WASHINGTON —The Internal Revenue Service today warned consumers to be on the lookout for a new email phishing scam. The emails appear to be from the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service and include a bogus case number.‬

The fake emails may include the following message: “Your reported 2013 income is flagged for review due to a document processing error. Your case has been forwarded to the Taxpayer Advocate Service for resolution assistance. To avoid delays processing your 2013 filing contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service for resolution assistance.”‬

WASHINGTON — Refunds totaling almost $760 million may be waiting for an estimated 918,600 taxpayers who did not file a federal income tax return for 2010, the Internal Revenue Service announced today. However, to collect the money, a return for 2010 must be filed with the IRS no later than Tuesday, April 15, 2014.

"The window is quickly closing for people who are owed refunds from 2010 who haven't filed a tax return," said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. "We encourage students, part-time workers and others who haven't filed for 2010 to look into this before time runs out on April 15."

In a breach involving Social Security numbers, the state Department of Labor said Friday that a printing error caused nearly 27,000 people to receive someone else's information on unemployment compensation forms.

Since unemployment compensation is taxable, the labor department is required to inform individuals annually about the amount they had received on a tax form.

On 27,000 of the 250,000 forms — known as UC-1099G — that have been mailed out to people who applied for unemployment benefits, information on the top portion of the form is correct. But in a case of double-printing, the bottom half includes the name, address, and Social Security number of another person.

IR-2013-100, Dec. 18, 2013

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced plans to open the 2014 filing season on Jan. 31 and encouraged taxpayers to use e-file or Free File as the fastest way to receive refunds.

The new opening date for individuals to file their 2013 tax returns will allow the IRS adequate time to program and test its tax processing systems. The annual process for updating IRS systems saw significant delays in October following the 16-day federal government closure.

Abrupt Reversal Follows Data Breach Of Debit Cards Handled by JP Morgan Chase

HARTFORD — In an abrupt reversal, the state tax department decided Monday to immediately suspend the debit card program for tax refunds and instead issue paper checks to more than 5,000 taxpayers in the coming weeks.

The change was prompted by a computer data breach of the debit cards in a system handled by JP Morgan Chase, the international banking giant that was sharply criticized by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's tax commissioner, Kevin B. Sullivan. Sullivan is trying to reopen the contract with the bank as soon as possible after saying that it had been involved in a "wholly unacceptable failure to provide a timely response'' about the data breach.

"I am wildly unhappy with the level of customer service of JP Morgan Chase," Sullivan said Monday. "This has been a great frustration."

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued the 2014 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2014, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:

  • 56 cents per mile for business miles driven
  • 23.5 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes
  • 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations

WASHINGTON — For tax year 2014, the Internal Revenue Service announced today annual inflation adjustments for more than 40 tax provisions, including the tax rate schedules, and other tax changes. Revenue Procedure 2013-35 provides details about these annual adjustments.

Tax Tips Small Business

  • Reimbursing Your Employees for Business Expenses

    What method should you choose?

    Attracting and keeping good employees is a goal in any business. One way to make life easier for your employees is to have an easy to use reimbursement plan. Travel, transportation, moving, and educational expenses are common reimbursable expenses. As the employer, you have the option to set up an accountable or nonaccountable reimbursement plan. Under either plan, you can deduct many of the business expenses paid to or for employees. However, the plan you choose can make a big difference to your employees.

    Read more ...

Small Business Quick Tip

  • Self Employed Health Insurance

    If you are a self-employed taxpayer, you may deduct 100 percent of your health insurance premiums from your income. The deduction for health insurance premiums does not reduce your self-employment tax, however.
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Tax Tips Personal

  • Overlooked Employee Business Expenses

    Don't miss out on deductions you are allowed to take

    Unreimbursed employee business expenses are allowed as a miscellaneous itemized deduction provided they exceed two percent of your adjusted gross income when combined with all your other miscellaneous expenses.

    Read more ...

Personal Quick Tip

  • Adjusting Withholding

    If your tax refund was too high or too low, adjust your withholding so it doesn't happen again next year. You can file a revised W-4 with your employer at any time to increase or decrease the number of exemptions you claim. The more exemptions you claim, the less tax your employer withholds from your wages, resulting in a smaller refund. Decreasing the number of exemptions results in more withholding and a larger refund.