What Is The Best Date For My Fiscal Year
Businesses usually consider two criteria for setting a fiscal year end:
- Type of business: A sole proprietorship or a business that is taxed as a sole proprietorship must use a December 31 fiscal year-end to match the personal tax year-end.
- Business cycle: If your business is not taxed as a sole proprietorship, you can choose the end of any quarter for your fiscal year-end. Most companies base their fiscal year-end on the business cycle for their industry, choosing the end of the busiest time for their fiscal year-end.
Some examples: Companies that do most of their business in the summer might choose a September 30 year-end. If your business does a lot of work with the U.S. government, you might choose a September 30 year-end to coincide with the federal government’s fiscal year-end. If your business does most of its selling during the holidays, you might choose December 31.
Why Doesnt My Income Tax Form Show How Much Money Ill Get Back
Since the OTB is not part of your income tax assessment, you dont have to calculate your entitlement on your tax return. This makes it easier to apply. Instead, the Canada Revenue Agency will calculate your entitlement for you based on the information you provide on your return.
To get an estimate of your OTB entitlement, you can use our Child and family benefits calculator.
If you want to calculate your OTB entitlement yourself, you have to calculate each component separately. Go to:
- Ontario sales tax credit use the calculation information provided.
How Can I Obtain Copies Of Previously Filed Returns
You may obtain copies of previously filed returns using self-service.
Include your full name, complete current mailing address and the tax year with your request.
- Primary filers Social Security number
- Primary filers last name
- Tax year
- Adjusted Gross Income /Total Household Resources
- If your AGI is a negative number, enter – after the number. Example: 1045-
Note: If you are unable to authenticate using your current tax year information, select the previous tax year forauthentication. When you submit your question, explain that you selected a previous tax year forauthentication. Include the AGI/THR and tax year for which you are inquiring.
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How To Plan Ahead To Pay Back Taxes
The best way to avoid paying back taxes is filing your annual tax return during tax season. Take time to review your overall tax situation to come up with strategies for reducing your tax bill and achieving your financial goals.
If you think you owe back taxes, consider working with a tax professional who can help you gather past tax returns and file any that you may have missed.
If you think you might owe the IRS when you file your tax return this year or next, consider making estimated tax payments in advance. These payments are generally required for sole proprietors who arent subject to withholding from their paychecks by an employer. Making quarterly estimated tax payments can help you to avoid penalties on your upcoming tax return.
Why Do I See A Tax Topic 151 Tax Topic 152 Or Irs Error Message
Although the Where’s My Refund tool typically shows a status of Received, Approved or Sent, there are a variety of other messages some users may see.
One of the most common is Tax Topic 152, indicating you’re likely getting a refund but it hasn’t been approved or sent yet. The notice simply links out to an informational topic page on the IRS FAQ website explaining the types and timing of tax refunds.
The delay could be an automated message for taxpayers claiming the child tax credit or earned income tax credit sent because of additional fraud protection steps.
Tax Topic 151 means your tax return is now under review by the IRS. The agency either needs to verify certain credits or dependents, or it has determined that your tax refund will be reduced to pay money that it believes you owe. You’ll need to wait about four weeks to receive a notice from the IRS explaining what you need to do to resolve the status.
There are other IRS refund codes that a small percentage of tax filers receive, indicating freezes, math errors on tax returns or undelivered checks. The College Investor offers a list of IRS refund reference codes and errors and their meaning.
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Why Does My Company’s Fiscal Year Matter
It depends on the type of business you own. If you have a seasonal business that has highs and lows in sales and activity, you may decide you want to have your business fiscal year be the end of the quarter after the activity has ended. This makes it easier to see how your business has done for the year.
For example, a retail business that does all its sales over the holidays may want a December 31 year-end.
How Do I Change My Company’s Fiscal Year Or Tax Year
Since a fiscal year is an internal matter, your business can make changes in the fiscal year according to your corporate by-laws, any partnership or LLC agreements, or by other means .
If you change your fiscal year, you must change your tax year. If you want to change your tax year, you must have IRS approval. The general form used to change a tax year is IRS Form 1128 – Application to Adopt, Change, or Retain a Tax Year.
If your business is a partnership, S corporation, or personal services corporation, you may need to use IRS Form 8716 to change your tax year to a year other than the required tax year.
Changing your business tax year or fiscal year may be more complicated than it seems. IRS Form 1128, for example, is long and confusing. Get help from a tax attorney or other tax professional if you want to change your tax year.
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How To Check Your Refund Status
Use the Where’s My Refund tool or the IRS2Go mobile app to check your refund online. This is the fastest and easiest way to track your refund. The systems are updated once every 24 hours.
You can to check on the status of your refund. However, IRS live phone assistance is extremely limited at this time. Wait times to speak with a representative can be long. But you can avoid the wait by using the automated phone system. Follow the message prompts when you call.
Information Needed For Your Federal Income Tax Return
Each January, we mail an IRS Form 1099-G to individuals we paid unemployment benefits during the prior calendar year. The 1099-G form provides information you need to report your benefits. Use the information from the form, but do not attach a copy of the 1099-G to your federal income tax return because TWC has already reported the 1099-G information to the IRS. You can file your federal tax return without a 1099-G form, as explained below in Filing Your Return Without Your 1099-G.
A 1099-G form is a federal tax form that lists the total amount of benefits TWC paid you, including:
- Unemployment benefits
- Federal income tax withheld from unemployment benefits, if any
- Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance and Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance payments
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If You Have A Side Hustle Your Estimated Taxes Are Due Today
Sarah Szczypinski
Staff Writer
Sarah is a staff writer at CNET, covering personal finance. She previously contributed stories about money, health, and parenting to The New York Times, The Seattle Times, and The Washington Post. She once bought a car on eBay.
Courtney Johnston
Editor
Courtney Johnston is an editor for CNET Money, where she focuses on tax coverage and manages the team’s editorial workflow and publishing calendar. Passionate about financial literacy and inclusion, she has a decade of prior experience as a freelance journalist covering investing, insurance and real estate. She has a master’s degree in Professional Writing from the University of Indianapolis, where she also served as a writing instructor. A New Jersey native, she currently resides in Indianapolis, but continues to pine for East Coast pizza and bagels.
What’s happening
Since self-employed workers and freelancers don’t have taxes withheld from their salaries, they’re required to pay estimated tax payments.
Why it matters
It’s important to pay quarterly estimated taxes to avoid tax penalties — and a huge tax bill — when filing your tax return.
What’s next
The next estimated tax due date is June 15, 2022.
Choosing The Best Tax Software
You can buy tax software that you install on your computer or online programs that you can access through an internet browser. In either case, different providers offer several versions to fit a wide range of individual tax needs, and both online and desktop tax software come with some advantages and disadvantages.
One company’s “basic” version doesn’t necessarily offer the same features as another company’s “basic” product. “Premium” versions might share the same base features, but some have additional perks that you won’t find in another software package.
Although it’s rare, some software comes in a single version with all the features needed for just about any tax situation. But most are available in more than one version.
Tax software is typically only offered for free to new customers or those with basic tax returns. You might have to pay for the product this year if you used a free version last year or choose another free tax software to use this year to avoid charges. You’ll probably also have to pay if your tax situation has gotten more complicated.
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How To Track Your Refund Using The Irs’ Where’s My Refund Tool
To use the IRS tracker tools, you’ll need to provide your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number your filing status and your refund amount in whole dollars, which you can find on your tax return. Make sure it’s been at least 24 hours before you start tracking your refund, or up to four weeks if you mailed your return.
Go to the Get Refund Status page on the IRS website and enter your personal data, then press Submit. You should be taken to a page that shows your refund status. If not, you may be asked to verify your personal tax data and try again. If all the information looks correct, you’ll need to enter the date you filed your taxes, along with whether you filed electronically or on paper.
Requesting A Duplicate 1099
If you do not receive your Form 1099-G by February 1, and you received unemployment benefits during the prior calendar year, you may request a duplicate 1099-G form by phone:
We cannot process requests for duplicate 1099-G forms until after February 1 because throughout January we are still mailing the original forms.
You do not need a paper copy of Form 1099-G to file your federal tax return the IRS only needs the total amount of benefits TWC paid you during the previous calendar year and the amount of taxes withheld.
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Paying Debts And Collecting Tax Refunds
Paying any tax due on each completed return is relatively simple. The IRS wants your money, so it doesnt make the process challenging. You can go to its Direct Pay website to pay by electronic debit from your checking or savings account, and the IRS accepts credit card payments on its website, as well.
Keep in mind that there are time limits for refunds, audits, and debt collection. In most cases, your refund “expires three years from the date your tax return was due. But if you owe other tax debtsbecause you have a balance due from another year, for exampleyour refund will typically be applied to offset that debt.
Create a plan for paying off your tax debts if it turns out that you owe the IRS money. You might also want to plan on how to protect yourself from an IRS investigation, assessment, federal tax lien, or possibly a levy. You may have a few options, such as setting up an installment agreement with the IRS for a monthly payment plan or asking for an offer in compromise.
The IRS can and will impose penalties and interest on tax liabilities that aren’t paid in full by the deadline for the tax return.
Go Online And Use The Wheres My Refund Irs Tool It Works
Although the IRS Wheres My Refund tool is available to check the progress of your return, it only applies to the tax return you filed for the mostcurrent tax year.
For example, lets say you file your 2013 tax return and soon after remember to file your late 2012 return. Although you filed your 2013 taxes before your 2012, 2013 is going to be the one that the IRS site shows the status for since it is the most recent tax year in their database for you.
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Tax Return Rejections: How To Be Sure To Enter Your Correct Agi
To e-file your taxes, you’ll need to match last year’s AGI. But what if your 2020 tax return hasn’t been processed yet?
Peter Butler
How To and Money writer
I’m a writer/editor for CNET How-To and Money, living in South Berkeley, CA with two kids and two cats. I enjoy a variety of games and sports — particularly poker, ping-pong, disc golf, basketball, baseball, puzzles and independent video games.
The IRS uses your AGI from the prior year to confirm your identity when you e-file.
The tax term AGI, or adjusted gross income, represents the amount of income that the IRS considers taxable for any given year. Your AGI from 2021 is important for determining your potential tax refund, but your AGI from 2020 is absolutely necessary in order to electronically file your 2021 tax return at all.
The IRS uses your AGI from the year prior as a method identity verification. If there’s a discrepancy between your 2021 tax return and your 2020 AGI as recorded by the IRS, your tax return won’t be accepted. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that several taxpayers are seeing tax returns rejected this year due to incorrect 2020 AGIs.
Read on to learn more about how to enter your AGI on your 2021 electronic tax return, regardless of your filing or tax return status for 2020.
What Tax Documents Do I Need To File Back Taxes
When was the last year you filed? Do you have a copy of that tax return? Do you still have W-2s and other tax documents for the years you didn’t file?
You can request copies of your tax documents from the IRS if youre missing anything by filing Form 4506-T, or you can contact your employer or the institution that would have sent them to you.
Keep in mind that current or former employers or other establishments might not still have these documents on file, or at least they may not be easily accessible. There might also be a fee if you choose this option.
At a minimum, youll need Forms W-2 and 1099 for any income you brought in during the year in question, as well as specific tax returns and forms for that tax year. For example, you cant file a 2020 Form 1040 to report 2019 income. You should also gather supporting documentation of anything you spent that year that might be tax deductible or that will qualify you for tax credits, such as bank statements and credit card statements for that period of time.
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Refund Delays Due To Fraud
Another thing that could affect your IRS tax refund status is fraudulent activity on your Social Security number. You likely wont even be aware of this until you file. Identity theft has become a persistent problem with the IRS, even though the agency has put protections in place to keep taxpayers safe.
Fraudulent tax activity happens when someone uses your Social Security number to file a return and get access to your refund. If this happens, the IRS may notice it in advance and send a letter alerting you to it, but often the agency will find out when you try to file your own return, and they already have one filed on your behalf.
To prevent tax filing fraud, do your best to safeguard your Social Security number. Try to avoid using it as an identifier or including it on forms you submit non-securely.
If you work as an independent contractor, consider obtaining an Employer ID Number that you can use when filling out Form W-9 to perform work for someone. You can get an EIN in a matter of minutes on the IRS website and any taxes paid will be connected to your Social Security number without having to give that information to random third parties.
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A File Taxes Online With Tax Software
If youve used tax software in the past, you already know how to prepare and file taxes online. Many major tax software providers offer access to human preparers, too.
TurboTax, H& R Block, TaxAct and TaxSlayer, for example, all offer software packages or support options that come with on-demand, on-screen or online access to human tax pros who can answer questions, review your return and even file taxes online for you.
The IRS Free File program can get you free online tax preparation software from several tax-prep companies, including major brands. You must have less than $72,000 of adjusted gross income to qualify.
» MORE:See our picks for the year’s best tax filing software
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