Four Good Reasons to Direct Deposit Your Refund

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Here are four good reasons to choose direct deposit:

1. Convenience. There is no need to make a trip to the bank to deposit a check.
2. Security. Sinces no risk of your refund check being stolen or lost in the mail.
3. Ease. When you do your taxes, just follow the instructions in the tax software or with your tax forms.
4. Options. You can split your refund among up to three financial accounts.

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Courtesy of IRS Issue Number: IRS Tax Tip 2013-15

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Five Facts about Unemployment Benefits

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Here are five important facts from the IRS about unemployment compensation:

1. You must include all unemployment compensation in your income for the year.

2. There are several types of unemployment compensation.

3. You must include benefits paid to you from regular union dues in your income.

4. You can choose to have federal income tax withheld from your unemployment.

5. If you are facing financial difficulties, you should visit IRS.gov. “What Ifs” for Struggling Taxpayers explains the tax effects of events such as
the loss of a job.

Courtesy of IRS Issue Number: IRS Tax Tip 2014-25
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Ten Facts about Capital Gains and Losses

  1. Capital assets include property such as your home or car. They also include investment property such as stocks and bonds.
  2. A capital gain or loss is the difference between your basis and the amount you get when you sell an asset. Your basis is usually what you paid for the asset.
  3. You must include all capital gains in your income.
  4. You can deduct capital losses on the sale of investment property.capital gain and loss
  5. Capital gains and losses are either long-term or short-term, depending on how long you held the property. If you held the property for more than one year, your gain or loss is long-term. If you held it one year or less, the gain or loss is short-term.
  6. If your long-term gains are more than your long-term losses, the difference between the two is a net long-term capital gain.
  7. The tax rates that apply to net capital gains will usually depend on your income.
  8. If your capital losses are more than your capital gains, you can deduct the difference as a loss on your tax return. This loss is limited to $3,000 per year, or %1,500 if you are married and file a separate return.
  9. If your total net capital loss is more than the limit you can deduct, you can carry over the losses you are not able to deduct to next year’s tax return.
  10. You must file Form 8949, Sales and Other Dispositions of Capital Assets, with your federal tax return to report your gains and losses.

Courtesy of the Internal Revenue Service Issue Number: IRS Tax Tip 2014-27.
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Four Things You Should Know if You Barter

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Here are four facts about bartering:

1. Barter exchange. A barter exchange is an organized marketplace where members barter products or services. Some exchanges operate out of an office and other over the Internet. All barter exchanges are required to issue Form 1099-B, Proceeds from Broker and Barter Exchange Transactions.

2. Bartering income. Barter and trade dollars are the same as real dollars for tax purposes and must be reported on a tax return.

3. Tax implications. Bartering is taxable in the year it occurs. The tax rules may vary based on the type of bartering that takes place.

4. Reporting rules. How you report bartering on a tax return varies. If you are in a trade or business, you normally report it on Form 1040, Schedule C, Profit or Loss from Business.

Courtesy of the Internal Revenue Service- Issue Number: IRS Tax Tip 2014-26.
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Bill my accountant

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Under IRC 6672, the IRS can collect unpaid payroll taxes from anyone responsible for collecting or paying the employment taxes. This includes accountants as well. To read about a case that scares accountants, see Erwin, U.S. District Court, M.D. North Carolina.

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Can’t take my EIC

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K.S.A. 60-2315 allows a Kansas bankruptcy debtor to exempt the right to receive federal and state earned income credits. EICs are exempt in bankruptcy and trustees have no right to administer them.

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Tax Free Coffee

coffee

A Missouri court has ruled that a church operating a coffee shop is entitled to a sales tax exemption because its purpose was religious. To read more about coffee in the church, check out The Bridge Market and Faith Community v. Director of Revenue, No. 10-1431 RS, Winn, C.

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DUI without driving

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An officer has grounds to issue a DUI if they believe that you were driving the vehicle. The officer does not have to actually see you driving the vehicle. For more information, view: Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District- SD32612

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Tax Season

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The IRS opened the 2014 filing season on January 31st. This date will allow people to file their 2013 individual tax returns. Give us a call if you want us to file your taxes for you.

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Bankruptcy Filings Drop 12% in 2013

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For the year 2013, bankruptcies totaled 1,107,699 for the country.  That number is roughly 150,000, or 12%, down from the year 2012.

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