Drake Software blog for tax pros, covering tax, IRS news, and more
Chalk up a new low for those who seek to steal taxpayers’ personal information. The Internal Revenue Service says a scam has surfaced that uses Video Relay Services (VRS) to trick hearing-impaired taxpayers into divulging personal and financial information to identity thieves.…
As part of the Avoid the Rush tax tip series, the IRS yesterday reminded taxpayers about Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) refund delays. In addition to how weekends and Presidents Day fall on the calendar this year, one reason refund checks for returns claiming these credits will be delayed is the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act.…
Identity thieves are widening their email scams in the latest attempt to steal personal and financial information. The Internal Revenue Service, state tax agencies and tax professionals have issued an urgent alert that the scammers are now targeting school districts, businesses (such as chain restaurants), tribal organizations and nonprofits.…
Read more about Scammers Expanding Their W-2 Phishing Effort
The good news is the GAO found taxpayers calling the IRS received better service during the 2016 filing season. However, the study also determined that during the regular 2016 calendar year, information that could help alert taxpayers they were victims of identity theft was hard to obtain, either from www.irs.gov or through IRS customer service.…
Read more about GAO Cites IRS Shortcomings on Identity Theft
The Internal Revenue Service yesterday released a list of five common tax season myths, as well as links to YouTube videos that explain when refunds will arrive, claiming the EITC or ACTC, and more. Newswire release IR-2017-16 aims to reduce misinformation.…
Read more about Refund Myths: Sorting Truth from Fiction During Tax Season
The Earned Income Tax Credit is fairly well-known to be aimed at workers who don’t earn a lot of money in their jobs and who may be supporting a family. This year the EITC salary ceiling is $53,505,…
Read more about Special EITC Rules May Help Taxpayers with Disabilities
An email scam is making the rounds for a second time, attempting to trick company payroll or human resource departments into sending employee information that can be used to file bogus tax returns.The…
Read more about Crooks Unleash Spoofing Campaign for Second Time
The Internal Revenue Service is sending a reminder to some tax preparers, reminding them that the Earned Income Tax Credit claimed in one of their returns was missing needed due diligence.…
Over the past months, we’ve shared a lot of information with you about how best to defend your office from a data breach or some other security incident. But what happens if the unthinkable happens. You know – someone gains access to your personal, professional or client data; someone who stole it. Then what?…
Every year, the National Taxpayer Advocate, Nina Olson, submits a report to Congress on how she rates the performance of the Internal Revenue Service from a taxpayer’s perspective. Federal law…
Read more about National Taxpayer Advocate Report Good News, Bad News for IRS
