Tax laws are complicated but the most common tax return errors are surprising simple. Many mistakes can be avoided by filing electronically. Tax software does the math, flags common errors and prompts taxpayers for missing information. It can also help taxpayers claim valuable credits and deductions.
Using a reputable tax preparer – including certified public accountants, enrolled agents or other knowledgeable tax professionals – can also help avoid errors.
Victims of December 10 tornadoes in parts of Illinois and Tennessee will have until May 16, 2022, to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments, the Internal Revenue Service announced today. This is the same relief already provided to storm victims in Kentucky.
Following last week’s emergency declarations issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the IRS is providing this relief to taxpayers affected by storms, tornadoes and flooding that took place starting on Dec. 10 in parts of Illinois and Tennessee. Currently, relief is available to affected taxpayers who live or have a business in Bond, Cass, Coles, Effingham, Fayette, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Pike and Shelby counties in Illinois and Cheatham, Decatur, Dickson, Dyer, Gibson, Lake, Obion, Stewart and Weakley counties in Tennessee. But the IRS will provide the same relief to any other localities designated by FEMA in these or neighboring states. The current list of eligible localities is always available on the disaster relief page on IRS.gov, including numerous counties in Kentucky announced last week.
The tax relief postpones various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurred starting on Dec. 10. As a result, affected individuals and businesses will have until May 16 to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due during this period. This includes 2021 individual income tax returns due on April 18, as well as various 2021 business returns normally due on March 15 and April 18. Among other things, this means that affected taxpayers will have until May 16 to make 2021 IRA contributions.
In addition, farmers who choose to forgo making estimated tax payments and normally file their returns by March 1 will now have until May 16, 2022 to file their 2021 return and pay any tax due.
Continue readingThe IRS is issuing Economic Impact Payments. These payments are being issued automatically for most individuals. However, some people who don’t usually file a tax return will need to submit basic information to the IRS to receive their payment.
Questions? The IRS is regularly updating the Economic Impact Payment and the Get My Payment tool frequently asked questions pages on IRS.gov as more information becomes available. Here are answers to some of the most common questions.
In a recent update from IRS, there is an announcement about a new website to help taxpayers to understand the tax reforms and this release itself is tagged as IRS Tax Reform Tax Tip…
IRS Tax Reform Tax Tip 2018-132, Dated, August 23, 2018
With an updated tax reform section and frequent updates, the IRS website should be the first stop for taxpayers looking for information about how tax reform legislation – the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – affects their taxes. Here are some facts about these new easy-to-read, easy-to-use pages and what taxpayers can find on them: Continue reading