One of the most common type of questions that I get at taxgirl.com is how to get organized at tax time. Questions range from “What kind of documents do I need?” to “What information do I need to give my tax preparer?”
To help you get started, I’ve prepared a quick checklist. You can download my tax prep checklist as a 72kb pdf here (it’s free, there’s no registration required). The first two pages are informational and required in order to get started on your tax returns – you can fill them out and take them to your tax pro or use it to help you get started on your tax software. The third page will help you determine which schedules you might need to complete – I’ve included the most commonly filed ones. The fourth page will help you get your documents together.
It’s not meant to be a comprehensive list – that could go on for pages and pages. It’s meant to be a quick reference. I hope you find it useful!
Tagged as:
tax checklist,
tax preparation,
tax preparation checklist,
tax preparation software,
tax professional
More taxpayers are preparing their tax returns themselves this year and to help, H&R Block is offering one of my taxgirl readers a free iPod Touch with the new Tax Answers Application. The app connects users to the Get It Right Community where 1,000 H&R Block tax professionals are answering specific questions and sharing their expertise. With access to these tax professionals in their pocket, DIY-ers can get answers to their toughest tax questions from anywhere.
And we all know that tax questions can pop up in the most unexpected places. When you’re eating sushi in a restaurant in San Francisco, you may wonder if it’s deductible. Strolling through the Home Depot, you might wonder which home improvement projects might qualify for home energy credits. And while jetting off to your next interview, you may find yourself trying to figure what you can write off.
So we want to know: Where’s the most unusual or interesting place you’ve ever had a tax question?
Here are the rules:
- Post your tax story in the comments below. It can be as long or as short as you want. Please don’t include any personally identifying information that you don’t want made public (your AGI, address, etc.).
- Enter as many times as you like – but you must post a different story or comment each time. Links and pingbacks while appreciated, don’t count.
- My normal comment policy applies (you can read it here). I have standards, you know.
- I love my foreign readers, too, but this contest is for US residents only.
- You must leave a valid email address (it will not be made public) so that I can contact you if you are a winner.
- Deadline for entries is March 26, 2010, 11:59 pm EST. Don’t panic if your story doesn’t show immediately – if it goes to moderation (because, for example, you’re new here), the time stamp on your story is what counts.
We don’t judge here. Okay, I usually do. But I won’t this time. While I’m hoping for funny, interesting or unexpected stories, you don’t have to leave an outrageous story to qualify. Just answer the question. I will randomly select the winner from all of the qualified entries. One lucky winner will receive an iPod Touch preloaded with the new H&R Block app.
Tagged as:
Get It Right,
H&R-Block,
iPod Touch,
taxgirl,
taxgirl contest
The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel is seeking members in the following locations: California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Washington.
Alternates are needed for Alabama, the District of Columbia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, New York, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Applications for TAP will be accepted through April 30, 2010. Applications are available online at www.improveirs.org. For additional information about the TAP or the application process, please call toll-free 1-888-912-1227.
Tagged as:
IRS,
Taxpayer-Advocacy-Panel
I’ve received a lot of inquiries related to the Making Work Pay Credit and the Economic Recovery Payment. You cannot receive the maximum credit for both. If you are disabled or retired and received the Economic Recovery Payment, you must report it on your Schedule M when claiming the Making Work Pay Credit. It is not taxable: you just can’t receive both benefits.
If you fail to report it, the IRS will kick back your return. However, since checks related to the Economic Recovery Payment were mailed out almost a year ago, many folks can’t remember whether they received the credit. For months now, the only way that you could find out whether you received the credit was to contact the agency who mailed the check directly. Thankfully, that has changed. You can now check online on the IRS web site – the ERP tool is here. All you need is your Social Security number, your date of birth and your zip code. I checked it out earlier today – it’s working! Hopefully, that will help out some taxpayers this season.
Of course, it would have been even more helpful if the tool had been in place sooner than a month before tax season is over… But hey, beggars can’t be choosers, right?
Tagged as:
Economic Recovery Payment,
Making Work Pay Credit,
Railroad Benefits,
Social-Security,
stimulus package,
VA
