Category: Taxes
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We Fix TurboTax Returns
Over the past few years we’ve noticed acceleration of a trend that is confirmed by other tax accountants. Most of the audit notices from IRS are based on errors in TurboTax returns. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with TurboTax or that IRS is targeting these returns but rather that it…
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Watch out for these two latest online scams
Scams always require two components: the media and the message. CPAs are indoctrinated with specific education and are required to maintain an attitude of “professional skepticism”. As a result, I tend to be more likely to notice and document emerging dangerous trends. Based on this experience, I’ve covered online consumer finance scams1 in this blog for…
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IRS launches audits of bitcoin holders
Bitcoin is the largest and oldest cryptocurrency so it makes sense that IRS would take enforcement action against these account owners first. Some owners may have heard incorrect information that their transactions were not taxable or that IRS could not get their account information. Both of these are false. IRS announced last year that it…
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Encrypted Email, Secure Messaging and Secure File Transfer
“Encrypted Email”, “Secure Messaging” and “Secure File Transfer” are three terms that most people doing business online should know about today. This seems like a good time to review the options as we begin the tax filing season. While these security measures are probably not needed for most people most of the time, I include…
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Tax Preparation Service Offered Through LinkedIn ProFinder
This will be my second year using LinkedIn ProFinder service to match me with online tax service clients. The service was only marginally successful last year (the cost of providing the service was approximately equal to the fee received) last season but I decided to participate again because I found one new client who I…
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Referral fee for 2017 tax season
This year I am offering $50 referral fee to existing clients for new small business clients including ‘gig workers’ who are required to file a Schedule C. A $50 discount is also given to the referred new client. For individual tax clients, the deal is the same except the reward if $25 for the referer and…
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An accountant’s telephone call to IRS
subtitle: Why IRS representation can be slow and expensive Today I called the IRS Professional Hotline, waited 25 minutes, then got disconnected by live person picking up the call. (This is a common response in peak call time). I call back to the IRS Professional hotline, wait 20 minutes, reach a live gent, confirm taxpayer…
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How to address the 2018 increase in small business corporation taxes
Effective January 1, 2018 the corporate tax rate for the first $50,000 of earned income jumps from 15% to 21%. That 6 percent increase translates to an additional $3,000 federal income tax due for 2018 for a small corporation. Thousands of small businesses are affected. Some are understandably irate that a tax law called the…
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Break free from Philadelphia tax notices
If you have no tax filing obligation with the City of Philadelphia but they continue to send your business the filing requirement notices anyway then you need to file a “Change Form“. In some cases you might even need to file the form a couple of times. The trigger for a tax filing is a…