IRS Opens Online FATCA Registration System

The Internal Revenue Service has announced the opening of a new online registration system for financial institutions that need to register with the IRS under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).

Financial institutions that must register with the IRS to meet their FATCA obligations can now begin the process of registering by creating an account and providing required information. Financial institutions will also be able to provide required information for their branches of operation and other members of their expanded affiliate groups in which the financial institution is the lead organization.

The registration system, designed to enable secure account management, is a web-based application with around-the-clock availability.

Within a secure environment, the new registration system enables financial institutions to:

• establish online accounts;
• customize home pages to manage accounts;
• designate points of contact to handle registrations;
• oversee member and/or branch information; and
• receive automatic notifications of status changes.

Financial institutions are encouraged to become familiar with the system, create their online accounts and begin submitting their information. Starting in January 2014, financial institutions will be expected to finalize their registration information by logging into their accounts, making any necessary changes and submitting the information as final.

As registrations are finalized and approved in 2014, registering financial institutions will receive a notice of registration acceptance and will be issued a global intermediary identification number.

The IRS will electronically post the first IRS Foreign Financial Institution (FFI) List in June 2014, and will update the list monthly. To ensure inclusion in the June 2014 IRS FFI List, financial institutions will need to finalize their registrations by April 25, 2014. 

Tips on Amending Your Tax Return

If you discover an error after you file your tax return, you can correct it by amending your return.
Here are 10 tips from the Internal Revenue Service about amending your federal tax return:

1. When to amend a return.  You should file an amended return if you need to correct your filing status, number of dependents, total income, tax deductions or tax credits. The instructions for Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, list additional reasons to amend a return.

2. When NOT to amend a return.  In some cases, you don’t need to amend your tax return. For example, the IRS usually corrects math errors when processing your original return. If you did not include a required form or schedule, the IRS will send you a request for whatever is missing.

3. Form to use.  Use Form 1040X to amend a previously filed Form 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, 1040NR or 1040NR-EZ. Make sure you check the box to show the tax year that you are amending on the Form 1040X. You cannot e-file an amended return. You must file an amended tax return on paper.

4. Multiple amended returns.  If you’re filing an amended return for more than one year, prepare a separate 1040X for each return. Mail them in separate envelopes to the appropriate IRS processing center. (See "Where to File" in the instructions for Form 1040X.)

5. Form 1040X.  Form 1040X has three columns. Column A shows figures from the original return. Column B shows the changes you are making. Column C shows the corrected figures. There is also an area on the back of the form where you should explain the specific changes and the reasons for the changes.

6. Other forms or schedules.  If the changes involve other tax schedules or forms, attach them to the Form 1040X. Failure to do this will cause a delay in processing.

7. Amending to claim an additional refund.  If you’re expecting a refund from your original tax return, don’t file your amended return until after you have received that refund. You may cash the refund check from your original return. The IRS will send you any additional refund you are owed.

8. Amending to pay additional tax.  If you’re filing an amended tax return because you owe additional tax, you should file Form 1040X and pay the tax as soon as possible to limit any interest and penalty charges.

9. When to file.  To claim a refund, you generally must file Form 1040X within three years from the date you filed your original tax return or within two years from the date you paid the tax, whichever is later.

10. Processing time.  Normal processing time for amended returns is 8 to 12 weeks.

IRS Offer NEW Streamlined Option for 501(c)(4) Applicants

Following a review of internal procedures to reduce the backlog of tax-exempt applications, the IRS is offering certain organizations that have applied for 501(c)(4) status a faster, optional method to gain tax-exempt status.

The IRS will start mailing about 80 letters this week offering the expedited option to groups that have had their applications pending for more than 120 days and involve possible political campaign intervention or issue advocacy. This effort is part of an internal review of IRS operations, processes and practices at the IRS announced today.

“The IRS is committed to improving our tax-exempt review process,” said IRS Principal Deputy Commissioner Danny Werfel. “This new streamlined option gives certain groups that have waited far too long a quick and clear path to get their status resolved.”

This “safe-harbor” option will provide certain groups an approved determination letter granting them 501(c)(4) status within two weeks if they certify they devote 60 percent or more of both their spending and time on activities that promote social welfare as defined by Section 501(c)(4). At the same time, they must certify that political campaign intervention involves less than 40 percent of both their spending and time. These thresholds apply for past, current and future years of operation. Solely for the purpose of determining eligibility for the expedited procedure, an organization must count, among other things, any public communication identifying a candidate that occurred within 60 days prior to a general election or 30 days prior to a primary as political campaign intervention.

 “The IRS will treat these groups fairly and review applications promptly, a step that will immediately reduce the backlog of these cases,” Werfel said. “At the same time, the IRS will work to ensure 501(c)(4) groups follow the law set by Congress. As part of our efforts, the IRS will continue to look for ways to improve its processes going forward.”

The IRS also emphasized that any eligible organizations that do not choose the expedited option will be treated fairly and expeditiously through the regular review process.

New Health Care Law Guide via IRS Website

IRS Website Explains Tax Provisions of the Health Care Law; Provides Guide to Online Resources

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The IRS has launched a new Affordable Care Act Tax Provisions website at IRS.gov/aca to educate individuals and businesses on how the health care law may affect them. The new home page has three sections, which explain the tax benefits and responsibilities for individuals and families, employers, and other organizations, with links and information for each group. The site provides information about tax provisions that are in effect now and those that will go into effect in 2014 and beyond.

Topics include premium tax credits for individuals, new benefits and responsibilities for employers, and tax provisions for insurers, tax-exempt organizations and certain other business types.

Visitors to the new site will find information about the law and its provisions, legal guidance, the latest news, frequently asked questions and links to additional resources.

Several other federal agencies have a role in implementing the health care law, including the Department of Health and Human Services, which has primary responsibility. To help locate additional online resources from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor and the Small Business Administration, the IRS has issued a new Web-based flyer - Healthcare Law Online Resources (Publication 5093).

Car and Truck Expense Deduction Reminders

Deductible Car and Truck Expenses
Ordinarily, expenses related to use of a car, van, pickup or panel truck for business can be deducted as transportation expenses. Use of larger vehicles, such as tractor-trailers, is treated differently and is not part of this discussion. In order to claim a deduction for business use of a car or truck, a taxpayer must have ordinary and necessary costs related to one or more of the following:

• Traveling from one work location to another within the taxpayer’s tax home area. (Generally, the tax home is the entire city or general area where the taxpayer’s main place of business is located, regardless of where he or she resides.)
• Visiting customers.
• Attending a business meeting away from the regular workplace.
• Getting from home to a temporary workplace when the taxpayer has one or more regular places of work. (These temporary workplaces can be either within or outside taxpayer’s tax home area.)

Expenses related to travel away from home overnight are travel expenses. However, if a taxpayer uses a car while traveling away from home overnight on business, the rules for claiming car or truck expenses are the same as stated above.
It is important to note that costs related to travel between a taxpayer’s home and regular place of work are commuting expenses and are not deductible.
Taxpayers can choose to use either the standard mileage rate or actual expenses to compute their allowable business deduction. They may want to figure the deduction using both methods to see which provides a larger deduction.
Standard Mileage Rate Method
The standard mileage rate may be used to figure the deductible costs of a vehicle that is owned or leased. If a taxpayer wishes to use the standard mileage rate for a leased vehicle, it must be used for the entire lease period. In other words, a taxpayer must use the standard mileage rate for the first year a vehicle is available for business use in order to use the standard mileage rate in subsequent years.
The standard mileage rate is adjusted annually by the IRS to reflect changes in the cost of operating a vehicle. In some situations it is adjusted during the year.
The standard mileage rate is used in place of actual expenses. Taxpayers who choose the standard mileage rate may not deduct actual expenses, such as depreciation, lease payments, maintenance and repairs, gasoline (including gasoline taxes), oil, insurance or vehicle registration fees. Business-related parking fees and tolls may be deducted in addition to the standard mileage rate. Fees for parking at a taxpayer’s main place of business or tolls related to commuting to and from that main place of business are personal expenses which are not deductible.
The standard mileage rate cannot be used if the taxpayer:

• Uses the car for hire (such as a taxi).
• Uses five or more cars at the same time (as in fleet operations).
• Claims depreciation or a section 179 deduction.
• Is a rural mail carrier who receives a qualified reimbursement.

Actual Expenses Method
Actual car or truck expenses include:

• Depreciation
• Lease payments
• Registration fees
• Licenses
• Gas
• Insurance
• Repairs
• Oil
• Garage rent
• Tires
• Tolls
• Parking fees

If business use of the vehicle is less than 100 percent, expenses must be allocated between business and personal use. Only the business use percentage of each expense is deductible.
For example, if, based on records maintained by a taxpayer, total actual vehicle expenses for a given year are $2,500 and the vehicle is used 75 percent for business, the allowable deduction using the actual expense method is $1,875 ($2,500 x 75 percent).
Recordkeeping
It is important to keep complete records to substantiate items reported on a tax return. In the case of car and truck expenses, the types of records required depend on whether the taxpayer claims the standard mileage rate or actual expenses.
To claim the standard mileage rate, appropriate records would include documentation identifying the vehicle and proving ownership or a lease and a daily log showing miles traveled, destination and business purpose.
For actual expenses, a mileage log helps establish business use percentage. Taxpayers should also retain receipts, invoices and other documentation to show cost and establish the identity of the vehicle for which the expense was incurred. For depreciation purposes they need to show the original cost of the vehicle and any improvements as well as the date it was placed in service.

Back-to-School Tax Tips for Students and Parents

Going to college can be a stressful time for students and parents. The IRS offers these tips about education tax benefits that can help offset some college costs and maybe relieve some of that stress.

• American Opportunity Tax Credit.  This credit can be up to $2,500 per eligible student. The AOTC is available for the first four years of post secondary education. Forty percent of the credit is refundable. That means that you may be able to receive up to $1,000 of the credit as a refund, even if you don’t owe any taxes. Qualified expenses include tuition and fees, course related books, supplies and equipment. A recent law extended the AOTC through the end of Dec. 2017.

• Lifetime Learning Credit.   With the LLC, you may be able to claim up to $2,000 for qualified education expenses on your federal tax return. There is no limit on the number of years you can claim this credit for an eligible student.

You can claim only one type of education credit per student on your federal tax return each year. If you pay college expenses for more than one student in the same year, you can claim credits on a per-student, per-year basis. For example, you can claim the AOTC for one student and the LLC for the other student.

You can use the IRS’s Interactive Tax Assistant tool to help determine if you’re eligible for these credits. The tool is available at IRS.gov.

• Student loan interest deduction.  Other than home mortgage interest, you generally can’t deduct the interest you pay. However, you may be able to deduct interest you pay on a qualified student loan.

The deduction can reduce your taxable income by up to $2,500. You don’t need to itemize deductions to claim it.

These education benefits are subject to income limitations and may be reduced or eliminated depending on your income.

IRS POSTPONES August 30 Furlough Day

 

The Internal Revenue Service is postponing the furlough day scheduled for Friday, Aug. 30 due to its successful ongoing efforts to cut costs. In early September, the IRS will reevaluate the need for an additional furlough day before the federal fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.