Four Reasons You Should Not Wait Until Extension Deadline to File Your Return

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If you filed for an extension of time to file your 2015 federal tax return and you also chose to have advance payments of the premium tax credit made to your coverage provider. If you fall into this category, it’s important you file your return sooner rather than later. Here are four things for these taxpayers to know:

• If you got a six-month extension of time to file, you do not need to wait until this fall to file your return and reconcile your advance payments. You can – and should - file as soon as you have all the necessary documentation.
• You must file to ensure you can continue having advance credit payments paid on your behalf in future years. If you do not file and reconcile your 2015 advance payments of the premium tax credit by the Marketplace’s fall re-enrollment period – even if you filed for an extension – you may not have your eligibility for advance payments of the PTC in 2017 determined for a period of time after you have filed your tax return with Form 8962.
• Advance payments of the premium tax credit are reviewed in the fall by the Health Insurance Marketplace for the next calendar year as part of their annual re-enrollment and income verification process.
• Use Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit, to reconcile any advance credit payments made on your behalf and to maintain your eligibility for future premium assistance.

IRS Says be Alert for Tax Scams

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Tax scammers work year-round; they don’t take the summer off. The IRS urges you to stay vigilant against calls from scammers impersonating the IRS. Here are several tips from the IRS to help you avoid being a victim:

• Scams use scare tactics. These aggressive and sophisticated scammers try to scare people into making an immediate payment. They make threats, often threaten arrest or deportation, or they say they’ll take away your driver’s or professional license if you don’t pay. They may also leave “urgent” callback requests, sometimes through “robo-calls.” Emails will often contain a fake IRS document with a phone number or an email address for you to reply.
  
  
• Scams spoof caller ID. Scammers often alter caller ID to make it look like the IRS or another agency is calling. The callers use IRS titles and fake badge numbers to appear legit. They may use online resources to get your name, address and other details about your life to make the call sound official.
  
  
• Scams use phishing email and regular mail. Scammers copy official IRS letterhead to use in email or regular mail they send to victims. In another new variation, schemers provide an actual IRS address where they tell the victim to mail a receipt for the payment they make. This makes the scheme look official.
  
  
• Scams cost victims over $38 million. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, or TIGTA, has received reports of more than one million contacts since October 2013. TIGTA is also aware of more than 6,700 victims who have collectively reported over $38 million in financial losses as a result of tax scams.

The real IRS will not:

• The IRS will not call you about your tax bill without first sending you a bill in the mail.
• Demand that you pay taxes and not allow you to question or appeal the amount that you owe.
• Require that you pay your taxes a certain way. For instance, require that you pay with a prepaid debit card or any specific type of tender.
• Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
• Threaten to bring in police or other agencies to arrest you for not paying.
• Threaten you with a lawsuit.

If you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you do:

• Do not provide any information to the caller. Hang up immediately.
• Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Use TIGTA’s “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page to report the incident.
• You should also report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “FTC Complaint Assistant” on FTC.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" in the notes.

If you know you owe, or think you may owe taxes call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS employees can help you if you do owe taxes.

IRS Tax Tips provide valuable information throughout the year. IRS.gov offers tax help and info on various topics including common tax scams, taxpayer rights and more.

IRS YouTube Videos:  

•  Tax Scams – English | Spanish | ASL 

IRS Podcasts:

•  Tax Scams – English | Spanish

Share this tip on social media:#IRStaxtip: IRS Says be Alert for Scams. http://go.usa.gov/x3WVY  #dontfallforit. #IRS

Tax Tips for Students Working this Summer

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Many students get summer jobs. It’s a great way to earn extra spending money or to save for later. Here are some tips for students with summer jobs:

1. Withholding and Estimated Tax. If you are an employee, your employer normally withholds tax from your paychecks. If you are self-employed, you may be responsible for paying taxes directly to the IRS. One way to do that is by making estimated tax payments on set dates during the year. This is essentially how our pay-as-you-go tax system works.

2. New Employees. When you get a new job, you need to fill out a Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate. Employers use this form to calculate how much federal income tax to withhold from your pay. The IRS Withholding Calculator tool on IRS.gov can help you fill out the form.

3. Self-Employment. Money you earn working for others is taxable. Some work you do may count as self-employment. These can be jobs like baby-sitting or lawn care. Keep good records of your income and expenses related to your work. You may be able to deduct those costs. A tax deduction generally reduces the taxes you pay.

4. Tip Income. All tip income is taxable. Keep a daily log to report your tips. You must report $20 or more in cash tips received in any single month to your employer. And you must report all of your yearly tips on your tax return.

5. Payroll Taxes. You may earn too little from your summer job to owe income tax. But your employer usually must withhold social security and Medicare taxes from your pay. If you’re self-employed, you may have to pay them yourself. They count for your coverage under the Social Security system.

6. Newspaper Carriers. Special rules apply to a newspaper carrier or distributor. If you meet certain conditions, you are self-employed. If you do not meet those conditions, and are under age 18, you may be exempt from Social Security and Medicare taxes.

7. ROTC Pay. If you’re in ROTC, active duty pay, such as pay you get for summer advanced camp, is taxable. Other allowances you may receive may not be taxable, see Publication 3 for details.

Visit IRS.gov for more about the tax rules for students.

File Now: Don’t Jeopardize Your Advance Payments of the Premium Tax Credit

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If you filed for an extension of time to file your 2015 federal tax return – and you benefit from advance payments of the premium tax credit being made to your coverage provider – it’s important you file your return sooner rather than later.

You must file your 2015 tax return and reconcile your advance payments to ensure you can continue having advance credit payments paid on your behalf in future years. Advance payments of the premium tax credit are reviewed in the fall by the Health Insurance Marketplace for the next calendar year as part of their annual re-enrollment and income verification process. If you do not file and reconcile, you will not be eligible for advance payments of the premium tax credit in 2017. Use Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit, to reconcile any advance credit payments made on your behalf and to maintain your eligibility for future premium assistance.

If you got a six-month extension of time to file, you do not need to wait until this fall to file your return. You can – and should - file as soon as you have all the necessary documentation.  Taxpayers who have not filed and reconciled 2015 advance payments of the premium tax credit by the Marketplace’s fall re-enrollment period – including those that filed extensions – may not have their eligibility for advance payments of the PTC in 2017 determined for a period of time after they have filed their tax return with Form 8962.

Remember that filing electronically is the easiest way to file a complete and accurate tax return. .

For more information, visit the Claiming the Credit and Reconciling Advance Credit Payments web page on IRS.gov/aca.

YOUR 2016 TAX REFUND COULD BE DELAYED.

New Federal Tax Law May Affect Some Refunds Filed in Early 2017; IRS to Share Details Widely with Taxpayers Starting This Summer

The Internal Revenue Service has announced initial plans for processing tax returns involving the Earned Income Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit during the opening weeks of the 2017 filing season. The IRS is sharing the information now to help the tax community prepare for the 2017 season, and plans are being made for a wider communication effort this summer and fall to alert taxpayers about the changes that will affect some early filers.
This action is driven by the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (PATH Act) that was enacted Dec. 18, 2015, and made several changes to the tax law to benefit taxpayers and their families. Section 201 of this new law mandates that no credit or refund for an overpayment for a taxable year shall be made to a taxpayer before Feb. 15 if the taxpayer claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit on the return.
This change begins Jan. 1, 2017, and may affect some returns filed early in 2017. Additional information is listed below.

• To comply with the law, the IRS will hold the refunds on EITC and ACTC-related returns until Feb. 15.
• This allows additional time to help prevent revenue lost due to identity theft and refund fraud related to fabricated wages and withholdings.
• The IRS will hold the entire refund. Under the new law, the IRS cannot release the part of the refund that is not associated with the EITC and ACTC.
• Taxpayers should file as they normally do, and tax return preparers should also submit returns as they normally do.
• The IRS will begin accepting and processing tax returns once the filing season begins, as we do every year. That will not change.
• The IRS still expects to issue most refunds in less than 21 days, though IRS will hold refunds for EITC and ACTC-related tax returns filed early in 2017 until Feb. 15 and then begin issuing them.

This is one more step the IRS is taking to ensure taxpayers receive the refund they are owed. The IRS plans to work closely with stakeholders and IRS partners to help the public understand this process before they file their tax returns and ensure a smooth transition for this important law change.
More information about this law will be posted to IRS.gov and shared with partners and taxpayers throughout the second half of 2016.

Page Last Reviewed or Updated: 09-Jun-2016

Getting Advance Payments of the Premium Tax Credit? Remember to Report Changes in Circumstances

If you purchased 2016 health care coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, you may have chosen to have advance payments of the premium tax credit paid to your  insurance company to lower your monthly premiums. If this is the case, it’s important to let your Marketplace know about significant life events, known as changes in circumstances.

These changes – such as those to your income or family size – may affect your premium tax credit. Reporting the changes will help you avoid getting too much or too little advance payment of the premium tax credit.  Getting too little could mean missing out on premium assistance to reduce your monthly premiums. Getting too much means you may owe additional money or get a smaller refund when you file your taxes. If your income for the year turns out to be too high to receive the premium tax credit, you will have to repay all of the payments that were made on your behalf, with no limitation.   Changes in circumstances that you should report to the Marketplace include:

• an increase or decrease in your income
• marriage or divorce
• the birth or adoption of a child
• starting a job with health insurance
• gaining or losing your eligibility for other health care coverage
• changing your residence

Changes in circumstances may qualify you for a special enrollment period to change or get insurance through the Marketplace. In most cases, if you qualify for the special enrollment period, you will have sixty days to enroll following the change in circumstances. You can find Information about special enrollment at HealthCare.gov.

The Premium Tax Credit Change Estimator can help you estimate how your premium tax credit will change if your income or family size changes during the year. This estimator tool does not report changes in circumstances to your Marketplace. To report changes and to adjust the amount of your advance payments of the premium tax credit you must contact your Health Insurance Marketplace.

Find out more about the premium tax credit and other tax-related provisions of the health care law at IRS.gov/aca.

Help! I'm Not Ready to File My Taxes. What Should I Do?

You didn't get your tax documents in order yet. You're still waiting for a lost W-2. You just flat-out haven't felt like tackling your taxes. Whatever the reason you don't have your tax return completed yet, there's no need to stress about it. Filing for a tax extension is a quick and painless experience that will give you an extra six months to file.
There are several important things you'll want to keep in mind, though, if you're filing a tax extension.
1. A filing extension is not a payment extension.
If you think you're going to owe the IRS additional taxes this year, you'll need to estimate on your extension (Tax Form 4868, which you can free file) what you're going to owe and go ahead and pay that amount by this year's deadline of April 18.
If you end up overpaying, you'll get a refund. If you under-pay, you could owe penalty and interest on the amount you didn't pay.
2. Can't afford to pay? Review your options.
If you've been putting off filing because you know you owe and just can't afford to pay your taxes due, you should immediately contact the IRS to ask for an installment agreement, so you can pay what you owe in smaller amounts over time.
When you enter into the payment plan, the fees and interest will be assessed to the end of your agreement, so if you plan to pay off the debt before the end of your agreement, contact the IRS to adjust your installment amount.
Consider all your options: Using a personal loan or credit card to pay your taxes on time may be cheaper than what you'd owe the IRS by the time you factor in all the penalties, though generally a payment plan with the IRS is your best bet.
Also, failing to file your extension by April 18 results in a late-filing penalty, which is why it's important to file on time.
3. Don't bury your head in the sand.
The worst thing you can do when dealing with unaffordable taxes is ignore them. If you owe tax debt, the IRS can take serious enforced collection action, such as taking money from your bank accounts, wages, or other income. In general, they have many more options available to collect your tax debt than do other companies you may owe money to.
The IRS may send a debt collector to retrieve the funds you owe, or if you owe $10,000 or more and can't pay it right away, the IRS may file a Notice of Federal Tax Lien. Tax liens are reported to the major credit bureaus, and are considered very negative information so your credit scores can drop significantly as a result. If you're concerned about how tax debts might be affecting your credit, you can get a free credit report summary on Credit.com.

Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, tax liens can be reported longer than any other type of negative information — seven years from the date they are paid. However, under the IRS Fresh Start initiative, you may be able to get a tax lien withdrawn and removed from your credit reports once you pay it, or enter into an installment agreement, which we'll discuss in a moment. That's all the more reason to find a way to work with the IRS rather than avoid paying.