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Taxpayers have fundamental rights under the law. The Taxpayer Bill of Rights presents these rights in 10 categories, which can help taxpayers when they interact with the IRS. This post highlights a list of taxpayer rights and the agency’s obligations to protect them. 1. The Right to Be Informed. Taxpayers have the right to know what is required to comply with the tax laws. They are entitled to...

This time of year our thoughts turn to giving– to friends, family, and to charity. And it is also the time of year that we begin to think about – taxes. If you volunteer, you may be wondering “how does volunteering for a charity affect my taxes?”. Though the time you give to a charity is priceless, the value of your time is not tax deductible on your tax return. That may not seem fair, but it is...

The Internal Revenue Service announced that annual inflation adjustments will affect more than 50 tax provisions, including the tax rate schedules, and will result in tax benefits to increase slightly in 2017. Here are some highlights of the changes: The standard deduction for married filing jointly rises to $12,700 for tax year 2017, up $100 from the prior year. For single taxpayers and married...

The IRS extended the 2017 due date for employers and coverage providers to furnish health coverage statements to individuals. The due dates to file those returns with the IRS are not extended. This chart can help you understand the upcoming deadlines. (This chart applies only for reporting in 2017 for coverage in 2016) Action 2017 Reporting Due Dates for… Applicable Large Employers – Including...

As an employer, your size – for purposes of the Affordable Care Act – is determined by the number of your employees. If you hire seasonal or holiday workers, you should know how these employees are counted under the health care law. Employer benefits, opportunities and requirements are dependent upon your organization’s size and the applicable rules. If you have at least 50 full-time employees,...

It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is already upon us and the year will be coming to a close soon! Now is a great time to make some end of season tax moves to help lower your tax bill and increase your tax refund come tax time. Once the year ends, so do most of your opportunities to reduce your 2016 taxes. Here are 10 quick and easy end of year tax tips you still have time to take...

What better way to celebrate Fall than by saving some money? With the temperature beginning to drop, it’s time to start looking around the house for ways to save on energy costs. Take advantage of some great tax credits and deductions for energy-efficient purchases. The Residential Energy Efficient Property Tax Credit offers you some major tax breaks when it comes to purchasing qualifying...

Organizations across the country are responding to the U.S. Department of Labor’s new overtime salary threshold by reclassifying some of their exempt employees into overtime-eligible nonexempts. Starting Dec. 1, the new DOL rules take effect that nearly double the salary threshold at which most salaried workers become exempt from having to be paid overtime. The overtime ceiling will rise from...

The Internal Revenue Service has announced it’s new debt collection program and that it plans to begin private collection of certain overdue federal tax debts next spring and has selected four contractors to implement the new program. The new program, authorized under a federal law enacted by Congress last December, enables these designated contractors to collect, on the government’s behalf,...

The Internal Revenue Service and its Security Summit partners have issued an alert to taxpayers to be on guard against fake emails purporting to contain an IRS tax bill related to the Affordable Care Act. The IRS has received numerous reports around the country of scammers sending a fraudulent version of CP2000 notices for tax year 2015. Generally, the scam involves an email that includes the...