by admin | Mar 28, 2012 | Back Taxes, Income Tax Preparation, IRS Tax Problem, Representation, Tax Help
This comes as a great surprise to many expecting their IRS tax refund. The IRS sends a notice telling you they have used their right to offset to pay old debts such as State Tax Debts, Child Support or even Student loans.
If this happens to you I would suggest calling us at Fresh Start Tax, 1-866-700-1040 to permanently resolve your IRS tax matter and get tax relief.
Most taxpayers in this situation may qualify for an offer in compromise or a tax debt settlement. By calling our office we can find out if you qualify.
Here are the rules and regs regarding tax refunds that may be applied to offset certain debts
The Department of Treasury’s Financial Management Service, which issues IRS tax refunds, can use part or all of your federal tax refund to satisfy certain unpaid debts.
Facts you what to know about tax refund offsets:
1. If you owe federal or state income taxes, your refund will be offset to pay those taxes first. If you had other debt such as child support or student loan debt that was submitted for offset, FMS will apply as much of your refund as is needed to pay off the debt and then issue any remaining refund to you if a tax refund is applicable.
2. You will receive a notice from the IRS if an offset occur. The offset will occur each and every year to the problem is resolved.
The tax notice will include the original refund amount, your offset amount, the agency receiving the payment and its contact information. If the information about the exist debt is incorrect, we suggest you contact them directly to resolve the problem.
3. If you believe you do not owe the debt or you are disputing the amount taken from your refund, you should contact the agency shown on the notice, not the IRS.
4. If you filed a joint return and you are not responsible for the debt, but you are entitled to a portion of the refund, you may request your portion of the refund by filing IRS Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation.
You should attach IRS tax form 8379 to your original Form 1040, Form 1040A, or Form 1040EZ or file it by itself after you are notified of an offset. Form 8379 can be downloaded from the IRS website at www.irs.gov.
5. You can file Form 8379 electronically. If you file a paper tax return you can include Form 8379 with your return, write “INJURED SPOUSE” at the top left of the Form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ. IRS will process your allocation request before an offset occurs.
6. If you are filing Form 8379 by itself, it must show both spouses’ Social Security numbers in the same order as they appeared on your income tax return. You, the “injured” spouse, must sign the form.
You should not attach the previously filed Form 1040 to the Form 8379.
Send the Form 8379 to the IRS Service Center where you filed your original return only so the documentation may be matched.
7. The IRS will compute the injured spouse’s share of the joint return. Contact the IRS only if your original refund amount shown on the FMS offset notice differs from the refund amount shown on your tax return.
8. Follow the instructions on Form 8379 carefully and be sure to attach the required forms to avoid delays.
If you are looking for quality tax relief from a professional tax firm, call Fresh Start Tax LLC today.
by admin | Mar 27, 2012 | IRS Penalties, IRS Tax Advice, IRS Tax Problem, Tax Help
IRS Penalty Tax Relief by Former IRS Agents and Managers – Call us today for details an immediate IRS tax representation.
Get the tax help and get rid of your tax problem today.
Tax Relief to Farmers Affected by MF Global Bankruptcy
The Internal Revenue Service announced today that it will provide penalty relief to farmers who incur estimated tax penalties because they did not timely receive Forms 1099 from MF Global or its court appointed trustee, and were unable to file their 2011 calendar year tax return by March 1, 2012.
The IRS also today provided the affected farmers with instructions on how to apply for this penalty relief. you can call our offices for details and representation requirements.
The Farming Industry
Usually farmers can avoid an estimated tax penalty if they file their returns and pay the full amount of tax shown on their return by March 1, 2012.
An individual is a farmer for these purposes if two-thirds of the individual’s total gross income for the taxable year or the preceding taxable year is from farming. This rule and the relief being provided also apply for fishermen.
MF Global filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 31, 2011, after revealing that hundreds of millions of dollars in customer money was missing.
While the court appointed trustees are working to untangle MF Global’s financial records, the IRS understands that the magnitude of the records and the associated untangling delayed the issuance of Forms 1099 in a timely manner.
Many former customers of MF Global did not receive their Forms 1099 by March 1, 2012 and the penalties are racking up.
While the IRS has been advised that former customers have recently received their 1099s, the delay in mailing the Forms 1099 may have affected the ability of many farmers to file their 2011 calendar year return by March 1, 2012.
If a taxpayer has an underpayment of estimated tax, all or part of the penalty for the underpayment may be waived if the IRS determines that the underpayment was due to a casualty, disaster or other unusual circumstance and it would be inequitable to impose the penalty.
To request a waiver of the estimated tax penalty, complete Form 2210-F, Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Farmers and Fisherman.
As stated in the instructions to Form 2210-F, a short statement should be attached to the form stating that you received a late 1099 from MF Global. At the top of your Form 2210-F, write “MF Global”. Taxpayers should be aware that the Form 2210-F and accompanying Form 1040 cannot be submitted electronically. In the case of farmers who have filed their tax returns and an estimated tax penalty is assessed, please contact the IRS, identify this relief and the penalty will be abated.
While this situation could possibly racking up thousands of dollars in penalties, let us get you tax relief today.
Call Fresh Start Tax, 1-866-700-1040. Speak directly to a tax expert.
We offer a full range of IRS tax representation services.
by admin | Mar 27, 2012 | Representation, Tax News
Need professional tax help to prepare your tax return. You should be using former IRS Agents who know all the possible rules and regs to get you the most favorable tax position.
There are certain Tax Rules can affect Your child’s investment income. Check with us to make sure your tax return is not flagged for a IRS tax audit.
Many parents may not realize that there are tax rules that may affect their child’s investment income.
Four Major Rules that may apply:
1. Investment Income.
Children with investment income may have part or all of this income taxed at their parents’ tax rate rather than at the child’s rate. Investment income includes interest, dividends, capital gains and other unearned income. Call us to check for other types of unearned income.
2. Age requirements.
The child’s tax must be figured using the parents’ rates if the child has investment income of more than $1,900 and meets one of three age requirements for 2011:
1. Was under age 18 at the end of the year,
2. Was age 18 at the end of the year and did not have earned income that was more than half of his or her support, or
3. Was a full-time student over age 18 and under age 24 at the end of the year and did not have earned income that was more than half of his or her support.
3. Form 8615 To figure the child’s tax using the parents’ rate for the child’s return, fill out Form 8615, Tax for Certain Children Who Have Investment Income of More Than $1,900, and attach it to the child’s federal income tax return.
4. Form 8814.
When certain conditions are met, a parent may be able to avoid having to file a tax return for the child by including the child’s income on the parent’s tax return. In this situation, the parent would file Form 8814, Parents’ Election To Report Child’s Interest and Dividends.
If you need any tax help help for any tax matter or IRS situation call us today.
Fresh Start Tax 1-866-700-1040
by admin | Mar 27, 2012 | IRS Tax Advice, Representation, Tax Returns, Uncategorized
After being an IRS Agent for over 10 years and in private practice for over 29 years I have found a consistency in tax preparation errors.
If you need quality income tax preparation call us today.
The same errors happen over and over. The following are tax tips that may help you file your tax return trouble free.
Common tax errors to avoid:
1. Social Security – Incorrect or missing Social Security numbers.
When you enter social security numbers for anyone listed on your tax return, be sure to enter them exactly as they appear on the Social Security cards. IRS will kick out an error letter or notice to you if they do not match.
2. Incorrect or misspelling of dependent’s last name.
When entering a dependent’s last name on your tax return, make sure to enter it exactly as it appears on their Social Security card. Once again, IRS computers are exact matches.
3. Filing status errors.
The most common mistakes. Choose the correct filing status for your situation. About 40% of all errors occur with these mistakes.
There are five filing statuses:
1. Single,
2. Married Filing Jointly,
3. Married Filing Separately,
4. Head of Household
5. Qualifying Widow(er) With Dependent Child.
4. Math errors are very common. When preparing paper returns, review all math for accuracy. If you file electronically the software does the math for you!
5. Computation errors. Electronic filing basically eliminates this.
Take your time. Have someone review the tax return. Many taxpayers make mistakes when figuring their taxable income, withholding and estimated tax payments, Earned Income Tax Credit, Standard Deduction for age 65 or over or blind, the taxable amount of Social Security benefits and the Child and Dependent Care Credit.
6. Incorrect bank account numbers for direct deposit. Bad Mistake!!!
Double check your bank routing and account numbers if you are using direct deposit for your refund.
7. Sign and date the return.
An unsigned tax return is like an unsigned check. Also, both spouses must sign a joint return. Both spouses should not only sign but fully review the tax return.
8. Incorrect adjusted gross income.
If you file electronically, you must sign the return electronically using a Personal Identification Number. To verify your identity, the software will prompt you to enter your Adjusted Gross Income from your originally filed 2010 federal income tax return or last year’s PIN if you e-filed. Taxpayers should not use an Adjusted Gross Income amount from an amended return, Form 1040X, or a math-error correction made by IRS.
by admin | Mar 19, 2012 | IRS Tax Advice, IRS Tax Problem, Tax Help, Tax News, Tax Settlements, Uncategorized
Tax Masters Bankruptcy – Help for Former Clients – 1-866-700-1040
Get real professional tax help or tax resolution from a “A” Rated Tax Firm with over 205 years of professional tax experience and over 60 years with the IRS in the local, district and regional offices of the IRS.
So what is the real story about Tax Masters – Deception, False Advertising, preying of the needs of false hope.
We see it so many times. I am the co-owner and founder of Fresh Start Tax L.L.C. About one half of all our incoming calls are from from taxpayers who have been ripped off by other tax firms claiming impossible of unachievable results.
I see it so many times it is sickening. Taxpayers have been ripped off for thousands of dollars from salespeople claiming to be IRS specialists. In reality these people are no more than hucksters or ripped off artists. Many of these taxpayers have lost everything including their savings and still owe the IRS a boat load of money.
Many of these taxpayers will have a bank levy, wage levy or wage garnishment placed on their wages or bank accounts because of the false and deceptive business practices of the likes of Tax Masters, J.K. Harris and the Tax Lady Roni Deutsche.
The claims Tax Masters were making were just to good to be true but desperate people bought into to this fraudulent advertising practice on settling for pennies on a dollar. While pennies on a dollars can happen you must have your case evaluated to even thinking about a tax debt settlement. There are specific rules for tax settlement. I should know, I was a former IRS Agents and Offer in Compromise specialist.
The Tax Masters television commercials featured CEO Patrick Cox, who claims his company’s staff of former IRS agents and tax professionals have helped countless thousands of taxpayers just like you.
The Tax Masters ad blitz has been a driving force in the company’s soaring corporate revenues. The company, which went public brought in $45.7 million in 2010, a three-fold increase in two years, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This was all due to the voluminous advertising budget filled with false hope
Part of the Problem – On the Tax Masters website they were looking for salespeople and not true tax practitioners. There website posts included this verbiage, “Are you a talented closer ready to move into the next income bracket?” call us.
“Previous tax knowledge is not required,” stated the employment ad, which Tax Masters says has since been modified.
At the heart of the problem, says Attorney General Swanson, is a requirement that customers pay an upfront fee ranging between $2000 and $8000. for false promises of salespeople.
If you are looking for a professional tax firm to help with your IRS problem look for the following:
1. The BBB rating of the company
2. Talk directly to the person that will be working your case.
3. Ask for the credentials of the person working your case.
4. Find out how long the company has been in business
5. Find out how many IRS agents they have on staff.
If you are looking for a free tax consultation call us today and hear the truth. 1-866-700-1040
