Report Life Changes to the Marketplace

IRS Health Care Tax Tip 2015-69, October 29, 2015

If you enrolled in insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, you are required to report changes to the Marketplace when they happen, like changes to your household income or family size, because they may affect your eligibility for the advance payments of the premium tax credits.

Changes in circumstances that you should report to the Marketplace include, but are not limited to:

• increases or decreases in your household income, including lump sum payments like a lump sum payment of Social Security benefits
• marriage or divorce
• the birth or adoption of a child
• starting a job with health insurance
• gaining or losing your eligibility for other health care coverage
• changing your residence

For the full list of changes you should report, visit HealthCare.gov.

Reporting changes will help you avoid getting too much or too little advance payment of the premium tax credit.  Getting too much means you may owe additional money or get a smaller refund when you file your taxes. Getting too little could mean missing premium assistance to reduce your monthly premiums.  Therefore, it is important that you report changes in circumstances that may have occurred since you signed up for your plan.

When you report a change, you may be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period.  For more information, visit HealthCare.gov.

Source: Internal Revenue Service

IRS Grants Tax Relief to Drought-Stricken Farmers and Ranchers in 48 States and Puerto Rico

IRS Special Edition Tax Tip 2015-19, October 26, 2015

If you are a farmer or rancher forced to sell your livestock because of the drought that affects much of the nation, special IRS tax relief may help you. The IRS has extended the time to replace livestock that their owners were forced to sell due to drought. If you’re eligible, this may help you defer tax on any gains you got from the forced sales. The relief applies to all or part of 48 states and Puerto Rico affected by the drought. Here are several points you should know about this relief:

• Defer Tax on Drought Sales.  If the drought caused you to sell more livestock than usual, you may be able to defer tax on the extra gains from those sales.
  
  
• Replacement Period.  You generally must replace the livestock within a four-year period to postpone the tax. The IRS can extend that period if the drought continues.
  
  
• IRS Grants More Time.  The IRS has added one more year to the replacement period for eligible farmers and ranchers. The one-year extension of time generally applies to certain sales due to drought.
  
  
• Livestock Sales that Apply.  If you are eligible, your gains on sales of livestock that you held for draft, dairy or breeding purposes apply.
  
  
• Livestock Sales that Do Not Apply.  Sales of other livestock, such as those you raised for slaughter or held for sporting purposes and poultry, are not eligible.
  
  
• Areas Eligible for Relief.  The IRS relief applies to any farm in areas suffering exceptional, extreme or severe drought conditions during any weekly period between Sept. 1, 2014, and Aug. 31, 2015. The National Drought Mitigation Center has listed all or parts of 48 states and Puerto Rico that qualify for relief. Any county that borders a county on the NDMC’s list also qualifies.
  
  
• 2011 Drought Sales. This extension immediately impacts drought sales that occurred during 2011.
  
  
• Prior Drought Sales.  However, the IRS has granted previous extensions that affect some of these localities. This means that some drought sales before 2011 are also affected. The IRS will grant additional extensions if severe drought conditions persist.

Get more on this relief in Notice 2015-69 on IRS.gov. This includes a list of states and counties where the IRS relief applies. For more on these tax rules see Publication 225, Farmer’s Tax Guide on IRS.gov.

Each and every taxpayer has a set of fundamental rights they should be aware of when dealing with the IRS. These are your Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Explore your rights and our obligations to protect them on IRS.gov.


Source: Internal Revenue Service

IRS Urges Public to Stay Alert for Scam Phone Calls

IRS Special Edition Tax Tip 2015-18, October 21, 2015

The IRS continues to warn consumers to guard against scam phone calls from thieves intent on stealing their money or their identity. Criminals pose as the IRS to trick victims out of their money or personal information. Here are several tips to help you avoid being a victim of these scams:

• Scammers make unsolicited calls.  Thieves call taxpayers claiming to be IRS officials. They demand that the victim pay a bogus tax bill. They con the victim into sending cash, usually through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. They may also leave “urgent” callback requests through phone “robo-calls,” or via phishing email.
  
  
• Callers try to scare their victims.  Many phone scams use threats to intimidate and bully a victim into paying. They may even threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the license of their victim if they don’t get the money.
  
  
• Scams use caller ID spoofing.  Scammers often alter caller ID to make it look like the IRS or another agency is calling. The callers use IRS titles and fake badge numbers to appear legitimate. They may use the victim’s name, address and other personal information to make the call sound official.
  
  
• Cons try new tricks all the time.  Some schemes provide an actual IRS address where they tell the victim to mail a receipt for the payment they make. Others use emails that contain a fake IRS document with a phone number or an email address for a reply. These scams often use official IRS letterhead in emails or regular mail that they send to their victims. They try these ploys to make the ruse look official.
  
  
• Scams cost victims over $23 million.  The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, or TIGTA, has received reports of about 736,000 scam contacts since October 2013. Nearly 4,550 victims have collectively paid over $23 million as a result of the scam.

The IRS will not:

• Call you to demand immediate payment. The IRS will not call you if you owe taxes without first sending you a bill in the mail.
  
  
• Demand that you pay taxes and not allow you to question or appeal the amount you owe.
  
  
• Require that you pay your taxes a certain way. For instance, require that you pay with a prepaid debit card.
  
  
• Ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
  
  
• Threaten to bring in police or other agencies to arrest you for not paying.

If you don’t owe taxes, or have no reason to think that you do:

• Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
  
  
• Contact TIGTA to report the call. Use their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page. You can also call 800-366-4484 FREE.
  
  
• Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “FTC Complaint Assistant” on FTC.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" in the notes.

If you know you owe, or think you may owe tax:

• Call the IRS at 800-829-1040 FREE. IRS workers can help you.

Phone scams first tried to sting older people, new immigrants to the U.S. and those who speak English as a second language. Now the crooks try to swindle just about anyone. And they’ve ripped-off people in every state in the nation.
Stay alert to scams that use the IRS as a lure. Tax scams can happen any time of year, not just at tax time. For more, visit “Tax Scams and Consumer Alerts” on IRS.gov.
Each and every taxpayer has a set of fundamental rights they should be aware of when dealing with the IRS. These are your Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Explore your rights and our obligations to protect them on IRS.gov.

Source: Internal Revenue Service

Extension Filers: Don’t Miss the Oct. 15 Deadline

IRS Special Edition Tax Tip 2015-17, October 2, 2015

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If you are one of the 13 million taxpayers who asked for more time to file your federal tax return and still haven’t filed, your extra time is about to expire. Oct. 15 is the last day to file for most people who requested an automatic six-month extension. If you have not yet filed, here are some things that you should know:

• Try IRS Free File or e-file.  You can still e-file your tax return for free through IRS Free File. The program is available only on IRS.gov through Oct. 15. IRS e-file is easy, safe and the most accurate way to file your taxes. The tax software you use to e-file helps you get all the tax benefits that you’re entitled to claim.
  
  
• Use Direct Deposit.   If you are due a refund, the fastest way to get it is to combine direct deposit and e-file. Direct deposit has a proven track record; eight in 10 taxpayers who get a refund choose it. The IRS issues more than nine out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days.
  
  
• Use IRS Online Payment Options.  If you owe taxes the best way to pay them is with IRS Direct Pay. It’s the simple, quick and free way to pay from your checking or savings account. You also have other online payment options. These include Electronic Funds Withdrawal or payment by debit or credit card. Just click on the “Payments” tab on the IRS.gov home page.
  
  
• Don’t overlook tax benefits.  Make sure to check if you qualify for tax breaks that you might miss if you rush to file. This includes the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Saver’s Credit. The American Opportunity Tax Credit and other education tax benefits can help you pay for college.
  
  
• File on time.  If you owe taxes, file on time to avoid a late filing penalty. If you owe and can’t pay all of your taxes, pay as much as you can to reduce interest and penalties for late payment. Use the Online Payment Agreement tool to ask for more time to pay. You can also file Form 9465, Installment Agreement Request, with your tax return.
  
  
• More time for the military.  Some people have more time to file. This includes members of the military and others serving in a combat zone. If this applies to you, you typically have until at least 180 days after you leave the combat zone to both file returns and pay any taxes due.
  
  
• Try easy-to-use tools on IRS.gov.  Use the EITC Assistant to see if you’re eligible for the credit. Use the Interactive Tax Assistant tool to get answers to common tax questions. The IRS Tax Map gives you a single point to get tax law information by subject. It integrates your topic with related tax forms, instructions and publications into one research tool.

Each and every taxpayer has a set of fundamental rights they should be aware of when dealing with the IRS. These are your Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Explore your rights and our obligations to protect them on IRS.gov.

Source: Internal Revenue Service