Tax Matters - The Top Tax Defenders Blog

As a response to the disruption of COVID-19 precautions, the federal government issued an emergency declaration on March 13, instructing the Secretary of the Treasury to provide relief in the form of delayed tax deadlines.

The federal government loves to change the tax rules every year or so. Sometimes, it's in the taxpayers' favor. Some tax reform legislation provides for annual updates, so a new tax law remains in effect and creates changes automatically.

Yes, it’s that time again. Something called tax season, like it’s some sort of holiday.

Still, it is coming and, like every year before, we want to provide some tips to prepare for the 2020 tax season. Some of the advice will sound familiar, but it bears repeating. Some involves changes to the way the IRS and tax rules have evolved.

If you owe the IRS money, you should trust that they know about it and are expecting prompt payment. The agency is not known for backing down when there's tax money to be collected, and you shouldn't count on qualifying for an offer in compromise to reduce your tax bill.

Telling people not to panic at the threat of an IRS audit is like telling a Kardashian to avoid self-promotion. It’s an impossible dream. Now the powers-that-be are saying the chances of an audit (even though they’re already pretty small) may increase in 2020.

In 2003, the IRS launched a program called Free File. Since then, it has served nearly 57 million taxpayers, saving them an estimated $1.7 billion. So why aren’t more people using it? Maybe a little lack of awareness and a little computer coding got in the way. Here’s what you need to know.

IRS audits are the worst, aren’t they? So, it pays to avoid them if at all possible. The best advice is to be entirely and totally honesty on your tax returns. Otherwise, if you follow these 10 tips, you could keep the IRS from knocking on your door in the near future.

Holding profits in offshore tax havens isn’t a new thing. Any time a business or individual can find a way to lower taxes, they will do it. When those profits are kept outside of the US, they aren’t available or used to invest in the business. They just sit there. 

Every so often, the IRS itself is audited to make sure it’s following all the rules, regulations, and laws effectively and efficiently. Most businesses should do something similar to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. But when it’s the IRS, the results of resolving an audit issue can have ripple effects.

Sometime before the big, jeweled ball drops on January 1, 2020, you should take some time to maximize your tax savings, not only for 2019 but as a tribute to yourself for 2020. There are only a few weeks left. You need to fit it in between all the holiday prep and celebrations.