Monthly Archives: February 2019

Who’s looking out for you?

This blog is a little more personal than most.  This morning I learned a first cousin (Rick) passed away, alone, in his apartment.  He was divorced, and his children had moved on.  He was found by a colleague who was concerned.  He died alone.  The details are still sketchy, but it’s still a sad story.

What makes this more tragic is that another one of my first cousins (Dave), on the other side of the family, passed away in the same way only a year ago.  He was younger than me, but he drank heavily and made a lot of bad choices when it came to relationships. In fact, he had been separated for decades, but never made an effort to get a divorce.  Yep, you got it; the ex-wife inherited everything, including the house and what little savings he had accumulated. Continue reading →

Here’s how tax reform affects taxpayers who claim the child tax credit

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IRS Issue Number: Tax Reform Tax Tip 2019-15

Many people claim the child tax credit to help offset the cost of raising children. Tax reform legislation made changes to that credit for 2018 and later. Here are some important things for taxpayers to know.

Credit amount. The new law increases the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000. Eligibility factors for the credit have not changed. As in past years, a taxpayer can claim the credit if all of these apply:

  • the child was younger than 17 at the end of the tax year
  • the taxpayer claims the child as a dependent
  • the child lives with the taxpayer for at least six months of the year

Credit refunds. The credit is refundable, now up to $1,400. If a taxpayer doesn’t owe any tax before claiming the credit, they will receive up to $1,400 as part of their tax refund. Continue reading →

There are six new schedules some taxpayers will file with the new Form 1040

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The 2018 Form 1040 replaces prior year Forms 1040, 1040A and 1040EZ. The 2018 Form 1040 uses a building-block approach that allows individuals to file only the schedules they need with their federal tax return. Many people will only need to file Form 1040 and no schedules.

Electronic filers may not notice these changes as the tax software will automatically use their responses to complete the Form 1040 and any needed schedules. For taxpayers who filed paper returns in the past and are concerned about the 2018 changes, this may be the year to consider the benefits of filing electronically. Continue reading →

Farmers, fishermen face March 1 tax deadline; IRS encourages convenience of IRS Direct Pay

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WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service reminds farmers and fishermen who chose to forgo making quarterly estimated tax payments that they must file their 2018 Form 1040 along with a payment for all taxes owed by Friday, March 1, 2019.

This special rule normally applies to taxpayers whose farming or fishing income was at least two-thirds of their total gross income in either the current or the preceding tax year. Farmers and fishermen choosing not to file by March 1 should have made an estimated tax payment by Jan. 15 to avoid a penalty.

IRS Direct Pay is safe, free Continue reading →

IRS Videos help taxpayers learn more about tax reform

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The IRS has several videos that can help individual and business taxpayers learn more about the tax reform legislation. The IRS posts these videos on the IRS Video Portal and to their YouTube channel. Aside from these sites, the IRS offers tax reform information on its other social media channels, such as Twitter and their new Instagram account. Taxpayers can visit the Multimedia Center on IRS.gov for links to all the agency’s social media sites.

Here are some of the tax reform videos taxpayers can watch on their computer or on their smartphone when they’re on the go. Continue reading →

IRS provides various payment options for taxpayers who owe but can’t pay in full

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As the 2019 tax filing season gets into full swing, the Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers who owe of the many easy payment options.

The IRS anticipates that most taxpayers will be affected by major tax law changes. While most will get a tax refund, others may find that they owe taxes, many of whom may qualify for a waiver of the estimated tax penalty that normally applies. See Form 2210, Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Individuals, Estates and Trusts, and its instructions for details.

“The IRS understands there were many changes that affected people last year, and the new penalty waiver will help taxpayers who inadvertently had too little tax withheld,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “We encourage people to check their withholding again this year to make sure they have the right amount of tax withheld for 2019.” Continue reading →

IRS offers online webinars on tax reform basics for businesses

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Members of the small business community can now view webinars on some tax reform provisions that affect businesses. The webinars include:

Never take a chance with your 2290 electronic filing, report it on time to receive IRS watermarked Schedule-1 proof in just minutes. Time to efile 2290

What a year it’s been!

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As we close the calendar pages on 2018, we wanted to take the opportunity to look back at the amazing growth and successes for Women In Trucking (WIT) Association this past year.

In January we started the weekly Women In Trucking Show on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Channel 146.  Every Saturday, WIT President Ellen Voie interviews guests on topics as diverse as self defense, drones, trade show and so much more.  This has given us the opportunity to reach an even great audience and to interact with current and potential members on the air.

We were also thrilled to announce a new platform on our website for our members to meet each other virtually and to interact online.  The Engage Platform is fast becoming a way to share best practices, find solutions from other members and to just meet others with the same concerns or challenges. We recently launched the Engage App as well to reach even more of our members. Continue reading →