifetime gifts under a $15M per-person exemption.
How it works →EstateAnnual exclusion gifts and 529 superfunding
Give $19,000 per recipient each year, or front-load five years into a 529 plan.
How it works →In-depth guides
Plain-English explainers covering the rules, the numbers, and the common mistakes.
Qualified charitable distributions: the most tax-efficient way retirees give
How QCDs work, the $111,000 limit for 2026, the one-time $55,000 split-interest option, and why QCDs beat itemized gifts under the new charitable rules.
Read the guide · 7 min →Retiring in Connecticut: income, property, and estate tax, with a Fairfield County focus
How Connecticut taxes Social Security, pensions, and IRAs in 2026, the $100,000 cliff, property tax relief, the 12% estate tax, and moving to Florida.
DistributionRMDs, Roth conversions, and IRMAA: managing the retirement tax brackets
When RMDs start, how Roth conversions in the gap years can lower lifetime taxes, and how to avoid Medicare IRMAA surprises from the two-year lookback.
New lawThe $6,000 senior deduction and the new charitable rules: keeping MAGI in range
Who gets the 2025–2028 senior deduction, how the phase-out works, and how the 0.5% charitable floor and 35% itemized cap change retiree tax planning.
How working with Summer Associates starts
The first consultation is free, with no obligation. From the first call to a plan, the process has three steps.
Start with a conversation
Call (203) 327-4311 or send us a note. Tell us what you are working on and what you want to solve.
We review the details
We look at your last return, retirement account balances, and Social Security statement to see which strategies fit and what they could be worth.
You get a plan
We model the options on your numbers, federal and Connecticut, and set out the steps and the deadlines that apply.
Summer Associates Tax Services, 48 Union St, #1C, Stamford, CT 06906. Convenient to clients throughout Fairfield County, including Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, Westport, and Fairfield.
Book a free consultationThe 2026 numbers that matter
Federal and Connecticut figures retirees and their families use for distribution, giving, and estate planning.
| Item | 2026 figure | Notes & source |
|---|---|---|
| QCD annual limit | $111,000 | Per IRA owner age 70½+ (IRS) |
| RMD starting age | 73 | 75 for those born in 1960 or later (Treas. Reg. §1.401(a)(9)-2) |
| Senior deduction (2025–2028) | $6,000 per person | Reduced above $75,000 / $150,000 MAGI |
| Extra standard deduction at 65+ | $2,050 / $1,650 | Unmarried / married, per person |
| Estate & gift tax exemption | $15,000,000 | Per person, rising to $15.48M in 2027 (Rev. Proc. 2026-35) |
| Annual gift exclusion | $19,000 | Per recipient, rising to $20,000 in 2027 (Rev. Proc. 2026-35) |
| IRA catch-up at 50+ | $1,100 | On top of the $7,500 IRA limit |
| CT exemption for Social Security, pensions & IRAs | Federal AGI under $100,000 | Joint filers, or $75,000 single. The pension and IRA phase-out ends at $150,000 / $100,000 (CT-1040ES) |
| CT estate & gift tax exemption | $15,000,000 | 12% above it, with no portability between spouses (CT DRS; CGS §12-391(c)(4)) |
Common questions
Can a QCD satisfy my required minimum distribution?
Yes. QCDs from an IRA count toward your RMD for the year, up to the $111,000 annual limit for 2026. The distribution must go directly from the IRA custodian to a qualifying public charity, not to a donor-advised fund.
When do I have to start RMDs?
Age 73 if you were born from 1951 through 1959, and age 75 if you were born in 1960 or later. The age for those born in 1959 follows IRS proposed regulations. Your first RMD can be delayed to April 1 of the following year, but you then take two RMDs in that year.
Who qualifies for the new senior deduction?
Taxpayers age 65 or older by the end of the year can deduct up to $6,000 each for 2025 through 2028, whether or not they itemize. Each must have a valid Social Security number on the return, and married couples must file jointly. Each person's $6,000 is reduced by 6% of MAGI over $75,000 for single filers and $150,000 for joint filers.
Will my estate owe federal estate tax?
Only if your taxable estate plus lifetime taxable gifts exceeds the exemption. For 2026 the exemption is $15 million per person, or $30 million for a married couple with portability, and it is now indexed for inflation with no scheduled sunset.
Does Connecticut tax Social Security and IRA withdrawals?
Not for 2026 if your federal AGI is under $100,000 on a joint return or $75,000 on a single return. Below those lines, Social Security, pensions, annuities, and traditional IRA distributions are fully exempt. Above them, Connecticut can tax up to 25% of Social Security benefits, and the pension and IRA exemption phases out, ending at $150,000 joint and $100,000 single. The federal $6,000 senior deduction doesn't reduce Connecticut tax. Our Connecticut retirement guide has a worked example.
Does Connecticut have its own estate tax?
Yes. For 2026 Connecticut taxes estates above $15 million at a flat 12%, and it has a separate gift tax with the same exemption. Unlike the federal tax, Connecticut's tax allows no portability between spouses. Every Connecticut resident's estate must file a state return. If no tax is due, the return is Form CT-706 NT, filed with the Probate Court within six months of death.
See the tax effect of a Roth conversion, QCD, or gift before you act.
In a consultation, we look at your recent returns and account balances, project your RMDs and Medicare premium tier, and tell you whether a Roth conversion or QCD could lower your federal and Connecticut tax over the next decade.