Government Keeping Your Refund?
Article Highlights: Bureau of the Fiscal Service Allowable Refund Offsets Disputing an Offset Injured Spouse Claim We all look forward to receiving our tax refunds, but what if you were expecting a refund and it never arrived? It may be because you have outstanding federal or state debts—and not just tax-related debts. The Treasury Department’s Bureau […]
Charity Volunteer Tax Breaks
Article Highlights: Away-from-home travel Lodging and meals Entertaining for charity Automobile travel Uniforms Substantiation requirements If you volunteered your time for a charity or governmental entity during the COVID-19 pandemic, you probably qualify for some tax breaks. These rules actually apply to all charity volunteers not just COVID-19 volunteers. Although no tax deduction is allowed […]
You May Need a Protective Claim Before July 15
Article Highlights: Pending Supreme Court Case Past ACA Taxes May be Invalidated Who May be Impacted by the Court Ruling 2016 Tax Statute of Limitations Protective Claim for 2016 Refund Taxpayers who in the last few years have paid the extra 0.9% Medicare tax on wages or self-employment income, or the 3.8% tax on net […]
Thinking of Dumping Old Tax Records?
Article Highlights: General statute is 3 years Some states are longer Fraud, failure to file and other issues can extend the statute Records to dump Record to Keep Longer Tired of having all those old tax records taking up drawer or closet space and collecting dust. Want to dump as much as you can? People […]
Watch Out for Tax Penalties
Article Highlights: Underpayment of Estimated Tax and Withholding Penalty Required Minimum Distribution Penalty Late Filing Penalty Late Payment Penalty Negligence Penalty Fraud Penalty Dishonored Check Penalty Missing ID Number Penalty Early Withdrawal Penalty Failure to Report Tips Penalty Foreign Reporting Excessive Claim Penalty Frivolous Return Penalty Failure to File Information Returns Penalty Most taxpayers don’t […]
Wealthy Taxpayers May Want to Strategize for Potential Tax Increases
Article Highlights: Skyrocketing Government Spending Federal and State Deficits Tax Increases in Our Future Tax Strategies The outcome of the November elections could have a significant impact on taxes for the wealthy. The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the economy, as the government’s tax revenues have declined while government spending has soared. Although the […]
IRS Cancels Stimulus Checks Issued to Decedents
Article Highlights: Stimulus Payments to Deceased Individuals Stop Payments Being Made on Checks Already Issued IRS Authority to Deny Stimulus Payments to Deceased Individuals History of Stimulus Payments IRS Q&A Dealing with Deceased Individuals and the Return of the Payments According to the recently updated IRS FAQ page, the Treasury Dept. has cancelled outstanding Economic […]
What You Need to Know About Health Savings Accounts
Article Highlights: Medical Savings Account Retirement Account High-Deductible Plan Eligible Individuals Monetary Qualification for an HSA Qualification Chart Maximum Contributions Establishing an HSA Qualified Medical Expenses The Health Savings Account (HSA) is one of the most misunderstood and underused benefits in the Internal Revenue Code. Congress created HSAs as a way for individuals with high-deductible […]
What President Trump’s Executive Order Means for You
We are still waiting for the dust to settle on what President Trump’s executive orders mean for taxpayers and business owners. There is a lot of talk about legal challenges and how Congress may react. But here is a summary of what we know now. Temporary Payroll Tax Relief – The President has directed the Treasury […]
What You Need to Know About Health Savings Accounts
The Health Savings Account (HSA) is one of the most misunderstood and underused benefits in the Internal Revenue Code. Congress created HSAs as a way for individuals with high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) to save for medical expenses that are not covered by insurance due to the high-deductible provisions of their insurance coverage. HSA as a […]