Category: Tax Returns

Final Thoughts For 2011 Tax Returns on Deadline Day

Today is April 17th: Tax day. I’m sure that it will be discussed during the day’s talk shows and news broadcasts, and there will be long lines at the post offices that stay open until midnight. There will be reminders aplenty around you today that this is the day, the final day, the deadline, the “do it or go to jail” day.

In reality, that’s all hogwash.

In all actuality, there is only one firm, hard deadline today for most taxpayers: Today is the last day the IRS will accept e-files. If you file tomorrow, you have to mail it in.

What about an extension? Yes, if you want to file an extension, it’s a good idea to do so. But NOT filing an extension doesn’t have any real consequences.

If you owe the IRS money for 2011, then yes, today is theoretically the deadline to pay it. But for most people reading this particular article, the reason they’re reading this info in the first place is because they don’t have the cash on hand to pay their tax bills. So what really happens if you don’t file and pay on time?

Really, nothing of non-monetary consequence.

Yes, you’re going to pay some interest and penalties if you owe. There are both late filing penalties AND failure to pay penalties, and yes, they’re steep. These penalties are a percentage of what you owe, as are interest charges. Interest is compounded daily, which starts to add up.

If you’re able to pay your taxes with cash, a credit card, or borrowing the money from relatives, then do so, and do it on time. Even if you owe several thousand dollars and have room on a credit card to pay it, then do so, and do it on time — the finance charges on the card are going to be a lot lower than what the IRS will charge you over the course of 6 months to a year.

If you owe the IRS so much money that you simply can’t pay it no matter what, then don’t fret too much. If this is the first time you’ve accrued a tax liability, then the IRS has special rules that allow for the forgiveness of penalties for first time offenders.

If you have previous tax liabilities, then this will get added on to your total. As your total grows, so does your eligibility for certain tax resolution … Continue reading

Is the IRS Holding Your Unclaimed Refund Check?

Finally, a happy thought when it comes to taxes: The IRS may be holding money that is yours, and they really, really do want to give it to you!

If you had a job and had income taxes withheld from your paycheck, but you didn’t file a return either because you didn’t have to because of your income level or because you thought you wouldn’t get the money back, you may actually be in for a surprise. It may not necessarily be a lot of money, but I believe you should even file your claim for a $10 refund merely on principle if it’s owed to you.

The IRS keeps millions of dollars every year that they are not legally entitled to keep, simply because taxpayers didn’t realize they could get the money back. In order to file a return for the express purpose of getting a refund, even if you weren’t legally obligated to file a tax return, you need to file the return and request the refund within 3 years of when the tax return was originally due, which is generally April 15th of each year for personal income tax returns. After this three year period, the government says, “Too bad, so sad” and gets to legally keep your money.

If you file a tax return late, but are due a refund, there are no penalties for late filing. They only whack you with late filing penalties if you OWE money, and then it’s a percentage of what you owe (Caution: It’s a BIG percentage if it’s been a while).

If you’re not sure if you would end up owing or getting a refund, here’s a quick tip: Most tax preparers will run the numbers through their computer for you for free, and only charge you if you actually file the return. It’s worth visiting one of the local tax firms listed in our directory to find out if you might be due a refund.

In addition, the IRS receives millions of dollars of refund checks back in the mail every year. If you were expecting a refund check, and it didn’t come, then don’t forget to give the IRS a call (800-829-1040) and ask them where your refund is. There is also a simple and handy “Where’s My Refund?” feature on their web site, at irs.gov.

Lastly, be sure to take every tax break you’re entitled to. If you think your … Continue reading

Unfiled Tax Returns

Do you have past due tax returns? If so, you’re not alone. While the IRS does not publish statistics on this, nor are they really able to track this number, but my own research and statistical analysis (because I’m a numbers geek and do stuff like that), estimates that there are between 5 and 8 million outstanding personal income tax returns in the United States for the past three years alone.

If you owe a tax debt to the government and are seeking to get that situation resolved, you will first need to file any missing returns. The IRS will NOT negotiate a payment plan or a reduced settlement if you have past due tax returns. The reason for this is pretty simple: If you don’t file the returns, they don’t know how much you really owe.

While any tax preparer, CPA, or Enrolled Agent can probably assist you with filing your past due tax returns, it is important to note that many of these tax preparers focus their practices solely on current year tax return filings. Since the tax laws change literally every year, it’s a daunting task just to keep up with the tax code for the current year, so many tax preparers don’t bother trying to keep up with prior year tax matters.

A firm that specializes in taxpayer representation, on the other hand, often does exactly the opposite. Many of these firms don’t even offer current year tax return preparation. Since the tax code as applicable to prior years is fixed and no longer changes, they can maintain their skills and knowledge on prior years quite readily since they focus almost exclusively on preparing older tax returns. This lack of change in the past tax code and their experience preparing these returns also lets them complete them fairly quickly, since they don’t have to spend time researching the old laws, and therefore you don’t have to pay for that research time, keeping their fees reasonable for this sort of service.

Search our directory of taxpayer representation firms to find a tax professional in your area that specializes in preparing back tax returns.… Continue reading