This year’s tax deadline may have come and gone, but it’s never too early to start planning for next year. With that in mind, here are five things you can do now to make next April 15 easier for everyone.
Small Business Alert: Watch Out for the 100% Penalty
Some tax sins are much worse than others. An example is failing to pay over federal income and employment taxes that have been withheld from employees’ paychecks. In this situation, the IRS can assess the trust fund recovery penalty, also called the 100% penalty, against any responsible person.
Required Withholding for Supplemental Pay
Employers are required to withhold federal tax from supplemental wages paid to employees. These include bonuses, commissions, reimbursements (so long as you don’t have an accountable plan), severance, cash prizes, retroactive raises, and taxable fringe benefits.
How To Get an “Early” Refund, Adjust Your Withholding
If you received a large refund this year, you may want to adjust your withholding. Each year, millions of taxpayers claim an income tax refund. To be sure, receiving a payment from the IRS for a few thousand dollars can be a pleasant influx of cash. But it means you were essentially giving the government an interest-free loan for close to a year, which isn’t the best use of your money.
Tax Withholding for Seasonal and Part-Time Employees
Many businesses hire part-time or full-time workers, especially in the summer. The IRS classifies these employees as seasonal workers, defined as employees performing labor or services on a seasonal basis (i.e., six months or less). Examples of this kind of work include retail workers employed exclusively during holiday seasons, sports events, or during the harvest or commercial fishing season.
Avoid a Tax Surprise: Check Your Withholding
While tax season may seem far away, the reality is that there are only two months left in the year. Now is the perfect time to review withholding and estimated tax payments to avoid a surprise tax bill next year.
Summer Activities That Could Affect Your Tax Situation
Although the tax return filing deadline has come and gone, it’s never too early to start planning for next year’s tax return. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some common summertime situations that could affect your taxes:
Now Is the Time To Check Your Federal Tax Withholding
Now that tax season is over, it’s time to get the new tax year off to a good start by checking your federal income tax withholding. Taxpayers can do this by using the Tax Withholding Estimator on IRS.gov. Let’s take a look at why using this valuable online tool is a good idea:
What Is Backup Withholding Tax, and How Does It Work?
Backup withholding is a federal tax on income that otherwise typically doesn’t require tax withholding, such as 1099 and W2-G income. Taxpayers who receive this type of income may have backup withholding deducted from their payments. Here is what you should know about backup withholding:
Tax Withholdings Will Tax Your Nerves. Take These Steps Now.
Surprise! Will you be one of the taxpayers who gets this unwelcome one: You owe money to the IRS!
To ensure this doesn’t happen to you, take note of these 5 myths…