To help small businesses keep employees on their payroll during the pandemic, Congress introduced the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) in 2020, which is a tax credit that can be claimed on the quarterly payroll tax reports. Since its inception, additional laws have modified the qualifications, and it is now quite a complex area. Because it […]
Processing Delays and Backlogs at the IRS
The pandemic shutdown in 2020, staffing shortages, budget limitations, and numerous tax law changes have converged to cause a snowball effect on the IRS’s ability to process returns in a timely manner. Both taxpayers and tax professionals have been heavily impacted for the last couple of years, and it has become so bad going into […]
How to Reconstruct Tax Records After a Disaster
While it’s not always possible to prevent an emergency, you can reduce the likelihood that an emergency will become a disaster by being prepared. Here are some tips to do just that. Store your documents in a waterproof and fireproof safe that is convenient to access. Make copies of your important documents—store paper copies in […]
IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service and the Taxpayer Bill of Rights
The Taxpayer Advocate Service is an independent organization within the IRS whose job it is to make sure every taxpayer is treated fairly and that they understand their rights. The Taxpayer Advocate Service offers free guidance for resolving tax problems. There are independent Taxpayer Advocates in each state who can help when a tax issue […]