Very often there may be a Ponzi Scheme financial theft, in which certain taxpayers have profited since they made early investments and were paid unusual profits that did not exist. Often taxpayers in Ponzi Schemes that have benefited from the financial loss of others are called upon by a trustee to forfeit the profits made in the Ponzi Scheme. Read More
Archive for Tax Refund
So you get all your tax information together early and go to your preparer so you can file your tax return early and get the refund quickly. Not so fast. Certain refunds will be delayed and will not be released by the IRS until February 15. This is due to a provision in the PATH Act, enacted by Congress in 2015, prohibiting the IRS from releasing certain refunds prior to February 15. This provision takes effect this year. Note that the 15th is the release date, so it will take a few more days for you to receive the refund. Read More
If you haven’t filed your 2013 taxes you could have a refund among the more than $1 billion that the IRS has stated is unclaimed.
That’s right. Just recently the IRS stated that it has more than $1 billion worth of unclaimed tax refunds for people who have not filed their 2013 taxes. They indicate that there are roughly 1 million people who have not filed and have not claimed their refunds.
The IRS has announced some people may have their tax refunds delayed next year. These tax refund delays are due to fraud prevention measures. Your refund is particularly likely to be delayed if you receive the earned income tax credit or additional child tax credit.
A number of clients have asked us whether a U.S. expat can receive a tax refund from the IRS despite living overseas. While the answer to this question can be nuanced depending on the circumstances, the general rule is that living overseas does not preclude an expat from entitlement to a refund that is otherwise due to the individual.
TaxConnections has a first row seat to what is driving new business to tax professionals around the world. Let me share a story with you that we received recently from one of our members. Allow me to preface this story with the fact that it would not have been possible for this tax professional to connect with this taxpayer if not for www.taxconnections.com. What is a taxpayer to do when caught between two country tax revenue authorities? TaxConnections connects our members with new clients all over the world.
For this post, I will present some news about tax topics that may affect your current situation: earned income tax credit (EITC), delayed nonresident refunds, and expatriate income tax.
Even though non-profit organizations can be tax-exempt, they are still required to file a return with the IRS. Many individuals, including those associated with non-profit organizations, do not understand the tax obligations of a non-profit organization.
I have compiled a top ten list of mistakes made in regard to taxes for these organizations.
• Not understanding the difference in non-profit and tax-exempt. An organization is a non-profit when it registers with the state as a non-profit organization. This state registration does not confer on it tax-exempt status. The organization must file a Form 1023 with the IRS to apply for, and receive tax-exempt status.
• Not filing a return. Because the organization is tax-exempt, some have a belief that the organization is not required to file a tax return. All tax exempt organizations, with the exception of churches, must file a Form 990 annually with the IRS. Read More
When you leave your tax preparer’s office each year, there are two very important questions you should probably be asking yourself.
Question #1:
How secure is your personal information after you leave it with your tax preparer? Probably not very secure! Do they leave your paperwork lying about the place, accessible to all, after they have completed your taxes? Are their computers adequately protected by firewalls and effective anti-virus software? Is there adequate background checks done on their employees, who obviously will have unlimited access to your sensitive personal information? The honest truth is that you really don’t know.
Also, you should be concerned about hackers. These criminals have been successful in hacking into supposedly very secure government computer systems; the Office of Personnel Management, and even the IRS itself come to mind immediately. These people know that they will have access to a treasure trove of personal information if they were to hack into the computers of H&R Block, Liberty Tax, or any CPA or other tax preparation office. So what is to stop them from hacking into your tax preparer’s computer, which obviously will be a lot less protected than the government’s computers? Read More
As The United States Tax Code gets more complex, one would think that the number of individuals utilizing a paid preparer would be on the increase. However, that is not the case. More and more individuals are filing their own returns. I see at least two reasons for this. The individual tax return market can be viewed as consisting of two segments – very simple returns with no itemized deductions or other complications in the return and more complex returns utilizing multiple tax schedules and tax forms. As the standard deduction increases, more taxpayers are taking the standard deduction, so their tax return is fairly simple to prepare. Adding to the simplicity of the return is the second factor – availability of inexpensive or free preparation software. Since these typically guide the taxpayer in preparation, the task becomes even simpler.
However, taxpayers of all stripes should be aware of certain factors involved in filing their returns. I have provided my “Ten Best Tips for Filing your Return.” These tips can be useful for those preparing their own returns, but they can also guide the taxpayer using a CPA or other professional preparer in assembling their information for the preparer.
• File tax returns on time, even if you cannot pay now. You will be assessed a penalty and interest for failure to pay, but you will avoid the failure to file penalty. This penalty is 5% per month of the amount of taxes owed, up to 25%. If you don’t owe, there shouldn’t be a penalty. Read More
As the 2015 tax season approaches, you may be getting excited about your potential tax refund.
However, that excitement may be premature if you have outstanding federal or state debts. The Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) issues federal tax refunds, and Congress authorizes BFS to reduce your refund through its Treasury Offset Program (TOP) to pay:
• Past-due child and parent support;
• Federal agency non-tax debts; Read More
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