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Don't Buy a Tax Bill

Time your year-end mutual fund purchases to avoid excess taxes through dividend distributions.

By Mary Beth Franklin

December 2, 2008

If you're thinking of buying mutual funds between now and the end of the year, think twice -- you might be buying an unnecessary tax bill.

Sometime in December, many funds pay out dividends and capital gains that have built up during the year, and the payout goes to investors who own shares on what's known as the ex-dividend date.

Now, it might sound like a savvy move to buy just before that day, so you get a whole year's worth of income. But it doesn't work that way. Yes, you'd get the payout, but at the time of the payout, the share price falls by exactly the same amount. If you get $2 a share in dividends, the share price drops by two bucks. In effect, the fund is simply refunding part of your purchase price.

But that's not the way the IRS sees it. You have to report those payouts as income on your 2008 return -- and pay taxes on them -- even if the money is automatically reinvested in extra shares so you never really see it. Despite the market’s dismal performance this year, some funds will still make large payouts because they had to sell stock to satisfy shareholders’ redemption demands.

So, before you buy shares in December, call the fund or check its Web site to find out exactly when the dividend will be paid. Buy after that date and you'll not only get a lower price, but you'll also avoid a tax bill.

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