Tax Talk

  • Alert: Watch for Scam/Phishing Emails!

    Please be on the alert for fraudulent email messages requesting sensitive personal and business tax information.  These emails can appear to come from many different sources pretending to be the IRS, Federal Direct, State Departments of Revenue, Tax Software Companies, etc.  One such recent IRS tax scam email has been identified as coming from a […]

    ITIN Credit Rules Enforced. Here are some tips.

    No, an ITIN holder cannot claim credits for back year’s returns. The law changed in Dec. 2015 with HR2029.  This means no Child Tax Credit or American Opportunity Credit (among others) for any year beyond a current and timely filed tax return. If you file late, as in after April 15th, you will NOT get […]

    PTIN System Open and Free

    Today, the IRS re-opened the PTIN System and is again issuing PTINs. Since the IRS is enjoined from charging a fee, it will issue the PTINs at no cost to the preparer. If you currently have a PTIN, you can now log into your account to make changes and view CPE information as normal.

    Email Scam Targeting IRS E-Services Users

    Another IRS scam email has been plaguing the tax preparation industry for months now, scammers have crafted a fake IRS s-services page that is identical to the real one. They blast password expiration/reset emails to everyone who has a PTIN as that info is open information and many PTIN holders are also EROs or hold active […]

  • Why is Tax Season Starting Later and Later?

    An interesting question was posed this morning that made me think and question it myself. That question was “why does tax season seem to begin later and later every year?” My first thought was simply the day of the week that that date range falls on, but then I pulled up the calendar. Tax season […]

    Attention- CAAs- Important Warning!!!!!

    This notice is particularly for Certified Acceptance Agents. Hopefully, you all have kept appropriate documentation on returns which had W-7 applications for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.  The word on the street is that the IRS is taking a sample pool of ITINs per CAA and investigating the appropriateness of the work done. By that […]

    Reminder! Live CE Webinar Thursday, Sept. 6th!

    Our next webinar will be covering General Tax Law Updates for the coming tax season.  The webinar will be hosted next Thursday, September 6th at 5:30pm Eastern.  As always, if you are not able to attend the live webinar, it will be available for archive viewing on your partner portal 24-48 hours after the live […]

    Medical Marijuana Business Deduction Surprise!

    Many businesses sell medical marijuana in the retail sector. Of course, having legalized marijuana on a state level, makes this business practice legitimate for state taxes but what about federal taxes? For federal tax purposes, since marijuana is still illegal, it prevents this business from being treated as a real business with deductible expenses. However, […]

    Webinar on Tuesday! Education Credits & Tuition!

    Please join us next Tuesday for our webinar covering Education Credits & Tuition deductions, how to report them and which option is best for your clients.  This webinar will last approximately 2 hours, and for those of you who have signed up for an IRS continuing education package, will provide 2 CE credits in the […]

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