Drake Software blog for tax pros, covering tax, IRS news, and more
Since its formation in 2015, the Security Summit's efforts to thwart cybercriminals have successfully driven down the number of tax-related identity theft incidents. Unfortunately, that success has forced identity thieves to adapt their methods, resulting in a new tax scam that might seem unorthodox at first.…
Identity theft has gotten a lot of attention over the past couple of years. We’ve written a lot about the subject during that time. One of the varieties of identity theft is employment identity theft, but the agency that oversees the IRS says legitimate taxpayers aren’t being notified they’re a victim of this crime.…
Read more about Audit Finds Employment Identity Theft Going Unnoticed
If you have to call the IRS help line on behalf of a client, you’ll need more than the client’s name and SSN. By law, IRS operators will speak only with the taxpayer or their legally designated representative. This is all part of the industry-wide push for higher levels of security.…
Everybody loves an income tax refund. But when a check for a tax refund shows up in your mailbox unexpectedly, it could be a signal of something very wrong: a tax scam.…
After a brief shutdown overnight, the House voted to reopen the government by passing a $400 billion budget that increases spending caps, raises the debt ceiling, and provides disaster relief for Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. President Trump signed it into law this morning.…
Cryptocurrencies have made some early adopters a lot of money, which—for conscientious taxpayers and tax professionals alike—begs the question: how does IRS handle Bitcoin and other virtual currency?…
The Internal Revenue Service says taxpayers who have not renewed their expired Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) will face processing delays if the number is used to file a return. In addition, the taxpayer could lose eligibility for key tax benefits until the ITIN is renewed.…
If we gave out an award for the Word of the Year in 2017, it would have to be, “security.” It’s fair to say the last couple of years have been monumental in changing how Americans view the act of filing their income taxes. And it’s all been driven by security.…
Tax Season 2018 has finally arrived, with the IRS opening the gates to 1040 returns. Not to throw cold water on your enthusiasm, but what it means is, those cybercriminals we’ve been warning you about over the past months will now start playing for keeps.…
Read more about Security: Prepare for the Worst, Hope for the Best
With the opening of the income-tax-return “gates” this week, the TY 2017 tax season is officially underway. With every opening, of course, comes a close; and this year’s deadline for tax preparers and taxpayers to file their individual returns and pay any tax due is Tuesday, April 17, 2018.…
