Tag Archives: Internal Revenue Service

Hobby v Business

Today TaxMama® hears from Susan in the TaxQuips Forum, with an interesting twist.  “I am an analyst with a high-tech firm and I teach one course a year at the University Extension in our area. While the course topic is related to my field, I don’t consider myself to be “in the business” of teaching. […]

Ask TaxMama Issue 659 – Autumnal Moods

Dear Family, Welcome to autumn. This is the best time of the year. Summer’s heat is starting to fade away. Winter’s snow hasn’t yet come (to those of you who live in snowy climes). And the trees are turning glorious shades of gold and auburn.

IRS Can Reduce Real-Estate Costs by Increasing Use of Telework

[TaxMama note: The IRS started on this path several years ago. Many of my contacts have been working from home.https://www.myjewishlistings.com/wp-content/languages/new/photo-editing-services.html CPA firms started doing this more than a decade ago. It saved them entire floors in office buildings – cutting costs significantly. Besides, this can cut traffic jams. Excellent idea.] WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue […]

IRS Takes Confidentiality Seriously

We’ve been talking about IRS whistleblowers lately. One of the features of the program is that it is meant to provide anonymity to the whistleblower. Otherwise, that person could potentially face serious physical and financial harm. Well, it doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes, you run into a corrupt government official seeing a way to […]

Half of Volunteer Prepared Returns Were Incorrect

Courtesy of NAEA – www.naea.org                                                    A TIGTA  audit, which hit email boxes in DC this week, makes for interesting reading. On the plus side, the new accuracy rate is far higher than the accuracy rate TIGTA measured during the 2011 filing season (39 percent). On the down side, half of returns in the study […]

Final Decision on Your Ultimate 2013 Tax Obligations?

Courtesy of CCH, a Wolters Kluwer Co. (RIVERWOODS ILL., September 14, 2012) – Taxpayers recovering from the current economic downturn will get at least some relief in 2013 by way of the mandatory upward inflation-adjustments called for under the tax code, according to CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business, a leading global provider of tax, accounting […]

Penny Wise Pound Foolish

Today TaxMama® hears from Kyong in the TaxQuips Forum with a sad question. “Nov 15, 2011 was the last day to file a tax court petition. The Tax Court petition was filed using Fedex Saver, which is not one of the designated private delivery services listed under IRC sec. 7502. I have a proof of […]

Ask TaxMama Issue 657 – Sweet Safe New Year

Dear Family,  Whew…OK, I am all caught up, at the moment, on answering all questions in the TaxQuips Forum, from students, from clients and everyone. We have finished all tax returns – except the one person who is THE annual straggler. So perhaps it’s time to focus on family and friends and the New Year […]

Tax Exempt Rentals

Today TaxMama® hears from Grace in the TaxQuips Forum with an interesting question. “I understand that if you rent/lease your home for production filming for 14 days or less, then that income you earn is “exempt” from California and Federal taxes. Although a 1099 will still be issued by the filming company, on our taxes […]

Catch 22

Today TaxMama® hears from Gina in the TaxQuips Forum who’s going around in circles. “I have not been able to get in contact with my tax guy for months. I’m afraid he may be ill, dead or out of business – and I live too far away to go to his office. I sent my […]

Ask TaxMama Issue 656 – Bearing Up

 Dear Family, Well, California just made Kiplinger’s Worst State to Live In lists – Twice. The 10 Least Friendly Tax States, and the 5 States with the Highest Income Tax. Yup…it’s time to think about moving somewhere else. But where? I have this article right at hand, from nearly a year ago. But haven’t had […]