The Irs Has Received 1267 Million Returns Through Early May Around 1% Fewer Than The Same Point Last Year
The good news is you can still file your taxes and get everything that’s coming to you
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If youre a procrastinator who thrives under pressure and deadlines, Monday is your special day to finally get around to this years tax return.
Monday, May 17, is Tax Day, the deadline to file your 2020 income taxes. Earlier this year, the Internal Revenue Service pushed the deadline to May 17 from the traditional April 15 date.
People living in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana have a June 15 federal filing deadline following February winter storms. People living in portions of Tennessee have until Aug, 2 following recent storms and tornadoes in the state.
First, the bad news: Its an especially complex tax year with a lot of twists and turns in the tax code. Thats because these returns take into account pandemic-related costs and other government responses to 2020s economic fallout from the pandemic. So rushing runs the risk of overlooking key write-offs or eligible claims.
Next, the good news: You can still do this without leaving money on the table. You might not be able to start your taxes and then submit them all in a days work on Monday. But at least you can buy time in order to get everything thats coming to you.
As of May 7, the IRS received 126.7 million individual tax returns. Thats 1.1% fewer returns than the same point last year, when the filing deadline was pushed all the way to July 15, 2020.
The average refund, as of May 7, is $2,863.
Claiming Your Stimulus Check On Your 2020 Expat Tax Return
This article is for US expats who did not receive their Economic Impact Payment . For expats who did not receive a stimulus check yet, we have good news for you! You can still claim your Economic Impact Payment as a refundable credit on your 2020 expat tax return! This is even applicable for expats who dont owe any US tax at all !
How Do I File My Taxes If I Didn’t Receive A Notice 1444
… I received one of the stimulus checks in 2020 and one in 2021, do I report both in 2020 taxes or on the years received?
Brittany Benson, senior tax research analyst, The Tax Institute at H& R Block, said even if you dont receive, or didn’t keep a Notice 1444 for a stimulus payment, you should still enter the amount you received in advance payments to accurately calculate your recovery rebate credit. You can use an IRS online account and go to the “tax records” tab to see the amount of EIPs received.
The IRS suggests that you can check your IRS account online for the stimulus amount received, if you misplaced Form 1444 or Form 1444-B.
The IRS only began mailing out Form 1444-B for the second stimulus payments the first week of February. So there’s a shot that form will show up in the mail soon. Don’t throw it out.
Susan Tompor
Follow Susan on Twitter .
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Why Can Going Back And Filing My 2020 Taxes Even If I Dont Owe Any Money Be A Good Idea
If the IRS owes you a refund for your 2020 tax return, by going back and filing your 2020 taxes, you can receive your refund. Theres a deadline, and youll need to claim your refund within three years of the original deadline to file your return. So, you have until April 15, 2024 to claim your refund on your 2020 taxes. After that date, any unclaimed excess taxes paid by U.S. taxpayers go to the U.S. Treasury.
Before filing your 2020 taxes, you can visit the 2020 Tax Calculator on PriorTax.com to calculate your refund amount. There you will find free prior year tax calculators for 2011 to 2020. These are available to help provide a personalized view of income tax returns for any of the past tex tax years. Our tax calculators are entirely anonymous and dont require an online account or entering any identifying personal information to use.
Additionally, because of the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit and specific to filing 2020 taxes, if you did not receive the first and/or second Economic Impact Payments or think you qualify for more than you received, it can be a good idea to file your 2020 tax return. If youre eligible for the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit, youll need to file your return to claim it, even if you wouldnt otherwise have a filing obligation.
Still need to prepare and submit your 2020 tax return? No need to panic!
If You Are Getting A Refund:
This is one of the great little secrets about the federal tax law. If you have a refund coming from the IRSas about three out of four taxpayers do every yearthen there is no penalty for failing to file your tax return by the deadline, even if you don’t ask for an extension. However, this might not be the case for state taxes.
That’s not to say there aren’t very good reasons for filing on time. Even if you have a refund coming, consider the following:
- You can’t get your money back until you file, so you should file as soon as you can to get your money as soon as possible.
- The statute of limitations for the IRS to audit your return won’t start until you actually file your return. So, the sooner you file, the sooner the clock starts ticking.
- Some tax elections must be made by the due date, even if you have a refund coming. This applies to a very tiny percentage of taxpayers.
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How Do I Prevent Fraud
It’s easy to procrastinate filing your taxes, but putting it off makes you more vulnerable to fraud. If a scammer gets hold of your Social Security number and you haven’t filed a tax return yet, they could easily file a fake one in your name to get a refund.
Scam calls are ubiquitous during tax season. Keep in mind that if the IRS needs to get in touch with a taxpayer, it sends a letter not an email, not a phone call, and definitely not a message over social media. Especially when it’s investigating cases of tax fraud or performing an audit.
Never return a phone call from someone claiming to be with the IRS. Instead, individuals should call the IRS directly at 800-829-1040, and businesses should call 800-829-4933.
The US Department of Justice says the IRS never discusses personal tax issues through unsolicited emails or texts, or over social media. Always be wary if you are contacted by someone claiming to be from the IRS who says you owe money.
If you receive an unexpected and suspicious email from the IRS, forward it to .
How Does The $10200 Tax Waiver Work For Unemployment Benefits
As part of the American Rescue Plan, many taxpayers wouldnt be required to pay taxes on up to $10,200 in unemployment benefits received last year. The exclusion is up to $10,200 of jobless benefits for each spouse for married couples.
So it’s possible that if both lost work in 2020, a married couple filing a joint return might not have to pay federal income taxes on up to $20,400 in jobless benefits.
The special provision to waive taxes on some unemployment income applies to those who made less than $150,000 in adjusted gross income in 2020.
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Why Was Tax Day Extended To May 17
The IRS pushed back the tax filing deadline by a month to Monday, May 17 instead of Thursday, April 15. The agency is grappling with staffing issues and outdated IT systems at a time when its also implementing sweeping tax code changes from the COVID-19 relief packages.
Last year, the 2019 tax deadline was extended three months until July 15, 2020, without penalties and interest, because of the massive economic shutdowns that went into place to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Does The Irs Ever Negotiate The Amount Owed
Under certain circumstances, the IRS is authorized to resolve a tax liability by accepting less than full payment. An “offer in compromise” is an agreement between a taxpayer and the IRS that settles the taxpayer’s tax debt. There are three circumstances under which the IRS is authorized to compromise:
Form 656: Offer in Compromise Package should be completed to file an Offer in Compromise with the IRS. Included with the Form 656 package are Form 433-A, Collection Information Statement for Wage Earners & Self-Employed Individuals and Form 433-B, Collection Information Statement for Businesses.
- You may need to complete the appropriate Form 433 and should be prepared to provide other documentation and explanations as they are requested.
- Various options are available for accepted Offers in Compromise requests, such as a reduced total payment and scheduled monthly payments.
- Defaulting on an accepted offer in compromise can result in the IRS filing suit against you and reinstatement of the original tax debt, plus interest and penalties.
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What If I Can’t Pay My Tax Bill
If you can’t afford to pay your tax bill in full on the deadline, don’t pull out your credit card or ignore the situation.
The IRS offers reasonable payment plans at much lower interest rates than most banks. You may even be able to settle the bill for less than you owe, called an offer in compromise, or request a deferment until you can make a payment. Offers in compromise and requests for deferment require additional paperwork and must be approved by the IRS.
Get Free Individualized Tax Help
If you earn less than $66,000 and dont own rental property or a farm, you may be eligible for free tax help through Code for Americas Get Your Refund program: www.GetYourRefund.org. The website allows you to check EITC and CTC eligibility, as well as get connected to free online filing or a volunteer tax preparer for additional help. If you havent filed taxes any time in the last three years, the team can also help you claim past tax refunds.
You may also be eligible to have your taxes prepared for free by nonprofit organizations participating in the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. To find your nearest VITA site, visit .
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Can I Get An Extension Of Time To Pay My Tax
An extension of time for payment of tax can be filed with the IRS on Form 1127: Application for Extension of Time for Payment of Tax, but the legal requirements are strict:
- Form 1127 must be received by the IRS on or before the date that the tax is due.
- You must provide a complete statement of all your assets and liabilities at the end of the last month, and an itemized list of money you received and spent for the three months immediately prior to sending in the extension to pay request.
- You must demonstrate that paying the tax when due would result in undue hardship simple inconvenience is not enough of a hardship to qualify.
- You need to show that paying the tax when due would result in a substantial financial loss and that you don’t have the cash, or can’t raise the money, by selling property or through borrowing.
When approved, extensions to pay are generally limited to six months. Plus, the IRS requires some acceptable form of security before granting an extension of time to pay. The security may be in the form of a bond, notice of lien, mortgage or other means, depending upon individual circumstances.
There are times when extensions are granted especially due to federally declared disasters. You can check for additional relief information on the IRS Disaster Relief page.
Is It Too Late To File For A Stimulus Check
Earlier this year, the government issued roughly 160 million Economic Impact Payments or stimulus checks to eligible Americans. If you are in this category and have yet to receive your check, you can claim it on your 2020 taxes.
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Still Didnt Get Your Stimulus Checks File A 2020 Tax Return For A Rebate Credit Even If You Dont Owe Taxes
If you are eligible, you can still get a missing Economic Impact Payment through the Recovery Rebate … Credit.
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Lets talk stimulus. First, lets talk about someone who normally does not file an income tax return, then someone who does. Then, well discuss what you can do if your stimulus payment got lost.
What If I Wait Until The April 15 Tax Due Date Or File For An Extension
April 15 is the due date for all 2020 tax returns, but filing your taxes sooner will not only potentially speed up delivery of any tax refund you might collect but also position you to get any missing stimulus money weeks or even months faster. We made a handy comparison chart here that looks at the timing.
Filing for a tax extension won’t postpone your having to pay taxes you may owe. Those will still be due by April 15 otherwise, you accrue interest on the amount, which you’ll eventually have to pay on top of your income taxes. And you of course are delaying receiving your stimulus payment.
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How Do I Get My Stimulus Check That Was Lost In The Mail
If you got a notice through the website Get My Payment or received a Notice 1444 showing your payment was issued, you should request a payment trace if it has been:
- 4 weeks since the payment was mailed
- 6 weeks since the payment was mailed, and you have a forwarding address
- 9 weeks since the payment was mailed, and you have a foreign address
If the check wasn’t cashed, the IRS will reverse the payment and notify you, and then you can claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 taxes.
However, if the check was cashed, the Treasury Departments Bureau of the Fiscal Service will send you a claim package and then you have to follow the process it comes with. Treasury will review the claim, but you shouldn’t file for the credit in your 2020 taxes until the trace is complete.
Josh Rivera
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How Can I Check My Tax Account Online
An easy way to review all your tax-related details, including your address and payment plan details, is to access your IRS account online. According to the IRS, taxpayers can use the information from their account if they need to access their adjusted gross income, find their stimulus payment amounts or review their estimated tax payments or credits. Accessing your tax transcript will give you all the records necessary if you have a tax problem or missing payment.
If you have any additional questions you can go visit the IRS’ Interactive Tax Assistant to get help.
For more tax information, here’s an explainer on the difference between a tax refund and a tax return, and here’s why you might want to when you file your taxes.
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Consider Maxing Out Your Retirement Accounts
Do you have a 401 or other retirement plans? IRS spokesperson Raphael Tulino said its always a good idea to max them out before the end of the year if you can. Not only is it more money in your plan, its a way to reduce your moneys exposure to taxes.
You can contribute up to $19,500 in a 401 this year and up to $6,000 to an IRA .
The bottom line is, you can always reduce the taxes you pay if you can or if you’d like to by increasing your contributions to retirement vehicles, said Tulino.
You can find information about different retirement plans and their yearly limits on the IRS website.
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When To Expect Your 2020 Tax Refund
Pickering says that if an individual opts to e-file their 2020 tax return and chooses to receive their refund by direct deposit, they can expect to see the cash in their bank accounts in 21 days.
The IRS also notes it may take them more than 21 days to issue refunds for some 2020 tax returns that require additional review including incorrect Recovery Rebate Credit amounts or returns that use 2019 income to figure the Earned Income Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit, Pickering says.
You should allow an extra 1-5 business days for your bank to process the funds.
Additionally, H& R Block clients can always use the Wheres My Refundtool to confirm the status of their refund or track their return through the myBlock app.
Originally, Americans had until April 15 to file their tax return.
It was pushed back until May 17, which meant there was just over a month more to file.
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Can I Pay My Tax In Installments Over Time
If you find yourself owing more than you can afford, you should still file a return.
- Even if you don’t enclose a check for the balance due, sending in your return protects you from the late-filing penalty that otherwise would keep digging you deeper into a hole.
- Attach a Form 9465 Installment Agreement Request to your tax return asking the IRS to set up a monthly payment plan to pay off what you owe.
About 2.5 million taxpayers are paying off their bills under such an arrangement and recently the IRS made it easier to qualify. In the past, before the IRS would okay an installment plan, the agency demanded a look at your financesyour assets, liabilities, cash flow and so onso it could decide how much you could afford to pay.
- That’s no longer required in cases where the amount owed is under $10,000 and the proposed payment plan doesn’t stretch over more than three years.
- You can also now apply online for the installment agreement. More details are available on the IRS website
Don’t think the IRS is a patsy, though. You may be better off if you can borrow the money to pay your bill, rather than go on an installment plan which means, effectively, borrowing from the IRS.