IRS Commish: Extensive Wait Times Calling IRS
1 minute read
New IRS commissioner John Koskinen warned taxpayers in the following video below that if you plan to speak to an IRS representative, expect to wait…a lot. Koskinen said:
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Tax Tips & News: Tax & Financial News (6)
IRS Answered Only 61% Of Calls In 2013
2 minutes read
In a recent report by National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olsen, the IRS was only able to answer 61% of phone calls made by taxpayers to the agency. Just 10 years ago, the IRS was able to address 87% of calls. The reasons cited were the increasing complexity of tax questions unable to be answered by automated systems as a result of the overall increasing complexity of the tax code. This coupled with budget cuts to the agency resulted in nearly 4 out...
Tax Filing Season Delayed Until January 31st
4 minutes read
The IRS put everyone one notice not long after the end of the latest government shutdown that the 2014 tax filing season would be delayed by “1 or 2 weeks”. Well not surprisingly, the IRS recently released that the first date that they will be accepting 2013 tax returns for processing will be January 31st:
IRS Clarifies Employee Benefit Plans For Same-Sex Couples
9 minutes read
In a recent landmark ruling by the Obama Administration, the federal government will recognize same-sex married couples. That means for one, married same-sex couples will no longer have to file two separate single tax returns for the IRS (however, if they currently reside in a state that does not recognize same-sex marriages, they may still have to file two separate state returns). But the IRS has not released any guidance about how employee...
Volunteer IRS Sites Prepare 50% of Tax Returns Incorrectly
3 minutes read
In a follow up to a report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), free income tax preparation sites have made no significant gains in increasing the accuracy of the tax returns they prepare. The new report states that Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites (VITA) who prepare income tax returns for low/moderate-income, elderly, disabled and limited-English-proficient taxpayers are still filing approximately 50% of...
Biggest Tax Law Changes For 2014
5 minutes read
With the upcoming tax season already delayed, and many tax proposals still being debated in a contentious congress, Chad Fisher over at gobanking.com lists the 5 biggest changes for the 2014 tax season taxpayers can expect:
October 15th Extension Deadline
1 minute read
In spite of the government shutdown that has shuttered many departments in the IRS, the deadline to file tax year 2012 returns remains October 15th. That means, even though the IRS may not be able to process your return, you still have to pay your taxes on time or risk penalties and interest for failing to file. The IRS has issued the following tips:
Delayed NY State Refunds Ready By August?
2 minutes read
According to the New York State Department of Finance and Taxation, the remainder of all delayed refunds should be ready by “early August”:
Government Shutdown Closes IRS Centers
2 minutes read
With the failure of congress to pass a budget, 800,000 thousand workers face furloughs and a million more are working without pay. The IRS is one of the agencies that will be closed with walk-in IRS centers shuttered and IRS Call centers closed: