Don’t be the victim of a scammer

Leave a reply

The email started innocent enough.  The question from the CEO asked if the employee had a moment to “get a task done.” The sender asked the reader to purchase eight eBay gift cards valued at $200 each for a total of $1,600.  The employee was then asked to scratch off the silver lining and send a photo of the codes immediately.

The employee was new at the company and complied with the request, which, unfortunately, was from a scammer.  The cards were purchased before the employee realized it was a scam; fortunately, the codes were never sent to the spammer. 

Continue reading →

IRS opens 2019 tax filing season for individual filers on January 27

The Internal Revenue Service confirmed that the nation’s tax season will start for individual tax return filers on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, when the tax agency will begin accepting and processing 2019 tax year returns. 

The deadline to file 2019 tax returns and pay any tax owed is Wednesday, April 15, 2020. More than 150 million individual tax returns for the 2019 tax year are expected to be filed, with the vast majority of those coming before the traditional April tax deadline.  

Continue reading →

2020 New Year’s Resolutions

If you’re like many of us, you probably made at least one New Year’s resolution recently.  According to TheQuint.com, the most common new year’s resolution is to get in shape, or at least, to make an effort to work out.  That’s probably why January is the top month for sales of exercise gear and clothing. 

Why is January 1st such a popular time for us to try and make changes in our lives?  A new year offers us a fresh start, and a way to put our past behaviors to rest.  In 1740, John Wesley, an English clergyman, held the first Covenant Renewal Service on New Year’s Eve.  The service was a time for thinking about past mistakes and resolving to do better in the coming year.

Continue reading →

Is the playing field level for women at the loading dock?

Each year the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) asks drivers and carriers about their top concerns.  As you can imagine, the drivers list differs from the trucking companies’ list, but some issues do affect both groups significantly.

Detention and delays at customer facilities was one of the issues that was important to both groups.  It was the fifth concern for drivers and number sixth on the list for carriers. Delays at the loading docks reduce a driver’s productivity and decrease the level of compensation for both drivers and their companies.

ATRI gathers date through an online survey website but they also collect responses in person at the Mid-America Trucking Show each spring.  This year they received over 1,100 responses from drivers. Thirteen percent of the drivers were female, which is actually much higher than the industry average of ten percent. Most of the respondents were company drivers, but surveys were collected from owner-operators and independent contractors as well.

Continue reading →

Are you ready for 2290 eFile? Four best practices for maximizing your 2290 return acceptance by IRS in one go

Electronic filing is the fastest way to get your returns processed by the IRS. For many owner operators and trucking businesses, 2290 tax reporting is crucial and IRS watermarked Schedule 1 proof is required to register the vehicle with the state authorities and to renew their permits. You don’t want to wait the whole day at a taxpayer assistance center to report 2290 taxes? then move on and choose efile for convenient and comfortable filing.

Remember IRS is encouraging every trucker and 2290 tax filer to choose eFile for faster and accurate filing, and also to receive back the IRS watermarked schedule 1 proof in minutes. Those days are long gone. Today 50% of the 2290 tax filers choose electronic filing, where IRS mandates efile for carriers reporting 25 or more trucks in a return.

Pro rated taxes are also due now for heavy motor trucks that is first used in October 2019 for the first time on a public highway since July 2019. November 30 is the due date and start with eFiling at http://Tax2290.com. ordering online in October or earlier, and they keep spending until after those post-holiday sales are over. 

eFile allows you to spend time with your business fortune and we take care of your 2290 filing needs. There are four best practices to get ready and maximize the chance of obtaining IRS watermarked Schedule 1 proof in one go.

Continue reading →

What is your intent?

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright once said, “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”

In this age of social media which allows anonymity and seems to breed contempt, there are too many people who hurl insults at one another without much thought to how it reflects on her (or him).  

I read some of these nasty or offensive comments and it makes me wonder: What is the intent?  Is the poster trying to offend people or is she just a negative person all the time? Is everyone so angry they just react to everything with rage?

Federal TaxExcise
Continue reading →

Tax preparers can take classes online to earn CPE credits

Tax preparers who cannot attend the IRS Nationwide Tax Forums in person can do so online. They can visit  IRS Nationwide Tax Forums Online anytime to earn continuing education credits. The website offers courses based on recorded seminars from previous forums. The courses can be watched for free or purchased for continuing education credits.

To receive credits, preparers will need to create an account. The frequently asked questions on the website have details about how to do this. Once preparers have an account, they can take courses on a wide variety of topics to help them serve their individual and business clients.

Continue reading →

Why it’s important for taxpayers to know their filing status

When a taxpayer files their tax return, they need to know their filing status. What folks should remember is that a taxpayer’s status could change during the year. So, any time is a good a time for a taxpayer to learn about the different filing statuses and which one is best for them.

Knowing the correct filing status can help taxpayers determine several things about filing their tax return:

  • Is the taxpayer required to file a federal tax return or should they file to receive a refund?
  • What is their standard deduction amount?
  • Is the taxpayer eligibility for certain credits?
  • How much tax they should pay?
Continue reading →

EFPTS helps employers keep an eye on tax responsibilities

The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System has features that can help small business employers meet their tax obligations. Treasury regulations require employment tax deposits be made electronically. Whether employers prepare and submit payroll taxes themselves or hire a payroll service provider, payments should be made using EFTPS.   

This system is secure, accurate, easy to use and provides immediate confirmation of each transaction. Anyone can use EFTPS. The service is free of charge and allows employers to make and verify federal tax payments electronically 24 hours a day, seven days a week online or by phone.

Continue reading →

Quarterly Excise Tax reporting for 2019 3rd Quarter October 31 is the deadline

When it’s time to file a federal excise tax return for your business, there are various ways you can do it, depending on whether you want to do it online or manually. However this Quarterly Federal Excise tax has to be reported and paid on time, now it is due for 3rd Quarter of 2019 and October 31 is the last date.

Excise taxes are narrowly based taxes on consumption, levied on specific goods, services, and activities. They can be either a per unit tax (such as the per gallon tax on gasoline) or a percentage of price (such as the airline ticket tax). Generally, excise taxes are collected from producers or wholesalers, and are embedded in the price paid by final consumers. The excise taxes on the service or products will be collected from the buyers and paid to the IRS.

Continue reading →