by steve | Jun 30, 2010 | Tax News
Consumer Alert to all taxpayers from Fresh Start Tax and the IRS
The IRS does not send taxpayers unsolicited e-mails about their tax accounts, tax situations or personal tax issues. If you receive such an e-mail, most likely it’s a scam.
IRS impersonation schemes flourish during filing season. These schemes may take place via phone, fax, Internet sites, social networking sites and particularly e-mail.
Many impersonations are identity theft scams that try to trick victims into revealing personal and financial information that can be used to access their financial accounts. Some e-mail scams contain attachments or links that, when clicked, download malicious code (virus) that infects your computer or direct you to a bogus form or site posing as a genuine IRS form or Web site.
Some impersonations may be commercial Internet sites that consumers unknowingly visit, thinking they’re accessing the genuine IRS Web site, IRS.gov. However, such sites have no connection to the IRS.
For more information on scams and what to do if you’re subject to one, see Online Scams that Impersonate the IRS, Suspicious e-Mails and Identity Theft and How to Report and Identify Phishing, E-mail Scams and Bogus IRS Web Sites.
It is in the very best interest to all of us to report all scams, for everyone’s sake. thank You to all our followers, if there are any topics you would like to hear about, kindly send us an email.
by steve | Jun 29, 2010 | IRS Tax Advice, Tax News
How to get a copy of your Federal Income Tax Return
If you need an exact copy of a previously filed and processed tax return and all attachments (including Form W-2), you should complete Form 4506 (PDF), Request for Copy of Tax Return, and mail it to the address listed in the instructions, along with a $57.00 fee for each tax year requested. The check or money order for the fee should be made payable to the “United States Treasury”. Copies are generally available for returns filed in the current and past six years. Copies of jointly filed tax returns may be requested by either spouse and only one signature is required. Allow 60 calendar days to receive your copies.
Most needs for tax return information can be met with a computer print-out of your return information called a “transcript”. A transcript may be an acceptable substitute for an exact copy of a return by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and lending agencies for student loans and mortgages. A “tax return transcript” will show most line items contained on the return as it was originally filed. If you need a statement of your tax account which shows changes that you or the IRS made after the original return was filed, however, you must request a “tax account transcript”. Both transcripts are generally available for the current and past three years and are provided free of charge. The period in which you will receive the transcript varies from within ten to thirty business days from the time the IRS receives your request for the tax return or tax account transcript.
You can obtain a free transcript by calling 800-829-1040 and following the prompts in the recorded message or by completing and mailing a request for a transcript to the address listed in the instructions.
The IRS has created a new Form 4506T-EZ, Short Form Request for Individual Tax Return Transcript, to order a transcript of a Form 1040 series return. The IRS created this streamlined form to help those taxpayers trying to obtain, modify or refinance a home mortgage. Transcripts may also be mailed to a third party, such as a mortgage institution, if specified on the form. You must sign and date the form giving your consent for the disclosure. Businesses, partnerships or individuals who need transcript information from other forms, such as Form W-2 or Form 1099, can use Form 4506-T (PDF), Request for Transcript of Tax Return, to obtain the information. These transcripts may also be mailed to a third party if there is consent for the disclosure.
Forms can be downloaded by using the following links or ordered by calling 800-829-3676. If you are a taxpayer impacted by a federally declared disaster, the IRS will waive the usual fees and expedite requests for copies of tax returns for people who need them to apply for benefits or to file amended returns claiming disaster-related losses. For additional information, refer to Topic 107, Tax Relief Disaster Situations, or call the IRS Disaster Assistance Hot-line at 866-562-5227.
Should you need additional help, call us at Fresh Start Tax 1-866-700-1040
by steve | Jun 28, 2010 | Tax News
Electronic Federal Tax Payment System Pay your taxes on line, any time or place
A very secure Way to Pay All Your Federal Taxes
EFTPS, the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, is a tax payment system provided free by the U.S. Department of Treasury. Pay federal taxes electronically via the Internet or phone 24/7. Visit EFTPS to enroll.
Businesses and Individuals can pay all their federal taxes using EFTPS. Individuals can pay their quarterly 1040ES estimated taxes electronically using EFTPS, and they can make payments weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Both business and individual payments can be scheduled in advance.
More than 9.5 million taxpayers are currently enrolled in the system. Since EFTPS started in 1996, there have been over 901 million electronic payments made, totaling over $20 trillion!
EFTPS is …
* Secure
* Fast
* Accurate
* Convenient
* Easy to Use
* Helps Reduce Penalties and saves time
A Secure Government Web Site
EFTPS via the Internet is a secure government web site that uses the highest level of security available. Every user must have a secure Internet browser with 128-bit encryption in order to access the site. To log on to the system, an enrolled user must be authenticated with three pieces of unique information known only to the user: Taxpayer Identification Number (EIN or SSN), EFTPS Personal Identification Number (PIN) and an Internet Password. The combination of these three pieces of identification adds to the security of the site and the privacy of taxpayer data.
Convenience at Your Fingertips from Uncle Sam
EFTPS offers you the convenience and flexibility of making your tax payments via the Internet or phone. By 8:00 p.m.(ET) at least one calendar day in advance of the due date, you access EFTPS directly to report your tax information. You will instruct EFTPS to move the funds from your account to the Treasury’s account for payment of your federal taxes. Funds will not move from your account until the date you indicate. You receive an immediate acknowledgment of your payment instructions, and your bank statement will confirm the payment was made.
You can initiate your IRS tax payment 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As an added convenience, EFTPS allows taxpayers to schedule tax payments in advance. Businesses can schedule payments up to 120 days in advance of their tax due date. Individuals can schedule payments up to 365 days in advance of their tax due date. EFTPS will automatically make your payments for you on the due date you indicate. Scheduled payments can be changed or canceled up to 2 business days in advance of the scheduled payment date.
You can use EFTPS to make all your federal tax payments, including income, employment, estimated and excise taxes.
Should you have any questions about the IRS program, call us a Fresh Start Tax 1-866-700-1040
by steve | Jun 26, 2010 | IRS Tax Advice
Fresh Start Tax receives many requests regarding the publications that IRS has available to the public. This is a list of the most important publications. Should you have any question regarding any of these issue, email us today.
Publ 1 – Your Rights As A Taxpayer 0505 05/04/2005
Publ 1 – EP Understanding the Employee Plans Examination Process 0205 02/05/2005
Publ 1 – (SP) Derechos del Contribuyente 0505 06/09/2005
Publ 3 – Armed Forces’ Tax Guide 2009 01/12/2010
Publ 5 – Your Appeal Rights and How to Prepare a Protest if you Don’t Agree 0199 10/29/2005
Publ 5 – (SP) Your Appeal Rights and How to Prepare a Protest if you Don’t Agree (Spanish Version) 0605 07/26/2005
Publ 15 – Circular E, Employer’s Tax Guide 2009 12/16/2009
Publ 15 – Circular E, Employer’s Tax Guide 2010 01/10/2010
Publ 15 – A Employer’s Supplemental Tax Guide (Supplement to Circular E, Employer’s Tax Guide, Publication 15) 2010 01/26/2010
Publ 15-A (PDF) – Employer’s Supplemental Tax Guide (Supplement to Circular E, Employer’s Tax Guide, Publication 15) 2009 01/20/2010
Publ 15-B – Employer’s Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits 2010 12/08/2009
Publ 15-T – New Wage Withholding and Advanced Earned Income Credit Payment Tables (for wages paid through December 2009) 0309 06/09/2009
Publ 15-B – Employer’s Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits 2009 12/14/2009
Publ 17 – Your Federal Income Tax (For Individuals) 2009 04/06/2010
Publ 17 (SP) – Your Federal Income Tax (Spanish version) 2009 01/26/2010
Publ 51 Circular A – Agricultural Employer’s Tax Guide 2010 01/15/2010
Publ 51 (PDF) Circular A – Agricultural Employer’s Tax Guide 2009 01/14/2010
Publ 54 – Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad 2009 12/12/2009
Publ 80 Circular SS – Federal Tax Guide for Employers in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands 2010 01/15/2010
Publ 179 Circular PR – Guia Contributiva Federal Para Patronos Puertorriquenos 2010 01/30/2010
Notc 210 – Preparation Instructions for Media Label 0702 01/05/2005
Publ 213 – You May Need To Check Your Withholding 0809 07/30/2009
Publ 216 – Conferences and Practice Requirements 0392 10/29/2005
Publ 225 – Farmer’s Tax Guide 2009 10/17/2009
Publ 334 – Tax Guide for Small Business (For Individuals Who Use Schedule C or C-EZ) 2009 01/22/2010
Should you have any questions, ring us up 1=866-700-1040
by steve | Jun 25, 2010 | Tax News
Historical Documents relating to Alphonse (Al) Capone, Chicago
Provided by the Freedom of Information Act
Note: All Federal tax records are confidential by law. The availability of historical records is highly unusual. However, the records of the criminal investigation of Al Capone below are of historical significance and of interest to the public. Therefore, they are being made available under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The IRS is committed to its FOIA obligations and to an open government by making information available as authorized by law. No other IRS records meet the unique set of circumstances that make the Capone records publicly available.
In 1931, the Internal Revenue Service. Intelligence Unit completed an investigation of Alphonse Capone which led to his conviction for tax evasion for which he served 11 years in prison. A recent Freedom of Information Act Request for a copy of Special Agent Frank Wilson?s report to Elmer Irey about the Capone investigation led to a review of the records in light of the confidentiality provisions of Internal Revenue Code Section 6103. The review concluded that this information could be made available to the public ? principally because Capone never filed a tax return.
The following are copies of reports and letters from the actual file which summarize the events and activities of the three year investigation of Al Capone.
* Letter dated July 8, 1931, from W.C. Hodgins, Jacque L. Westrich, and H.N. Clagett, all Internal Revenue Agents, to the Internal Revenue Agent in Charge, Chicago, Illinois, in re Alphonse Capone, 7244 Prairie Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.
* Summary Report dated December 21, 1933, prepared by Special Agent Frank J. Wilson at the request of the Chief, Intelligence Unit, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Washington, D.C., in re Alphonse Capone, Lexington Hotel, 2300 Michigan Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois.
* Letter dated March 27, 1931, from Special Agent Frank J. Wilson to the Chief, Intelligence Unit, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Washington, D.C, providing an update on the status of the “Capone investigation.”
* Letter dated April 8, 1931, from Special Agent Frank J. Wilson to the Chief, Intelligence Unit, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Washington, D.C, providing an update on the status of the “Capone investigation.”
* Excerpt referencing Al Capone from “A Narrative Briefly Descriptive of the Period 1919 to 1936.” This was a report prepared on the organization, functions and activities during that time period by Elmer Irey, Chief, Intelligence Unit, for the IRS Commissioner, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Guy T. Helvering.
Go to the IRS Link of the Electronic Reading Reading Room to find the PDFs on this case http://www.irs.gov/foia/article/0,,id=179352,00.html
