The Franchise Tax Board has proposed a bill which would provide penalty relief for taxpayers who fail to timely file a tax return or fail to timely pay an income tax liability. This relief would be available for individuals and corporations and would mirror the federal program offered by the IRS. If enacted in 2014, the program would be available for requests made on or after January 1, 2015.
To read the full proposal, click here.
In accordance with Circular 230 Disclosure
If you have received a tax assessment from the California Employment Development Department (EDD), you might be considering filing a petition to contest that assessment with the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board (CUIAB). The CUIAB is a quasi-judicial independent governmental agency. Like the EDD, the Board is subject to the California Unemployment Insurance Code and other relevant California law, but it is not a part of the EDD.
The CUIAB states the following on its own website: Read More
The IRS reminded people with home-based businesses that this year for the first time they can choose a new simplified option for claiming the deduction for business use of a home.
In tax year 2011, the most recent year for which figures are available, some 3.3 million taxpayers claimed deductions for business use of a home (commonly referred to as the home office deduction) totaling nearly $10 billion.
The new optional deduction, capped at $1,500 per year based on $5 a square foot for up to 300 square feet, will reduce the paperwork and recordkeeping burden on small businesses by an estimated 1.6 million hours annually. Read More
The following FATCA Forms and Instructions for 2014 are now available on the IRS.GOV Forms and Publications Website:
• Form 1042
• Form 8966
• Form W-8BEN
• Instructions to Form W-8BEN
• Form W-8ECI Read More
The Internal Revenue Service released its annual Criminal Investigation report today concerning fiscal year 2013. The Criminal Investigation Division initiated over 5,000 cases and recommended over 4,300 for prosecution; the conviction rate of those cases prosecuted was 93 percent. This is particularly impressive since the Internal Revenue Service agent resources decreased by over five percent. Identity theft was a key area of focus for the Criminal Investigation Division.
For more information, view the IRS Press Release. Read More
More than one million people who did not file a 2012 state income tax return are receiving letters seeking those returns or to verify that they do not have a tax filing requirement, according to the Franchise Tax Board (FTB).
Since the 1950s, FTB has contacted people who have California income, but did not file a tax return. Last year, FTB collected more than $727 million through these efforts.
Each year FTB receives more than 400 million income records from third parties such as banks, employers, state departments, the IRS, and other sources. FTB matches these income records against its records of tax returns filed. While this program mainly identifies wage earners and self-employed individuals who have not filed, it also detects Read More
The Franchise Tax Board (FTB) announced it is now accepting 2013 state tax returns. Also, the FTB provides the following updates on law changes and filing services brought to you in this blog series – Part V.
AB 93 replaces the G-TEDA tax incentives with the New Employment Credit (NEC), the California Competes Credit, and statewide partial sales and use tax exemption for certain manufacturing and research and development equipment.
The New Employment Credit (NEC) is a California income tax credit available to employers for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2014, and before January 1, 2021. To obtain a credit a qualified taxpayer must hire a qualified full-time employee on or after Read More
The Franchise Tax Board (FTB) announced it is now accepting 2013 state tax returns. Also, the FTB provides the following updates on law changes and filing services brought to you in this blog series – Part IV.
• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance – Starting in February, free tax help is available through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly Programs (VITA/TCE). Trained volunteers at more than 1,000 sites throughout California provide free help to complete tax forms for low-income, senior, disabled, and non-English speaking persons who need to file simple federal and state tax returns. Read More
The Franchise Tax Board (FTB) announced it is now accepting 2013 state tax returns. Also, the FTB provides the following updates on law changes and filing services brought to you in this blog series – Part III.
Free Do-it-Yourself Services – FTB encourages taxpayers and practitioners to explore its many self-service applications available through FTB’s website:
• CalFile makes filing easier – CalFile is one of FTB’s free, easy-to-use e-file options available to more than 6.4 million taxpayers. CalFile accepts taxpayers with income of up to $345,235, itemized deductions, and some tax credits. Read More
The Franchise Tax Board (FTB) announced it is now accepting 2013 state tax returns. Also, the FTB provides the following updates on law changes and filing services brought to you in this blog series – Part II.
2013 Short Sellers Get State Tax Relief – According to an IRS Information Letter dated September 19, 2013, the IRS has determined that California taxpayers who sell their principal residences where the lender agrees to a short sale for less than what is owed on the home are relieved of incurring cancellation of indebtedness income, which may have been taxable. Instead, the amount of cancelled debt is included in the amount realized in determining gain on the sale of that residence. Read More
The Franchise Tax Board (FTB) announced it is now accepting 2013 state tax returns. Also, the FTB provides the following updates on law changes and filing services brought to you in this blog series – Part I.
What’s New for Individuals
Standard deduction – The standard deduction for single or filing separately tax statuses increased to $3,906. For joint, surviving spouse, or head of household filers, it increased to $7,812.
Exemption credit increases – The dependent exemption credit increased to $326 per Read More
The Internal Revenue Service issued the 2014 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, medical, charitable or moving purposes.
Beginning on January 1, 2014, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also pickups, vans, or panel trucks) will be:
• 56 cents per mile for business miles driven
• 23.5 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes Read More
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