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Personal Finance From a Biblical Perspective

Need More Time to File Your Tax Return? Here Is How To File For An Extension

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For many people, meeting the IRS’s April 18th tax return deadline for filing and paying the 2010 taxes will prove impossible. Unfortunately, the IRS did not automatically extend the deadline because of the tax filing delay!

Fortunately, the IRS allows taxpayers to file for an extension of the deadline to October 17th. The process for requesting an extension is fairly easy, however, there are a few things that you must consider regarding this option.

What Happens When You File For An Extension?

Filing for an extension gives you an additional six months to submit your tax return. For tax year 2010, that means that your tax filing deadline would be extended from April 18, 2011 to October 17, 2011.

An extension allows you to submit your tax return after April 18th, but it does not extend the amount of time you have to make a payment. This means that you will owe interest on any amount not paid by the original April 18th deadline, plus a late payment penalty if you have not paid at least 90 percent of your total tax by that date. In order to avoid all interest and penalties, you must pay the full amount due by April 18th.

How To File For An Extension On Your Tax Return

In order to request an extension, you must file Form 4868 (PDF) with the IRS before April 18th. You can electronically submit Form 4868 through IRS Free File. Using this service to prepare and electronically submit Form 4868 is free to everyone, regardless of income.

Actually, since I offer professional tax preparation services, I can also electronically submit Form 4868 for you – just use the contact form on the linked page.

What If You Can’t Pay Your Taxes By The Deadline?

Since extending your filing deadline doesn’t push back the deadline for payment, what can you do if you can’t pay the full balance by April 18th? Here is what the IRS recommends:

If your return is completed but you are unable to pay the full amount of tax due, do not request to extend your filing deadline. Submit your tax return on time and pay as much as you can. The IRS will send you a bill or notice for the balance due. To apply online for a payment agreement, go to IRS.gov and click “Online Payment Agreement Application” at the left side of the home page under Online Services. If you are unable to make payments, call the IRS at 800-829-1040 to discuss your options.

If I Still Have To Pay By April 18th, What Is The Benefit Of Filing For An Extension?

By filing to extend your deadline, you are able to avoid the failure-to-file penalty. This penalty is usually larger than the failure-to-pay penalty, so by filing to extend your deadline, you are able to avoid paying the larger penalty.

Also, if you are able to pay at least 90% of your tax liability (remember that for a large amount of taxpayers, your withholdings may cover this amount already) by April 18th, and request to extend the deadline, you will be able to avoid paying penalties, as the IRS explains:

  • The penalty for filing late is usually 5 percent of the unpaid taxes for each month or part of a month that a return is late. This penalty will not exceed 25 percent of your unpaid taxes.
  • You will have to pay a failure-to-pay penalty of ½ of 1 percent of your unpaid taxes for each month or part of a month after the due date that the taxes are not paid. This penalty can be as much as 25 percent of your unpaid taxes.
  • If you filed an extension and you paid at least 90 percent of your actual tax liability by the due date, you will not be faced with a failure-to-pay penalty if  you file by the extended due date and pay the remaining balance with your return.
  • You will not have to pay a failure-to-file or failure-to-pay penalty if you can show that you failed to file or pay on time because of reasonable cause and not because of willful neglect.

So the bottom line is that if you have already completed your return and you know that you can’t pay the entire balance, it is better to just submit your tax return, pay what you can, and set up a payment plan with the IRS.

You should only request to extend your deadline if you are unable to complete your tax return by April 18th!

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The IRS Has Over $1.1 Billion In Unclaimed Refunds

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The IRS has more than $1.1 Billion in unclaimed refunds for nearly 1.1 million people who did not file an income tax return for 2007. Many taxpayers may have chosen not to file a return because they did not earn enough income to require filing an income tax return, even though they had taxes withheld from their income. There are many reasons for you to file a return even when you are not required to do so.

How To Get Your Unclaimed Refunds

In order to recover your unclaimed tax refunds, you must file a return for tax year 2007. Taxpayers are given 3 years from the due date of a return in order to file – there are no late-filing penalties charged when a refund is due. Since the tax return deadline has been extended, you have until April 18, 2011 to file your 2007 return.

You may not feel like going through the trouble of filing an old return for a couple of dollars (I probably wouldn’t either), but…

The IRS estimates that half of these potential 2007 refunds are $640 or more.

If you fail to file a 2007 return by the deadline listed above, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury. Here is another lost benefit that you need to consider:

By failing to file a return, people stand to lose more than a refund of taxes withheld or paid during 2007. In addition, many low-and-moderate income workers may not have claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC helps individuals and families whose incomes are below certain thresholds, which in 2007 were $39,783 for those with two or more children, $35,241 for people with one child, and $14,590 for those with no children.

There are a few things that you must know when filing a return for tax year 2007:

  • You will not be able to file an electronic return, although you will be able to request direct deposit
  • If you did not file a tax return for 2008 or 2009, your 2007 return will not be released to you
  • Your 2007 refund will be used to satisfy any outstanding debts owed to the IRS, unpaid child support, and any delinquent federal student loans

    • To be honest, if you any of the outstanding debt mentioned above, collecting an unclaimed refund from 3 years ago would be a great way to pay it off! This way, you don’t have to worry about taking out any unsecured loans! If you don’t have any of the above, then take a look at the IRA contribution limits and prepare yourself for retirement!

    Here is some final guidance that the IRS issued in order to make this process as easy as possible:

    Current and prior year Internal Revenue Service tax forms and instructions are available on the Forms and Publications page of IRS.gov or by calling toll-free 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676). Taxpayers who are missing Forms W-2, 1098, 1099 or 5498 for 2007, 2008 or 2009 should request copies from their employer, bank or other payer. If these efforts are unsuccessful, taxpayers can get a free transcript showing information from these year-end documents by ordering on-line, calling 1-800-908-9946, or by filing Form 4506-T, Request for Transcript of Tax Return, with the IRS.

    It may be helpful to look at your last year tax return as well.

    Hopefully, a few of the 1.1 million people who are due money will read this before the deadline – be sure to share this article with everyone that you know before then 😉 !

    photo by Salvatore Vuono

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    How The IRS Wants To Help You With Your Job Hunting Expenses

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    Normally, when we talk about tax deductions, we immediately think of IRA contribution limits, the standard mileage rate, or self employment tax. However, with so many people being out of work or working part-time hours, the job market is being flooded with applicants. This is why it is important to look at the tax deductions related to job hunting expenses.

    Summer used to be the season for job hunting. I received a ton of announcements and advertisements for career fairs, resume services, and headhunters during the summer. However, since the economy has tanked, I get them all year long!

    Due to this fact, the IRS has released a list of tax benefits for job seekers. So, while our Senators debate another payroll tax holiday, see if you qualify for any job search deductions.

    A Few Guidelines Regarding Job Hunting Expenses:

    • You can deduct employment and outplacement agency fees you pay while looking for a job in your present occupation. If your employer pays you back in a later year for employment agency fees, you must include the amount you receive in your gross income up to the amount of your tax benefit in the earlier year.
    • You can deduct amounts you spend for preparing and mailing copies of your résumé to prospective employers as long as you are looking for a new job in your present occupation.
    • If you travel to an area to look for a new job in your present occupation, you may be able to deduct travel expenses to and from the area. You can only deduct the travel expenses if the trip is primarily to look for a new job. The amount of time you spend on personal activity compared to the amount of time you spend looking for work is important in determining whether the trip is primarily personal or is primarily to look for a new job.
    • To qualify for a deduction, the expenses must be spent on a job search in your current occupation.

    So, be sure to save all records of any of these job hunting expenses. Don’t forget things such as printing and copying your resumes, paying headhunters and agencies, and even travel costs.

    Other Things To Note About Job Hunting Expenses:

    • You may not deduct expenses incurred while looking for a job in a new occupation.
    • You cannot deduct job search expenses if you are looking for a job for the first time.
    • You cannot deduct job search expenses if there was a substantial break between the end of your last job and the time you begin looking for a new one.

    So, in order to deduct job search expenses, it can’t be your first job search and it can’t be in a new field. Of course, just to complicate things, the IRS does not go on to specify what a “substantial break” actually is. However, if you decide to start your own business and become a young entrepreneur, then there is another set of tax laws that govern your situation.

    To find out more about deducting job search expenses, see IRS Publication 529. If you have any questions regarding any other issues, please visit our tax help page. Also, be sure to contact us for professional tax preparation once you are ready to file.

    Be sure you are aware of the tax filing delay, as well as the fact that the tax filing deadline has been extended this year. To get the most out of your financial situation in 2011, you should know the IRA Contribution Limits, 401k Contribution Limits, and the Income Tax Rates for 2011!

    photo credit: nidhug

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    What You Need To Know About Tax Exemptions And Dependents

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    Some tax laws and guidelines affect every person who may have to file a return – this includes rules governing tax exemptions and dependents. Ever since I became involved in preparing taxes, I have noticed a lot of confusion regarding exemptions and dependents.

    Apparently, so has the IRS. Therefore, they have released a bulletin outlining six facts regarding tax exemptions and dependents that will help you when you file a tax return:

    Tax Exemptions And Dependents:

    1. Exemptions reduce your taxable income. There are two types of exemptions: personal exemptions and exemptions for dependents. For each exemption you can deduct $3,650 on your 2010 return.

    2. Your spouse is never considered your dependent. On a joint return, you may claim one exemption for yourself and one for your spouse. If you’re filing a separate return, you may claim the exemption for your spouse only if they had no gross income, are not filing a joint return, and were not the dependent of another taxpayer.

    3. Exemptions for dependents. You generally can take an exemption for each of your dependents. A dependent is your qualifying child or qualifying relative. You must list the social security number of any dependent for whom you claim an exemption.

    4. If someone else claims you as a dependent, you may still be required to file your own return. Whether you must file a return depends on several factors including the amount of your unearned, earned or gross income, your marital status, any special taxes you owe and any advance Earned Income Tax Credit payments you received. [Find out if you need to file an income tax return]

    5. If you are a dependent, you may not claim an exemption. If someone else – such as your parent – claims you as a dependent, you may not claim your personal exemption on your own return.

    6. Some people cannot be claimed as your dependent. Generally, you may not claim a married person as a dependent if they file a joint return with their spouse. Also, to claim someone as a dependent, that person must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. resident alien, U.S. national or resident of Canada or Mexico for some part of the year. There is an exception to this rule for certain adopted children. See IRS Publication 501 (opens a PDF),  Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information for additional tests to determine who can be claimed as a dependent.

    Hopefully, these guidelines have helped you to develop a better understanding of exemptions and dependents. If you need more assistance, visit out tax help page. There you will find guides, articles, and other reference material related to this and other subjects!

    Once you are ready to prepare a return, be sure to contact us to set up an appointment for tax preparation. If you decide to file your own taxes, we recommend using TurboTax to do so.

    Be sure you are aware of the tax filing delay, as well as the fact that the tax filing deadline has been extended this year. To get the most out of your financial situation in 2011, you should know the IRA Contribution Limits, 401k Contribution Limits, and the Income Tax Rates for 2011!

    photo by jscreationzs

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    How Do I Know Which Filing Status To Use On My Tax Return?

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    Since tax filing season is upon us (after waiting for the tax filing delay to be over), many people will have questions regarding which filing status to use when completing a tax return. Because of that, the IRS has given use several tips/facts that can help us to choose the proper status:

    Tax Filing Status For Married Taxpayers:

    • Your marital status on the last day of the year determines your marital status for the entire year.
    • A married couple may file a joint return together. The couple’s filing status would be Married Filing Jointly.
    • A married couple may elect to file their returns separately. Each person’s filing status would generally be Married Filing Separately.

    Filing Status Options For Unmarried Taxpayers:

    • “Single” generally applies to anyone who is unmarried, divorced or legally separated according to state law.
    • Head of Household generally applies to taxpayers who are unmarried. You must also have paid more than half the cost of maintaining a home for you and a qualifying person to qualify for this filing status.

    Filing Status Options For Widow(er)s:

    • If your spouse died during the year and you did not remarry during 2010, you may still file a joint return with that spouse for the year of death, provided the joint return election is not revoked by a personal representative for the deceased spouse.
    • You may be able to choose Qualifying Widow(er) with Dependent Child as your filing status if your spouse died during 2008 or 2009, you have a dependent child and you meet certain other conditions.

    As you can see, there are a few options available for each type of taxpayer. If you find that there is more than one option that applies to your situation, you are free to choose the one that gives you the lowest tax obligation!

    If you still require more clarification, you can read more about determining your status in IRS Publication 501 (opens a PDF).

    If you decide to file your own taxes, we recommend using TurboTax to do so. If you have already filed a return, you can check your tax refund status.

    Be sure you are aware of the tax filing delay, as well as the fact that the tax filing deadline has been extended this year. To get the most out of your tax situation in 2011, you should know the IRA Contribution Limits, 401k Contribution Limits, and the Income Tax Rates for 2011!

    photo by Arvind Balaraman

    This article was featured in the following carnivals:

    Tax Carnival #82: The Tax Awards

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