The latest straight from the IRS — new rules, deadlines, guidance, and announcements explained in plain English.
It all started with a ping. Just before noon, I got an interesting tweet. A flurry of tweets, Facebook messages, and emails followed. It was, in the grand scheme of my day, kind of a big deal. I had been following the IRS’ plans to regulate preparers more or less since then Commissioner Doug Shulman…
January 22nd has come and gone without incident. It was supposed to be opening day for tax season at the Internal Revenue Service. But with a last-minute tax deal, the IRS has pushed off opening day until January 30. Today, the IRS confirmed that opening day for tax season at the agency is still slated…
In light of the decision in Loving et al v Commissioner where the court ruled that the Internal Revenue Service did not have the authority to regulate tax preparers, the IRS has issued the following statement: As of Friday, Jan. 18, 2013, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia has enjoined the…
Two things happened on Sunday. One, I sat down for an interview with Dan Alban, the lead attorney in Loving et al v. Commissioner (downloads as a pdf). And two, I had friends over to the new house for a chat. You might think the two are completely unrelated. But you’d be wrong. You see,…
It turns out that the IRS can’t do everything it wants after all. Last year, three independent tax preparers, Sabina Loving of Chicago, Illinois, John Gambino of Hoboken, N.J., and Elmer Kilian of Eagle, Wisconsin, took on the IRS, accusing it among other things, of lacking the authority to license tax preparers. The lawsuit was…
Taxpayer asks: I read your article that said you can’t file your taxes until 1/30 but my tax guy says that’s only for people who itemize. He says I can file this week and get my refund faster. Now I’m confused. taxgirl says: ARGH. *clears throat* Sorry, I just had to get that out of…
What could you do with six billion hours? Think hard. That’s the equivalent of 8,758 lifetimes. Yes, lifetimes. It’s also how much time taxpayers spend every year trying to comply with tax-filing requirements. That, according to the 2012 annual report as prepared by the National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson. The report was delivered this…
So about that new tax deal… The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) doesn’t have much to say, so far, it seems. On their website, they have this headline, IRS Statement on Jan. 1 Tax Legislation Passed by Congress, which sounds promising, right? Until, of course, you read the statement which says this: The IRS is currently…
It may make good drama to play with the tax laws all the way up to the year-end but uncertainty as Congress fiddles means that millions of taxpayers don’t know how to plan for next year. Even worse? Their employers don’t know what to do either. Payroll withholding for 2013 is already a mess and…
Expecting a refund in 2013? The IRS has announced they expect refunds to be processed about as quickly in 2013 as they were in 2012. Last year, the IRS issued more than 9 out of 10 refunds to taxpayers in less than 21 days; the average refund was about $3,000. For the new year, you…