Tag Archives: Tax Preparation

Understanding taxpayer rights: The right to appeal an IRS decision in an independent forum

Taxpayers have the right to appeal an IRS decision in an independent forum. This is one of ten basic rights — known collectively as the Taxpayer Bill of Rights — that all taxpayers have when working with the IRS.

The IRS’s Independent Office of Appeals that handles a taxpayer’s case must be separate from the IRS office that initially reviewed that case. Generally, Appeals will not discuss a case with the IRS to the extent that those communications appear to compromise the independence of Appeals.

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Relief from Addition to Tax for Underpayment of Estimated Income Tax by Individual Farmers and Fishermen

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The IRS is granting an extension of the March 1st deadline for farmers and fishermen to make their estimated tax payment before being subject to estimated tax penalties – as long as they file and pay the full amount of tax reported on their 2018 return by April 15, 2019 (or by April 17, 2019, for those taxpayers who live in Maine or Massachusetts).

• To claim the waiver of the estimated tax penalty, farmers and fishermen must attach Form 2210-F, Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Farmers and Fishermen, to their 2018 tax return. The taxpayer’s name and identifying number should be entered at the top of the form, and the waiver box (Part I, Box A) should be checked. The rest of the form should be left blank. Continue reading →

Here’s how tax reform affects taxpayers who claim the child tax credit

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IRS Issue Number: Tax Reform Tax Tip 2019-15

Many people claim the child tax credit to help offset the cost of raising children. Tax reform legislation made changes to that credit for 2018 and later. Here are some important things for taxpayers to know.

Credit amount. The new law increases the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000. Eligibility factors for the credit have not changed. As in past years, a taxpayer can claim the credit if all of these apply:

the child was younger than 17 at the end of the tax year
the taxpayer claims the child as a dependent
the child lives with the taxpayer for at least six months of the year

Credit refunds. The credit is refundable, now up to $1,400. If a taxpayer doesn’t owe any tax before claiming the credit, they will receive up to $1,400 as part of their tax refund. Continue reading →

There are six new schedules some taxpayers will file with the new Form 1040

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The 2018 Form 1040 replaces prior year Forms 1040, 1040A and 1040EZ. The 2018 Form 1040 uses a building-block approach that allows individuals to file only the schedules they need with their federal tax return. Many people will only need to file Form 1040 and no schedules.

Electronic filers may not notice these changes as the tax software will automatically use their responses to complete the Form 1040 and any needed schedules. For taxpayers who filed paper returns in the past and are concerned about the 2018 changes, this may be the year to consider the benefits of filing electronically. Continue reading →

Farmers, fishermen face March 1 tax deadline; IRS encourages convenience of IRS Direct Pay

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WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service reminds farmers and fishermen who chose to forgo making quarterly estimated tax payments that they must file their 2018 Form 1040 along with a payment for all taxes owed by Friday, March 1, 2019.

This special rule normally applies to taxpayers whose farming or fishing income was at least two-thirds of their total gross income in either the current or the preceding tax year. Farmers and fishermen choosing not to file by March 1 should have made an estimated tax payment by Jan. 15 to avoid a penalty.

IRS Direct Pay is safe, free Continue reading →

IRS Videos help taxpayers learn more about tax reform

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The IRS has several videos that can help individual and business taxpayers learn more about the tax reform legislation. The IRS posts these videos on the IRS Video Portal and to their YouTube channel. Aside from these sites, the IRS offers tax reform information on its other social media channels, such as Twitter and their new Instagram account. Taxpayers can visit the Multimedia Center on IRS.gov for links to all the agency’s social media sites.

Here are some of the tax reform videos taxpayers can watch on their computer or on their smartphone when they’re on the go. Continue reading →

IFTA Taxes are now Due for 4th Quarter of 2018

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The 4th Quarter 2018, IFTA Fuel Use Tax falls due now and time to report it with the state authorities. The IFTA license offers several benefits to the interstate/inter-jurisdictional motor carrier. These benefits include one license, one set of decals, one quarterly fuel tax report that reflects the net tax or refund due. These advantages result in cost and time savings for the carrier and the member jurisdictions.

Prepare your State IFTA Fuel Use Tax returns in 3 simple steps, take a print out of it and file it today!. The accurate and fastest website to prepare the IFTA Fuel Use Tax returns online.

Support available all the way to walk-you through the tax preparation process… talk to us at 866 – 245 – 3918 or write to us at support@taxexcise.com. Happy Trucking!

Tax Time Tips from the IRS

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Tax Time! IRS has issued a Tax Tip (Issue Number: Tax Tip 2018-56), here it is…

The tax filing deadline is Tuesday, April 17 this year. This is because April 15 falls on a weekend and the following Monday is a holiday in the District of Columbia. Even with an extra two days, the IRS urges taxpayers to avoid waiting until the last minute to file their taxes.

For those who have yet to file, the IRS has five quick ideas to help:

1. Gather Records. Good recordkeeping is important. It helps to ensure that nothing gets overlooked. Records such as receipts and cancelled checks also provide expense documentation.

2. Use IRS Online Tools. The IRS has many useful online tools, including the Interactive Tax Assistant, which provides answers to many tax questions. It gives the same answers that an IRS representative would give over the phone. Continue reading →

You can influence the regulations that affect you!

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Compliance, Rules, Regulations and Guidelines Imagine you wake up at 3 am. to a fire alarm in your hotel room on the 15^th floor. The announcement from the loudspeaker instructs everyone to exit the building immediately, without using the elevator. What do you do?

This recently happened to me, and after trudging down the flights of stairs and being guided to a parking lot across the street, I was not in a good mood. At least I had pulled on my jeans and grabbed a jacket, as some people were still in their pajamas and were shivering in the chilly morning air.

As you can imagine, we were all relieved, but irritated to learn it was a false alarm. The waiting line for the (very slow) elevators was long, so I decided to walk back up the stairs to my room. Later, I asked a companion how many stairs he had to maneuver and he told me he had just gotten into the shower and decided to take a chance that there was no fire and it was only a false alarm. Continue reading →