Category: tax forms

Tax forms from the IRS

TurboTax Responds Well To Issues

We are currently in the midst of the tax season, and many tax filers already received their refunds. These individuals should feel happy and lucky because there is an issue currently afflicting the tax industry. Based on recent reports from the TheBestCompanys.com, some individuals are not receiving the refunds they were expecting. Apparently, identity thieves found a way to claim and steal from these unsuspecting individuals. Try using TurboTax 2015 next year.

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Since the start of the year, internet fraud on the Turbotax 2015 free platform increased by approximately 37%. This percentage includes suspicious filers and filers who had their information compromised by hackers. TurboTax 2013 creators were not aware of this glitch for quite some time. When they discovered the issue, they started making changes to their interface, and now these issues are becoming less frequent.

The chief tax officer of Intuit, David Williams, believes internet fraud will be an ongoing problem. If they correct one problem, he expects a similar problem to pop up somewhere else. Intuit plans to do their part by placing safeguards and deterrents in vulnerable spots within the interface. Make sure to keep your data safe by updating the software often and working in a secure environment.

TurboTax 2015
Photo by CustomUSB.com

This will help out the tax filer tremendously, but the tax filer needs to do their part as well. Intuit encourages tax filers to guard their information when they are filing a tax return. This will put another barrier in front of any hackers and thieves. Use a firewall on your personal computer, run virus scans, and do not use public wifi services that are not secure. Thinking about doing your taxes from a hotel room, wait to get home as hotel wifi signals are not secure.

Bitcoins Ruled As Taxable Property by the IRS

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The US Government has recognized Bitcoins which is good in a way but at the same time they have decided to view them as property, making them taxable. If they had decided that the virtual currency actually was a currency then a tax could not be placed on them when they gain in value. Some view this as making the currency legitimate, and a good thing.

Bitcoin Magazine
Bitcoin Magazine (Photo credit: zcopley)

The fact that they can now be taxed reduces the interest for some who see the risk in the fluctuations in value and don’t want to take on the additional tax risk. Spending them would trigger the taxation while holding onto the property would not create a taxable situation. An odd part of the IRS decision is that miners would need to count their Bitcoins as income.

Stability in the marketplace is what many hope for with a couple exchanges having financial trouble in recent months. This decision by the government should increase stability.

It will be interesting to see if there’s a form to claim Bitcoin income in the future or if exchanges will need to issue 1099 tax forms to miners at the end of each year.

Completing Your Taxes

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Completing Your 2010 Taxes

Completing an annual tax return is a responsibility that is shared by all American wage earners.  If you fail to file a tax return in any given year, you could face both legal and monetary penalties.  If you have not yet filed past due tax returns for your 2010 taxes or previous years, it would be a good idea to file a complete tax return for those years as soon as possible to avoid being penalized.

When looking to complete a return for 2010 or a previous year, the first thing that you need to do is gather as much of your financial records as possible.  If you have lost or thrown away pay stubs or bank statements, you should be able to get everything you need by contacting your employer, bank, brokerage firm, or any other entity that provided you with tax information that needs to be reported.

You are one of 50,000,000 Americans who must f...
You are one of 50,000,000 Americans who must fill out an income tax return by March 15 do it now! …. (Photo credit: Keijo Knutas)

Once you have gathered all of your financial information, the next thing to do is prepare the tax returns.  Be sure that you prepare the tax returns based off of 2010 forms.  Since the tax law changes from one year to the next, 2012 tax forms will not be usable to complete the 2010 tax return.  These forms are available through either the IRS directly, your accountant, or any tax preparation software.

After you have completed the return, be sure to mail it in as soon as possible.  It would be a good idea to also include a check for any owed taxes, but you should be prepared to have to pay interest or fees on any past due amount.

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Why Does Intuit Want To Strike Down Return-Free Tax Filing?

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Why Does Intuit Want To Strike Down Return-Free Tax Filing?

Most Americans don’t know much about return-free filing, but it’s popular in certain countries. In applicable countries, the government prepares a taxpayer’s return each year. This government-prepared return is created using employer and banking records. A taxpayer can submit this return to the government free of charge without making any changes. By using this concept, taxpayers can save time and money each year.

YOU ARE ONE OF 50,000,000 AMERICANS WHO MUST F...
YOU ARE ONE OF 50,000,000 AMERICANS WHO MUST FILL OUT AN INCOME TAX RETURN BY MARCH 15. FILE YOURS EARLY. – NARA – 516201 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Unfortunately, the parent company of TurboTax, Intuit, has been fighting this idea for years. Intuit has lobbied congress against return-free filing on multiple occasions. TurboTax, of course, offers free tax filing for millions of taxpayers. In each instance, Intuit defended its actions by saying that it’s attempting to protect taxpayers from government intrusion. Higher costs are cited as a consequence of return-free filing, too.

However, the largest opponents against this concept are the tax filing companies. TurboTax stands to lose a lot of money due to 100% free tax filing offered by the government. In other countries, such a system saves billions of dollars every decade without any consequences. Tax return services comprise a large chunk of a filing service’s revenue annually. Therefore, these same companies are spending millions fighting return-free filing.

Completely free tax filing from the federal government comes with plenty of benefits. Currently, many Americans waste countless hours and dollars on their annual tax returns. This concept, if handled properly, could eliminate all of that waste. Intuit and TurboTax offer great services, but they’re fighting a completely justifiable program. Free tax filing is still available to most Americans already, though.

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Choosing A Tax Attorney

English: Ewa Łętowska, Polish lawyer
English: Ewa Łętowska, Polish lawyer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Its tax time and that means you need a good Phoenix tax lawyer. A tax attorney can help you by managing your taxes, maximizing your taxes by finding exemptions and tax benefits and even ensuring that any IRS tax problems are managed quickly and effectively.  However, for this, you do need to find a talented professional tax lawyer and we have created a short guide just for this reason.

Step no 1 – Ask around with friends and family to find a reliable lawyer. People who are happy with their lawyers are always happy to recommend them.

Step no 2 — Check qualifications by accessing the American Bar Association website. You can also check whit the BBB and the State Financial Authorities.

Step no 3 — Set up an appointment with the lawyer and discuss your finances. Select an attorney with experience and knowledge in your area of taxation.

Step no 4 — Sign a contract with the lawyer. You may have to pay a small fee upfront to retain the lawyer. Hand over all the paperwork that is necessary for the lawyer but always check back with them to ensure that your tax application is complete.

Avoid hiring a tax lawyer who is your relative. You need a impersonal opinion of your taxes and relatives cannot provide that.

File Your Taxes Easily with TurboTax

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When it comes to online tax filing security is the major issue. Many people may like the concept or many might look down, most of them may feel worried about putting their information all on the internet and doubt that is it actually safe and secure to submit your tax return this way. While you have few downsides to submit your taxes online as long as you are aware of the risks and avoid them then it is not at all unsafe or dangerous. This depends on your provider as well while submitting the return. Thus, it is always best to verify yourself by doing little research and look out for the recommended online tax filing websites and which one has the highest recommended software to be downloaded. There are number of software available online which are secure and help you file your tax returns online. One such software is TurboTax, one of the leading and top selling tax preparation software. TurboTax comes in various versions, which version to use depends on your situation.

You can visit the TurboTax’s website and you can file your tax returns online without having to pay any fee if you are simply doing an individual form. With more complex forms there will be some fee charged. With this you can even download the premium or deluxe TurboTax software for complex tax return filing like for large corporations or businesses. The software will include all that you need with a systematic assistance offered to you. Once you buy and download the software you can use this software every year to file your taxes. So, it not at all bad investments deals to do. Filing taxes with TurboTax is easy and safe as well. It has been in market since long and has created a good name.

 

 

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