By: Linda M. Bruckner, CPA, Guest Author Clients are often surprised when tax professionals inform them that although they will be living and working abroad, they must continue to file U.S. income tax returns and also report their worldwide income. This is true for U.S. permanent reside...

For the third year, the IRS has compiled an official list of top tax scams, dubbed the Dirty Dozen. And again, offshore tax cheating has earned a place on the list. Recently, the IRS boasted of obtaining more than half a million disclosures of unreported offshore money from dodgers and...

WASHINGTON – As tax filing season approaches, the Internal Revenue Service is reminding taxpayers there are things they should do now to get ready for filing season. For most taxpayers, Dec. 31 is the last day to take actions that will impact their 2016 tax returns. For example, chari...

Extension Deadline Millions of taxpayers ask for an extra six months to file their taxes every year. If you are one of them, then you should know that Monday, Oct. 17 is the extension deadline in 2016. This is so because Oct. 15falls on a Saturday. If you have not yet filed, here are so...

WASHINGTON—The Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers who have one or more bank or financial accounts located outside the United States, or signature authority over such accounts that they may need to file an FBAR by Thursday, June 30. By law, many U.S. taxpayers with forei...

Monday, April 18, was the tax deadline for most people in 2016. If you didn’t file a tax return or an extension to file but should have, take action now. If you missed the tax filing deadline: File and pay soon. If you owe taxes, you should file and pay as soon as you can, which will...

Did you contribute to an Individual Retirement Arrangement last year? Are you thinking about contributing to your IRA now? If so, you may have questions about IRAs and your taxes. Here are some IRS tax tips about saving for retirement using an IRA: Age Rules. You must be under age 70½...

The IRS encourages you to file an accurate tax return. Take extra time if you need it. If you make an error on your return then it will likely take longer for the IRS to process it. That could delay your refund. You can avoid many common errors by filing electronically. IRS e-file is the m...

There are many reasons why you may need a copy of your tax return information from a prior year. Transcripts are free and available for the most current tax year after the IRS has processed the return. You can also get them for the past three tax years. If you don’t have your copy, the I...

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers that it issues 90 percent of refunds in less than 21 days. The best way to check the status of a refund is online through the “Where’s my Refund?” tool at IRS.gov or via the IRS2Go phone app. "As February approac...

"Should I file a tax return?" Most people file a tax return because they have to, but even if you don’t, there are times when you should. You may be eligible for a tax refund and not know it. Here are six tips to help you find out if you should file a tax return: 1.      General F...

IRS Safeguards for Identity Theft new this year. Because of improved protections in recent years, the Internal Revenue Service stops the vast majority of fraudulent tax returns using stolen identities. But identity thieves and criminal syndicates continue to persist and evolve.  ...

Are you one of the few tax filers who still file a paper return? If so, now may be the best time to switch to e-file. Last year almost 129 million taxpayers filed their taxes electronically. They chose to e-file because it’s the fastest and safest way to file.   Here are the t...

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service announced that the nation’s 2016 individual income tax filing season opens Jan. 19, with more than 150 million tax returns expected to be filed this year. People will have several extra days to file their tax returns this year. Taxpayers hav...

By Paul Bonner  January 1, 2016 By now, CPA tax practitioners will have fired up their tax return preparation software, installed updates, conducted staff training, and otherwise readied their tax practices to start preparing tax year 2015 returns. (And if that software is a source ...

By Alistair M. Nevius, J.D.  December 16, 2015 A large number of expired tax provisions would be extended—some permanently—as part of the omnibus spending bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, that was introduced in Congress on Wednesday. Congress is expected to vot...

WASHINGTON ― Following a review of the tax extenders legislation signed into law last week, the Internal Revenue Service announced today that the nation’s tax season will begin as scheduled on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. The IRS will begin accepting individual electronic returns that da...

By Sally P. Schreiber, J.D.  May 5, 2015 The IRS on Monday issued the inflation-adjusted figures for calendar-year 2016 for the annual contribution limits for health savings accounts (HSAs) and the minimum deductible amounts and maximum out-of-pocket expense amounts for high-deduc...

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued the 2016 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2016, the standard mileage rates for the use of ...

Individual Retirement Accounts, or IRAs, are important vehicles for you to save for retirement. If you have an IRA or plan to start one soon, there are a few key year-end rules that you should know. Here are the top year-end IRA reminders from the IRS: Know the contribution and deduct...

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers born before July 1, 1945, that they generally must receive payments from their individual retirement arrangements (IRAs) and workplace retirement plans by Dec. 31. Known as required minimum distributions (RMDs), these pa...

WASHINGTON — For tax year 2016, the Internal Revenue Service today announced  annual inflation adjustments for more than 50 tax provisions, including the tax rate schedules, and other tax changes.Revenue Procedure 2015-53 provides details about these annual adjustments.   The tax item...

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced cost of living adjustments affecting dollar limitations for pension plans and other retirement-related items for tax year 2016.  In general, the pension plan limitations will not change for 2016 because the increase in the cost-o...

IRS YouTube Videos: IRS Withholding Calculator – English | Spanish | ASL IRS Podcasts: IRS Withholding Calculator – English | Spanish   WASHINGTON — TheInternal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers that the earlier in the year they check their withholding, th...