What to Do If You Are Missing a W-2

Have you received all of your W-2s? These documents are essential for completing individual tax returns. You should receive a Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, from all of your employers each year. Employers have until January 31st to provide or send you a 2012 W-2 earnings statement, either electronically or in paper form. If you have not received your W-2, follow these steps: Contact Your Tax Preparer—And let him or her know that you are missing a W-2. If your appointment is in the near future, your preparer will advise you whether to keep the...

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Revising Your W-4? Seek Professional Advice

This time of the year, many employers will request from their employees updated W-4 forms (and the equivalent state form for those who live in a state with income tax). The W-4 form allows you to specify your filing status and the number of dependent exemptions to be used for figuring the amount of income tax to be withheld from your pay. Even though the IRS provides an on-line W-4 calculator, it is generally suitable for the more simple returns and may not be appropriate in all cases since it does not take into account all income adjustments,...

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Prepared for the New Surtax?

As part of Obama Care, we have a new tax beginning in 2013. The official name of this tax is the “Unearned Income Medicare Contribution Tax,” and even though the name implies it is a contribution, don’t get the idea you deduct it as a charitable contribution. It is, in actuality, a surtax levied on the net investment income of higher-income taxpayers. The surtax is 3.8% on the lesser of your net investment income or the excess of your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) over a threshold based on your filing status. MAGI is your regular AGI...

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Don’t Forget to Report Those Foreign Financial Assets!

Don’t overlook the requirement for any individual who holds any interest in a “specified foreign financial asset” during the tax year to complete and attach Form 8938 to his or her income tax return if a certain reporting threshold is met. The reporting threshold varies, depending on whether or not the individual lives in the U.S. and files a joint return with his or her spouse. For example, an individual who is not married and does not live abroad will need to file Form 8938 for 2012 if the total value of his or her specified foreign financial...

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Direct Deposit Puts Your Money in Your Pocket...Faster

Don’t wait around for a paper check. Have your federal (and state, if applicable) tax refund deposited directly into your bank account. Selecting Direct Deposit is a secure and convenient way to get your money into your pocket more rapidly. Security—Eliminates any possibility of a check being lost in the mail. Thousands of checks are returned to the IRS by the US Post Office every year as undeliverable mail. Direct Deposit eliminates the possibility of you not receiving your check, or of your refund check being stolen from your mailbox. Convenient—The...

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American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012

President Obama on January 2 signed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. The new law makes permanent Bush-era tax rates for individuals and couples with annual income of $400,000 and $450,000, respectively. The law also permanently indexes the alternative minimum tax for inflation, extends unemployment insurance benefits for one year and extends numerous business benefits. The following is a summary of the provisions applicable to individuals and small businesses included in the 157 page American Taxpayer Relief Act. Tax Rates - For tax...

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February 2013 Due Dates

February 2013 Individual Due Dates February 11 - Report Tips to Employer If you are an employee who works for tips and received more than $20 in tips during January, you are required to report them to your employer on IRS Form 4070 no later than February 11. Your employer is required to withhold FICA taxes and income tax withholding for these tips from your regular wages. If your regular wages are insufficient to cover the FICA and tax withholding, the employer will report the amount of the uncollected withholding in box 12 of your W-2 for...

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