A new year is right around the corner. However, you do not need to wait until Jan. 1 to make resolutions for 2020. You can start preparing for a better year now by tackling some tax issues and taking steps to increase your refund. Over the next few weeks, you can utilize some of thecontinue reading…
What do we know about audits and IRS enforcement?
Since 2010, Congress has been asking the IRS to do more with less money. This has reduced the IRS’s audit resources by 28 percent, and the audit rate has fallen from 0.9% in 2010 to only 0.5% last year. And, the overall number of audits dropped by almost half over the same period. Here arecontinue reading…
Guess what? The IRS could be coming to collect in person
The IRS recently announced that it will be holding additional compliance events throughout this year, sending revenue officers to areas that have been underserved in recent years. The agency has identified those areas and is choosing high-priority taxpayers to visit in person. Who are these high-priority taxpayers? Typically, it will be those who have longstandingcontinue reading…
Inflation-based tax changes for FY 2020 announced
The IRS has announced inflation adjustments in dozens of areas, some prompted by the Taxpayer First Act of 2019. Taxpayers should use the new amounts when planning for their 2020 taxes. For example, starting in 2020, the penalty for failing to file a return goes up to $330. The change with perhaps the most impactcontinue reading…
IRS: Tax law change meant about 2.7 million fewer 2018 refunds
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law in December 2017. One of the more notable things the law changed was the increase to the standard deduction, which made it unnecessary for most people to itemize their deductions. It also increased the child tax credit and lowered some tax rates. Supporters of thecontinue reading…