Avoiding Penalties: What to Do If Taxes Can't Be Filed on Time

Everyone knows that federal income taxes are due on April 15th of every year, but what happens if there is a problem completing the return or paying on time? Many assume that the consequences will be harsh, but that is not always the case. The key is to take some simple steps prior to the deadline so that the Internal Revenue Service knows that the process has at least started. Doing nothing at all can result in serious problems, so be sure to contact the IRS if there will be a delay.

Request a Filing Extension

For those who cannot file a return by the April 15th deadline, there is a possibility to obtain an automatic four-month extension. Approximately six million citizens utilize an extension every year. To file for an extension, fill out Form 4868, an Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File a Tax Return. This will need to be turned in by the regular deadline for filing income taxes. This will provide the taxpayer with a new deadline of August 15th.

If more time is needed, a second extension can be requested by filling out Form 2688. It must be filed by August 15th in order to be considered. It will be necessary to provide a probable reason for the extension. If the extension is granted, it allows for a deadline of October 15th to file.

Keep in mind that an extended deadline does not allow for a longer time to pay taxes. If money is owed to the IRS, an estimated payment will need to be sent with an extension request. At least 90 percent of the bill will need to be paid in April. Otherwise, there is the probability of incurring penalties and interest for any amount that is not paid.

What Happens If an Extension Is Not Requested?

For anyone who does not make this request to the IRS by April 15th, they can impose a stiff penalty of up to five percent for each month not to exceed 25 percent. Interest will also be applied to the money that is owed.

What If the Money Owed Cannot Be Paid?

There may be instances in which it is difficult to make the required payment to the government. If the full payment cannot be remitted, send in as much as possible with a filed return. There is a much worse penalty for not filing at all than for not paying after filing. A penalty can be as much as 25 percent for not filing at all.

Paying taxes is an inevitable task for everyone in the country. It is important to file on time and pay what is owed. Make sure to always pay attention to due dates and file extensions if necessary. If a large bill is expected, consider putting some money into a special bank account dedicated to taxes. This will help prevent any surprises from appearing.

When considering filing taxes, Yreka, CA residents visit Hofmann Tax & Bookkeeping Service. Learn more at http://www.hofmanntax.com/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Andrew_Stratton/83489

IRA Income - Higher Retirement Income Equals Less In Taxes?

If your IRA income goes up will you pay more in taxes or less? Usually more! I am not a CPA but with some common sense and careful thought we can decrease your taxes due and increase your IRA income!

If you are a CD investor at the bank and take IRA income you might be able to lower your taxes due. How? Let's take a look.

For example, if you are taking income in the amount of $30,000 per year and you have $220,000 invested in CD's that are not in an IRA consider this idea for example and see if it might fit into your exact situation. You might be taking way more IRA income or have way more money in CD's to work with.

Since I am not a CPA and like to work with easy round numbers let's make it easy for all of us. Your taxes due at 25% of $30,000 would equal $7,500. If you were also earning interest on your CD at 3% you would pay $1,650 on the $6,600 earned from your CD each year whether you take the money out or not.

What if we lowered the need for your income withdrawal to $15,000 by annuitizing all or part of your CD?

You annual payments could easily equal $15,000 plus your missed CD money per year and since you would be getting part of your principal back you would still only pay around $1,650 a year in taxes. You would save $3,750 on your IRA income taxes and saved money is made money so really you end up with $33,750 in IRA income each year plus we could always increase your income to replace the lost CD interest if you need it as well. If not then we would just leave that money in the investment. You might even drop into a lower tax bracket and save even more.

In this idea your IRA can then grow much faster to replace your CD value. You get more money, less taxes, higher growth in your IRA, and at least half of your IRA income is guaranteed now at a certain rate. Your monthly stream of new money can also pass on to your heirs in most cases. Sound good?

If you are interested in taking a look at this idea be sure to check with a competent annuity professional. Most agents and brokers have never annuitized an annuity and don't truly have a grasp as to when it is a good idea due to lack of experience. Be sure to ask about how much experience they have in working with annuities. And remember, there is never a bad time to make more money!

Keith Dennis works exclusively with small business owners to help them create tax-free income streams for retirement. Business owners are often stuck in the tax-deferred investment trap. They get a small break now and then end up paying much higher taxes later because they lose their business deductions. Then on top of that, their income is usually 100% taxable!

With tax-free investing you can literally have twice the income in retirement saving the same amount of money, retire sooner, or even save about half as much versus tax-deferred investments.

Get it touch with Keith today to learn how it works through the Small Business Retirement Group's Fan Page.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Keith_Dennis/175155

How to Compute Cash Flow and Sales Proceeds Before and After Taxes

The primary purpose real estate investors own income property is to make money; favorably from a steady stream of cash flow generated by the property on a monthly basis as well as a lump sum profit when the property gets sold sometime in the future.

This is the explanation for real estate investing. To buy investment real estate with an "income stream" that regularly generates more rental income than operating expenses and debt service, and to collect sizable proceeds due to the property's appreciation in value upon sale.

Fair enough. But real estate investors consider more than these cash flows and proceeds before taxes. They are also concerned how much they can expect to collect after they pay federal income taxes.

In this article, we'll look at both so you will have an understanding of how they are computed in a real estate analysis.

In essence, both work the same way. The revenue investors collect prior to income taxes is known as the "before tax" (BT) revenue, and the amount of revenue an investor actually can keep after settling up with the IRS is called the "after tax" (AT) revenue.

Cash Flows

Cash flow before tax (CFBT) is rental income less operating expenses less debt service (i.e., the mortgage payment) less any non-funded capital additions.

Rental Income

less Operating Expenses

less Debt Service

less Non-funded Capital Additions

= CFBT

Cash flow after taxes (CFAT) is derived by computing tax liability based upon taxable income and then subtracting that amount from CFBT. Okay, so let's break it down.

Taxable income is net operating income (rental income less operating expenses), less the mortgage interest expense and amortized points, less depreciation. It should also be noted that any interest earned by the investor due to the property's revenue would in turn be added (which we'll ignore for our illustration).

Net Operating Income

less Interest Expense

less Amortized Points

less Depreciation (real property and capital additions)

= Taxable Income

Tax liability is taxable income multiplied by the investor's marginal tax rate (combined federal and state income tax rates). In this case, when the taxable income is a positive amount there would be a tax liability, whereas when it is a negative amount there would be a tax savings. In other words, if income is earned after allowable tax deductions, the investor will have to pay taxes and therefore has a tax liability; if no income is earned, the investor can deduct a loss from his or her income taxes and therefore has a tax savings.

Taxable Income

x Marginal Tax Rate

= Tax Liability (or savings)

The final computation,

CFBT

less Tax Liability

= CFAT

Or,

CFBT

plus Tax Savings

= CFAT

Sales Proceeds

This is the amount the seller can expect to receive once the property is sold.

Sales proceeds before tax virtually represent the dollar amount the seller will collect from escrow at closing. It is the sale price of the property less cost of sale less loan repayment (i.e., balance remaining on the existing loans).

Sale Price

less Cost of Sale

less Loan Repayment

= Sales Proceeds (BT)

Sales proceeds after tax are the sales proceeds before tax less the taxes the investor must pay the IRS due to a sale of the rental income property.

Sale Proceeds (BT)

less Taxes Due to Sale

= Sales Proceeds (AT)

Taxes due to sale is a combination of the recapture tax (or Cost Recovery Recapture) and the capital gains tax less tax savings due to unamortized loan points multiplied by the investor's marginal tax rate.

About the Author

James Kobzeff is the developer of ProAPOD. A leading provider of real estate investor software solutions since 2000. Create cash flow, rates of return, and profitability analysis presentations to evaluate any-size investment opportunity in minutes! Easy and affordable. Learn more at =>www.proapod.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/James_Kobzeff/35775