Monday, February 11, 2019

WHERE THE FAKAWI – NUMBER ONE


An early entry to address an issue receiving a lot of press recently

Just like the rest of the country, some of my clients are getting smaller refunds this year.  But the number to compare on your 2018 and 2017 tax returns is NOT the refund, or balance due, amount but the TOTAL TAX amount.  This is the number on Line 15 of the 2018 Form 1040 and Line 63 of the 2017 Form 1040, or Line 39 of the 2017 Form 1040A.

Your refund is a factor of your withholding.  It not a reflection of any change in your tax liability – the actual income tax you are paying.  In February of 2018 the IRS revised the income tax withholding tables to reflect the changes made by the GOP Tax Act.  It appears the IRS was too “liberal” in its revisions – perhaps instructed to do so by the government to make it look like you were saving more from the tax changes.  The problem is compounded when you have several sources of income from which federal income tax is withheld. 

With my clients, I specifically noticed substantial decreases in withholding from NJ state pensions.

The IRS realized its FU and has slightly revised the way it calculates the penalty for underpayment of taxes as a token response.

Two important points -

(1) The additional amount received in each weekly paycheck as a result of the revised withholding is NOT a true indication of the savings from the GOP Tax Act. 

(2) The fact that this year’s refund is less than last year does not mean you are paying more tax under the GOP Tax Act.

If your 2018 income is basically the same as 2017 and your refund is $2,000 less than last year, or you actually owe Sam $1,000 when you got back $1,000 in 2017, but your federal income withholding was $3,000 less than last year YOU HAVE PAID $1,000 LESS IN FEDERAL INCOME TAX.  You got an extra $3,000 from Sam during the year and now have to give $2,000 of this “loan” back.

The trouble with getting an extra $50 or $60, perhaps more than you should be getting based on reality, in your paycheck each week is that you spend an extra $50 or $60 each week and end up with surprise when your refund is less than it was last year. 

The real issue here lies in the fact that the criteria for claiming federal withholding allowances has completely changed with the GOP Tax Act.  The current Form W-4 on file for most taxpayers is no longer relevant.  The IRS has attempted to revise the Form W-4, but has not been very successful.

Back to the 1040s!

TTYL









Friday, February 1, 2019

THE TWELVE DAYS OF TAX SEASON


And now what you have been waiting a year for – my annual posting of:

THE TWELVE DAYS OF TAX SEASON

On the first day of tax season my client gave to me a Closing Statement for the purchase of a home.

On the second day of tax season my client gave to me 2 W-2 forms.

On the third day of tax season my client gave to me 3 mortgage statements.

On the fourth day of tax season my client gave to me 4 Salvation Army receipts.

On the fifth day of tax season my client gave to me 5 Form K-1s.

On the sixth day of tax season my client gave to me 6 1099s for dividends.

On the seventh day of tax season my client gave to me 7 cancelled checks.

On the eighth day of tax season my client gave to me 8 useless items.

On the ninth day of tax season my client gave to me 9 medical bills.

On the tenth day of tax season my client gave to me 10 stock sale confirms.

On the eleventh day of tax season my client gave to me 11 employee business expenses (despite being no longer deductible).

On the twelfth day of tax season my client got from me a finished tax return, 11 employee business expenses, 10 stock sale confirms, 9 medical bills, 8 useless items, 7 cancelled checks, 6 1099s for dividends, 5 Form K-1s, 4 Salvation Army receipts, 3 mortgage statements, 2 W-2 forms, and a Closing Statement for the purchase of a home.

And, of course, on the thirteenth day of tax season the client gave to me a corrected Consolidated 1099 from Wells Fargo Advisors!

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And so, the 2019 Tax Filing Season – my 48th - officially begins.  Open the floodgates and bring on the 1040s!

As is my custom, due to the demands of the filing season I will be taking my annual “tax season hiatus” from posting to THE WANDERING TAX. 

Between now and April 15th I will barely have time to relieve myself let alone blog!  Nor will I have time to respond to comments. If a comment requires a response I will do so after April 15th.

DO NOT EMAIL ME OR SUBMIT COMMENTS WITH SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR 2018 TAX RETURN!  ALL SUCH ITEMS WILL BE PROMPTLY DELETED UPON DISCOVERY!

I am NOT accepting any new 1040 clients (or any other kind of tax preparation clients). So, don’t email me asking if I can prepare your 2018 tax returns.  THE ANSWER IS A MOST DEFINITE "NO". 

I will be publishing a WHERE THE FAKAWI post occasionally here at TWTP to keep my clients up-to-date on my progress during the season and to report changes or additions to my tax season policies and procedures. Clients can also keep track of my tax season progress by following me at TWITTER (@rdftaxpro).

I realize that I am abandoning you at a time when you may need me the most – but I need to make a living!

I find it a bit amusing that the period of time when TWTP gets the most “hits” is during the tax filing season when I am not posting.

“Talk” to you when it is all over!

TAFAW