Please Participate if You Filed Taxes Before Feb. 5
So I woke up this morning and my inbox is full of people that did not get their money in last night’s updates. We are not IRS officials so Please don’t YELL at us. We…
IRS Will Update “Where’s My Refund” Tool February 18
The IRS’s “Where’s My Refund?” tool will be updated by February 18, 2017, for many taxpayers who claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). Before February 15, some…
Your Tax Return is Still Being Processed – Refund Date will be provided when available?
What does “Your tax return is still being processed” mean? The tax refund status message “your tax return is still being processed” is used by the IRS to inform taxpayers that the IRS is Still…
Avoid the Rush; Use IRS.gov for Quick Answers to Questions
The Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers that the next couple of weeks, especially around Presidents’ Day, marks the busiest time of year for IRS toll-free phone services. Taxpayers can avoid the rush by getting…
2017 Tax Transcript Cycle Code Chart
Again this year, the IRS Tax Refund Site, Where’s my Refund? is often overloaded. When you e-file, your tax return is usually accepted within 24 hours of filing by the IRS. Then your seemingly endless…
Does the PATH ACT message mean I am done Processing?
Taxpayers claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit(EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit(ACTC) will update to the PATH Message Once your tax return status goes from “We have received your tax return and it is…
Has Anyone Received A Notice From The IRS
Understanding Why IRS Letters Arrive and What They Usually Mean When tax season begins and mail starts arriving, many taxpayers ask a common question: “Has anyone received a notice from the IRS?” Notices are extremely…
IRS Answers Common Early Tax Season Refund Questions
What Early Filers Should Know Before Expecting Direct Deposit Updates Every year when filing season opens, the IRS begins receiving millions of tax returns at the same time. Many taxpayers assume that filing early automatically…
IRS “Dirty Dozen” Tax Scams
Important Warnings Every Taxpayer Should Know Each year, the IRS publishes a list of the most common and dangerous tax scams targeting taxpayers during filing season. Known as the “Dirty Dozen,” this list highlights schemes…
IRS warns W-2 phishing scam is spreading
The Internal Revenue Service is cautioning a variety of organizations that the W-2 phishing email scam is now spreading to more organizations beyond corporate America, with schools, restaurants, hospitals and tribal groups now being targeted…
What does it mean to have your tax refund offset?
Understanding Why the IRS Takes Refunds and Where Your Money Goes If you were expecting a tax refund and suddenly received less money than expected—or no refund at all—you may have had your tax refund…
Top Facts Filers Should Know for Opening Day
Opening Day for the IRS is Today January 27, 2020. The Internal Revenue Service has set the opening day for the 2020 tax filing season for Monday, Jan. 27, 2020. That’s the day the IRS…
IRS Publication 17 – One Stop For Tax Help
What It Covers, Why It Exists, and How Every Taxpayer Can Use It IRS Publication 17 is one of the most useful resources the IRS provides for individual taxpayers. It serves as a comprehensive guide…
Can You Claim a Baby Who Was Just Born on Your Taxes?
Understanding Dependent Rules for Newborns and Refundable Credits If your baby was born during the current tax year, you may be able to claim your child as a dependent on your tax return, even if…
How to File Income Tax When You Were on Workers’ Compensation All Year
Understanding Tax Rules for Workers’ Comp Payments Many taxpayers receive workers’ compensation after an injury or illness and wonder whether they need to file a tax return if they were on workers’ comp the entire…
Can My Boyfriend Claim My Child on His Taxes?
Everybody loves tax exemptions. They reduce the amount of your taxable income, which affects the amount of taxes you pay. You can take a personal exemption for yourself, and you get an exemption for each…
What Causes Delays in the IRS’ Approval of Electronic Tax Returns?
Why Some E-Filed Returns Are Accepted Immediately and Others Are Not Electronic filing is the fastest and most common way to submit a federal tax return, but that does not guarantee instant approval. When a…
Refund Timing for Earned Income Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit Filers
Understanding the PATH Act Delay and What It Means for Your Refund Every tax season, millions of families depend on refunds tied to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Additional Child Tax Credit…
IRS Proposes Changes to Rules for Dependents
The IRS is proposing to change its position on when taxpayers may qualify as childless for purposes of the Sec. 32 earned income tax credit (REG-137604-07). The proposed regulations, issued on Thursday, would also make…
If the IRS rejects your tax return, these codes will explain what went wrong
Understanding IRS Reject Codes, E-File Errors, and What to Do Next A rejected tax return can feel alarming, but rejection does not mean you are under audit or that the IRS has denied your refund.…
Identity Theft and Refund Fraud Overview
Understanding the Problem and What the IRS Is Doing About It Identity theft and refund fraud continue to be among the fastest-growing threats facing taxpayers every filing season. Criminals use stolen Social Security numbers, W-2…
Here’s why millions will face tax refund delays from the IRS
What’s Causing Delays and How They Affect Next Tax Season Every year, millions of taxpayers wait for a federal tax refund to help with bills, rent, childcare, debt payments, and everyday expenses. But refund timing…
Tax Season Important Reminders
Deadlines, Documents, Delays and What Every Taxpayer Should Do Before Filing Every tax season brings important updates that affect filing deadlines, refund timing, credits, and required documentation. Preparing early helps prevent errors, reduces refund delays,…
What Will the IRS of the Future Look Like?
(Modernization, Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Faster Digital Taxpayer Services) The IRS has operated for decades on legacy systems, outdated technology platforms, manual processing, and paper-based files that were never designed to handle modern tax data.…
The Amounts of Some Tax Penalties Have Increased
What Taxpayers Need to Know Before Filing Tax penalties are not just a threat for late filers or people who owe back taxes. Several IRS penalties automatically increase based on inflation, meaning the dollar amount…
Common Earned Income Tax Credit Errors!
Did you know about 27 percent of Earned Income Tax Credit returns are paid in error? According to the IRS, the five most common errors account for more than 60 percent of erroneous claims. Remember,…
How New IRS Security Safeguards Will Affect You
What Taxpayers Should Expect During Filing Season Identity theft and refund fraud continue to grow each year, and the IRS is responding with a series of new security safeguards designed to stop criminals before refunds…
Avoiding the ‘Obamacare penalty’
What You Must Know About Health Coverage Requirements For several years, many taxpayers feared the so-called “Obamacare penalty,” formally known as the Shared Responsibility Payment under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The penalty applied to…
Direct Deposit for Tax Refunds can go wrong
What Taxpayers Need to Know Before Their Refund Is Sent Direct deposit is the fastest way to receive your federal tax refund, and most taxpayers choose it every year. But direct deposit only works smoothly…
When do I get my tax refund?
Understanding the IRS Timeline, Processing Stages, and Realistic Expectations The moment you submit your federal tax return, the question everyone really wants answered is simple: When will my tax refund arrive? The truth is there…
Which Online Tax Service is Best?
Choosing the Right One Depends on Your Filing Situation There is no single “best” online tax software for everyone. Every platform has different strengths depending on how complex your return is, what credits you claim,…
15 Red Flags that will get you audited by the IRS
And How to Avoid Triggering IRS Review Nobody wants an IRS audit. It’s stressful, time-consuming, and potentially expensive if your taxes weren’t prepared correctly. Most audits are avoided simply by knowing what triggers IRS attention…
Important Tax Deadlines and Dates
2017 Tax Filing Deadline Calendar January 16, 2017 April 17, 2017 June 15, 2017 September 15, 2017 October 16, 2017
As Holidays Approach, IRS Reminds Taxpayers of Refund Delays
Especially Early Filers & Families Expecting Refundable Credits Every year, millions of taxpayers hope their early tax refund will help cover holiday expenses, post-Christmas bills, and New Year budgets. But as the holiday season approaches,…
IRS to Delay Tax Refunds Involving EITC and ACTC
Here’s Why Millions of Early Filers Will Wait Longer If you claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), expect your tax refund to be delayed again next year.…
IRS Aims to Improve Tax Preparer Security to Combat ID Theft
Protecting Your Personal Information Starts Before You File When most taxpayers think about identity theft, they imagine hackers breaking into the IRS, stealing Social Security numbers, and filing fraudulent returns. But the biggest weak spot…
Advice on Avoiding Refund Delays
The IRS has released another in its series of reminders to ensure “smooth processing” of your tax returns and avoiding delay in refunds. Among their tips: Have all relevant documents, such as W-2s and 1099s,…
The IRS Swindles $43 MILLION From American Taxpayers Over ‘Crimes’ That Were Never Committed
How Innocent People Ended Up Paying the Price The IRS’s job is to enforce the nation’s tax laws, investigate fraud, and prevent illegal refund claims. But in recent years, IRS enforcement tactics have gone…
IRS Spent $12 Million For Microsoft Software That It Couldn’t Even Use
How Does Something Like This Even Happen? Government agencies spend billions every year on technology, cybersecurity, digital modernization, and cloud software. But sometimes, those investments go wrong — and taxpayers end up paying the price.…
When is the first day to file taxes in 2017?
The IRS has yet to release an official first day to file taxes in 2017, but we estimate January 24th, 2017 to be the first day to file in 2017. The IRS will begin accepting…
8 Tax Deductions you may be Overlooking
And How They Could Increase Your Refund Most taxpayers only claim the “obvious” tax deductions—standard deduction, interest, dependents, maybe retirement contributions. But the IRS allows dozens of deductions most people don’t even realize they qualify…
Protecting Your Tax Return Information
How to Keep Criminals, Identity Thieves, and Scammers Away From Your Refund Every time you file a federal tax return, you hand over extremely sensitive personal information—including your Social Security number, income, dependents, employer information,…
Tax Refund May be Delayed, But at Least You’ll Get It
Every year millions of taxpayers watch the IRS refund tracker like it’s the stock market.Processing dates shift, messages change, bars disappear, and refund approvals stall. And nothing is more stressful than waiting—especially when bills are…
How Do I Speak with A Real Person at the IRS?
When you’re waiting for your refund there’s nothing more annoying than not being able to get a phone number for a real person. Sometimes the online “where’s my refund” portal just doesn’t cut it or…
Tax Transcript Codes
Transaction Codes (TC) can be found on your account transcript and consist of three digits. They are used to identify a transaction being processed and to maintain a history of actions posted to a taxpayer’s…
An Update on IRS Funding Patterns
The IRS has recently shifted how and when they release funding to taxpayers, and this update matters for anyone tracking direct deposit dates, refund timelines, or IRS processing cycles. In this post, we’ll cover the…
IRS Systems Hacked: Can The IRS Protect Tax Payers Personal Data?
Every tax season we trust the Internal Revenue Service with some of the most sensitive information we own—our income, Social Security numbers, bank routing numbers, dependents, addresses, and sometimes even identity documents. So what happens…
What Does IRS Reference Code 9001 Mean?
IRS Reference Code 9001 IRS Code 9001: “Taxpayer accessed Refund Status using a secondary TIN. Refund Status could not be returned. Get a Primary TIN Analyze account and follow appropriate IRM.” The IRS has an entire…
Tax Topic 151 & 152
You’ve been anxiously checking Where’s My Refund every day, counting on that tax refund to hit your account. Then suddenly, you see it: “Tax Topic 151” or “Tax Topic 152” appears on your screen.…
What Happens When you Submit Your Tax Return?
When you hit “Submit” on your e-file or drop your paper return in the mail, it feels like it disappears into a black hole. Behind the scenes, though, there’s a very specific sequence of steps…