Economics Finance

There is some good new out there from the IRS. The e-file service has been expanded. When you file taxes this 2008, and beyond, most people will be able to file their tax return for free online. This means you can get your tax forms in much faster and that means your get your refund much faster as well.

If you use direct deposit to get you refund then you could have your money with 10 days. With the new changes that the IRS has made to the e-file program this is a great way for people who are struggling to make ends me to get their tax refund fast and free.

The new Free File Fillable Tax Forms is so advanced that it is just like filing tax forms on paper. The layout is the same so you will not have a learning curb. The IRS made this new service for people who are comfortable with the tax laws already know what tax forms they need to file with. If you don’t need help with your taxes then this is perfect for you. Free file is now for people who make $54,000 or less a year. If you make more than that then it will not be free but still be fast.

Now you also have the option to file your returns now and pay later if you owe anything on your taxes. Plus the IRS e-file also lets you file both your federal and state taxes at the same time. That will really make things much faster. Since almost 90 million tax returns last year was filled out 58% were e-file users. I bet that will go up dramatically now.

They even have sources for employers whether you business is big or small. Plus self employed people can use the service too. Continue reading ‘IRS Tax Return Forms Are Even Faster and Free With E-File’ »

Reducing weight is almost everybody’s dream. You join gym, take medicines and improve your diet. All of these are expensive propositions and the taxman was not at all concerned about your expense on them. However, obesity is now considered as a serious threat to health and your spending to control it may be eligible for deduction out of your income.

If you are diagnosed by your doctor for obesity, he will advise you for weight loss treatment. Some other problems related to obesity like heart disease, hypertension or high levels of cholesterol may also force your doctor to prescribe for such treatment.

This treatment may include a lot of things – hospital based treatment including surgery, use of medicines, counseling for diet, joining programs like weight watchers and behavioral counseling. Expenses on all of these can be legitimately claimed as deduction on your tax return.

However, you cannot claim this deduction without knowing the requirements of IRS. Here are some important tips if you want to claim your expenditure on weight loss treatment – Continue reading ‘Tax Deduction For Losing Your Weight!’ »

Does the thought of doing your own taxes leave you feeling flustered before you even begin? You’re certainly not alone if you feel overwhelmed, but a little knowledge and some helpful tips can help you to prepare your own tax return while keeping your hard earned money where it belongs – in your pocket!

5 Reasons to Prepare Your Own Tax Return

1. You’ll save money! Tax professionals charge substantial fees. Many of them also charge per form, even if you only used one line on that form! Tax software products have made the process much less pain-staking, and are available at a fraction of the cost of professional services.
2. Maintain privacy by keeping your personal information just that — private. You can protect yourself by limiting the amount of people who have access to your information.
3. Gain valuable insight into your finances. You will learn a lot through the process, as well as through yearly comparison.
4. You spend time gathering all of the information and paperwork anyway; including the time spent in and around your tax preparer’s office.
5. You can complete your tax return at your own convenience, day or night. Also, you will not have to wait at the discretion of your tax professional’s calendar. Tax software will also allow you to save your progress if you need to do it in portions. Continue reading ‘Save Money – Prepare Your Own Tax Return’ »

So its nearing April 15th. That dreadful of all days. The Tax Deadline. You know you have a ton on your mind. This is the last thing you want. Well, you are a brave soul You have done this in the past. Many times in the past actually.

So, with a mighty resolution, you decide to get started on your Tax Return this very weekend. You pack your spouse off to a picnic and roll up your sleeves and get ready. You are not afraid of paper, not a bit. You run off to the post office and get all the latest forms and worksheets and sit down at your desk.

So painted below in words is a hypothetical scenario of what would transpire as you head down the glorious path of preparing your Tax Return.

Scenario 1 : HAND-FILLED, SELF-FILED TAX RETURN

1. You go to the post office and pick up the paper booklet with the tax form. Now if you are smart you would have gotten every tax form you know – but you did’nt, so you had to make 2 trips to get all the forms you need.
2. Next… You have to go through the meticulous process of having to fill one box at a time, make sure your entries are okay, make sure you at least copied down everything from your W2 into your . Because each calculation is connected to the next, each box ties to the next. At the end of this painstaking process you arrive at the final number – your refund or the tax you owe.
3. Next step – Find the right address to mail to. Do you know where to mail your tax return. Well its there, its probably in the instructions to the form. Again scan every word until you get the address. Oh Well Eureka!! You just found it.. congratulations. Now put that in an envelope.
4. Walk to the post-office make it before midnight on April 15th and make sure you catch the last snail mail train. Because if it leaves, you are in trouble.. BIG trouble! Continue reading ‘Your Tax Return – How the Tax Return Process Works’ »

Tax deductions are lucrative things but they differ for every profession. For nurses, there are many such specific tax deductions. Do take their benefit on your tax return to make your income healthier.

If you are a nurse, do not forget to claim the following deductions -

1. Uniforms – The cost of acquiring uniforms and the cost of their cleaning and maintenance is an important expense for a nurse. As they are directly related to job, you can claim such cost as deduction on your tax return.

2. Specialized equipment – If you are required to buy some specific shoes or if equipment like stethoscopes or clamps, you can claim that cost as your deduction. If you are required to buy a PDA for coping up with the job, its cost can also be taken as legitimate deduction.

3. Fees for license and training – The fees which you pay for renewal of your license are deductible. If you buy any books or medical journals for keeping tract with the latest in your field, their costs will be deductible. Continue reading ‘‘Nursing’ Your Deductions For a Healthy Income!’ »

The work of preparing and filing your tax return is relatively easier than defending your return in the event of tax audits. Around 1.5 million taxpayers face tax audit every year. There is no ideal formula to avoid tax audit but you can look out for red flags.

Here are top 10 red flags which may trigger tax audits -

1. Unreasonable deductions for home office – If you operate your business from home, you are tempted to deduct most of your spending as business expenditure. There are specific rules published by IRS to classify business and personal expenditure. If you miss out on some of them, you are inviting a tax audit.

2. Mismatching your Federal and state tax returns – If there is a difference between the incomes declared on these two tax returns, it will be immediately picked up by IRS computers and you will soon get a notice for tax audit.

3. High earnings – If your annual income crosses $100,000, it may attract the attention of IRS.

4. Excessive charitable contributions – If your contributions to charity range between 5 to 10 percent of your income, IRS feel it is a good reason to ask you explanation.

5. Mess up in alternative minimum tax (AMT) – If you are subject to AMT, you should approach a tax professional in order to avoid calculation mistakes. Even if you feel to submit AMT schedule, you become prominent to attract attention of IRS. Continue reading ‘Top 10 Red Flags Which Show the Danger of Tax Audits’ »

IRS selects around 1.5 million taxpayers in a year and ‘invites’ those to explain inconsistencies in their tax return. How does it select these taxpayers out of 135 million returns filed every year? Well most of the times it applies some criteria to pick a ‘deserving’ taxpayer. Here are some important ones.

1. Mathematical corrections – Usually IRS computers generate these audits. If you have made mistakes while filing your tax return, these computers are most likely to catch you. These are silly mathematical mistakes which you would have avoided easily. Some of these mistakes are – entering incorrect spelling of your name on your tax return, entering incorrect social security number, entering the incorrect status, making a wrong calculations about earned income credit and improper assessment of estimated tax.

Usually IRS assumes that your details are correct and makes the calculation of your tax figures based on them. If there is any additional tax liability, they will add interest and penalties to it and you will be sent a notice demanding such money.

You will have a period of 30 days to contact IRS and schedule an appointment to prove that your original data is correct. Continue reading ‘How You Enter the Cage of Tax Audit’ »

Want to know of a quick way to get a preview of your tax refund for 2008?

Want to know your tax refund without actually going through the whole process of filing your tax return?

Is there some tool that will do this for you? for Free?

Yes there is!

Its a little tool called the tax refund calculator.

What does the Tax Refund Calculator do?

Its an online software that you can use to basically get a quick estimate of your taxes without actually preparing your tax return. it is backed by some of the biggest names in the Tax prep business.

You enter basic details like your marital status,your income from your job, You enter your deductions like your home, you charitable contributions, your retirement contributions- hit a button and your taxes are calculated for you. Continue reading ‘Tax Refund Calculator – Get a Preview of Your 2008 Tax Refund’ »