April's blog

I'm sure many of you are wondering why I moved several times this year. So I want to address the question very quickly.  First of all, I moved at the end of March last year into a larger home as we combined our family with an extended family member.  The home was beautiful and we had great plans for it, however we were on a lease-to-purchase with the owner and when the owner decided they didn't want to sell, we no longer wished to put money into that home.

A recent IRS article says that an identity theft crackdown is sweeping across the nation (read article here).  What do you need to know to protect yourself from identity theft?  To keep it simple:

While it's true that most 1040 filers will be able to begin submitting
their tax returns on January 14th, there are some exceptions.  Those
taxpayers claiming itemized deductions (Schedule A), tuition deductions,
or an educator expenses deduction will be delayed in filing (paper or
e-file) until February 14th.

The Missouri Department of Revenue is no longer mailing Form 1099-G which typically shows state tax refunds, unemployment payment, qualified state tuition payments, etc. You can opbtain your form amount and save a copy of the form itself at: www.dor.mo.gov/1099G or you can call 573-526-8299.

While it's true that most 1040 filers will be able to begin submitting their tax returns on January 14th, there are some exceptions.  Those taxpayers claiming itemized deductions (Schedule A), tuition deductions, or an educator expenses deduction will be delayed in filing (paper or e-file) until mid- to late-February.

One of the biggest draws for taxpayers to H&R Block has been the ability to get cash fast through RALs (refund anticipation loans) and various other products. But according to H&R Block themselves, this is going to be a problem. Read the article here:

http://www.hrblock.com/press/Article.jsp?articleid=49252

The 2009 tax filing season is officially over and I want to say a big "Thank You" to all of a my wonderful clients who made this another successful year. I hope you all had a great experience and will let your friends and family know about my service too. I'll be sending out a newsletter soon and remember that you will no longer receive "snail mail" reminders or checklists so check back here often or sign up for the newsletter! Have a great 2010!!

Came across a great article on CNN recently on three ways to spend your tax refund...it's exactly what I would recommend.  I've included it below but here's the link: "3 ways to use your tax refund"

More and more preparers are starting to use the term "IRS Certified" to promote themselves as a reliable source for tax preparation.  But what does that mean?  If you search for "IRS Certification" at irs.gov, you don't get anything relating to tax preparers.  If you search the Internet, you do find a reference back the VITA (volunteer income tax assistance) program which is run by the IRS.

Yes it's true.  The IRS is investigating the real possibility of placing new requirements on people like me who prepare tax returns for pay.  Hopefully by the end of 2010 they will have a process in place which may include such things as requiring tax preparers to register, requiring education and testing, and more.  Personally, I think this is long overdue and welcome the coming changes.