The latest straight from the IRS — new rules, deadlines, guidance, and announcements explained in plain English.
If you’re like me, you got slammed today with bogus emails claiming to be from the IRS. Most were the run of the mill “Federal tax transaction rejected” variety – like the ones from before. A few, however, were a bit more sophisticated. This one, in particular, caught my eye: Dear business owners, Due to…
How appropriate that after yesterday’s post on e-bills I received not one – but nine – scam emails purporting to be from IRS. Apparently, those scammers are making yet another effort to cheat taxpayers, hoping for short memories. Don’t fall for it. The subject headers all have some variation of “Your federal tax transaction” or…
In just a few weeks, students will be moving into dorm rooms across the country. The new school year is officially beginning! The first few days of college are often a blur of forms, registrations – and more forms. One of the most popular – and yet confusing – forms is the Free Application for…
It’s been a quiet hurricane season so far on the east coast. After last year, that’s a relief for a lot of folks. And it looks like the pattern will continue: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) is predicting a “near normal” season for the year, with expectations of 13 named storms, 5 hurricanes,…
When I was fourteen years old, I moved from my small town in North Carolina to the “big city” of Durham, North Carolina, to attend the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM). It was a big change for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was that NCSSM was a residential high…
I can already tell it’s summer not just by the long lines at the airport and the blazing heat but by the number of vacation pictures being posted on Facebook. Folks have packed up and moved out in search of rest, relaxation, and summer fun. But before you get too comfortable this summer, check to…
With apologies to Norma Desmond: The IRS is big. It’s the offices that got small. The IRS has announced that it is making significant reductions in office space in an effort to cut costs over the next two years. The plan is to close 43 smaller offices and reduce space in larger facilities. The closures,…
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) wants you – and not in that scary, sending you Notices of Deficiency kind of way nor in a smarmy personals ad kind of way (yes, I did just get back from Seattle so that darn Meg Ryan movie is on my mind). The IRS is currently accepting applications for…
Claiming bogus tax refunds can be easy. After all, nobody’s looking, right? Wrong. The IRS is cracking down on tax evasion by targeting unscrupulous tax preparers. And they might be headed for your town – they’re already making waves in mine. Last week, the United States asked a federal court to bar three Philadelphia-area tax…
With the minutes ticking away until Tax Day, my inbox is rapidly filling up with questions about where to find free tax help. So first, an obligatory stern talking to in my mom voice: free is not always good and it’s not always better. Sometimes free is just free. That said, I understand that it…