The goal of this blog is to put tax information in an easier to understand format for US Taxpayers. Please verify all advice with that of a Tax expert or the IRS.
~Due Diligence Only~
Summer is right around the corner for most High School students in the U.S.
Many students will be working a job this summer for the very first time.
While most people have heard the term "Income Tax," or people ranting and raving about having to pay taxes, the IRS has information about what you can expect when it comes to your income and taxes.
Many young people will not even be required to file a tax return on monies earned, because that amount is often just a couple of hundred dollars. On the other hand, if the worker would like to get the Federal and State tax withholding returned, they may want to go ahead and file a tax return.
Although I am often angered by the way our tax, medicare and social security withholdings are spent or managed, I have always been taught that our method of taxation is a way that we can all pitch in for the big ticket items like roads, bridges and other infra-structure type things that we could never afford individually.
I think that corporations that call themselves American companies should required to pay their parts of this National plan, and let all of us equally enjoy the partnership of everyone involved pitching in.
Some High School students may want to look into the opportunities available during the Summer, with the U.S. Government.** Today I received an announcement of several opportunities for those interested in Interning with the E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency). These are well paid positions, and help young and disadvantaged youth get a foot in the door.
Finding & Applying for Jobs with the U.S. Government - YouTube
**USAJOBS - EPA Biologist Scholarship program ATF Internships - One of the best things about applying with JOBS.Gov is that once you enter all of your information onto the site, you simply sign up for a feed of the type of jobs you are looking for, and apply. Of course, as your work history changes you will need to update. Good Luck out there!
Download IRS2Go to your I-Phone, from your social media web site.
View informational videos on YouTube.
Take a Tumble and join the Internal Revenue Service on Tumbler.
I.R.S. Information has become more streamlined for the hearing impaired. The Internal Revenue Service offers American Sign Language videos.
Information is available in Spanish and English, and there is a department that deals with Tribal issues.
Today's IRS is not your parent's taxing agency there are many new and innovative ways to find information with regards to the I.R.S. and the U.S. Treasury Department. With advances in technology and Internet use, interested parties can search for gifts, teachers resources and a vast array of Summer Internships for students 16 years and older. USAJOBS - Student Jobs (link)
Connection can be empowerment, just remember if you "Like" the I.R.S. they will have your feeds unless you protect your privacy settings.
Launched in 2011 the IRS2Go Smartphone App has been uploaded over 5 million times.
In 2014 alone more than 2 million people downloaded the IRS2Go 4.0 Smartphone App.
We hear many negative things about our Government and especially the IRS, and so it is only fair to give them props where they are due.
Less than 2 decades ago we had not dreamed of a "Windows" program. The Window idea was introduced as "WYSIWYG" technology. That means What You See Is What You Get.
The very idea of taking a beam of light by the end of our fingertips, clicking a big green (icon) button to "File" our Federal Tax Returns in 1994, was not even a fantasy.
We were using DOS operating systems to communicate from Tax offices to the IRS. Less than 30 years ago, we did not get a print-out from a printer via computer. We filled it out in Quadruplet, making sure to press down hard enough for the inky carbon paper to copy through each page.
Considering that over half of the inquiries to the IRS.gov website, asking "Where's My Refund?," were from mobile users.
Let's go ahead and give our IRS, Treasury and other Government workers a big THANK YOU! It is hard to remember that "The Government" is made up of a bunch of people. Many are public minded, earning less money than in the private sector, and honestly care about their Government and it's People.
Next time you go to complain about our Government, take a moment, and find something positive. There are creative innovators who work for different agencies within the Government that work hard helping us out, and making getting information from the Federal and State governments much easier.
#getEnrolled March 19, 2014 Taxpayers, I feel for you. I know who you are, the ones who have been avoiding the taxes, or you are still gathering stuff up for the accountant. Some of you have already decided to file an extension, and you are just trying to earn some extra cash so you can put a dent in what you owe. In less than a month, your tax return is due, and you are pretty sure you will have to pay in again, or for the first time. Make sure you get the best tax advice, and don't be chincy when it comes to professional tax help. Just because someone is a CPA, or Bookkeeper or Enrolled Agent, if they are not focused on your case, or not well trained, they can mess you up. Find someone with a good reputation with the IRS and you will be assured to be taken care of.
To further drive you to madness, a new deadline approaches...Open Enrollment for "Obamacare" is about to expire. Many in your tax brackets will not be concerned with any tax changes regarding the Affordable Care Act on your 2013 tax year. Most of you have been paying thousands of dollars per year in Insurance Premiums most of your working life. I can hazard to guess that unless you demanded to keep your insurance company who is not in compliance out of stubbornness most taxpayers should be glad to see total annual premiums and out-of-pocket expenses dropping. Since you are stressed out beyond belief here is a word from Get Covered America
Okay. Now that you are feeling a little better: If you think you may have some 2013 costs or changes associated with the Healthcare law you can get help from the IRS Website. In today's announced "HCTT - 2014-10: What do I need to know about the Healthcare Law for my 2013 Tax Return?", there are links to find more information regarding the ACA and the affect it will have on your return.
...However, for some people, a few provisions may affect your 2013 tax return, such as increases in the itemized medical deduction threshold, the additional Medicare tax and the net investment income tax. Here are some additional tips: Filing Requirement: If you do not have a tax filing requirement, you do not need to file a 2013 federal tax return to establish eligibility or qualify for financial assistance, including advance payments of the premium tax credit to purchase health insurance coverage through a Health Insurance Marketplace. Learn more at HealthCare.gov. W-2 Reporting of Employer Coverage: The value of health care coverage reported by your employer in box 12 and identified by Code DD on your Form W-2 is not taxable. Learn more. Information available about other tax provisions in the health care law: More information is available on IRS.gov regarding the following tax provisions: Premium Rebate for Medical Loss Ratio, Health Flexible Spending Arrangements, and Health Saving Accounts. More InformationFind out more tax-related provisions of the health care law at IRS.gov/aca. Find out more about the Health Insurance Marketplace at HealthCare.gov. ____________________________________________
It is important that taxpayers learn the facts about the Healthcare Law / ACA / or Obamacare. It is helping a majority of Americans, but many are missing out due to politics, lies and bad information. Please look into the benefits of having affordable health care. Stay well, and be healthy.
This blog post goes out to fellow citizens living under the U.S. Tax Code.
March 31st 2014 - Open Enrollment Ends
Something that I have always appreciated about taxes is that anyone can argue about Democrats and Republicans, greed, sexual orientation, minimum wage, Benghazi and the Keystone Pipeline, but it is tax law changes from year to year that tell the true story of what is going on in Washington D.C. I love knowing tax law and code changes, because those are historic registers for what each Executive Branch, Judicial Branch and Legislative Branch allowed or made happen during their own tenures in office. There are not many people I know who have followed the tax laws for more than forty years, but all of us can attest to what has occurred and how over the last thirty years, the middle class has been overwhelmed with the burden of our fair and equitable system. Just like the Holy Roman Empire (I still hear the repeated phrase of my World History professor; 'It was not Holy, It was not Roman, and it was not an Empire.") America was only a fair and equitable system for a miniscule period of time. As soon as Europeans made landfall in America, there was a systematic program of genocide and the grabbing of all resources by a handful of people. There have been years that have been good to the Middle Class tax-wise, but since the creation of the Alternative Minimum Tax (I have argued and fussed for its repeal for decades...), the Middle Class has been doomed. It was during that time that Presidents and Congress empowered the rights of Corporate Welfare over that of living breathing human beings. The Affordable Care Act termed by everyone as "ObamaCare" was a project/law in the making for quite a few years. Because of all the political wrangling it has turned into a Clown-Car Circus of confusion and misinformation. For the purpose of this blog post, my political opinion is Switzerland. Not political, but what the tax law changes and ACA have to do with U.S. Taxpayers, and the importance of getting good information and assistance before it is too late. The following are links to "The Affordable Care Act" - IRS website.http://www.irs.gov/uac/Affordable-Care-Act-Tax-Provisions-Home
If you follow the above link to the IRS Website, you can go to the Healthcare.gov link from there or I have copied the link here: HealthCare.gov
Open Enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace: The open enrollment period to purchase health care coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace for 2014 began Oct. 1, 2013 and runs through March 31, 2014. When you get health insurance through the marketplace, you may be able to get advance payments of the premium tax credit that will immediately help lower your monthly premium. Learn more at HealthCare.gov.
Premium Tax Credit: If you get insurance through the Marketplace, you may be eligible to claim the premium tax credit. You can elect to have advance payments of the tax credit sent directly to your insurer during 2014, or wait to claim the credit when you file your tax return in 2015. If you choose to have advance payments sent to your insurer, you will have to reconcile the payments on your 2014 tax return, which will be filed in 2015. If you’re already receiving advance payments of the credit, you need do nothing at this time unless you have a change in circumstance. Learn More.
Change in Circumstances: If you're receiving advance payments of the premium tax credit to help pay for your insurance coverage, you should report life changes, such as income, marital status or family size changes, to your marketplace. Reporting changes will help to make sure you are getting the proper amount of advance payments.
Individual Shared Responsibility Payment: Starting January 2014, you and your family must have health care coverage, have an exemption from coverage, or make a payment when you file your 2014 tax return in 2015. Most people already have qualifying health care coverage and will not need to do anything more than maintain that coverage throughout 2014. Learn More.
Depending on where you live, you may be getting very bad, disjointed or terrible information regarding the Affordable Care Act. That information can cost you big at tax time and this is why I am joining with the IRS and Healthcare.gov to beg you to find out the facts about ACA before you make an expensive mistake based on the lies of politicians and actors. State Health Departments across the U.S., where the State did accept the Medicaid Expansion have received funding and JOBS to help citizens get information, and all of the help they need to enroll.
Innocent Spouse Relief: Removing The 2 Year Limit.
by Lori J Latimer - earthenwarehaven@gmail all rights reserved.
There are some cases and circumstances where a 2 year limit may apply. To make sure, either contact a tax professional, or go tohttp://www.irs.gov/Individuals/New-Rule-for-Innocent-Spouse-Relief (Innocent Spouse Page of www.irs.gov link) The Internal Revenue Service recognizes the difficulty for some Innocent Spouses to claim this relief from the tax / legal / credit due to their marital circumstances.
A hearty Thank You goes out to members of Congress, the Department of Justice, The Internal Revenue Service for changing the two-year limit.
So often people and families face life-changing events that impact them emotionally. Unknown to the general public, domestic abuse, missing children, absent adults, death and murder can have be jarring for the taxpayer as well. Some spouses are unable to claim Innocence against a criminal or abuser, because to do so will have dire consequences. In the past, an Innocent Spouse who may be in hiding, missing or under the power of another only had a two-year window of time to claim the Innocent Spouse relief. That has changed to take these type of circumstances into consideration.
For many years, the majority of my winters and early springs were spent locked into a co-dependency between tax preparer, and tax payer. Each April I would leave "tax season" exhausted. Now I understand the Grizzly better. The need to rest is because whatever the Bear does, she does with energy purpose and exactitude. As she ages, the Grizzly realizes she must take care of herself too, and choosing the battles we help others fight become based on true urgency rather than stress and adrenaline of almost every tax payer. This Grizzly Bear has been on a very long winters nap. My hibernation clock did not go off, and the cave was nice and warm. Hunger has finally awakened me.
Announcing National Tax Preparation sites to prepare taxes for free. This is a public service announced by The National Women's Law Center.
The link above, is to the IRS website. If you have trouble understanding how to follow the links, you can call 1-800-906-9887 for help in finding participating VITA providers.
"The IRS sponsors the VITA program, which offers free tax help for families earning around $49,000 or less, and, in partnership with AARP, the Tax Aide program, which assists elderly tax filers in communities around the country. In addition, the military coordinates VITA services. Many VITA or Tax Aide sites offer e-filing, which allows families to receive their refunds even faster. " By NWLC
It is important that all citizens understand the credits and deductions available to them. Especially the poorest among us...The Children, and/y los hijos. Please click on the links for information to help those who need it the most.
Returns are filed electronically, and it does not take long for the IRS to process refunds.
Wait a few more days to keep from paying for those quick loans. Save your money, make a garden for your family and community. In order to grow families, they must have access to un-modified food, grown locally.
Just some suggestions...The very best to each and every family.
, which offers free tax help for families earning around $49,000 or less, and, in partnership with AARP, the Tax Aide program, which assists elderly tax filers in communities around the country. In addition, the military coordinates VITA services. Many VITA or Tax Aide sites offer e-filing, which allows families to receive their refunds even faster. "