CB Tax and Accounting

05/26/2026

Tax fraudsters are getting more brazen and more creative.
Remember the IRS does NOT call you. If the IRS has an issue with your income tax returns, they will send you a letter describing the issue and will give you 30 days to respond to their letter.

If you receive a threatening phone call from someone claiming to be the IRS, Police Department, Utility Company, or anyone else, hang up immediately, look up the correct number for the agency, and contact them for verification if you are unsure.

Also, do not click on any links or open any attachments in
emails until you have verified with the individual or company that it is legitimate. Pay attention to the email address from the sender. This will often be a clear sign that the email is fraudulent.

Learn to protect yourself from tax fraud and IRS imposter scams, and what to do if you or someone you know becomes a victim. Visit www.ftc.gov/taxidtheft for more information.

Learn what tax identity theft is, how to protect yourself from it, and what to do if it happens to you.

05/08/2026

A tax advantaged way to save for post-secondary education is investing in a 529 plan. A 529 plan is a rare investment that gives you a tax benefit in the front and the back. You can deduct your contributions to a 529 plan up to $4000 per beneficiary from your Ohio state income tax return. And the account grows income tax free as long as it is used for qualified education expenses.

A beneficiary can have multiple 529 plan accounts: their parents can fund a plan for them, as well as aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends and all of them can deduct their contributions on their own state tax returns.

After their next birthday or Christmas or first communion or bar Mitzvah, consider the tax advantages of funding a 529 plan for your child!

Contact us at 216-661-7009 with any questions or to get started!

05/07/2026

Protect yourself from Identity Theft with an identity protection PIN.

Identity theft through tax returns is on the rise.

How it works is an identity thief files a fraudulent tax return using the name and social security number of a person to attempt to get the IRS to pay them a tax refund they are not entitled to.

The risk to you, the legitimate person: instead of being able to file your tax return electronically and getting your refund in 3 weeks, it inconveniences you by forcing you to file your tax return on paper, along with an affadavit of identity theft, and it may take you 9 months or longer to get your refund.

What you can do to add an additional level of security: go to the IRS website and request and Identity Protection PIN. It is a unique 6 digit code that must accompany your tax return when it is being e-filed in order for the IRS to accept it. It works in the same way that your PIN works when you go to an ATM machine.

Click the link below to request an IP PIN from the IRS:

Get an identity protection PIN (IP PIN) to protect your tax account.