irs - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

Tax And Disaster Info For Those Affected By The Fires

Linkenheimer has been an active part of our Sonoma County community for over 85 years. And like most of you, we have all been profoundly affected by these horrific fires that have swept through our community and continue to affect those that live here. We have lost houses and entire neighborhoods, friends and families have been displaced and like many of you, we are still reeling from the ongoing damage the fires have created. We want to express our utmost condolences to all of our friends, families and clients who have lost something in this disaster. And we want you to know, we will be working side by side with you all during this difficult time to rebuild our community. With power, utilities and cell phone coverage being scarce, we want to try and provide as much information as we can in one post, so that it can be shared effectively with those desperately in need of information and reassurance.

As some of you know, the October 15th tax deadline is near. We have spoken with the IRS regarding extension relief for our clients. Due to our office being located […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:04:53+00:00October 11th, 2017|Community, disaster, Fire Relief Info, irs, relief|0 Comments

Equifax Data Breach- What You Should Know

The Equifax data breach, which is estimated to have impacted 143 million Americans – nearly half the US population – is considered one of largest data breaches in history. So there is a good chance you or someone you know will be impacted by it. While hackers and scammers have been targeting innocent consumers for decades, this data breach will only complicate matters. But there are steps you can take which should allow you to rest a little easier.

First, you need to determine if any of your information was exposed or has been manipulated. You can do this by entering your last name and the last six digits of your Social Security number at Equifax’s website. The site will tell you if you’ve been affected by the data breach. Side note- people have reported that one day it will tell them they aren’t affected, but when they try again later they are, so it would be worthwhile to try it a few times to make sure they provide consistent info.
Whether or not you were exposed, Equifax has set up a free one-year monitoring service called “TrustID Premier” which you can sign up […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:04:53+00:00October 6th, 2017|fraud, irs|0 Comments

Beware of Fake Charity Scams Relating to Hurricane Harvey

WASHINGTON ― The Internal Revenue Service today issued a warning about possible fake charity scams emerging due to Hurricane Harvey and encouraged taxpayers to seek out recognized charitable groups for their donations.

While there has been an enormous wave of support across the country for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, people should be aware of criminals who look to take advantage of this generosity by impersonating charities to get money or private information from well-meaning taxpayers. Such fraudulent schemes may involve contact by telephone, social media, e-mail or in-person solicitations.

Criminals often send emails that steer recipients to bogus websites that appear to be affiliated with legitimate charitable causes. These sites frequently mimic the sites of, or use names similar to, legitimate charities, or claim to be affiliated with legitimate charities in order to persuade people to send money or provide personal financial information that can be used to steal identities or financial resources.

IRS.gov has the tools people need to quickly and easily check the status of charitable organizations.

The IRS cautions people wishing to make disaster-related charitable donations to avoid scam artists by following these tips:

Be sure to donate to recognized charities.
Be wary […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:04:54+00:00August 31st, 2017|irs|0 Comments

Tips for Tax Payers Traveling for Charity

During the summer, some taxpayers may travel because of their involvement with a qualified charity. These traveling taxpayers may be able to lower their taxes.

Here are some tax tips for taxpayers to use when deducting charity-related travel expenses:

Qualified Charities. For a taxpayer to deduct costs, they must volunteer for a qualified charity. Most groups must apply to the IRS to become qualified. Churches and governments are generally qualified, and do not need to apply to the IRS. A taxpayer should ask the group about its status before they donate. Taxpayers can also use the Select Check tool on IRS.gov to check a group’s status.
Out-of-Pocket Expenses. A taxpayer may be able to deduct some of their costs including travel. These out-of-pocket expenses must be necessary while the taxpayer is away from home. All costs must be:
- Unreimbursed,
- Directly connected with the services,
- Expenses the taxpayer had only because of the services the taxpayer gave, and
- Not personal, living or family expenses.
Genuine and Substantial Duty. The charity work the taxpayer is involved with has to be real and substantial throughout the trip. The taxpayer can’t deduct expenses if they only have nominal duties or do not […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:04:54+00:00July 28th, 2017|charity, deduction, tax|0 Comments

New Health Saving Account Limits for 2018

The Internal Revenue Service released the 2018 inflation-adjusted limitations for health savings accounts.

In Revenue Procedure 2017-37, the IRS said the annual contribution limitation on deductions for an individual with self-only coverage under a high deductible health plan is $3,450. For calendar year 2018, the annual limitation on deductions for an individual with family coverage under a high deductible health plan is $6,900. HSAs typically require high deductibles, but they allow people to set aside money from their paychecks on a pre-tax basis for medical expenses.

For calendar year 2018, according to the IRS, a “high deductible health plan” is defined as a health plan with an annual deductible that is not less than $1,350 for self-only coverage or $2,700 for family coverage, and the annual out-of-pocket expenses (deductibles, co-payments, and other amounts, but not premiums) do not exceed $6,650 for self-only coverage or $13,300 for family coverage.

For 2017, the lower limit on the annual deductible under a high-deductible plan was $1,300 for self-only coverage and $2,600 for family coverage, the same as for 2016. The upper limit for out-of-pocket expenses was $6,550 for self-only coverage and $13,100 for family […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:04:55+00:00May 24th, 2017|hsa|0 Comments