Audit Archives - Professional Tax Resolution

Where is My Tax Refund?

Where Is My Tax Refund?

Where is My Refund?

Where is My Refund?

The IRS has announced that the recently opened 2016 tax season started off on a good note. In fact, they reported the receipt of thousands of tax returns on opening day with no major filing issues. It has also been reported that the average wait time for a tax professional to speak to an IRS representative is ten minutes in comparison to wait times of over an hour last year. Although it is still very early in the game, expectations are high for a smooth and easy tax season. This includes the issuing of tax refunds which is the aspect of tax filing that is usually of highest interest to taxpayers.

If you have filed your tax return and are anxiously awaiting your refund, you are well ahead of the game. This year, taxpayers actually have a few extra days to file their 2015 tax returns. The filing deadline has been moved ahead to Monday, April 18, 2016 (April 19, 2016 for taxpayers in in Maine and Massachusetts) due to the observation of the Washington D.C. Emancipation Day holiday on April 15th. That being said, once you or your tax preparer have filed your return, you can go to the IRS Refund app/tool on the IRS website https://www.irs.gov/Refunds to check the status of your refund. The IRS updates this site once per day, so there is no advantage to checking it constantly.

The “Where’s My Refund?” app/tool will guide you through the refund process in three easy steps:

1) Return Received – The site will let you know when your return has been officially been received by the IRS.

2) Return Approved – Most refunds are approved and sent via direct deposit unless you have requested a paper check. Once your return has been approved, the site will let you know when your refund is scheduled to arrive.

3) Refund Sent – Your refund is on its way. It usually takes about five days for direct deposits to arrive, whereas mailed refund checks can take weeks

The IRS predicts that most refunds will be issued in less than 21 days from the time the return is received. However, the process will take longer if there is a mistake, an inaccuracy, an omission of required information or the return is selected for further review. To avoid a delay in receiving your refund or even an audit, it is often best to use a professional tax preparer, especially if your return is complicated. If you have not received your refund within 21 days of e-filing (or six weeks of mailing your paper return), the “Where’s My Refund?” app/tool that will route you to direct contact with an IRS agent to get further information and assistance. Based on 2015 data which showed that the IRS processed over 109 million refunds, this streamlined refund process represents quite an accomplishment!

If you have tax questions or a tax debt you are unable to pay, our tax settlement professionals are happy to discuss your tax resolution options free of charge. For more information about our services, visit us today at www.professionaltaxresolution.com or call us at 877.889.6527. With over 16 years in the business of resolving tax debt, we have a thorough understanding of tax law together with the experience to know which settlement option will be the best fit for your specific set of circumstances.

Franchise Tax Board Assessment Stopped

Franchise Tax Board Assessment Stopped

Franchise Tax Board Assessment Stopped

Franchise Tax Board Assessment Stopped

Just one month after finalizing an Offer in Compromise with the Internal Revenue Service, Mr. C contacted Professional Tax Resolution with another tax settlement issue. Having successfully settled his federal income tax debt for less than 20% of the initial amount owed, he now needed our services to help with resolving an outstanding tax liability with the State of California. Just prior to contacting our firm for the second time, he had received and official notice from the California Franchise Tax Board informing him that he owed a back tax amount of 80K for tax year 2005. This amount included both penalties and interest that had been compounding over time.

Mr. C was both confused and upset when he received the tax delinquency notice from the California Franchise Tax Board. Having just settled his federal tax debt for this same year, he was taken by surprise when he received a notice from the state informing him that he still had an outstanding tax liability with them. A member of our staff quickly reviewed the notice and realized the assessment was based on the results of IRS audit. After ruling out the possibilities of fighting the audit based on proof of expenses or of submitting an Offer in Compromise proposal with the state, our staff decided to match the state’s assessment to the Internal Revenue Service transcripts.  It was this match that provided the solution to Mr. C’s back tax issue with the California Franchise Tax Board.

We quickly came to realize the Franchise Tax Board was over-assessing Mr. C.  Not only was their assessment based on a higher income then the IRS transcripts reported, but it incorrectly included taxes on income that was produced outside the state. In response, our professionals quickly prepared a letter of protest informing the Franchise Tax Board of the amount of income that was not produced in California and recalculating the tax amount based on the IRS transcripts.  After one month and a close review of our protest, the Franchise Tax Board recalculated their assessment based on the correct income amount and came to the conclusion that our client did not owe any additional tax. The end result was that the case was settled and closed with the most favorable outcome possible. Not only did M. C walk away without paying one dime in back taxes, but the Franchise Tax Board actually owed him money!

If you have tax questions or a tax debt you are unable to pay, our tax settlement professionals are happy to discuss your tax resolution options free of charge. For more information about our services, visit us today at www.professionaltaxresolution.com or call us at 877.889.6527. With over 16 years in the business of resolving tax debt, we have a thorough understanding of tax law together with the experience to know which settlement option will be the best fit for your specific set of circumstances.

 

Government Employees Have Delinquent Tax Balances

Delinquent Taxes and Government Employees

Delinquent Taxes and Government Employees

Government Employees Have Delinquent Tax Balances – Various government workers have been in the news recently for their delinquent taxes. One article reported that over 1100 IRS employees who owed back taxes and had other tax related problems had, in fact, received bonuses. Another recent report divulged that, as of September 2013, various federal government employees and government retirees owed over three million dollars in unpaid taxes. In a nutshell, it appears that government employees are no different than the general population of taxpayers. Some do not pay their tax bills.

A recent audit of the IRS revealed that over 1000 IRS employees who were in violation of one or more of the tax guidelines set by the  very agency they work had received bonus pay in spite of their noncompliance. The Treasury General for Tax Administration reported that the IRS employees who had received bonus compensation had various tax violations including back tax balances, the underreporting of income and late tax payments. While the IRS is not currently required to withhold bonuses for tax law noncompliance, it has said that it will work toward changing this policy based on the recommendations of the recent audit. In a recent statement, IRS officials said they “recognize the need for proper personnel policies” and will “strive to protect the integrity of the tax system.”

Another recent report discussed the delinquent taxes owed by government employees in general. According to his study, members of Congress have a higher percentage of delinquent taxpayers than the IRS. While the Treasury Department, which includes the IRS, has a 1.2% rate of noncompliance, the percentages are 3.24% for Senators and 4.87% for members of the House of Representatives. Results of this same study showed that the departments with the highest noncompliance rates were the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the Department of Housing and Urban Development with rates of 4.38% and 5.29 % respectively. Off the large governmental agencies, the worst offenders were the Smithsonian Institution, the Government Printing Office and the Court Services and Offender Services Agency, all with tax noncompliance rates in excess of six percent. According to the IRS data released in this recent study, approximately 3.3% of federal government employees and federal government retirees owe back taxes.

If you have a delinquent tax bill, our tax settlement professionals are happy to discuss your tax resolution options free of charge. For more information about our tax settlement services, call us at 877.889.6527 or visit our website at www.professionaltaxresolution.com. Our experienced CPAs and Enrolled Agents have a thorough understanding of tax law together with the experience to know which tax settlement option will be the best fit for your specific tax delinquency.

 

How To Endure An Audit

Tax season has come to an end and now audit season is about to commence. People always fear that they will be audited, but in reality the chance of being audited is fairly low. About 1 out of 100 people are actually audited. Read below on how to endure an audit.

However, if you do happen to be one of the unlucky people, here are a few easy steps to take to make the process go smoothly:

Don’t Ignore Mail From the IRS – Although it may be frightening, it is always best to open mail from the IRS. It is best to face the problem head on and resolve the issue. You are usually given about 30 days to respond to the letter. Keep in mind that if you ignore such information, the IRS will simply keep adding penalties to the amount owed.

 Contact a Tax Professional – You will want to a hire a tax professional to represent you and to communicate directly with the IRS on your behalf. Tax law is very complicated so, in the case of an audit, it is important to hire a licensed CPA or other tax professional that specializes in IRS audit defense representation. It is important to keep your tax preparer up to date on everything as well. 

 Get All Records and Documentation in Order- Find out what part of your tax return is in question and gather all of the necessary paperwork.  All tax documents should be kept for three years but, if you are missing a file, you can always get a copy. If you have lost a receipt, you can usually get a duplicate copy depending on the type of business that issued it. For example, doctor’s offices and charity services usually keep good records and will be able to supply you with a copy of your receipt.

 Remain Calm – One of the best pieces of advice for handling an audit is to be polite and respectful to your assigned IRS agent. It is never helpful to begin an audit by being rude and difficult. The process will be much smoother if you approach it with the assumption that the IRS agent is simply doing their job.  Also, no matter what you do, do not hide or cover anything up. It also will serve you well to be upfront and honest.

Tax returns are selected for audit in a variety of different ways including random sampling. If your return is selected for an audit, it is important not to panic and to realize that many IRS audits can result in the acceptance of a return without change or perhaps even a refund when they are handled properly. When faced with an IRS audit, selecting a qualified Certified Public Accountant to provide IRS audit defense is well worth the investment.

If you have tax questions or a tax debt you are unable to pay, our tax settlement professionals are happy to discuss your tax resolution options free of charge. With over 16 years in the business of resolving tax debt, we have a thorough understanding of tax law together with the experience to know which settlement option will be the best fit for your specific set of circumstances.

For more information about our tax debt resolution services, visit us at www.professionaltaxresolution.com. Contact us by phone at 877.889.6527 to receive a free, no obligation consultation

 

 

IRS Audit Focus for 2013

The IRS constantly researches areas it needs to analyze and focus on each year. We are coming up to the start of the government’s fiscal year on October 1st, and the government has already announced areas that it will focus on for the coming year. When it comes to compliance, the IRS has begun to look closely at small business underreporting. Small business underreporting is responsible for 84% of the $450 billion tax gap. Below are some of the major highlights discussed by the IRS at the national and regional tax forum held this summer in regards to small business audits.

  Correct work reclassification Business classification can be an important interest to the IRS. The IRS realizes that businesses tend to incorrectly classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees, due to the fact independent contractors can cost about 30% less than an employee.

 Extra perks, especially the personal use of company cars – The IRS has noticed that employers are not reporting employee’s use of company vehicles on W-2’s or 1099’s. The IRS is also looking into all company cars especially, luxury autos, in its audits.

  High Wealth/High Income Taxpayers – The IRS classifies high wealth/ high income taxpayers as those who have a total positive income of more than $200,000 a year. In 2013 the IRS will focus on taxpayers with a total positive income of more than $1 million who file a schedule C business return in the last year

 Matching 1099-K Form – The IRS announced in 2013 that it plans to introduce a business-matching form program that will address a good amount of small business non-compliance.

 Small business employee health insurance credit, under Section 45R – This credit became first available in 2010 returns. However, now the IRS will examine small business employers and tax exempts for compliance with Section 45R eligibility requirements.

 Transactions being abused, especially international transactions – The IRS is actively looking for taxpayers who hide assets overseas. The IRS will also focus on offshore transactions for small and large businesses.

 If you have tax debt you are unable to pay or any other questions our tax settlement professionals are happy to discuss you’re tax resolutions free of charge. For more information about our services, visit us today at www.professionaltaxresolution.com.   With over 16 years in the business of resolving tax debt, we have a thorough understanding of tax law together with the experience to know which settlement option will be the best fit for your specific set of circumstances.

For more information about our tax debt resolution services visit us at www.professionaltaxresolution.com. Contact us by phone at 877.889.6527 to receive a free, no obligation consultation