Money Matters

When it comes to taxes, enrolled agents are the experts. Enrolled agents are the only federally licensed tax practitioners who specialize in taxation and also have unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS. The enrolled agent profession dates back to 1884 when, after receiving questionable claims for Civil War losses, Congress enacted regulations for people who represented citizens before the US Treasury Department.

New mileage rates went into effect Jan. 1 and they are lower than the 2015 rates. The Internal Revenue Service's "optional standard mileage rates"are used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.

The 2016 standard mileage rates for the use of a car, van, pickup or panel trucks are:

Are you receiving suspicious phone calls? People claiming they are they are the IRS and demanding money? 

The IRS has listed phone scams as one of the most prevalent tax scams underway today. Taxpayers are receiving aggressive and threatening phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents. The callers may demand money or even promise a refund to trick you into sharing private and personal information. During filing season, there is an uptick of complaints reporting phone scammers who are threatening arrest, deportation, license revocation, and other things. 

It's a scenario that keeps people up at night: you've discovered that you made a mistake on your taxes. Will the IRS come knocking on your door? Will federal agents sweep into your home and arrest you in the middle of the night?

Fortunately, neither of those scenarios is likely. Every year, thousands of taxpayers make honest mistakes on their forms and file Amended Returns using Form 1040X. Amended returns aren't just limited to mistakes that will cost you money. Often a correction involves claiming deductions that you missed, or additional tax credits, which can mean a larger refund for you.

According to the Federal Trade Commision, there are over 9 million victims of Identity Theft in the US every year. It becomes a stressful challenge for businesses, organizations and government agencies, including the IRS.

In most cases of Identity theft, you may not be aware that someone has stolen your identity. Identity theft happens when someone uses your stolen Social Security Number to file a tax return claiming a fraudulent refund. Luckily, the IRS is the first to detect the the fraud after you try to file your taxes.