Drake Software blog for tax pros, covering tax, IRS news, and more

Ryan Norton

Whether designing superheroes, penciling caricatures, or just doodling, I always knew I was going to earn some sort of art degree while in college. That was my goal before I decided to trade Edgar Degas for Edgar Allan Poe during a Freshman English class. The BA in English soon morphed into a double-major in English and Philosophy, eventually becoming an MA in English. It only makes sense that I learned of a writing opportunity for a local marketing firm while teaching a first-year college English course. Before I knew it, I was writing and editing tax-related articles for Taxing Subjects, and this has been my home since 2014.

IRS Pre-Holiday Reminder: 2017 Refunds Will be Delayed

Ryan Norton - November 24, 2016

The Internal Revenue Service issued a press release Tuesday to remind taxpayers that 2015’s PATH Act will delay 2017 refunds. The delay comes from an anti-fraud, anti-theft provision in the act that slows down the refund process to better review returns claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), which will not be issued until at least February 15, 2017.…

PATH Act Affects ITIN Renewal

Ryan Norton - November 23, 2016

Our friends over at the Latino Tax Professionals Association (LTPA) recently published a reminder about how Section 203 of the PATH Act impacts ITIN renewal.…

IRS Announces Another Way to Help Victims of Hurricane Matthew

Ryan Norton - November 15, 2016

The Internal Revenue Service last week announced that leave-based donation programs could be used to send aid to victims of Hurricane Matthew. Sometimes referred to as a “leave sharing program,” leave donation lets employees donate their vacation or sick leave to a company pool that can be used by coworkers who have medical emergencies or are affected by natural disasters.…

IRS: Renew PTINs before the Holidays

Ryan Norton - October 28, 2016

With Halloween just a few days away, we’re edging closer to Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas music in retail stores, and – for tax preparers – expiring Preparer Tax Identification Numbers (PTINs).…

Jim Bourke, CPA, CITP, CFF, CGMA: A Passion for Technology and Tax

Ryan Norton - October 11, 2016

Bootstrapping seems an appropriate way to describe Jim Bourke. Some may immediately recognize him as a tax-industry luminary whose dedication to spotlighting and adopting efficiency technologies has led to industry-wide adoption of workflow and organization solutions.…

Meta Financial Group Acquires EPS Financial

Ryan Norton - October 07, 2016

Last week, Meta Financial Group, Inc. and its subsidiary, MetaBank, announced the acquisition of EPS Financial LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Drake Enterprises, Ltd. The Meta Financial Group press release noted that the purchase of EPS Financial from Drake Enterprises was for roughly $42.5 million – half in Meta Financial stock and half in cash – and would close in the fourth quarter of 2016.…

IRS Extends Time to Replace Drought-Sale Livestock

Ryan Norton - October 04, 2016

The Internal Revenue Service announced last Friday that they would be extending the amount of time that ranchers and farmers have to replace livestock that they had to sell as a result of drought by one year. It’s worth noting that the extended replacement period only applies to draft, dairy, and breeding livestock.…

Part of the Sharing Economy? The IRS Has Tax Tips for You

Ryan Norton - September 12, 2016

Last month, we looked at the legal dustup between ride-sharing company Uber and its contracted drivers and speculated on ways sharing economy businesses might affect tax preparation. One EA we…

ID Thieves Again Target Preparers, Filing Fraudulent Returns

Ryan Norton - September 02, 2016

Tax professionals aren’t surprised when a new identity theft scheme makes the rounds, but fraudsters recently haven’t settled for just targeting taxpayers. When the Internal Revenue Service announced…

IRS: Modernized e-File Offline for Labor Day Weekend

Ryan Norton - August 24, 2016

The Internal Revenue Service today reminded tax professionals that the Modernized e-File system will be taken offline over Labor Day weekend: 8:00 p.m. on September 3 until 6:00 a.m. on September…