Federal Tax Posts

In the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill was recently introduced that would extend and enhance the Paid Family and Medical Leave Credit (under IRC Section 45S). The bill proposes, among other things, to expand eligibility by reducing the minimum employment period for qualifying employees from one year to six months. The bill has broad bipartisan support and aligns with a Senate bill introduced earlier [...]

Ignoring the IRS doesn’t make it go away. While the tax agency is generally willing to work with taxpayers who dispute their tax bills or need more time to pay, cooperation is key. In one case, the owner of a boat and RV storage facility owed unpaid federal income and self-employment taxes, as well as penalties and interest, for two tax years. It amounted to [...]

The IRS continues to warn the public about tax-related scams and myths making the rounds on social media. The scams involve the Fuel Tax Credit, a COVID-19-related employer credit for employees taking sick and family leave during the pandemic, household employment taxes and overstated withholding. These scams are aimed at helping taxpayers use false and questionable information to obtain huge refunds. The IRS said thousands [...]

“Innocent spouse” relief may protect individuals from additional tax and penalties if they’ve filed joint tax returns with spouses or ex-spouses who underreported income without their knowledge. But as a recent U.S. Tax Court case showed, such relief isn’t available in every situation. After the IRS wrongly paid a refund to a divorced couple, the IRS sought to recoup it. The wife requested equitable relief [...]

Receiving a letter from the IRS may make you go weak in the knees. Don’t panic, but do read the letter, the tax agency says. The IRS may simply have a question about your return or inform you of a change to your account or the letter may request payment. Don’t ignore it. Instead, read it carefully, right away. Most IRS communication deals with a [...]

Could your business become a victim of a data security breach? Most businesses store sensitive data about employees and customers, including names, addresses and Social Security numbers (SSNs). If lost or stolen, this data could put individuals at risk for identity theft and other types of damage. Depending on the situation, the IRS advises: 1) If a breach could pose harm to a person or [...]

Taxpayers received more refund dollars in fiscal year (FY) 2023 than they did the previous year, according to the latest IRS Data Book. The IRS issued approximately $659 million in refunds, a 2.7% increase over FY 2022. Overall, individuals and estates and trusts paid close to $2.6 trillion, which is down from $2.9 trillion in FY 2022. Total business taxes declined from $476 billion in [...]

The IRS has issued its annual Data Book detailing its activities during fiscal year 2023. As the publication’s name implies, it’s packed with statistics. For example, during FY 2023, the IRS collected approximately $4.7 trillion in gross taxes. This amount accounts for about 96% of the funding that supports the federal government’s operations. In addition, in FY 2023, the IRS processed more than 271.4 million [...]

If you’re waiting for a tax refund and relying on the IRS’s Where’s My Refund (WMR) tool (https://bit.ly/3xJoEi1), listen up. WMR generally provides current information about your refund status and amount and typically is updated every 24 hours (usually overnight). If you think WMR is displaying inaccurate data, keep in mind that a letter may be on its way to you requesting additional details needed [...]

Can posting on social media be evidence in a tax dispute? In one case, the U.S. Tax Court said yes. The court allowed the IRS to present a woman’s blog posts as evidence. The taxpayer and her husband allegedly underpaid tax for multiple years. After the husband died, the wife sought “innocent spouse” relief, which the IRS denied. The blog posts were relevant because they [...]

The long-term solvency of the Social Security trust fund has been a topic of concern for both Congress and individual taxpayers for years. Congress often puts forth bills to address the program’s projected financial shortfall. Some proposals aim to achieve financial balance by reducing costs (such as benefit amounts) while other proposals aim to achieve financial balance by raising revenues (such as payroll taxes). The [...]

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has reported that the estimated federal budget deficit for the first four months of fiscal year 2024 reached $531 billion. That amount is $71 billion more than the deficit recorded during the same period during fiscal year 2023. Although revenues this year were $112 billion (8%) higher, outlays rose by $183 billion (9%). Note that a significant portion of the [...]

If you have an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), make sure it’s current before you file your taxes. In general, certain nonresident and resident aliens, their spouses and dependents who aren’t eligible for Social Security Numbers use ITINs to file income tax and information returns. The IRS can still accept your return if your ITIN has expired, but the expiration may result in processing delays [...]

One of the provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act is intended to provide financial help to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners who experienced discrimination from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) prior to 2021. Applications for the USDA Financial Discrimination Assistance Program were due Jan. 17, 2024. The IRS recently released FAQs (https://bit.ly/42RXbWI  ) about the tax treatment of program payments taxpayers received. Payments generally [...]