From Lori.A.Stieber at irs.gov Wed Mar 14 09:54:46 2012 From: Lori.A.Stieber at irs.gov (Stieber Lori A) Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:54:46 +0000 Subject: [OSSSA218] Six Tips for Reducing Tax-Time Stress Message-ID: Forwarding a tax-time tip from FSLG ~ Lori Lori A. Stieber, Internal Revenue Agent Federal, State, Local Government Salem, OR 97301 Telephone (503) 587-3149 Fax (503) 585-5336 ________________________________ From: Internal Revenue Service (IRS) [mailto:irs at service.govdelivery.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 7:39 AM To: Stieber Lori A Subject: IRS Tax Tip 2012-50: Six Tips for Reducing Tax-Time Stress [Bookmark and Share] [IRS.gov Banner] IRS Tax Tips March 14, 2012 Useful Links: IRS.gov Home 1040 Central Help For Hurricane Victims ________________________________ News Essentials What's Hot News Releases IRS - The Basics IRS Guidance Media Contacts Facts & Figures Problem Alerts Around The Nation e-News Subscriptions ________________________________ The Newsroom Topics Electronic IRS Press Kit Tax Tips 2011 Radio PSAs Fact Sheets Armed Forces Disaster Relief Scams / Consumer Alerts Tax Shelters More Topics.. ________________________________ IRS Resources Compliance & Enforcement Contact My Local Office e-file Forms & Pubs Frequently Asked Questions News Taxpayer Advocacy Where to File ________________________________ Issue Number: IRS Tax Tip 2012-50 Inside This Issue ________________________________ Six Tips for Reducing Tax-Time Stress Tax preparation doesn't need to give you a headache. There are several ways to make it easier on yourself. The IRS offers six tips to help make your tax-filing experience a breeze this year. 1. Don't procrastinate. Resist the temptation to put off your taxes until the very last minute. Rushing to meet the filing deadline may cause you to overlook potential sources of tax savings and will likely increase your risk of making an error. 2. Visit the IRS website. More than 322 million visits were made to www.irs.gov in 2011. Make "1040 Central" your first stop to check for the latest news and find answers to your questions about tax filing. 3. Use Free File. Let Free File do the hard work with brand-name tax software or online fillable forms. It's available exclusively at www.irs.gov. Everyone can find an option to prepare their tax return and e-file it for free. If you made $57,000 or less, you qualify for free tax software that is offered through a private-public partnership with manufacturers. If you made more than $57,000 and/or are comfortable preparing your own tax return, there's Free File Fillable Forms, the electronic versions of IRS paper forms. Visit www.irs.gov/freefile for options. 4. Try IRS e-file. Last year, 79 percent of taxpayers - 106 million people - used IRS e-file, which is the safest, easiest and most common way to file a tax return. If you owe taxes, you can file immediately and pay later (by the April 17 tax deadline). Best of all, when you combine e-file with direct deposit the IRS can generally issue your refund in as few as 10 days. 5. Don't panic if you can't pay. If you can't pay the full amount of taxes you owe by the mid-April deadline, you should still file your return by the deadline and pay as much as you can to avoid penalties and interest. More than 75 percent of taxpayers eligible for an Installment Agreement can apply using the web-based Online Payment Agreement application available at www.irs.gov. To find out more about this simple and convenient process, type "Online Payment Agreement" in the search box at www.irs.gov. You can also contact the IRS to discuss your payment options. 6. Request an extension of time to file - but pay on time. If the deadline clock is ticking, you can get an automatic six-month extension through Oct. 15. However, this extension of time to file, which must be filed or postmarked by the April 17 deadline, does not give you more time to pay any taxes due. If you have not paid at least 90 percent of the total tax due by the April deadline you may also be subject to an estimated tax penalty. You can obtain an extension through Free File at www.irs.gov/freefile. Or, file Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, available for downloading at www.irs.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676) to have a paper form mailed to you. Allow at least 10 days for mailed forms and publications. Links: * FreeFile * Online Payment Agreement * Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return Back to Top ________________________________ Thank you for subscribing to IRS Tax Tips, an IRS e-mail service. For more information on federal taxes please visit IRS.gov. This message was distributed automatically from the IRS Tax Tips mailing list. Please Do Not Reply To This Message. ________________________________ Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact support at govdelivery.com. This service is provided to you at no charge by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). ________________________________ This email was sent to lori.a.stieber at irs.gov by: Internal Revenue Service (IRS) * Internal Revenue Service * 1111 Constitution Ave. N.W. * Washington DC 20535 [Powered by GovDelivery] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Lori.A.Stieber at irs.gov Wed Mar 21 08:01:47 2012 From: Lori.A.Stieber at irs.gov (Stieber Lori A) Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:01:47 +0000 Subject: [OSSSA218] Payroll Reporting News Message-ID: IRS Updates Withholding Publication There is now a January 2012 version of IRS Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax, on the IRS website. There are four chapters in the publication. Payroll tax professionals and employees will primarily be interested in Chapter One of the publication, which is called "Tax Withholding for 2012." This chapter includes a discussion of the withholding tax rules on salaries and wages, tips, taxable fringe benefits, sick pay, pensions and annuities, unemployment compensation, supplemental wages, and federal payments (e.g., Social Security). Chapter One also explains how to complete a Form W-4. There is an example in Chapter One that uses actual numbers in the Personal Allowances, Deductions and Adjustments, and Two-Earner/Multiple Jobs W-4 worksheets to compute withholding allowances. A flowchart in the chapter (Figure 1-B) can be used by employees to help them determine whether they are exempt from withholding. Form W-3c Must Be Included with Form W-2c Even if Only Correcting a Name or SSN The Social Security Administration (SSA) is reminding employers that they should file a Form W-2c, Corrected Wage and Tax Statement, and a Form W-3c, Transmittal of Corrected Wage and Tax Statements, as soon as possible after discovering an error on a previously submitted W-2 form. Form W-3c must be filed whenever an employer files a Form W-2c, even if the employer is only filing one Form W-2c to correct an employee's name or Social Security number (SSN). A copy of Form W-2c should also be provided to the employee as soon as possible. Employers filing their W-2c forms electronically must prepare their files in accordance with the specifications in SSA Publication EFW2C, Specifications for Filing Forms W-2c Electronically. Alternatively, employers may file electronically using the SSA's free W-2c Online service. W-2c Online allows employers to complete up to five W-2c forms on the SSA's website per submission, with a limit of 50 saved/unsubmitted reports. W-2c Online allows employers to print out copies of the forms for their employees. No special paper or software is needed. An employer filing W-2c forms electronically in accordance with the specifications in SSA Publication EFW2C does not need to send the SSA a paper W-3c form. Form W-3c will be generated automatically if the employer files its Forms W-2c electronically on the SSA website [SSA/IRS Reporter, Reminders for Filing Forms W-2c/W-3c with Social Security, Spring 2012]. Lori A. Stieber Lori A. Stieber, Internal Revenue Agent Federal, State, and Local Government 1660 Oak Street, Suite 300 Salem, OR 97301 Tel: (503)587-3149 Fax: (503)585-5336 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Lori.A.Stieber at irs.gov Fri Mar 30 08:39:35 2012 From: Lori.A.Stieber at irs.gov (Stieber Lori A) Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:39:35 +0000 Subject: [OSSSA218] FW: IRS Tax Tip 2012-62 -- Eight Tips to Determine if Your Gift is Taxable Message-ID: An IRS Tax Tip forwarded to you from the FSLG desk ~ Lori Lori A. Stieber, Internal Revenue Agent Federal, State, Local Government Salem, OR 97301 Telephone (503) 587-3149 Fax (503) 585-5336 ________________________________ From: Internal Revenue Service (IRS) [mailto:irs at service.govdelivery.com] Sent: Friday, March 30, 2012 8:33 AM To: Stieber Lori A Subject: IRS Tax Tip 2012-62 -- Eight Tips to Determine if Your Gift is Taxable [Bookmark and Share] [IRS.gov Banner] IRS Tax Tips March 30, 2012 Useful Links: IRS.gov Home 1040 Central Help For Hurricane Victims ________________________________ News Essentials What's Hot News Releases IRS - The Basics IRS Guidance Media Contacts Facts & Figures Problem Alerts Around The Nation e-News Subscriptions ________________________________ The Newsroom Topics Electronic IRS Press Kit Tax Tips 2011 Radio PSAs Fact Sheets Armed Forces Disaster Relief Scams / Consumer Alerts Tax Shelters More Topics.. ________________________________ IRS Resources Compliance & Enforcement Contact My Local Office e-file Forms & Pubs Frequently Asked Questions News Taxpayer Advocacy Where to File ________________________________ Issue Number: Tax Tip 2012-62 Inside This Issue Eight Tips to Determine if Your Gift is Taxable IRS Tax Tip 2012-62 If you gave money or property to someone as a gift, you may owe federal gift tax. Many gifts are not subject to the gift tax, but the IRS offers the following eight tips about gifts and the gift tax. 1. Most gifts are not subject to the gift tax. For example, there is usually no tax if you make a gift to your spouse or to a charity. If you make a gift to someone else, the gift tax usually does not apply until the value of the gifts you give that person exceeds the annual exclusion for the year. For 2011 and 2012, the annual exclusion is $13,000. 2. Gift tax returns do not need to be filed unless you give someone, other than your spouse, money or property worth more than the annual exclusion for that year. 3. Generally, the person who receives your gift will not have to pay any federal gift tax because of it. Also, that person will not have to pay income tax on the value of the gift received. 4. Making a gift does not ordinarily affect your federal income tax. You cannot deduct the value of gifts you make (other than deductible charitable contributions). 5. The general rule is that any gift is a taxable gift. However, there are many exceptions to this rule. The following gifts are not taxable gifts: * Gifts that are do not exceed the annual exclusion for the calendar year, * Tuition or medical expenses you pay directly to a medical or educational institution for someone, * Gifts to your spouse, * Gifts to a political organization for its use, and * Gifts to charities. 6. You and your spouse can make a gift up to $26,000 to a third party without making a taxable gift. The gift can be considered as made one-half by you and one-half by your spouse. If you split a gift you made, you must file a gift tax return to show that you and your spouse agree to use gift splitting. You must file a Form 709, United States Gift (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return, even if half of the split gift is less than the annual exclusion. 7. You must file a gift tax return on Form 709, if any of the following apply: * You gave gifts to at least one person (other than your spouse) that are more than the annual exclusion for the year. * You and your spouse are splitting a gift. * You gave someone (other than your spouse) a gift of a future interest that he or she cannot actually possess, enjoy, or receive income from until some time in the future. * You gave your spouse an interest in property that will terminate due to a future event. 8. You do not have to file a gift tax return to report gifts to political organizations and gifts made by paying someone's tuition or medical expenses. For more information see Publication 950, Introduction to Estate and Gift Taxes. Both Form 709 and Publication 950 are available at www.IRS.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676). Back to Top ________________________________ Thank you for subscribing to IRS Tax Tips, an IRS e-mail service. For more information on federal taxes please visit IRS.gov. This message was distributed automatically from the IRS Tax Tips mailing list. Please Do Not Reply To This Message. ________________________________ Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact support at govdelivery.com. This service is provided to you at no charge by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). ________________________________ This email was sent to lori.a.stieber at irs.gov by: Internal Revenue Service (IRS) * Internal Revenue Service * 1111 Constitution Ave. N.W. * Washington DC 20535 [Powered by GovDelivery] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Lori.A.Stieber at irs.gov Fri Mar 30 10:34:32 2012 From: Lori.A.Stieber at irs.gov (Stieber Lori A) Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:34:32 +0000 Subject: [OSSSA218] FW: IR-2012-39 -- IRS Seeks Applications for Information Reporting Advisory Committee; Deadline Is May 31 Message-ID: An opportunity to be heard! See below. Lori Lori A. Stieber, Internal Revenue Agent Federal, State, Local Government Salem, OR 97301 Telephone (503) 587-3149 Fax (503) 585-5336 ________________________________ From: IRS Newswire [mailto:irs at service.govdelivery.com] Sent: Friday, March 30, 2012 9:46 AM To: Stieber Lori A Subject: IR-2012-39 -- IRS Seeks Applications for Information Reporting Advisory Committee; Deadline Is May 31 [Bookmark and Share] [IRS.gov Banner] IRS Newswire March 30, 2012 News Essentials What's Hot News Releases IRS - The Basics IRS Guidance Media Contacts Facts & Figures Problem Alerts Around The Nation e-News Subscriptions ________________________________ The Newsroom Topics Electronic IRS Press Kit Tax Tips 2009 Radio PSAs Fact Sheets Armed Forces Disaster Relief Scams / Consumer Alerts Tax Shelters More Topics.. ________________________________ IRS Resources Compliance & Enforcement Contact My Local Office e-file Forms & Pubs Frequently Asked Questions News Taxpayer Advocacy Where to File ________________________________ Issue Number: IR-2012-39 IRS Seeks Applications for Information Reporting Advisory Committee; Deadline Is May 31 IR-2012-39, March 30, 2012 WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service today officially opened the nomination season for the Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee (IRPAC), a federal advisory group that provides recommendations to the IRS on information reporting issues of concern to both the private sector and the federal government. "The IRS values the expertise these professionals bring to the table and actively seeks insights from IRPAC members to help the IRS keep pace with changing times," said Frank Keith, Chief of IRS Communications & Liaison. IRPAC presents an annual report to the IRS Commissioner at a public meeting in the fall. The committee consists of 22 volunteers who are appointed to three-year terms by the Commissioner. Terms are staggered so that about a third of the panel changes each year. Nominations are currently being accepted for up to seven appointments to terms that will begin in January 2013. The deadline for submitting applications is May 31. IRPAC members are drawn from diverse backgrounds. Members represent the taxpaying public, tax professional community, small and large businesses, colleges and universities, state tax administrations, banks, insurance companies, foreign financial institutions and the software and payroll communities. Anyone interested in becoming a member of the IRPAC may nominate themselves or be nominated by a professional organization. All nominees must complete an application. More information on the committee and the application process is available on the Tax Professional's Page of IRS.gov. Questions about the nomination process can be sent to the following e-mail address: *public_liaison at irs.gov. Back to Top ________________________________ Thank you for subscribing to the IRS Newswire, an IRS e-mail service. If you know someone who might want to subscribe to this mailing list, please forward this message to them so they can subscribe. This message was distributed automatically from the mailing list IRS Newswire. Please Do Not Reply To This Message. ________________________________ Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact support at govdelivery.com. This service is provided to you at no charge by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). ________________________________ This email was sent to lori.a.stieber at irs.gov by: Internal Revenue Service (IRS) * Internal Revenue Service * 1111 Constitution Ave. N.W. * Washington DC 20535 [Powered by GovDelivery] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: