Tag Archives: Federal Tax Filing

Taxpayers should be ready to verify their identity when calling the IRS

Taxpayers and tax professionals who call the IRS will be asked to verify their identities.. Being prepared before a call or visit can save taxpayers time by avoiding having to make multiple calls.

Before calling, taxpayers and tax professionals should instead consider using IRS.gov to access resources like the IRS Service Guide to get faster answers to their tax questions.

If a taxpayer decides to call, they should know that IRS phone assistors take great care to only discuss personal information with the taxpayer or someone the taxpayer authorizes to speak on their behalf. To make sure that taxpayers do not have to call back, the IRS reminds taxpayers to have the following information ready: Continue reading →

Relief from Addition to Tax for Underpayment of Estimated Income Tax by Individual Farmers and Fishermen

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The IRS is granting an extension of the March 1st deadline for farmers and fishermen to make their estimated tax payment before being subject to estimated tax penalties – as long as they file and pay the full amount of tax reported on their 2018 return by April 15, 2019 (or by April 17, 2019, for those taxpayers who live in Maine or Massachusetts).

• To claim the waiver of the estimated tax penalty, farmers and fishermen must attach Form 2210-F, Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Farmers and Fishermen, to their 2018 tax return. The taxpayer’s name and identifying number should be entered at the top of the form, and the waiver box (Part I, Box A) should be checked. The rest of the form should be left blank. 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 →