http://www.taxassociatesllp.com/

Tax Associates LLP, 795 Alamo Drive, Vacaville, CA (2026)

11/02/2024

We have two months left in 2024. Last chance to look at your recent paystub and make a change. Adjust that 401k, tax withholding, medical savings account, etc.

01/16/2023

Opening Date for 2023 Tax Filing Season

The IRS will begin accepting 2022 tax returns for processing on January 23, 2023. Taxpayers may file their returns before that date, but may need to wait until January 23 or later to get confirmation that the return was accepted. The filing deadline for 2022 returns is April 18, 2023.

If you have a federal tax refund coming, you can track it by using the Where's My Refund tool (link below) once the IRS has accepted your return.

To avoid processing delays, make sure that your return is complete and free from errors. A tax professional can help you file an accurate return electronically and set up direct deposit, so that your refund comes as quickly as possible.

IRS Where's My Refund? Tool: https://www.irs.gov/refunds

01/09/2023

Quarterly Estimated Tax Payments - Reminder

If you are making quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS, the due date for the September 1st - December 31st, 2022 quarter of year is January 17th, 2023.

For payments made using IRS Direct Pay, you can make payments until 11:45PM EST, and for payments using a credit or debit card, payments can be made up to midnight on the due date.

01/05/2023

IRS Delays Implementation of New Form 1099-K Rules – Did You Know?

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 changed the IRS reporting rules for payments sent through third-party payment processors like PayPal and CashApp. The new rules require payment processors to send a Form 1099-K to all recipients of $600 or more in payments for goods or services during a year. These rules were to take effect beginning with tax year 2022.

However, the IRS has now announced that 2022 will be treated as a “transition year” for the ARPA provisions regarding 1099-K forms. As a result, payment processors may choose to follow the previous rules, which stated that a Form 1099-K must only be sent if a business or individual received over $20,000 in payments through more than 200 transactions. The new $600 threshold will take full effect in tax year 2023.

Therefore, if you received between $600 and $20,000 for goods or services through a payment processor in 2022, with 200 or fewer transactions, you may or may not receive a Form 1099-K. Note that this transition policy applies only to the sending of 1099-K forms. You must still report all taxable income you receive through a third-party processing platform to the IRS, regardless of whether you receive a tax form showing the income. A tax professional can help you determine which payments you received may be taxable.

12/30/2022

Standard Mileage Rates for 2023 – Did You Know?

The IRS has updated the 2023 standard mileage rates for vehicle uses that qualify for a tax deduction. These rates apply for most passenger vehicles, including cars, vans, SUVs and pickup trucks.

- 65.5 cents per mile for business use of a vehicle (up 3 cents from midyear 2022)
- 22 cents per mile for certain medical purposes or moving purposes for qualified active-duty Armed Forces members (same as midyear 2022)
- 14 cents per mile for vehicle use for qualifying charitable work (unchanged)

In most cases, taxpayers who qualify to claim a vehicle expense deduction may either use the standard mileage rate or actual expenses to figure their deduction. However, if you use your car or truck for business, you generally must use the standard rate for the first year you put the vehicle in service if you want to preserve this option for future years.

A tax professional can help you determine whether the standard mileage rate or actual expenses will result in a larger deduction in your circumstances. Keep in mind that if you choose to deduct actual expenses, you will need to keep detailed records of all vehicle-related costs.

12/19/2022

'Tis the Season for Important Tax Paperwork

Keeping your records organized will help make sure you don't miss out on valuable deductions when it is time to file. Many taxpayers will receive year-end income statements from employers, banks, stock issuers and other sources in January and early February.

The most common documents include:

- W-2 forms from your employers, showing your wages and any taxes withheld
- Forms 1099-INT and 1099-DIV showing your interest and dividend income
- Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC showing gig economy and other self-employment earnings, along with rents, royalties and other miscellaneous income
- Form 1099-K from payment processing services like PayPal and CashApp if you received $600 or more in payments through one of these platforms for goods or services
- Records of virtual currency (including crypto) transactions
- Charity donation receipts
- Health Insurance statements (like Form 1095)
- Proof of qualifying educational expenses (like Form 1098-T)
- Mortgage interest statements

12/13/2022

December 31 IRA Deadline – Did You Know?

Many taxpayers with IRAs must take a withdrawal from their accounts each year, called a required minimum distribution (RMD). In general, taxpayers who will be 72 years of age or older by the end of this year must take a 2022 RMD from their traditional, SIMPLE or SEP IRA. Holders of Roth IRAs typically do not need to take RMDs.

The deadline for most 2022 RMDs is December 31. However, a different deadline applies if you turned 72 in 2022, and will be taking your first RMD. In this case, you may take your first RMD at any time until April 1, 2023, as long as you then take your second RMD by December 31, 2023. RMDs are generally taxable in the year when you receive the money.

Failure to take an RMD by the deadline, or withdrawing an insufficient amount, may result in a 50% tax penalty on the amount that was not withdrawn as required.

Many workplace retirement plans, such as 401(k) plans, have similar RMD rules. Taxpayers who inherited any type of IRA (including Roth) may also have to take RMDs. Your IRA trustee or administrator can help you determine whether you must take a 2022 RMD and if so, the correct amount. A tax professional can help you properly report the RMD and figure any tax due on it.

12/06/2022

Spike in Tax-related Gift Card Scams – Did You Know?

The holiday season can bring a lot of joy, but unfortunately, it also brings a new wave of scammers trying to cheat people out of their hard-earned money. Many scammers impersonate the IRS or other government agencies and demand payment in gift cards.

In one common version of the scam, a caller posing as an IRS agent threatens a person with tax and/or criminal penalties if the person does not immediately pay off a fictitious tax debt. The scammer may also send threatening text, email or voice messages with a callback number. Ultimately, the scammer demands that the person make payment by purchasing gift cards and sharing the card numbers and PINs.

If you get a call or message from anyone demanding payment in gift cards, hang up or do not reply. The IRS will never call a taxpayer to demand payment in gift cards, prepaid debit cards or wire transfers. If you have legitimate concerns about your tax situation, including back taxes you may owe, a tax professional can help you handle the problem in a safe, secure way. To help protect others, you can report possible tax scams to [email protected].

11/29/2022

Giving Tuesday and Charitable Donations - Did You Know?

Millions of Americans will contribute to their favorite charities on Giving Tuesday (November 29), and throughout the holiday season. Charitable donations are often described as tax-deductible, but whether you can claim a deduction for your contribution depends on several factors.

First, you generally must itemize deductions on your tax return to claim a deduction for charitable donations. Therefore, your donation will not be deductible if you use the standard deduction. Note that the special rules that allowed taxpayers who did not itemize to deduct certain monetary donations in 2020 and 2021 have now expired. A tax professional can help you determine whether itemizing deductions would be advantageous for you.

If you do itemize deductions, you may generally deduct donations of money or property to any eligible tax-exempt charity. If you are unsure whether an organization qualifies to receive tax-deductible donations, the IRS Tax-Exempt Organization Search tool (link below) can help.

Tax-Exempt Organization Search: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/tax-exempt-organization-search

11/22/2022

Potentially Taxable Events – Did You Know?

In addition to traditional income sources like employee wages and business profits, there are a number of other activities and transactions that the IRS classifies as potentially taxable. It is important to consider all of these “taxable events” for your tax return.

The most commonly overlooked taxable events include:

- Investment income, including receiving stock dividends or cashing in bonds
- Converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA
- Forgiveness (discharge) of a loan or other debt, including student loans
- Sale of assets such as vehicles, musical instruments, or a home at a gain (that is, for more than you paid to purchase the assets)
- Sale or exchange of cryptocurrency (like Bitcoin), or making purchases with cryptocurrency
- Withdrawing funds from a retirement plan (or from the cash value of a life insurance policy if you withdraw more than you have paid in premiums)
- Gifts and inheritances

A tax professional can advise you about which events in your life may have tax implications, and how to properly report those events. For example, in some cases, you may only need to declare the event to the IRS if the amount of money involved exceeds a minimum threshold, known as an “exclusion.”

11/15/2022

Charitable Contributions Can Reduce Tax on IRA Distributions – Did You Know?

In general, distributions from a traditional IRA are taxable income. However, if you have a traditional IRA and are age 70 1/2 or older, you may have the option of making tax-free charitable contributions through your IRA. A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) is a contribution made directly to an eligible charity from IRA funds. The account trustee, such as a bank or investment broker, must arrange and execute the contribution.

A QCD counts toward your annual required minimum distribution (RMD). Therefore, if you do not need funds from your traditional IRA this year, making a QCD may enable you to satisfy RMD rules without owing tax on the distribution. You must report QCDs on your tax return on the line for IRA distributions, but you may usually report the taxable portion of a QCD as zero.

Limitations on the nontaxable amount of a QCD may exist, depending on factors like your recent IRA contribution amounts. A tax professional can help you verify your eligibility to make a tax-free QCD, and properly arrange and report the transaction to comply with all IRS rules.

11/09/2022

Charitable Donations - Did You Know?

If you are thinking of making charitable donations by year-end, the IRS has a tool to make it easier to get information about charitable organizations. The Tax Exempt Organization Search website offers additional information as well as a mobile-friendly interface.

Search tool: hhttps://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations

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