Individual Retirement Arrangements, or IRAs, provide tax incentives for people to make investments that can provide financial security for their retirement. These accounts can be set up with a bank or other financial institution, a life insurance company, mutual fund or stockbroker. Here’s basic overview to help people better understand this type of retirement savings… Read More
Small business owners, self-employed people, and some wage earners should look into whether they should make estimated tax payments this year. Doing so can help them avoid an unexpected tax bill and possibly a penalty when they file next year. Taxpayers who earn a paycheck usually have their employer withhold tax from their checks. This… Read More
The IRS and its Security Summit partners recently kicked off their annual summer campaign. This year’s theme, Boost Security Immunity: Fight Against Identity Theft, urges tax pros to step up their efforts to protect client data. An IP PIN is a valuable tool that can help in this effort and it is now available to anyone who… Read More
The IRS continues to observe criminals using a variety of scams that target honest taxpayers. In some cases, these scams will trick taxpayers into doing something illegal or that ultimately causes them financial harm. These scammers may cause otherwise honest people to do things they don’t realize are illegal or prey on their good will… Read More
During the summer many students focus on making money from a summer job. They may want to gain work experience, earn some spending money or help pay for college. Here are some facts all student workers should know about summer jobs and taxes. Not all the money they earn will make it to their pocket… Read More
As a new school year approaches, students are considering what classes they need to take and how much the classes will cost. Whether it’s community college, a trade school, a four-year university or an advanced degree, higher education is expensive. The good news is tax credits can help offset these costs. These credits reduce the… Read More
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act allowed self-employed individuals and household employers to defer the payment of certain Social Security taxes on their Form 1040 for tax year 2020 over the next two years. Half of the deferred Social Security tax is due by December 31, 2021, and the remainder is due by… Read More
By law, business taxpayers who pay or receive nonemployee compensation of $600 or more must report these payments to the IRS. They do this using Form 1099-NEC, Nonemployee Compensation. Generally, payers must file Form 1099-NEC by January 31. For 2021 tax returns. There is no automatic 30-day extension to file Form 1099-NEC. However, an extension to file… Read More
Advance Child Tax Credit The expanded and newly-advanceable Child Tax Credit was authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act, enacted in March. Normally, the IRS will calculate the payment based on a person’s 2020 tax return, including those who use the Non-filer Sign-up tool. If that return is not available because it has… Read More
Help is available for taxpayers who need tax information for prior years, but who didn’t keep copies of their returns. There are options for helping taxpayers get the information they need. Taxpayers should generally keep copies of their tax returns and any documentation for at least three years after they file. If taxpayers didn’t keep… Read More