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William Byrnes (Texas A&M) tax & compliance articles

Posts Tagged ‘1040’

Tax Facts about Taxable and Non-Taxable Income

Posted by William Byrnes on February 16, 2016


All income is taxable unless a law specifically says it isn’t. Here are some basic rules you should know to help you file the 2015 – 1040 tax return due April 15, 2016.

  • Taxable income.  Taxable income includes money you earn, like wages and tips. It also includes bartering, an exchange of property or services. The fair market value of property or services received is normally taxable.

Some types of income are not taxable except under certain conditions, including:

  • Life insurance.  Proceeds paid to you upon the death of an insured person are usually not taxable. However, if you redeem a life insurance policy for cash, any amount you get that is more than the cost of the policy is taxable.
  • Qualified scholarship.  In most cases, income from a scholarship is not taxable. This includes amounts used for certain costs, such as tuition and required books. On the other hand, amounts you use for room and board are taxable.
  • Other income tax refunds.  State or local income tax refunds may be taxable. You should receive a Form 1099-G from the agency that paid you. They may have sent the form by mail or electronically. Contact them to find out how to get the form. Report any taxable refund you got even if you did not receive Form 1099-G.

Here are some items that are usually not taxable:

  • Gifts and inheritances
  • Child support payments
  • Welfare benefits
  • Damage awards for physical injury or sickness
  • Cash rebates from a dealer or manufacturer for an item you buy
  • Reimbursements for qualified adoption expenses

Tax Facts Online is the premier practical, useful, actionable, and affordable reference on the taxation of insurance, employee benefits, investments, small tax-facts-online
business and individuals. This advisory service provides expert guidance on hundreds of the most frequently asked client questions concerning their most important tax issues.

Many ongoing, significant developments have affected tax law and, consequently, tax advice and strategies. Tax Facts Online is the only source that is reviewed daily and updated regularly by our expert editors.

In addition to completely current content not available anywhere else, Tax Facts Online gives you exclusive access to:

  • Robust search capabilities that enable you to locate detailed answers—fast
  • Time-saving calculators, tables and graphs
  • A copy/paste capability that speeds the production of presentations and enables you to easily incorporate Tax Facts content into your workPlus, the recent addition of current news, case studies, commentary and competitive intelligence serves our customers well as the only tax reference that a non-professional tax expert will ever need.

Tax Facts Online Core Content

Tax Facts on Insurance provides definitive answers to your clients’ most important tax-related insurance questions, while offering insightful analysis and illustrative examples. Numerous planning points direct you to the most recent and important insurance solutions.

Tax Facts on Employee Benefits provides current in-depth coverage of important client-related employee benefits questions. Employee benefits affect most everyone2015_tf_triple_combo_cover-m, and your clients must know how to deal with often complex issues and problems. Tax Facts on Employee Benefits provides the answers in a direct, concise, and practical manner.

Tax Facts on Investments provides clear, detailed answers to your difficult tax questions concerning investments. You must know what investments best suit your clients from a tax standpoint. You will discover questions that directly provide insightful answers, comparison of investment choices, as well as how investments have changed in recent years.

Tax Facts on Individuals & Small Business focuses exclusively on what individuals and small buisnesses need to know to maximize opportunities under today’s often complex tax rules.  It is the essential tax reference for financial advisors, & planners; insurance professionals; CPAs; attorneys; and other practitioners advising small businesses and individuals.

  • Charles Calello Enterprise/Group Inquiries 201-526-1259 Email Me
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5 Tax Facts about IRS Notices and Letters

Posted by William Byrnes on June 25, 2014


In Tax Tip 2014-60, the IRS disclosed that it sends millions of notices and letters to taxpayers.   Not surprising, given that over 150 million returns are filed each year.   The IRS informed taxpayers of 6 important tips about such notices and letters:

1. The IRS sends letters and notices by mail, never by email nor by social media.  Each notice has specific instructions about what the taxpayer must do to respond.  Often, a taxpayer only needs to respond by mail to deal with whatever the notice requests.  Keep copies of any notices and responses with the annual tax records.

2. The IRS may send a letter or notice for a variety of very different reasons.  Typically, a letter or notice is only about one specific issue on a taxpayer’s federal tax return or about the taxpayer’s tax account.   A notice may simply inform the taxpayer about changes to the tax account or only ask you for more information about an item on the tax return.  However, it may inform the taxpayer that a tax payment is due.

3. A taxpayer may receive a notice that states the IRS has made a change or correction to the tax return.  In this case, the taxpayer should review the information received and then compare it with the original tax return.  If the taxpayer agrees with the IRS notice, then the taxpayer usually does not need to reply except to make a payment.

4. However, if the taxpayer does not agree with the notice, then the taxpayer must respond.  The taxpayer must write a letter to explain why the taxpayer disagrees with the IRS notice, including any information and documents that supports the taxpayer’s position.  The taxpayer must mail a reply, with the bottom tear-off portion of the notice, to the address shown in the upper left-hand corner of the notice.  Allow at least 30 days for a response.

5. A taxpayer does not need to call or visit an IRS office for most notices.  However, if a taxpayer has questions, then call the phone number in the upper right-hand corner of the notice. Have a copy of the tax return and the notice for the call.

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“Robert Bloink, Esq., LL.M., and William H. Byrnes, Esq., LL.M., CWM®—are delivering real-life guidance based on decades of experience.” said Rick Kravitz.  “The authors’ knowledge and experience in tax law and practice provides the expert guidance for National Underwriter to once again deliver a valuable resource for the financial advising community.”

Anyone interested can try Tax Facts on Individuals & Small Business, risk-free for 30 days, with a 100% guarantee of complete satisfaction.  For more information, please go to www.nationalunderwriter.com/TaxFactsIndividuals or call 1-800-543-0874.

 Authoritative and easy-to-use, 2014 Tax Facts on Insurance & Employee Benefits shows you how the tax law and regulations are relevant to your insurance, employee benefits, and financial planning practices.  Often complex tax law and regulations are explained in clear, understandable language.  Pertinent planning points are provided throughout.

2014 Tax Facts on Investments provides clear, concise answers to often complex tax questions concerning investments.  2014 expanded sections on Limitations on Loss Deductions, Charitable Gifts, Reverse Mortgages, and REITs.

 

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8 Tax Facts about Penalties for Late Filing and Paying Taxes

Posted by William Byrnes on June 18, 2014


In Tax Tip 2014-56, the IRS provided 9 tax facts that a taxpayer needs to know about late filing and late paying tax penalties after the deadline of April 15.  By example, taxpayers should be made aware that the failure-to-file penalty is usually 10 times greater than the failure-to-pay penalty.  So the IRS encourages taxpayers to file on time, even if they cannot pay on time.

1. If a taxpayer is due a federal tax refund then there is no penalty if the tax return is filed later than April 15.  However, if a taxpayer owes taxes and fails to file the tax return by April 15 or fails to pay any tax due by April 15,  then the taxpayer will probably owe interest and penalties on the tax still after April 15.

2. Two federal penalties may apply. The first is a failure-to-file penalty for late filing. The second is a failure-to-pay penalty for paying late.

3. The failure-to-file penalty is usually much more than the failure-to-pay penalty.  In most cases, it is 10 times more!!!  So if a taxpayer cannot pay what is owe by April 15, the taxpayer should still file a tax return on time and pay as much as possible to reduce the balance.

4. The failure-to-file penalty is normally 5% of the unpaid taxes for each month or part of a month that a tax return is late. It will not exceed 25% of the unpaid taxes.

5. If a taxpayer files a return more than 60 days after the due date (or extended due date), the minimum penalty for late filing is the smaller of $135 or 100% of the unpaid tax.

6. The failure-to-pay penalty is generally 0.5% per month of your unpaid taxes.  It applies for each month or part of a month your taxes remain unpaid and starts accruing the day after taxes are due.  It can build up to as much as 25% of the unpaid taxes.

7. If the 5% failure-to-file penalty and the 0.5% failure-to-pay penalty both apply in any month, the maximum penalty amount charged for that month is 5%.

8. If a taxpayer requested the 6-month extension of time to file the income tax return (until October 15) by the tax due date of April 15 and paid at least 90% of the taxes that are owed, then the taxpayer may not face a failure-to-pay penalty.  However, the taxpayer must pay the remaining balance by the extended due date.  The taxpayer will still owe interest on any taxes paid after the April 15 due date.

9. A taxpayer may avoid a failure-to-file or failure-to-pay penalty if able to show reasonable cause for not filing or paying on time.

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Because of the constant changes to the tax law, taxpayers are currently facing many questions connected to important issues such as healthcare, home office use, capital gains, investments, and whether an individual is considered an employee or a contractor. Financial advisors are continually looking for updated tax information that can help them provide the right answers to the right people at the right time. For over 110 years, National Underwriter has provided fast, clear, and authoritative answers to financial advisors pressing questions, and it does so in the convenient, timesaving, Q&A format.

“Our brand-new Tax Facts title is exciting in many ways,” says Rick Kravitz, Vice President & Managing Director of Summit Professional Network’s Professional Publishing Division. “First of all, it fills a huge gap in the resources available to today’s advisors. Small business is a big market, and this book enables advisors to get up-and-running right away, with proven guidance that will help them serve their clients’ needs. Secondly, it addresses the biggest questions facing all taxpayers and provides absolutely reliable answers that help advisors solve today’s biggest problems with confidence.”

“Robert Bloink, Esq., LL.M., and William H. Byrnes, Esq., LL.M., CWM®—are delivering real-life guidance based on decades of experience.  The authors’ knowledge and experience in tax law and practice provides the expert guidance for National Underwriter to once again deliver a valuable resource for the financial advising community,” added Rick Kravitz.

Anyone interested can try Tax Facts on Individuals & Small Business, risk-free for 30 days, with a 100% guarantee of complete satisfaction.  For more information, please go to www.nationalunderwriter.com/TaxFactsIndividuals or call 1-800-543-0874.


If you are interested in discussing the Master or Doctoral degree in the areas of financial services or international taxation, please contact me: profbyrnes@gmail.com to Google Hangout or Skype that I may take you on an “online tour” 

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Five Great Reasons to E-file Your Tax Return

Posted by William Byrnes on February 3, 2014


The IRS has published IRS Tax Tip 2014-04 addressing “E-Filing”.

The IRS reports that 122 million taxpayers e-filed in 2013 for the 2012 tax year: IRS e-file.  The IRS provides five reasons why a taxpayer should e-file your tax return:

1. Accurate and complete.  E-file is the best way to file an accurate and complete tax return. The tax software does the math for you, and it helps you avoid mistakes.

2. Safe and secure.  IRS e-file meets strict guidelines and uses the best encryption technology. The IRS has safely and securely processed more than 1.2 billion e-filed individual tax returns since the program began.

3. Faster refunds.  E-filing usually brings a faster refund because there is nothing to mail and your return is less likely to have errors, which take longer to process. The IRS issues most refunds in less than 21 days. The fastest way to get your refund is to combine e-file with direct deposit into your bank account.

4. Payment options.  If you owe taxes, you can e-file early and set an automatic payment date anytime on or before the April 15 due date. You can pay by check or money order, or by debit or credit card. You can also transfer funds electronically from your bank account.

5. E-file’s easy.  You can e-file your federal return through IRS Free File, the free tax preparation program available only at IRS.gov. You can also use commercial tax software or ask your tax preparer to e-file your return. If you qualify, IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly will e-file your return for free.

IRS YouTube Videos:

2014_tf_on_individuals_small_businesses-m_1The newest addition to the Tax Facts Library, Tax Facts on Individuals & Small Business focuses exclusively on what individuals and small businesses need to know to maximize opportunities under today’s often complex tax rules.  It is the essential tax reference for financial advisors, & planners; insurance professionals; CPAs; attorneys; and other practitioners advising small businesses and individuals.  See http://www.nationalunderwriter.com/tax-facts-on-individuals-small-business.html

Organized in a convenient Q&A format to speed you to the information you need, Tax Facts on Individuals & Small Business delivers the latest guidance on:
» Healthcare
» Home Office
» Contractor vs. Employee — clarified!
» Business Deductions and Losses
» Business Life Insurance
» Small Business Valuation
» Small Business Entity Choices
» Accounting — including guidance on how standards change as the business grows
» Capital Gains
» Investor Losses
» New Medicare Tax and Net Investment Income tax
» Individual Income Taxation

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