tax deferral

Tax Deferral

A situation in which one is not required to pay taxes one would otherwise owe until some date in the future. Most of the time, tax deferral refers to contributions to an IRA or a 401(k) or other retirement instrument. Under many structures, one is able to make contributions from one's pre-tax income; this means that taxation is deferred until withdrawals are made, generally after retirement.

Farlex Financial Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All Rights Reserved

tax deferral

The delay of a tax liability until a future date. For example, an IRA may result in a tax deferral on the amount contributed to the IRA and on any income earned on funds in the IRA until withdrawals are made. At the corporate level, accelerated depreciation of assets results in a delay in tax liabilities. Tax deferral, which is legal, means a postponement, not an elimination, of a tax liability.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms for Today's Investor by David L. Scott. Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. All rights reserved.