Dear Family,
This morning started with Kat and Gina on the Moms Making a Million radio show. Their goal is to help a million moms make a million dollars. Don’t you love that goal? They offer clever money saving tips and have charming guests, like Paul Petillo who talked about investments you should not ignore.
In a conversation with Suze Orman yesterday, she pointed out that, at this point in her life, Suze has everything she could ever want. She could certainly afford to sit back on her laurels and relax. The reason she works 16 hours a day, is because of the all letters and notes she receives from people telling her about their problems.
Well, TaxMama is certainly not quite there financially. And I don’t get nearly as many notes and letters from people. But, the reason I work 12-14 hours a day is pretty much the same. I see so many people struggling with taxes, tax debts, fear and confusion. It breaks my heart. I can’t bear to see people in pain. That’s the passion that motivates me to answer your questions, develop affordable classes, and train ever more tax professionals to help you.
True, IRS has gotten better and kinder since the early 1980’s. But we are seeing a trend of tougher, meaner people working for IRS again. Do you think it’s a training trend, or a hiring trend? One person called, hysterical and in tears because an IRS employee implied this woman was under investigation. She is not being investigated – her file is simply being handled by an office that can access the database with her most recent files.
On the same day, I heard from someone working with an IRS collections officer trying to get an offer in compromise for a client. This person tells me the Revenue Office is bending over backwards to help her client out in this time of stress.
And then there is the Taxpayers Advocate Service. All the calls we have received from TAS staff have been from women. Every single TAS lady has been diligent, helpful, delightful and went out of her way to insist IRS do their job in a timely manner. Every single person I spoke to this week who has had dealings with the Taxpayers Advocate Service gushes about how wonderful they are.
This coming week includes the observation of International Womens Day on March 8th. Let me start the proceedings a little early by thanking all the women we’ve been dealing with at TAS and IRS, all the women who’ve been helping out at the TaxQuips Forum (and the men, as well), Suze Orman and the entire team of women working with MoneyMindedMoms.com, Gina and Kat at Moms Making a Million, all the women at the WSJ Tax Blog and WSJ Digital and MarketWatch.com, the women at Think Glink, the women at NAEA and CSEA, the women at CPE Link, my marketing manager at McGraw-Hill, the women in my office, and my teaching team, the women at IRS…goodness, it seems so many of the people I interact with most, most of my day – are all women. I had not realized just how much of time is spent reporting to women managers.
I am jazzed! I have the good fortune of working with some of the smartest, funniest, and best women in the world. Thank you all!
Are you doing your exercises? Get tips and ideas and a regimen – as gift from AccountingWeb.com in the Daily Fitness program. You’ll find their daily exercises all on this page. There are at least lots of choices. Surely, at least one of them will suit you! I will start next week and try to catch up. Really, I will…
This week you got Twitter alerts about my radio interviews, news about the IRS holding your refunds, and several other interesting retweets. To get more (but not to be flooded) Follow TaxMama in Twitter – www.twitter.com/taxmama .
You will find the highlights of this week’s articles, below, along with this week’s features – IRS News, Money Funnies, AccountingWeb Blog, and more.
Remember, we will be using Twitter more and more often, to get quick notes and updates out to you – www.twitter.com/taxmama . You don’t need to subscribe to Twitter if you’re on Facebook. Just friend me there. The posts will appear there, as well.
Finally, the first article about how to tap into the BILLIONS of dollars available to women-owned business is ready for you at MoneyMindedMoms.com. I am using information provided by Lourdes Martin-Rosa, who is a top expert on getting government contracts for small businesses – especially women. In the course of writing the article, I am going through the recommended steps – and telling you about the obstacles I am facing – and how to overcome them. I will start working on the next steps next week, so I can let you know what other pitfalls and traps I encounter.
In the meantime, feel free to work on ahead of me. Use the information Lourdes Martin-Rosa provided via American Express Open so you can start getting some serious money that the government has already set aside for small businesses, in particular, for women.
From everything I am seeing, it is a good idea for you to use Small Business Taxes Made Easy to help you get your business set up properly, so you can win those government contracts.
You can pick up your own copy of Small Business Taxes Made Easy inexpensively at Amazon.com. There’s even an ebook version out there for your Kindle or ebook reader.
CPE Link Classes
NEW! Here are the new classes! Five more sessions, Level Two of The Tax Practice Series. https://www.cpelink.com/teamtaxmama
They will run from May through July:
IRS Practice Series: Circular 230 Considerations and Requirements
IRS Practice Series: After SUCCESSFUL Collections or Audits – What Next?
IRS Practice Series: Computing Or Recalculating IRS Assessments For Interest And Penalties
IRS Practice Series: Representing Your Client at a 1040 Audit – Office or Field
IRS Practice Series: Curing the Addicted Tax Delinquent – A 12-step program
Even in the middle of tax season, you sometimes need to learn something – or look up a procedure, quickly. One of the best ways to do that is with one of CPE Link classes. Look through the topics on the self-study classes or resources. Each course will include the handouts – with the reference material you need. https://taxmama.wpengine.com/earn-cpe-without-leaving-the-office/
EA Class News
NOT YET!!! IRS still has not released the new, lower-priced Enrolled Agent applications and renewals. Expect it someday. Instead of $125, expect the price to be around $50.
The 2010/2011 Exam is over. Just under the wire, we heard from our former military buddy Ron Stefanik who passed Part 3…and is on his way to becoming an EA.
Lots of our friends passed their exams in the last couple of weeks. Now, we get a breather for the next two months – to finish tax season. Hooray! Congratulations to all who passed!
Both Graduates and those still studying are using the material in TaxMama’s EA Exam review library to work with their clients during this tax season. There’s such a wealth of material to help you do your job AND to build your practice.
SIGN UP NOW! The new 2011 schedule IS up. Early-bird discount is provided, via a coupon – good through March 21st. In fact, Family Members can really cash in and use the Family Member discount AND the Early-Bird discount for huge savings. (There’s another discount if two or more people sign up together. Wow…it’s really getting inexpensive!) https://irsexams.com/registration/
Remember, you get a 10% discount on the EA Class if you register for TaxMama’s Family first. https://taxmama.wpengine.com/membership/family-membership/
The discount code can be found in the Family Look-Ups resource. https://taxmama.wpengine.com/family-member-resources/
Other TaxMama News and Tax Articles:
This week’s MarketWatch column is your March To Do List with tips about deadlines, strategies and more. https://www.marketwatch.com/Journalists/Eva_Rosenberg
Tune in to WSJ Digital’s Tax Show with Kelsey Hubbard and guests. You’ll find TaxMama and Andrea Coombes as regular guests. This week’s show should be available early this afternoon.
In this week’s Wall Street Journal’s SmartMoney Tax Blog, TaxMama talks to you about the phantom tax on online games. Rachel tells you Still Time to Claim Your 2007 Refund, how to find Looking for More Tax Deductions? And gives you the Silver Lining to Student Taxes and Jillian points out that Medical Marijuana Not Tax-Exempt. Keep an eye on this page for daily updates – https://blogs.smartmoney.com/tax/
Have you won a chat with Suze Orman! You might be the lucky person each month to win that prize, and some other goodies.
Have you had your chat with Suze Orman’s at the new MoneyMindedMoms.com site? You will find lots of practical money-saving tips – and ideas to help folks struggling with time, money, conflicts and more.
- You can ask Suze questions in the forum – Suze is actually dropping by an answering your questions, just as I do here. Join us and speak to Suze.
- Suze introduces her Protection Portfolio, a very inexpensive way to store all those important financial documents and others that you need all in one place during an emergency.
You’ll find TaxMama’s columns there each week, along with a dozen delightful women. This week, TaxMama starts the series of articles on how to tap into the $30 BILLION available to women-owned businesses – Part 1. Jen teaches you how Upcycling is A Fun Way To Reuse In Style. Doreen has a nice twist on CFL Light Bulb being a Bright Idea! Phyllis asks if Medicare Supplements Pay for Long-Term Care? Vicki tells us Money Isn’t Everything. https://www.moneymindedmoms.com/articles/
At Equifax this week, TaxMama tells you about Free Tax Services: Do You Qualify? Ilyce Glink gets you ready for the Spring Real Estate Market: Preparing Your House For Sale Dan Solin tells you the Five Questions You Need to Ask Your Investment Broker. Linda Rey gives you Four Ways to Protect Your New Construction or Renovations from Liability. The Equifax Credit Experts address the problem of Living Paycheck to Paycheck—How Can You Save? https://www.equifax.com/blog/tax/en_ff
This week, one of the main stories on AccountingWeb.com talks about the taxable swag for the OSCAR nominees.
Daily Fitness – This is THE place to come to find easy ways for us desk-slaves to take a real health break. New fitness ideas and exercises each day.
Have you seen AccountingWeb’s new small business publication? Going Concern – focusing on keeping the profits flowing. https://goingconcern.com/subscribe/ https://www.accountingweb.com/blogs/accountingweb/talk-taxmama
In IRS News, IRS tells you about how to deal with cancellation of debt on your mortgages, what they are doing to help people with tax debts, and about $1.1 billion worth of unclaimed tax refunds. Is your money sitting there? https://taxmama.wpengine.com/category/asktaxmama/irs-news/
In Money Funnies we learn about Customer Relations – and how important they can by. https://taxmama.wpengine.com/category/asktaxmama/money-funnies/
In TaxQuips this week, we start the week with Leslie who is helping a friend figure out her office in home deductions. Amber had a big problem with debit card theft. Sarah wants to know how to report the taxable part of her company’s relocation benefits. Paula had two businesses. Can she offset the profits from one business with the losses from the other? We end the week with Katherine who recently negotiated to get some debt cancelled. Now she is working her way through the IRS insolvency calculation. https://taxmama.wpengine.com/category/tax-quips/
Note: You can view them all on YouTube, too Daily TaxQuips from TaxMama® – taxmama1’s channel.
As always, we love your feedback, opinions and ideas.
You are what makes all this fun – and interesting!
Please use the Comments link online.
https://taxmama.wpengine.com/asktaxmama/ask-taxmama-issue-590
TaxNerd gear makes a bold statement year-round.
It helps attract the opposite sex!
Shop at www.taxnerd.net or https://www.zazzle.com/taxmama*
Hugs from your favorite TaxNerd,
https://www.zazzle.com/taxmama*
Eva Rosenberg, EA
Your TaxMama®
Your TaxMama® is watching…out for you.
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TAX CALENDAR
https://taxmama.wpengine.com/tax-calendar-2011/
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02/15/2011 Employees to File new W-4 with Employer
02/15/2011 Employers Make Monthly Payroll tax deposit on the 15th of each month
02/28/2011 File Paper copy W-3’s with Social Security Admin including copies of W-2’s
02/28/2011 File paper copy of US transmittal of US information Returns
02/28/2011 Farmers & Fisherman – Use Personal Income Tax Return – Sole Proprietor
03/15/2011 S-Corp Election Decision Due (if Applicable)
03/15/2011 S Corporate Returns Due / Calendar Year
03/15/2011 Issue K-1’s S Corporate Returns / Calendar Year
03/15/2011 Corporate Returns Due / Calendar Year
03/15/2011 Corporate Returns/S Corp Extensions Due / Calendar Year
03/15/2011 Foreign Persons US Income subject to withholdings
03/15/2011 Annual Tax Return of US Income subject to withholdings of Foreign Persons
03/15/2011 Employers Make Monthly Payroll tax deposit on the 15th of each month
03/15/2011 Electing Large Partnerships – Issue K-1s to partners – even if you’re on extension
03/31/2011 Electronic filing of W-3’s with Social Security Admin including issued W-2’s
03/31/2011 Electronic filing of US transmittal of US information Returns
04/18/2011 Last Day to set up and fund IRAs and Roth IRAs for previous year
04/18/2011 Individual Personal Returns due
04/18/2011 Personal Returns due – Nonresident, US income, etc.
04/18/2011 Personal Returns due – Easy Form Return
04/18/2011 Personal Returns due – Not Itemizing Return Form
04/18/2011 Personal Return – Extensions due
04/18/2011 US Gift and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Return
04/18/2011 US Gift and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Return Extension Due
04/18/2011 Partnership Returns due
04/18/2011 Issue K-1’s with Partnership Returns
04/18/2011 Electing Large Partnership Returns due
04/18/2011 Estate & Trusts Returns are due; Bankruptcy fillings use the same form
04/18/2011 Partnership, Estate & Trusts Returns – Extensions due
04/18/2011 Individuals, Farmers & Fishermen Pay 1st Quarter Estimated Tax Payment
04/18/2011 Corporations – 1st Quarter Estimate Tax payment Due
04/18/2011 Estates & Trusts 1st Estimated Tax Payment
04/18/2011 Employers Make Monthly Payroll tax deposit on the 15th of each month
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From TaxMama® to You!
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Follow TaxMama®’s Tweets – https://twitter.com/TaxMama
You are invited to put a TaxQuips Widget on your phone, social networking page, website, or… You’ll get the TaxQuips as soon as they published – long before they are distributed in by e-mail. It’s a nifty gadget. Just pick up the code and paste into your site or application.
https://www.widgetbox.com/widget/taxmamas-taxquips-daily-tax-podcasts
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EA EXAM NEWS & SOLVING THE TAX PUZZLE
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Take TaxMama®’s 2010 EA Exam Review Class
All done!
Now, it’s all about self-study and hand-holding everyone until you’re all done!
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