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 residents and green card

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 recovery of $9.9 billion

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

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 foreign accounts exceeding certain thresholds

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

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

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

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

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 approaches,

“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

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.   As the threat has changed, so has the

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.  

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 have until Monday, April

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 of heartburn, they might want

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 vote on the bill on Friday, and, if it

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 day. The IRS expects to receive

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-deductible health plans (Rev. Proc. 2015-30). Under Sec. 223, individuals

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 a car (also vans, pickups or

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

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 payments normally must be made by the end of 2015.

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 items for tax year 2016 of greatest interest to most

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-of-living index did not meet the statutory thresholds

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, the easier it will be to get the right amount of tax withheld. Besides wages, income tax is often