 |
|||||
With the backlog of tax return filing due to late changing tax laws, want to ensure your refund gets to you in the shortest amount of time? More importantly, how can you avoid receiving a letter from the IRS? Here are some of the most common tax filing mistakes:
 |
|||||
Recently passed federal legislation increased the exemption amount before your estate pays taxes on your assets when you die. The amount for 2013 is $5.25 million. This makes most of our estates tax-free when we die. Or does it?
 |
|||||
When it comes to retirement many Americans believe they can count on their full Social Security benefits as a core element of income. You can imagine the surprise at tax-time when some of these same benefits are returned to the Federal Government in the form of benefit reduction and taxation. Here is what you need to know.
 |
|||||
$3.40 to $4.00 per gallon gas prices are quickly becoming the new norm. Congress and the President appear to be doing very little to control this inflationary cost. What can you do? Thankfully there are commuting benefits that can lower your cost of getting to and from work during 2013.
Electronic Filing Opens For Business Tax Returns February 4th
Description
Filing this year has been delayed due to the Fiscal Cliff adjustments made in January, that took the IRS by surprise. Electronic Filing will open February 4th at 9AM Eastern time to receive electronically filed Federal and state Business returns (Corporate 1120, S-Corporation 1120S, and Partnership 1065). The opening will coincide with the IRS opening their system to receive and begin processing Business TY12 returns.
 |
|||||
If you have a tax return that will utilize a number of common educational credits, your tax return cannot be processed by the IRS until mid-February. Affected tax returns include any provisions found on Form 8863 and include:
- The American Opportunity Tax Credit
- The Lifetime Learning Credit
 |
|||||
Beginning in 2013 there is a simplified way to take a home office expense for a portion of your home. This new 'safe-harbor' option greatly simplifies how to record valid expenses for business use of your home. Here is how it works.
|
|||||
“We have worked hard to open tax season as soon as possible.”
- Acting IRS Commissioner Steven T. Miller
The IRS recently announced that it is targeting January 30th as the first day it will begin processing 2012 tax returns. This delay in filing is due to the late passage of the Tax Relief Act during the first week of January. Here is what you need to know.
Effective April 1, 2013
Voters approved a number of sales and use tax rate increases effective April 1, 2013. The table below shows the new rate for each of the cities and counties.
|
|||||
Looking for a way to reduce your 2012 income? Those who are older than 70 1/2 have an opportunity to make charitable contributions from their qualified individual retirement accounts and have it excluded from 2012 income. Here is what you need to know.
|
|||||
During the wee hours of January 1, 2013 the final touches were made to 2012 tax laws. While the rest of us could not realistically make plans during 2012 for laws passed in 2013, perhaps there is a clause or two that may help you when you file your taxes in the next few months. Here is what you need to know:
|
|||||
When you receive your initial paycheck for 2013 you had better take a close look to see what the payroll department has done with your pay. If you do not, you may be in for a big tax bite at the end of the year.
 |
|||||
The IRS estimates that it paid out over $2 billion in fraudulent claims for refunds. While the age of e-filing and automatic deposits has sped up receiving our refunds, it has also created a tremendous identity theft problem. Thankfully, the IRS is now paying attention to this problem and is actively using their data matching programs to help catch identity thieves trying to steal your withholdings.
|
|||||
You’ve loved dogs all your life so you decide to breed them and start a dog training business. Is this a business in the eyes of the IRS or a hobby? Knowing what the IRS is looking for and properly positioning your small business can save taxes and headaches if you are ever questioned by the IRS.
|
|||||
Year-end is a good time to ensure you have proper documentation to substantiate your tax deductions. This is important as many banks start deleting online documentation that is over one year old.
|
|||||
The IRS recently announced mileage rates to be used for travel in 2013. The Business, Medical, and Moving mileage rates increase one cent versus 2012. Unfortunately, the rate to be used for Charitable travel is unchanged because updates in this area require Congressional action. Remember to create and keep a detailed log of your applicable mileage for your qualified business, medical, moving and charitable driving. Without this documentation, your qualified deduction could be disallowed.
|
|||||
If you have problems getting to sleep at night and you turn to the IRS tax code for help, you might find some vocabulary that is very foreign to words you use every day. One of the more common words used by the IRS is the term "contemporaneous". So what does it mean and why should you care?
|
|||||
The devastation caused by Hurricane (now Superstorm) Sandy is widespread. And while you may not have been impacted directly by the storm, you may know of someone who was. Fortunately, the relief wheels are in motion, albeit never fast enough. In an effort to help those impacted and to help get the word out to those who may have been impacted here are some tips.
