by admin | Apr 4, 2012 | IRS Payment Plans, IRS Tax Advice, Representation, Tax Help
If you make estimated tax payments this is something you might want to read.
Most taxpayers that owe money to the IRS do so simply because they fail to make their estimate tax payments.
Since self employed individuals do not have withholding taken out of their checks, the ES or Estimated payments are the easiest and best way to make sure you do not have a large tax payment the end of the year.
You may need to pay estimated taxes to the IRS during the year if you have income that is not subject to withholding.
These tips from the IRS explain estimated taxes and how to pay them.
1. If you have income from sources such as self-employment, interest, dividends, alimony, rent, gains from the sales of assets, prizes or awards, then you may have to pay estimated tax.
2. You must pay estimated taxes in 2012 if both of these statements apply:
1) You expect to owe at least $1,000 in tax after subtracting your tax withholding (if you have any) and tax credits, and
2) You expect your withholding and credits to be less than the smaller of 90 percent of your 2012 taxes or 100 percent of the tax on your 2011 return. Special rules apply for farmers, fishermen, certain household employers and certain higher income taxpayers.
3. For Sole Proprietors, Partners and S Corporation shareholders, you generally have to make estimated tax payments if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in tax when you file your return.
4. To figure your estimated tax, include your expected gross income, taxable income, taxes, deductions and credits for the year.
You can use the worksheet in Form 1040-ES, Estimated Tax for Individuals, for this. You want to be as accurate as possible to avoid penalties. Also, consider changes in your situation and recent tax law changes.
5. The year is divided into four payment periods, or due dates, for estimated tax purposes. Those dates generally are April 15, June 15, Sept. 15 and Jan. 15 of the next or following year. Depends of holidays.
6. Form 1040-ES, Estimated Tax for Individuals, has everything you need to pay estimated taxes.
It includes instructions, worksheets, schedules and payment vouchers. However, the easiest way to pay estimated taxes is electronically through the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, or EFTPS, at www.irs.gov. You can also pay estimated taxes by check or money order using the Estimated Tax Payment Voucher or by credit or debit card.
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- Our staff has collectively over 205 years of Professional IRS Tax Representation Experience
- On staff, Board Certified Tax Attorney’s, IRS Tax Lawyers, Certified Public Accountants, Enrolled Agents,
- We taught Tax Law in the IRS Regional Training Center
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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 | 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 steve | Feb 22, 2012 | Owe Payroll Taxes, Representation
Owe Back IRS Payroll Tax – You can do jail time – Hire former IRS Agents – Payroll Tax Settlements – Miami, Ft.Lauderdale, Palm Beaches 1-866-700-1040, 954-492-0088
Tax attorneys, CPAs and former IRS agents can help resolve any back IRS payroll tax that you owe. With over 206 years of professional tax experience and 60 years of working directly for the Internal Revenue Service we can go over all the tax options to go ahead and settle your back IRS payroll tax case.
Stop the worry and stress today free consultations are available.
Owe Back Payroll Taxes, better listen up!
Many people are unaware that owing IRS back payroll taxes can land you in prison. As a former IRS Agent I recommended certain business owners to Criminal Division because of back payroll taxes.
Payroll Taxes are taxes held in trust to be paid over to the IRS at prescribed periods of time. Osvaldo Martinez apparently do not know that.
A Hollywood man was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison for failing to pay more than $1.78 million in federal income taxes that he withheld from his former employees, prosecutors said.
Osvaldo Martinez, 51, had pleaded guilty to one count of willfully failing to pay income taxes, court records show.
Prosecutors said that he withheld employee payroll taxes from employees at Clinicas Finlay, Inc., a medical services company he operated in Miami-Dade County until 2007.
U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke ordered Martinez to turn himself in to begin serving his federal prison sentence on April 11.
If you owe back payroll taxes it is very easy to avoid this situation of prison time.
It is of utmost importance you become current immediately and make sure all your payroll tax returns are current. If you fail to file and deposit you will get the attention of the IRS.
IRS has special programs called the FTD Alerts or Federal Tax Deposits Alerts System that triggers out to the local offices when 941 filers fail to file and pay back payroll taxes.
Should you be in this situation call us today so we can intervene, stop the IRS and work out a tax payroll settlement.
Owing back taxes, payroll taxes is the highest priority of local Collection offices simply because it is not a tax but a trust. You can expect in the future many more arrests.
We are Former IRS agents that can immediate help with these tax payroll tax situations on back taxes.
We have over 205 years of professional tax experience and over 60 years in the local offices.
by steve | Feb 21, 2012 | IRS Tax Problem, Representation
IRS – Tax Attorney / Tax Lawyer
At Fresh Start Tax L.L.C. we have on staff Board Certified Tax Attorneys, Certified Public Accountants, Enrolled Agents, Former IRS Agents, Managers and Instructors including a Former IRS Appeals Agent of 35 years with the IRS.
We have 205 years of total IRS tax experience and over 60 years of direct work experience at the local, district and regional offices of the Internal Revenue Service.
We also taught Tax Law at the Internal Revenue Service.
IRS tax problems and issues can mean a very stressful time for any taxpayer. An IRS Tax Attorney IRS Tax Lawyer, CPA or Enrolled Agent (EA) Agent can help you through any tax problem,help lower your tax debt and help settle any IRS tax debt you may currently have. The IRS is the largest and most powerful collection agency in the world and it takes an experienced and knowledgeable tax representative to help you in choosing the correct tax options. At Fresh Start tax LLC we have many years of experience in dealing with IRS issues and all other IRS tax problems in the audit and the collection area.
Fresh Start Tax LLC offers a team approach and each case worked by Fresh Start Tax has two assigned tax professionals working your case.
Getting the most out of your money – Choosing the right tax representative
There are three general levels of representation before the Internal Revenue Service.
1. Tax Attorney / Tax Lawyer
2 .Certified Public Accountants and
3. Enrolled Agents.
Each can represent you before the IRS and all are licensed to represent your very best interest. It is important to find out how the same result can be done for the lower cost. All can be good choices.
As a Former IRS Agent of 10 years, many tax representatives came into the IRS office I was assigned to. There were huge differences among the types of tax representatives. The ones that charged the most did not necessarily know what they were doing. IRS experience is the key.
As a general rule, pick the representative who worked at the IRS. A person who worked at the IRS know all the tricks, techniques, and procedures to make your case go easily through the system.
Each particular representative brings different aspects of a tax specialty to the table and before a taxpayer goes to hire a tax professional it is best to know how to get the most bang for your buck.
You do not want to overpay fees if you do not need to. Many times it is not necessary to hire tax attorneys or tax lawyers. Generally bills from tax attorneys, tax lawyers are between $2-400 dollars an hour and their fees are overkill. Many have little of no IRS experience. If you have an IRS problem it is always best to hire a Former IRS employee because they have the knowledge of tax procedures, settlement guidelines and audit techniques. In most cases CPA’s and Enrolled Agents are your best bet an all IRS administrative matters.
IRS Tax Attorney /Tax Lawyer
Generally taxpayers want to hire tax attorneys / tax lawyers if there are criminal or court actions that will be taking place. Tax Attorneys / Tax Lawyers are trained to interpret the law and codes and become your advocate in tax court or district court.Tax Attorneys /Tax Lawyers also keep up with the ever changing rules, regulations and codes that govern our tax system. Tax Attorneys also give you the advantage of having an attorney client privilege in all matters. It really becomes helpful in all criminal tax matters. If you receive a letter from criminal investigation your only option should be a tax attorney or tax lawyer. You want to make sure that Tax Attorney or Tax Lawyer has IRS experience and has worked several hundred cases before IRS and D.O.J. Tax Attorneys are the only place to go on any Offshore Account situations.
Certified Public Accountants
Hiring a Certified Public Accountant is extremely important when dealing with complicated tax issues on individual, partnership or corporate tax issues. With the tax codes changing every year it is always best to hiring true tax professionals in dealing with the accounting and tax filing of tax returns. Certified Public Accountants are generally used in tax return preparation and tax defense of a tax return under tax audit. it is always best to make sure they have years of tax experience under their belt in tax preparation. You can retained Accountant/client privilege on all civil matters.
Enrolled Agents
An enrolled agent is a person who has earned the privilege of representing taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service by either passing a three-part comprehensive IRS test covering individual and business tax returns, or through experience as a former IRS employee. They must adhere to ethical standards and complete 72 hours of continuing education courses every three years.
Enrolled agents, like attorneys and certified public accountants (CPAs), have unlimited practice rights. This means they are unrestricted as to which taxpayers they can represent, what types of tax matters they can handle, and which IRS offices they can represent clients.
