tax time - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

Paperwork You Can Toss After Filing Your Tax Return

Once you file your 2022 tax return, you may wonder what personal tax papers you can throw away and how long you should retain certain records. You may have to produce those records if the IRS audits your return or seeks to assess tax.

It’s a good idea to keep the actual returns indefinitely. But what about supporting records such as receipts and canceled checks? In general, except in cases of fraud or substantial understatement of income, the IRS can only assess tax within three years after the return for that year was filed (or three years after the return was due). For example, if you filed your 2019 tax return by its original due date of April 15, 2020, the IRS has until April 15, 2023, to assess a tax deficiency against you. If you file late, the IRS generally has three years from the date you filed.

However, the assessment period is extended to six years if more than 25% of gross income is omitted from a return. […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2023-04-11T23:11:18+00:00April 11th, 2023|file return, tax time|0 Comments

Smooth Sailing: Tips To Speed Processing And Avoid Hassles This Tax Season

The IRS began accepting 2021 individual tax returns on January 24. If you haven’t prepared yet for tax season, here are three quick tips to help speed processing and avoid hassles.

Tip 1. Contact us soon for an appointment to prepare your tax return.

Tip 2. Gather all documents needed to prepare an accurate return. This includes W-2 and 1099 forms. In addition, you may have received statements or letters in connection with Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) or advance Child Tax Credit (CTC) payments.

Letter 6419, 2021 Total Advance Child Tax Credit Payments, tells taxpayers who received CTC payments how much they received. Since the advance payments represented about one-half of the total credit, taxpayers who received CTC payments need to file a return to collect the rest of the credit. Letter 6475, Your Third Economic Impact Payment, tells taxpayers who received an EIP in 2021 the amount of that payment. Taxpayers […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2022-01-28T21:03:23+00:00January 28th, 2022|New Tax Laws, tax planning, tax time|0 Comments

Still Have Questions After You File Your Tax Return?

Even after your 2020 tax return has been successfully filed with the IRS, you may still have some questions about the return. Here are brief answers to three questions that we’re frequently asked at this time of year.

Are you wondering when you will receive your refund?

The IRS has an online tool that can tell you the status of your refund. Go to irs.gov and click on “Get Your Refund Status.” You’ll need your Social Security number, filing status and the exact refund amount.

Which tax records can you throw away now?

At a minimum, keep tax records related to your return for as long as the IRS can audit your return or assess additional taxes. In general, the statute of limitations is three years after you file your return. So you can generally get rid of most records related to tax returns for 2017 and earlier years. (If you filed an extension for your […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2021-05-19T23:37:38+00:00May 19th, 2021|tax, tax time|0 Comments

Three Questions You May Have After You File Your Return

Once your 2018 tax return has been successfully filed with the IRS, you may still have some questions. Here are brief answers to three questions that we’re frequently asked at this time of year.

Question #1: What tax records can I throw away now?

At a minimum, keep tax records related to your return for as long as the IRS can audit your return or assess additional taxes. In general, the statute of limitations is three years after you file your return. So you can generally get rid of most records related to tax returns for 2015 and earlier years. (If you filed an extension for your 2015 return, hold on to your records until at least three years from when you filed the extended return.)

However, the statute of limitations extends to six years for taxpayers who understate their gross income by more than 25%.

You’ll need to hang on to […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:04:06+00:00April 18th, 2019|irs, New Tax Laws, tax planning, tax time|0 Comments

What’s New for 2018 California Tax Returns?

What’s new for 2018 California tax returns? The list of changes is long. That’s why the CA Franchise Tax Board has created a “Taxnews” page, with information about tax filing. The page includes information about credits such as the earned income credit, the new employment credit and the CA Competes credit, plus instructions for many other tax topics.

A few of the highlights include:

Federal Tax Reform

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) signed into law on December 22, 2017, made changes to the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). In general, California Revenue and Taxation Code does not conform to the changes. California taxpayers continue to follow the IRC as of the specified date of January 1, 2015, with modifications. The IRS issued Notice 2019-11 to provide for a waiver of the estimated tax penalty for taxpayers whose 2018 federal income tax withholding and estimated tax payments fell short of their total tax liability for the year.

This relief is designed to help taxpayers who were unable to properly adjust their withholding and estimated tax payments to reflect an array of changes under the TCJA, the far-reaching tax reform law enacted in December 2017. For California purposes, the TJCA had no general impact to the […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:04:15+00:00March 1st, 2019|business, ca, CA tax, california, credit, file return, New Tax Laws, tax planning, tax time|0 Comments