This is an overview of the several tax benefits that were included in the American Rescue Plan Act recently passed by Congress that will impact families with children and lower-income taxpayers during 2021. These include increased child care benefits plus an increased child tax credit, including advanced monthly payments for some.
We all look forward to receiving our tax refunds, but what if you were expecting a refund and it never arrived? It may be because you have outstanding federal or state debts—and not just tax-related debts. The Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) issues federal tax refunds, and Congress authorizes BFS to reduce your […]
Generally speaking, tax return mistakes are a lot more common than you probably realize. Taxes have grown complicated and COVID tax relief has made many changes; the paperwork required to file proper tax returns is often convoluted. This is especially true if you’re filing your taxes yourself.
President Biden presented his proposed American Families Plan (AFP) during his Joint Session of Congress address on April 29, 2021. What follows is an overview of what is included in the plan. But this is only his wish list; Congress will need to draft proposed legislation that will have to pass in both the House […]
As part of its oversight role, Congress is constantly assessing the economic health of the United States, so hearing from Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Chuck Rettig that the country may be losing up to $1 trillion a year in evaded taxes is an obvious cause for concern. This estimate is several times the 3-year-cumulative amount […]
The vast majority of Americans get a tax refund from the IRS each spring, but what if you are one of those who end ends up owing? The IRS encourages you to pay the full amount of your tax liability on time by imposing significant penalties and interest on late payments if you don’t. So […]
The IRS announced on March 31, that it will take steps to automatically refund money this spring and summer to people who filed their tax return reporting unemployment compensation before the recent law change made by the American Rescue Plan Act.
With the passage of the CARES Act stimulus package early in 2020, the federal government began supplementing the normal state weekly unemployment benefits by adding $600 per week through the end of July 2020. When this provision ran out, and with Congress at a stalemate, President Trump issued an executive order in early August that […]
There are many professions that require taxpayers to travel extensively and spend significant amounts of time in paid lodging. These expenses are traditionally claimed as travel deductions. However, a case recently heard by the Tax Court – Soboyede, TC Summary Opinion 2021-3, 1/26/21 – has apparently established a new standard for what the IRS is to consider your tax home, […]
The American Rescue Plan Act has passed and includes a third much-anticipated economic impact payment (EIP). This is one of several government measures intended to help financially stressed citizens. This will be the third round of EIPs since the pandemic began disrupting the economy at the beginning of 2020, leaving many Americans without jobs or […]
