IRS Assistance For Your Taxes

Hi All,

A new year has started -heck, we're one month into it already!  Which means...no, not that the SuperBowl is almost upon us.  No, it doesn't mean that March Madness (college basketball tournament) is upon us either...

It means that taxes are due in a few months - April 15th to be exact.  And that is just about 77 days away - that's 11 weeks.  So it is about time to get started on those tax returns.  But we have help for you today in the form of a few IRS links!

Click on this link to access the IRS Publication 17 from their website. Specifically Publication 17 covers the general rules for filing a federal income tax return. It explains the tax law to make sure someone pays only the tax they owe and no more.

Another helpful link the IRS has generated is the ITA - which stands for Interactive Tax Assistant.  Click here to use the ITA.

So just exactly what is the ITA?  Basically it provides answers to several tax law questions. The ITA includes question-and-answer session for a variety of topics. Users simply respond to basic questions to find the answers they need. Topics include:

• Do I Need to File a Tax Return?
• Who Can I Claim as a Dependent?
• How Much Is My Standard Deduction?
• What Is My Filing Status?
• Am I Eligible to Claim an Education Credit?

Finally, the IRS has created a link for taxpayers to find out where their refund is.  Click on this link to find out where your refund is!

So there you have it - three very, very useful IRS link to assist you with your taxes.

Hope this helps with your 2017 tax return!

Regards,
Stu

IRS Tax Information

Hi All,

April 15th is far, far from now - but at some point in your life you might need to get a copy of a tax return that you filled out for a prior year. 

The IRS is here to help - isn't that great?  But seriously, the way to get a transcript of your tax return is quick and easy.

Click on this link from the IRS to get a transcript.  Note that you can get a transcript online AND you can get a transcript mailed to you directly.

Click this link for an FAQ from the IRS regarding transcripts of your tax return. In addition, taxpayers can view there tax account within the last 18 months by clicking on this link!

Some other helpful tax links from the IRS include:
View your balance and payment history
Notify the IRS of an address change
Order transcript of your tax return(s)

Finally, click on this link in order to subscribe to the IRS Tax tips newsletter. Who knows - it might save you money!

Hope these links help!

Regards,
Stu

Free Online Calculators - Calkoo

Hi All,

Who doesn't need a calculator?  They are free, fast to use and accurate. And now with the internet you use a free calculator instantaneously. 

A website called Calkoo (I haven't foggiest as to why that's it's name!) has various calculators in many of the major languages (think English, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Chinese). 

At the top of the page is a list of the top 5 most use calculators.  There are also calculators on topics as varies as Taxes, Date and Time, Financial Analysis, Stock Analysis, Loan and Leasing, Measurement, basic mathematics, Health and Fitness topics. 

One you click on a particular calculator a new page appears.  You need to enter the required information and the calculator does the rest - the statistic is calculated. 

Done and done!

Enjoy the site and the calculators.
Regards,
Stu

What To Do With Your Tax Refund?

Hi All,

Well, tax day has come and gone...and now we - some of us at least - can look forward to receiving either/or federal (IRS) or state (New York State or another state if you lived there last year) refunds.

So...what can you do with your refund?

Turbotax has a link titled, '12 Smart Things To Do With Your Tax Refund'.  So does Kiplinger ('10 Smart Uses for Your Tax Refund') and Nerdwallet ('9 Smart Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund').

But wait there's more!

AARP has chimed in with an article ttitled '10 Smart Things to Do With Your Tax Refund'.  As did Dave Ramsey - financial pundit - with an article titled, 'What Do I Do with My Tax Refund?'

Finally Mint launched an article called, '10 Smart Ways to Use Your Tax Refund'.

Okay, okay... you get the idea. 
Enjoy the links and the refund!

Regards,
Stu

Hi All,

So here we are! It's down to the wire because today is April 15th. Which means its tax time.  Your taxes are due by 11:59pm tonight.

Here are a few quick links that'll help you get through the next few hours:
IRS website
Automatic Extension of Time form from the IRS. 
Click on this link for an article that explains what you can do if you have to file an extension for your tax return for 2014. 

This next article is an interesting read. The title is 'Tax Day: Get Your Return in On Time'.  The article includes filing tips from the IRS that are common mistakes. 

Click this link if you can't pay your federal tax bill in full.  

Click here if you need an extension form for your New York State taxes.

For those of you who are still determined to file your taxes here are a few sites that will give you some tips and suggestions on how to make filing easier.

IRS Interactive Tax Assistant
2014 Federal Tax Rate Schedules
You and Your Taxes - from AARP
About.com/Money - Filling Out Your Own Tax Return
IRS - Filing Your Taxes

Good luck filing your taxes.

Regards,
Stu

Free Tax Resources

Hi All,

While the tax deadline -  Wednesday, April 15th - is just about 6 weeks away, it is never too early to start your taxes.  Problems, unexpected issues or questions or other situation might arise that can make every day count as the tax deadline looms.

That said,  here are a few links to help you get started on your taxes.  Note that all links are free and accessible via the web.

For your federal tax return a must see site is the IRS website - which can be found by clicking on this link.  Some of the excellent features on the IRS website include the ability to print out current year and prior year tax forms, the ability to download (and read) instructions for various tax forms/publications and to find out about your tax refund status.

As you know, New York State also needs their share of the tax pie from taxpayers.  As a result, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance is also a great place to start any tax research that you might have with current year tax questions or problems. Click on this link to check your refund status.  Click on this link to find New York State tax forms by form number.  Use this link to find tax forms by tax type.  If you have any questions about your New York State Tax return, you can click on this link (which goes to the Taxpayer Answer Center).

Finally, an excellent third-party resource that all taxpayers should know about is JK Lasser's website.

This next link goes to the JK Lasser 'Articles' site - where a multitude of articles and suggestions are available to taxpayers for free.  An excellent link goes to their 'Getting Ready For 2015' page.  This next link goes to the JK Lasser 'Personal' site for individual taxpayers.

Enjoy the links and hopefully your tax refunds will be huge this year!

Regards,
Stu

Tax Time (April 15th) is Approaching Fast!!!

Hi All,

It is a rite of spring as old as Spring Training, College Basketball's 'March Madness' or the thawing of snow.  I'm talking about....taxes.  A yearly event for those who have income - it is a complicated and arduous process to complete.  And there is always the money that you might have to pay at the end of the day - yes....taxes.

This blog entry will help you find ways to complete both your federal and state tax return. Note...I am not giving individual tax advice!!!

The IRS has created a very, very user friendly website at...you guessed it: IRS.gov.  Click the prior link or this link to go to the site.  Users have a number of different ways to access IRS tax forms.  Click on this link to access current year IRS Forms and Publications.  Click on this link for prior year IRS Forms and Publications. 

From both of the links above, you will be able to find form and publications for any IRS form you can think of - including: form 1040, schedule A, schedule B, schedule D and more....

Since Farmingdale is located in New York State, I am going to make the presumption that most of our blog readers are from....New York State.

Click on this link to visit the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. This link will get patrons access to the portion of the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance website that has forms and publications. 

Users can get current year tax forms by form number by clicking on this link.
Users can get current year tax forms by tax type.

Users can get prior year tax forms by clicking on this link.  Note that the tax forms are available all the way back to 1985!  Users can get prior year tax forms by tax type by clicking on this link. 

So there you are ...a plethora and lots of links for users to get federal and state tax forms, tax instructions, and publications.

Note also that we have the 2014 edition of J.K. Lasser's 'Your Income Tax' at the library. We have one copy in Reference (which means the material does not circulate - but can be used in the library) and multiple copies (all available as I write this on March 18th at about 3:30pm) available to be taken out by patrons (aka the material is on the shelf waiting to be taken out!). 

Hope the links help - even more...I hope you get a refund on both the federal and state tax returns that you file!

Regards,
Stu

Financial Calculators

Hi All,

Today's blog entry is all about numbers. Specifically it is about financial numbers. More specifically it is an entry about how to find financial calculators to help you make better financial decisions.

For example, a common number on many credit card statements indicates how long it will take you to  payoff your credit cards if you only make minimum payments.  Click on this link to actually see how the calculation is made.

Another common calculation that folks need to make is to find how much interest you can save by increasing your monthly auto loan payment.   Click on this link to dig into the particulars of how this calculation is made.

Astute readers will realize that the two links above come from a website called DinkyTown.  Sure it might have a silly name, but the financial calculators on the site are current, easy-to-use and well organized.  

With categories like Mortgages, Loans, Credit Cards, Auto, Investments, Retirement, Insurance, Taxes, Savings, Finance and Business, DinkyTown.net is a veritable one-stop shopping site for financial calculators.  Of course users can click on any of the blue links above to go directly to that part of DinkyTown that you are interested in visiting.

Now, one of my personal favorite parts of the site is the Finance section.  In this section users can find a basic calculator, a basic financial calculator (can calculate present value, future value, payments or periods), a checkbook balancer, credit assessment calculator, net worth calculator, 'Should my spouse work? calculator' and a student budget calculator.  Interesting stuff, eh?

And just remember, these are just some of the available calculators in just the Finance section.  Remember that there are the other categories available - which all have multiple calculators under their own respective headings.  Very cool stuff!

So...with the tax season just getting underway, hopefully this site might just make completing your taxes just a bit easier!

Regards - hope the site saves you time and money!
Stu