Now that fall is here and school has started, many teachers are dipping into their own pockets to buy classroom supplies. Doing this throughout the year can add up fast. Fortunately, eligible educators may be able to defray qualified expenses they paid in 2019 when they file their tax return in 2020.
Taxpayers should beware of property lien scam
With scam artists hard at work all year, taxpayers should watch for new versions of tax-related scams. One such scam involves fake property liens. It threatens taxpayers with a tax bill from a fictional government agency.
You can take the mystery out of your client’s future tax return today; using our Tax Planning Tool built into Wintax.
Today we want to make you aware of one of our powerful tools called “Tax Planning”. This is a tool that is embedded inside your program so there is nothing to add or install. Simply make sure your Wintax program is up to date and you are ready to use it.
Tax-related identity theft occurs when a thief uses someone’s stolen Social Security number to file a tax return and claim a fraudulent refund. The victim may be unaware that this has happened until they e-file their return. Even before the victim files their return, the IRS may send the taxpayer a letter saying the agency identified a suspicious return using the stolen SSN.
The IRS just issued an updated publication with information for individual taxpayers and business owners unable to pay their taxes. This electronic pub, Offer in Compromise Booklet, helps people understand how an offer in compromise works.
An offer in compromise is an agreement between a taxpayer and the IRS that settles a tax debt for less than the full amount owed. An offer in compromise is an option when a taxpayer can’t pay their full tax liability. It is also an option when paying the entire tax bill would cause the taxpayer a financial hardship. The ultimate goal is a compromise that suits the best interest of both the taxpayer and the agency.
When reviewing applications, the IRS considers the taxpayer’s unique set of facts and any special circumstances affecting the taxpayer’s ability to pay as well as the taxpayer’s:
The booklet covers everything a taxpayer will need to know about submitting an offer in compromise, including:
The booklet also includes the forms that taxpayers will complete as part of the offer in compromise process.
More information:
*This message was distributed from IRS Tax Tips. For more information on federal taxes please visit IRS.gov.
2. Don’t Forget to Pull in Acknowledgements
As a security measure we purge acknowledgement records every 30 days. This means after 30 days we will only be able to tell if the return was accepted or rejected, however we will not be able to read the reason why the return was rejected. If you have returns that are awaiting acknowledgement for longer than 5 days, call technical support and a technician will investigate why your acknowledgements have not come through.
4. Start your Free Trial with Textellent.com
Do you want to grow your business for the 2019 Tax year? Now is the time to evaluate and start your free trial with Textellent, the text marketing and appointment scheduling platform that is fully integrated within your Wintax program. Just one short on-boarding appointment and you will be up and running. Doing this in the off-season should help you have the time to really delve into the many benefits and options this additional program could provide you and your business.
5. Celebrate!
Last but not least, plan and go on vacation! You deserve it! TripAdvisor is one of our favorites.
Towards the end of tax season, we field some telephone calls helping clients transmit extension form 4868 for their clients. When the telephone call is about finished the client will make a comment something along the lines of “thanks, one down 40 to go!”. It’s about that time Taxware customer support becomes their best friend when they let them know that there is an easier way to do all their extensions in a batch.
In the program we have a utility that compares your current year data folder with your prior year data folder to build a database of the tax payers you haven’t recalled and worked with yet. With this database you can send extensions in a batch. In addition to its main functions there are some other great reports and tools.
Here is a link for a step by step guide showing how to use the comparison tool and how to batch e-file extensions.
Eligible taxpayers may now deduct up to 20 percent of certain business income from domestic businesses operated as sole proprietorships or through partnerships, S corporations, trusts, and estates. The deduction may also be claimed on certain dividends. Eligible taxpayers can claim the deduction for the first time on the 2018 federal income tax return they file in 2019. This provision is the result of tax reform legislation passed in December 2017.
Taxware Systems is always looking to provide information and technology that could benefit and improve the tax practices of our clients.
As the 2019 tax year approaches, we at Taxware Systems would like to remind tax preparers that protecting taxpayer information is extremely important. This includes protection from environmental risks (e.g. fire, water, tornado, earthquake), business resources (e.g. equipment failure, supply chain disruption, employees) and hostile actors (e.g. hackers, criminals, nation-state actors). The latter has been […]
