Anthony Sykes & Company

          The Employee Retention Credit ( ERC ) is a tax credit for employers who kept paying employees while closed by government order or had a great decrease in income due to COVID-19. This is a credit that can only be claimed by certain businesses and organizations that had employees during specific time periods. With this set of criteria, the ERC is continuing to be the subject of a growing advertising campaign. Wild claims are being made about who can qualify for it.           The eligibility requirements should be considered closely. One sign of a scam is stating that the application process is easy, or that someone can find out if they are eligible for it in minutes. The ERC is noted for being a very complex credit. Scammers are trying to use this situation to steal personal information or run away with large upfront fees for work that will never take place. Dishonest promoters try to lure in victims ...

                 With the Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) ready to accept tax returns, you may be wondering how to take advantage of an early start date. The best thing to do is use your time wisely. How can you do that?  The first thing you should do is to gather all of your necessary information. This is the time of year that tax information is arriving, so keep it organized and make copies to give to your Qualified Tax Professional . The earlier you start this process, the easier it will be. As a bonus, you will be less likely to be in a rush and have missing details that will prevent you from filing your tax return. If you are choosing a new Qualified Tax Professional , make appointments early to meet them and discuss your needs. The longer you wait, the less availability they will have. The best way to prepare for tax season is to gather your information and get your questions answered early.

                 The tax filing deadline has passed. However, there are some common issues that come up that have relatively simple solutions. If a taxpayer expects a refund, they are usually processed in 21 days. Keep in mind that the Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) will take longer to release a refund if the tax return is claiming a credit, has errors, or is affected by identity theft.           If you are not receiving a refund and are surprised by that development, then checking your withholding should be done. This will make sure that the correct amount of tax is being withheld from your paycheck.           Sometimes after filing their return, a taxpayer will realize that they made an error or forgot to attach a form. A common reaction is to amend their return. This should only be done to fix errors like filing status, income, deductions, ...

               Monday April 18 is approaching with certainty. The time left to file is reduced. If you are waiting until the very last minute, here are some things you should keep in mind.           File online. Those who file online tend to have fewer errors. Common errors will be picked up and needed information will be asked for. Additionally, any paper mail will take months to be processed. That will lead to penalties and interest. Filing online is the most practical option.           Consider an extension. This allows extra time to file a tax return, not to pay any taxes due. Any estimated tax liability must be paid by April 18 to be considered on time.           Extra information. When dealing with something like the Advance Child Tax Credit payment or trying to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit ...

          The Earned Income Tax Credit ( EITC ) is one of the largest tax credits. It has expanded for this year in a number of ways. For example, there is now no upper age limit for taxpayers to qualify for this credit. In addition, the EITC has expanded to include many who do not have children.           They must be at least 19 years old with income below certain limits. There are also provisions for those who are 18 and experiencing homelessness or who were in foster care. Overall, the amount of the credit has been raised and Economic Impact Payments or child tax credit payments do not count toward income when claiming this credit. Keep in mind that when claiming this credit, it will delay your tax refund by a few weeks by law as the Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) checks to see if you truly qualify.

       The Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) has finished issuing the third round of Economic Impact Payments ( EIP ). This means that if you qualified, but did not receive the full amount, you must claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit on your tax return. This also applies to those who do not normally file a tax return. Families that added a new dependent in 2021 may be eligible for a greater amount.      The IRS will send a letter confirming what was sent in 2021, so taxpayers must carefully look at the information and determine what amount, if anything, they can claim as a credit. Doing this will help avoid processing delays. Careful review is needed in this matter. Having a Qualified Tax Professional would be helpful.

               Now that tax season has officially started, you need to make sure that you have everything that the Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) will be looking for. This means that we need to be organized with our documents that are arriving in the early portion of the year. Do not file early without supporting details from a W-2 or 1099. This can lead to mistakes and cause processing delays.           At this point, the necessary material is already available online, or has been mailed. Make sure to review it carefully for any mistakes. Something new this year is a letter called Advanced Child Tax Credit Reconciliation. This is needed to claim the amount of Child Tax Credit that was not advanced last year. Carefully check to make sure the calculations are correct. Most refunds are issued in 21 days, but some can take longer. However, paper tax returns and paper checks will take longer than e...

                 While most people do, there are some who do not normally file a tax return. There are good reasons to check and see if you should file this year. For example, to claim any tax credit like the Child Tax Credit or the Earned Income Tax Credit ( EITC ) a tax return must be filed. This will determine if the taxpayer qualifies.           Something that is still relatively new is the Recovery rebate credit. This is a result of the Economic Impact Payments. If you qualified but did not receive your third stimulus payment last year, it can be claimed as a credit. This can only happen if you file a tax return and provide your income for 2021. This credit can reduce any taxes that you might owe, or it will be included in your total refund.

           With each new year, the Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) makes changes to the tax law, and 2022 will be no different. Now is the time to get informed about these adjustments.           Economic Impact Payments have been a part of our lives for 2 years. However, some may not have received all of their third payment. A taxpayer in this situation may be eligible for the recovery rebate credit . They would need to file a 2021 tax return to determine how much they could claim. It is also necessary to use the records you already have regarding your previous stimulus payments. Keeping good records is always important.           When it comes to Child Tax Credits , many families got monthly advance payments. If the total was less than they were eligible for, the balance can be claimed on their tax return. If there were no advance payments, the entire amount can ...

             Time seems to move faster and faster. With the end of the year approaching, now is the time to prepare for filing taxes in 2022. Before we know it, different tax forms will be released documenting activity for this year. How can we get ready for that now?           Something that has made this year different from others are the advance Child Tax Credit payments and the third Economic Impact Payment. For those who qualified for this income, all documents need to be saved. This will help determine if the Taxpayer is eligible for a credit, especially if they did not receive their full payment. Now is the time to make sure that any address or name changes have been reported to the Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) to avoid needless delays. Planning now will make things easier during filing season.

             A known part of the American Rescue Plan ( ARP ) Act, which was enacted in March 2021, is that there would be an Advance Child Tax Credit. These are advance payments of what would be expected to be claimed on the 2021 tax return. However, things can become complicated when there is shared custody of the children.           How does the Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) decide who gets these advance payments? The information is based off of the 2020 or 2019 tax returns. So the parent that claimed them in the most recent year will be the one who gets the tax credit. If they alternate years claiming the tax and the one who will claim it is not getting the payments, they should remove themselves from this program. This will allow the other parent to claim the credit in their 2021 tax return. The other parent may need to repay the IRS if they received advance payments. If changes need to be ma...

                 The National Taxpayer Advocate is required to issue a report to Congress on how the Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) is functioning. This would include positive points and where they need to improve. How do you think the IRS did in the tax filing season of 2021?           The IRS completed 136 million income tax returns and issued 96 million refunds. This is very similar to what was done in 2019. (The year 2019 is used as a comparison because nothing can ever compare to 2020.) These efforts are made more impressive by the fact that the IRS also issued 3 rounds of Economic Impact Payments within 15 months. With this encouraging news, there are some areas that are in need of improvement.           There is currently a backlog of 35 million individual and business tax returns that need to be processed. Almost half of them are o...

             The American Rescue Plan ( ARP ) Act of 2021 is expansive and has the potential to touch every aspect of the lives of Taxpayers, as we have mentioned in previous posts. This is something to keep in mind for those who have not filed, have filed an extension, or who may see the need to file an amended Tax Return. For example, the Earned Income Tax Credit ( EITC ) has changed, not just for this year, but for years to come.           As a reflection of the times, there is an increase in the amount of investment income allowed while still qualifying for the EITC . The new amount is $10,000 starting this year. Married, but separated spouses who do not file jointly may attempt to qualify for this credit. They need to be legally separated and not live in the same home. However some changes only apply to this year, like being able to receive half of this credit in advance . For those who have the...

          The tax deadline has passed, but we are still learning more about how the American Rescue Plan ( APR ) is impacting a variety of tax situations. This is something to keep in mind for those who have not filed, have filed an extension, or may see the need to file an amended Tax Return.           For example, the Child and Dependent Care credit has increased greatly for 2021. This credit would apply to children 13 and younger, or a child of any age or spouse that is unable to care for themselves and lives with the Taxpayer for over half the year. The allowable amount of related expenses that can be claimed has more than doubled. However, these increases are only available for 2021. They are also fully refundable, which means that an eligible person can receive this credit even if they do not owe any federal income tax. Check with your Qualified Tax Professional to see if this may apply to you.

     We have stated before that the American Rescue Plan of 2021 ( ARP ) is expansive and it will take time to understand all the areas that it touches. It was recently announced that there are tax credits to help businesses provide paid time off for employees receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. This would be available to eligible employers with less than 500 employees.      That means if the employer offers a paid day off to get a vaccine, this tax credit will equal the amount of wages paid. There are also tax credits that reimburse the cost of providing sick and family leave related to COVID-19 . These credits are available for use from April 1 to September 30, 2021. There are similar credits available for those who are self-employed.

     As we have stated before, the American Rescue Plan ( ARP ) Act is expansive and touches many areas. One aspect is a temporary enhancement to the Child Tax Credit. Under ARP this credit would be increased to $3,000 per child from the ages of 6 – 17 and $3,600 for every child under the age of 6. After some initial hesitation about being able to implement this because of all the other new tax laws being enacted, the Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) has confirmed that it will be able to provide this tax credit. It will start as payments from $250 - $300 per child starting in July and ending in December. The rest can be claimed on their Tax Return in 2022. How will they know who qualifies, and for how much?      The only way for a family to qualify for this credit is to file a 2020 Tax Return. If this is not done, the IRS will not have the needed information to deliver the credit. This is another reason to not wait unnecessarily to file a Tax Return this...

          There is a 3 year window to claim a Tax Refund. For those who did not file a 2017 Tax Return, that window will soon be closing. The Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) says that the last day to claim any of the $1.3 billion is May 17. After this, it will belong to the Treasury Department. It’s estimated that the median amount of the refunds is $865. For a state like California, there is the potential for over $120 million in refunds for that Tax Season. All that is needed is to file that 2017 Tax Return. There is no penalty for filing late, if you are receiving a refund. This can be the key to getting an Economic Impact Payment ( EIP ) if you did not get one last year and you qualify. However, that refund might be held back if you have not filed for 2018 or 2019. The refund may also be applied to any outstanding federal or state tax debts, unpaid child support, or student loans.           Those who have not filed the...

When the American Rescue Plan ( ARP ) Act was enacted last month, it allowed for up to $10,200 of Unemployment income to be untaxed. However, for weeks prior, Taxpayer’s had been filing their Tax Returns and paying the full tax on all of their income, including Unemployment benefits. The Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) stated that amended returns did not need to be filed at that time. Now they have presented the solution to this paradox. Starting this month, the IRS will automatically reexamine Tax Returns that were filed before the new rules went in place. They will determine the correct taxable amount and if there is an overpayment it will be refunded, or it will go toward any taxes owed. For most, there will be no need to file an amended return. The exception would be if the new taxable amount allowed you to qualify for a new tax credit or deduction. At that point an amended Tax Return must be filed. The new refunds are scheduled to be sent out in May. Make sure to speak with yo...

             At this point the Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) has not released the date when it will start to accept Tax Returns. However, we do know about many of the changes coming this Tax Season. As a reflection of what happened in 2020, there are some different things to consider when filing in 2021.           Recovery Rebate Credit. This would apply to those who never received their Economic Impact Payment ( EIP ) in 2020, or what they got was less than what they qualified for. Refund Interest Payments. If you filed on time and got your Tax Refund after April 15, 2020 it was late, and the IRS paid interest for the delay in sending the refund. That interest is also income that must be declared. The appropriate form will be sent soon. Another point to keep in mind is that you should never depend on a Tax Refund to arrive at a particular time. It usually takes 3 weeks, but certain credit cl...

     The Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) is making a special effort to make sure that taxpayers know about a special charity deduction that is available this year. The year of 2020 has affected all of us in different ways. However, because of the unique challenges faced this year, some may feel even more motivated to give to charities. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security ( CARES ) Act gives extra encouragement to do so.      This special tax law allows for a $300 tax deduction without the need to itemize your Tax Return. This special deduction will allow for some extra tax savings while using the standard deduction. To qualify, these donations must be made by cash, check, debit or credit card. Good records must be kept, including having a receipt or acknowledgement letter from the charity to file with your Tax Return. Please check to make sure that the organization you choose is eligible for tax-deductible donations. Make an appointment wit...