If you’re a small business owner who is thinking about closing your business for good, you should be aware that there is more to closing a business than laying off employees, selling office furniture, and closing the doors – you must also take certain actions as required by the IRS to fulfill your tax obligations. For example, if you have employees, you must file final employment tax returns as well as make final federal tax deposits of these taxes.
Federal Tax Obligations During Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
The most common type of bankruptcy for individuals is Chapter 13, which allows individuals and small business owners in financial difficulty to repay their creditors. Often, it is a last resort for wage earners (individuals and those filing jointly as spouses), the self-employed and sole proprietor businesses to get out of their debts. While the overall bankruptcy rate has been dropping in recent years, Chapter 13 appears to be increasing, according to the US Courts. If you’re considering filing for Chapter 13, here’s what you should know about federal tax obligations:
Lending Money to a Friend? It Pays To Plan Ahead
Lending money to a cash-strapped friend or family member is a noble and generous offer that just might make a difference. But before you hand over the cash, you need to plan ahead to avoid tax complications for yourself down the road.
Early Withdrawals from Retirement Plans
Many people find themselves in situations where they need to withdraw money from their retirement plan earlier than planned. Doing so, however, can trigger an additional tax on top of any income tax taxpayers may have to pay. Here are five things taxpayers should know about early withdrawals from retirement plans:
Filing Payroll Taxes Electronically Using E-file
Business owners can simplify things by filing payroll taxes electronically. E-file software performs calculations and populates forms and schedules using a step-by-step process. It will also alert the filer if they are missing information which reduces the chances of receiving an IRS notice.
Penalty Relief for Certain 2019 and 2020 Tax Returns
Penalty relief for struggling taxpayers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is now available to most people and businesses who file certain 2019 or 2020 returns late. Eligible income tax returns must be filed on or before September 30, 2022, to qualify for this relief. Furthermore, the nearly 1.6 million taxpayers who have already paid these penalties will automatically receive more than $1.2 billion in refunds or credits. Many of these payments will be completed by the end of September.
Requesting a Tax Transcript From the IRS
Filing an error-free tax return is key to taxpayers getting any refund they are due as soon as possible. Using Online Account on the IRS website is the fastest and easiest way to see account information such as estimated tax payments, prior year adjusted gross income, and economic impact payment amounts. Taxpayers who don’t have an account will need to create one.
Got Cash? What To Do With a Windfall
A cash windfall is any amount of money that you didn’t expect to receive and is over your regular income. Most would consider it to be any amount over $1,000 – and quite often, the amount of money is much more than that. For example, you may have received a bonus at work, an inheritance, a legal settlement, a profit from selling a property or business, or won the lottery.
Understanding Your Rights as a Taxpayer
By law, all taxpayers have fundamental rights when interacting with the IRS, and all taxpayers should know and understand their rights. Ten categories of rights are presented in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Here’s an overview:
Do You Need to File an Amended Return?
If you discover a mistake on your tax return after you’ve already filed it, don’t panic. In most cases, all you have to do is file an amended tax return. Here’s what you need to know: