Tax Updates and News From the IRS Internal Revenue Service
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“And they got $1,400 per person on their 2021 taxes,” plumping their tax refund or lowering their bill. Because of the government response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans got a $1,400 stimulus check in 2021, the third of such payments. “People should absolutely expect smaller tax refunds this year. And frankly, some people might even owe the government money,” financial expert Lynnette Khalfani-Cox told NPR at the start of filing season.
COVID-19 will be affecting small businesses for years to come, Intuit is doing its part to ensure these businesses across the country survive the storm. Last year, ProPublica reported extensively on Intuit’s and other companies’ efforts to downplay the Free File program, including by blocking Google from indexing their Free File pages. The coverage led to a lot more focus on Free File by Congress, state attorneys general and the rest. But the people coming to the site do not merely enter basic information that would be sent to the IRS in order to get their check processed.
TurboTax launches tool to help get stimulus checks if you don’t file tax returns
This year, anyone who made under $69,000 does not need to pay to file; they are eligible to file taxes for free through an IRS program called Free File. Another group of Americans did not file taxes because they make so little money. Getting stimulus checks to them, an estimated 6 million households, is challenging.
Inflation Reduction Act Strategic Operating Plan – The IRS unveiled its Strategic Operating Plan, an ambitious effort to transform the tax agency and dramatically improve service to taxpayers and the nation during the next decade. The report outlines the agency’s historic plans to make fundamental changes following funding from last year’s Inflation Reduction Act. The report to Congress, required by the Inflation Reduction Act, evaluated the feasibility of providing taxpayers with the option of a free, voluntary, IRS-run electronic filing system, commonly referred to as “Direct File.” As you search for answers about your third stimulus payment, H&R Block has tools and live expert help to assist you. The rest of the checks will be issued by gradually increasing income increments each week.
Refunds
Intuit QuickBooks Payments customers get access to cash more quickly with QuickBooks Instant Deposit offering which makes cash available on the same day. Intuit will soon be launching a free version of the service that will save customers up to $3 million in fees and help provide them with access to up to a total of $300 million of their payment funds instantly. As COVID-19 continues to severely impact America’s private sector, small businesses and self-employed workers are drastically affected.
- Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans improperly forgiven are taxable – If you inappropriately received forgiveness of your PPP loan, we encourage you to file an amended return that includes forgiven loan proceed amounts in income.
- As the IRS has struggled, for-profit tax preparation companies, notably Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, have stepped in with websites to help people get their checks.
- Get details on eligible expenditures and how the credit limitations work in the frequently asked questions about energy efficient home improvements and residential clean energy property credits.
- Arkansas, Indiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee storm victims now have until July 31, 2023, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.
- There are roughly 10 million people in the U.S. who are not required to file taxes, and some 80 percent are eligible for a stimulus check.
- Now, Americans who desperately need checks to help cushion the coronavirus crash are being targeted by companies all over again.
Under the CARES Act, employers can still make student loan payments on behalf of their employees on a tax-free basis, up to $5,250 annually. The provision is applicable on loan payments an employer makes from the day the bill was signed into law (March 27, 2020) https://turbo-tax.org/ through Jan. 1, 2021. Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans improperly forgiven are taxable – If you inappropriately received forgiveness of your PPP loan, we encourage you to file an amended return that includes forgiven loan proceed amounts in income.
For Accountants
The free Stimulus Registration product will ensure that people receive the one-time payments of up to $1,200 per person. In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. income tax deadline has been extended from April 15 to July 15, 2020, to allow Americans more time to file their taxes. Instead, the site invites users to try TurboTax’s paid tax preparation products with multiple buttons to “Start for Free” — even though the products may charge fees of $100 and up. The IRS plans to begin sending automatic payments to Americans who qualify and have direct-deposit information on file the week of April 13, according to Friday a news release.
TurboTax also has a free stimulus calculator for people to calculate how much money they will get from their checks. Otherwise, checks will be mailed, which could take longer to get to Americans. Adding to the complications, about 6% of U.S. adults — or 12 about 12 million Americans — do not have a checking, savings, or other bank account, according to a 2018 Federal Reserve report. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said at a White House briefing on Thursday, that those Americans who have signed up for direct deposit will receive their payment within two weeks. As of April 12, 2020, the TurboTax Stimulus Registration product has helped more than 165,000 Americans register for over $230 million dollars of federal stimulus money. Tens of millions of poor Americans don’t have to file because they don’t have taxable income.
The largest possible refund is $85, covering all three of the relevant tax years, James says. Find what you need to get started, your protections and security, available forms and more about IRS Free File below. Taxpayers in certain disaster https://turbo-tax.org/turbotax-to-help-millions-of-americans-get-their/ areas do not need to submit an extension electronically or on paper. Well, TurboTax launched the ‘TurboTax Stimulus Center’ in partnership with the IRS. It also doesn’t reduce any refund you would otherwise receive, Watson said.
If you didn’t receive the full amount of the third payment you were owed (due to a new baby, lower income, etc.), there are two times when you may receive additional stimulus money. Additionally, Americans who qualify for the stimulus payment and have children will get an additional $500 per child under 17. Intuit has partnered with GoFundMe to co-found the Small Business Relief Initiative in order to raise money in support of the challenges faced due to COVID-19.
But the underfunded agency is struggling, while for-profit companies like Intuit have started circling, hoping to convert Americans in need into paying customers. Navigate to TurboTax’s COVID-19 updates page and click “calculate your stimulus check payment.” Once you’ve done this, scroll past the calculator to click the “Register now” button. Reciting the litany of problems that can stack up without an extension, Khalfani-Cox notes that failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties can accrue each month, with interest added on to any unpaid tax amounts. Anyone filing an extension, the IRS says, “should estimate and pay any owed taxes by your regular deadline to help avoid possible penalties.” “The IRS told us all in late 2022 that they have something like 9 million unprocessed tax returns,” Khalfani-Cox said.