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Tax Planning

How Do You File an Amended Tax Return?

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Its’ easy to make mistakes when you’re doing your own tax preparation. The IRS has a special procedure for fixing them.

That sense of accomplishment you feel after you’ve filed your income taxes can turn quickly to dread if you realize later that you made a mistake. What do you do now?

The IRS knows that this will happen to some taxpayers every year. The tax code is so complex, and if you prepare your taxes manually, you’ve probably been shuffling a lot of papers around.

So, first: Don’t panic. You can fix this. The IRS offers what’s called an amended return, the Form 1040X, for just this type of situation. [Read more…] about How Do You File an Amended Tax Return?

Tips on tip reporting

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If you are like millions of taxpayers who work in the service industry, you may receive tips. The tax code is clear; if you receive tips you must report them as income. Some employers have systems to make this easy, while others do not. Here are some suggestions:

Think 1-2-3

Proper tip reporting has three components.

1. Keeping a daily tip record

2. Reporting your tips to your employer

3. Recording your tips on your income tax return

Recording tip activity

Per the IRS, you can keep your tips by either maintaining a tip diary or by saving documents that show your tips. If your employer does not provide you with an electronic form of a tip diary, you can always create your own. The IRS has [Read more…] about Tips on tip reporting