by NFS | Apr 9, 2010 | Archives
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers to review their tax returns for common errors that could result in delayed refunds. Here are some ways to avoid common tax return errors.
File electronically. If you e-file or Free File, tax software will do the calculations, flag common errors and prompt you for missing information.
Remember Making Work Pay. The Making Work Pay tax credit –– available in 2009 and 2010 –– is worth up to $400 for individuals and $800 for married couples. Most people got it as a reduction to their paycheck withholding. Form 1040 filers must complete Schedule M, attach it to their returns, and claim the credit to benefit from it. (Tax software handles these calculations automatically for e-filers.) Also, if you received the one-time Economic Recovery Payment, you need to reduce your Making Work Pay credit by that amount. Taxpayers who are not certain whether they received the economic recovery payment can find out with the help of an online tool, Did I Receive a 2009 Economic Recovery Payment? If you don’t have access to the IRS Web site, call 866-234-2942.
Claiming the Homebuyer Credit? If you claim the first-time homebuyer credit, complete Form 5405, and include it along with the settlement document, such as a HUD-1. More information is available on the homebuyer page.
Use the peel-off label if you mail a paper return. Paper filers may line through and make corrections right on the label. Be sure to fill in your Social Security number in the box provided on the return. If you do not have a peel-off label, fill in all requested information clearly, including Social Security numbers.
Check only one filing status. Also, check the appropriate exemption boxes. When you enter Social Security numbers, make sure they are correct.
Double check all figures. While software catches and prevents many errors on e-file returns, math errors remain common on paper returns.
Get the Right Routing and Account Numbers. Make sure the financial institution routing and account numbers you have entered on the return for direct deposit of your refund are accurate. Incorrect numbers can cause your refund to be delayed or deposited into the wrong account.
Sign and date the return. If you are filing a joint return, both you and your spouse must sign and date the return. E-filers can sign using a self-selected personal identification number (PIN).
Attach Forms To the Front of the Return. Paper filers need to attach W-2s and other forms that reflect tax withholding, as well as other necessary forms and schedules, to the front of their returns.
Do you owe tax? If so, a number of e-payment options are available. Or send a check or money order payable to the “United States Treasury.”
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by NFS | Apr 9, 2010 | Archives
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today released a new form that will help employers claim the special payroll tax exemption that applies to many newly-hired workers during 2010, created by the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act signed by President Obama on March 18.
New Form W-11, Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act Employee Affidavit, is now posted on IRS.gov, along with answers to frequently-asked questions about the payroll tax exemption and the related new hire retention credit. The new law requires that employers get a statement from each eligible new hire, certifying under penalties of perjury, that he or she was unemployed during the 60 days before beginning work or, alternatively, worked fewer than a total of 40 hours for anyone during the 60-day period. Employers can use Form W-11 to meet this requirement.
Most eligible employers then use Form 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return, to claim the payroll tax exemption for eligible new hires. This form, revised for use beginning with the second calendar quarter of 2010, is currently posted as a draft form on IRS.gov and will be released next month as a final along with the form’s instructions.
Though employers need this certification to claim both the payroll tax exemption and the new hire retention credit, they do not file these statements with the IRS. Instead, they must retain them along with other payroll and income tax records.
The HIRE Act created two new tax benefits designed to encourage employers to hire and retain new workers. As a result, employers who hire unemployed workers this year (after Feb. 3, 2010, and before Jan. 1, 2011) may qualify for a 6.2-percent payroll tax incentive, in effect exempting them from the employer’s share of social security tax on wages paid to these workers after March 18. This reduction will have no effect on the employee’s future Social Security benefits, and employers would still need to withhold the employee’s 6.2-percent share of Social Security taxes, as well as income taxes. In addition, for each unemployed worker retained for at least a year, businesses may claim a new hire retention credit of up to $1,000 per worker when they file their 2011 income tax returns.
These two tax benefits are especially helpful to employers who are adding positions to their payrolls. New hires filling existing positions also qualify but only if the workers they are replacing left voluntarily or for cause. Family members and other relatives do not qualify for either of these tax incentives.
Businesses, agricultural employers, tax-exempt organizations, tribal governments and public colleges and universities all qualify to claim the payroll tax exemption for eligible newly-hired employees. Household employers and federal, state and local government employers, other than public colleges and universities, are not eligible. IRS.gov has more details.
by NFS | Apr 9, 2010 | Archives
If you can’t meet the April deadline to file your tax return, you can get an automatic six month extension of time to file from the IRS.
Here are seven things you need to know about filing an extension:
- Extra time to file An extension will give you extra time to get your paperwork to the IRS, but it does not extend the time you have to pay any tax due. You will owe interest on any amount not paid by the April 15 deadline, plus a late payment penalty if you have not paid at least 90 percent of your total tax by that date.
- File on time even if you can’t pay If your return is completed but you are unable to pay the full amount of tax due, do not request an extension. File your return on time and pay as much as you can. The IRS will send you a bill or notice for the balance due.To apply online for a payment agreement, go to IRS.gov and click “Online Payment Agreement Application” at the left side of the home page under Online Services. If you are unable to make payments, call the IRS at 800-829-1040 to discuss your options.
- Form to file Request an extension to file by submitting Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return to the IRS by April 15, 2010, or make an extension-related electronic credit card payment. For more information about extension-related credit card payments, see Form 4868.
- E-file extension You can e-file an extension request using tax preparation software with your own computer or by going to a tax preparer who has the software. The IRS will acknowledge receipt of the extension request if you file by computer.
- Traditional Free File and Free File Fillable Forms You can use both Free File options to file an extension. Access the Free File page at IRS.gov.
- Electronic funds withdrawal If you ask for an extension via computer, you can also choose to pay any expected balance due by authorizing an electronic funds withdrawal from a checking or savings account. You will need the appropriate bank routing and account numbers.For information about these and other methods of payment, visit IRS.gov or call 800-TAX-1040 (800-829-1040).
- How to get forms Form 4868 is available for download at IRS.gov or may be ordered by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).You can also obtain the form at your local IRS office. Telephone requests normally take 10 days to fill.
by NFS | Apr 8, 2010 | Archives
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers to pay all taxes due by the April 15 deadline to avoid interest and failure-to-pay penalties.
Filing and Paying on Time Saves Money
If you have a balance due and do not pay by April 15, you are subject to a failure-to-pay penalty. If you cannot complete your return and file it by April 15, you may request an extension of time to file. However, an extension of time to file is not an extension of time to pay.
If you cannot pay the full amount you owe, you will still benefit from filing your return and paying as much as you can by April 15 because interest and failure-to-pay penalties are due only on the unpaid balance.
Members of the military and some others currently serving in combat zones can wait until after April 15 to file and pay. Those eligible get the extra time penalty- and interest-free without having to ask for it. Normally, the filing and payment deadline is postponed until 180 days after the service member leaves the combat zone. Victims of recent natural disasters, listed on IRS.gov, also have extra time.
Electronic Options
A number of electronic payment options are available to taxpayers.
Payments can be made online, by phone using a credit or debit card or through the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System. Taxpayers who e-file their returns may use the electronic funds withdrawal option for submitting an electronic payment. It’s possible, for example, to e-file in February or March but schedule the payment for withdrawal as late as April 15.
Information on these options can be found on the Electronic Payment Options Home Page of IRS.gov.
Some taxpayers who itemize may now deduct the convenience fee charged for paying individual income taxes with a credit or debit card as a miscellaneous itemized deduction. The deduction is subject to the 2-percent limit on Form 1040, Schedule A.
Taxpayers may also pay any taxes by check made out to the “United States Treasury.” Include Form 1040-V, Payment Voucher, along with the payment and tax return. If you have already submitted your tax return but still need to pay all or some of the balance, you may mail the check to the IRS with Form 1040-V.
Installment Agreements and Online Applications
If you can’t pay in full by April 15, consider applying for an installment agreement.
An installment agreement allows you to pay any remaining balance in monthly pieces. Taxpayers who owe $25,000 or less may apply electronically, using the Online Payment Agreement application. Or attach Form 9465, Installment Agreement Request, to the front of your tax return. You must show the amount of your proposed monthly payment and the date you intend to pay each month. The IRS charges $105 for setting up the agreement, or $52 if the payments are deducted directly from your bank account. Qualified lower-income taxpayers pay $43.
You will be required to pay interest plus a late payment penalty on the unpaid taxes for each month or partial month after the due date.
Offers in Compromise
This filing season the IRS has given its personnel additional flexibility on offers in compromise for struggling taxpayers. For some taxpayers, an offer in compromise, an agreement between a taxpayer and the IRS that settles the taxpayer’s debt for less than the full amount owed, is a viable option.
Specifically, IRS employees will be permitted to consider a taxpayer’s current income and potential for future income when deciding on an offer in compromise. Normally, the standard practice is to judge an offer amount on a taxpayer’s earnings in prior years. This new step provides greater flexibility when considering offers in compromise from the unemployed. The IRS may require that a taxpayer entering into such an offer agree to pay more if the taxpayer’s financial situation improves significantly.
by NFS | Apr 6, 2010 | Archives
Some Great Articles – NFS April Monthly Tax & Financial Newsletter
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by NFS | Apr 6, 2010 | Archives
Will you be making a payment with your federal tax return this year? If so, here are 10 important things the IRS wants you to know about making tax payments correctly.
- Never send cash!
- If you file electronically, you can file and pay in a single step by authorizing an electronic funds withdrawal via tax preparation software or a tax professional.
- Whether you file a paper return or electronically, you can pay by phone or online using a credit or debit card.
- Electronic payment options provide an alternative to paying taxes or user fees by check or money order. You can make payments 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Visit IRS.gov and search e-pay, or refer to Publication 3611, e-File Electronic Payments for more details.
- If you itemize, you may be able to deduct the convenience fee charged for paying individual income taxes with a credit or debit card as a miscellaneous itemized deduction on Form 1040, Schedule A, Itemized Deductions. The deduction is subject to the 2 percent limit.
- Enclose your payment with your return but do not staple it to the form.
- If you pay by check or money order, make sure it is payable to the “United States Treasury.”
- Always provide your correct name, address, Social Security number listed first on the tax form, daytime telephone number, tax year and form number on the front of your check or money order.
- Complete and include Form 1040-V, Payment Voucher, when sending your payment to the IRS. This will help the IRS process your payment accurately and efficiently.
- For more information, call 800-829-4477 for TeleTax Topic 158, Ensuring Proper Credit of Payments. You can also find out more in Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax and Form 1040-V, both available at IRS.gov.
