Archive for the ‘Taxes’ Category

Articles

Manage Your Debt (Collectors)

In Accounting & Finances,Business,Education,Taxes on July 17, 2012 by Sufen Wang Tagged: , , , , , ,

Got debt? Don’t fret, there are ways to get through it. If you can’t make the payments, call your creditors right now –seriously – and try to set up a modified payment plan before the collectors arrive.

However, if your accounts are past the point of no return, don’t let the debt collectors be bullies. While they are allowed to contact you in-person, by mail, telephone, fax, or telegram (you probably won’t be getting a telegram anytime soon), there are some boundaries they can’t legally cross.  

Unless you need a wake-up call, collectors can’t ring you before 8 a.m. They also can’t call after 9 p.m. That means you only have to screen phone calls for thirteen (13) hours during the day.

If you do happen to pick up, and it’s a collector on the other end instead of your grandma, he can’t use any language he wouldn’t use in front of his grandma – meaning, no bad words. And collectors can’t harass any third parties they contact about you, such as your grandma.

This might sound untruthful, but your debt collector will be the most honest person you meet. Or at least, he should be. That’s because collectors can’t lie to you about anything. Accordingly, they can’t make up scary stories about what will happen to you if you don’t pay. You’re dealing with debt, not the mafia… well…. for those of you who do deal with the mafia and loan-sharks or alike, not much I can help you there… you are on your own on this one.

Anyway, hey, you can kill two debt birds with one stone by going to work. Well, there’s an idea…  Not only will you make money to pay off your bills, collectors also can’t call your workplace if your employer doesn’t allow it. However, if you really want collectors to quit calling you, you’ll have to go more old school than telegrams: you need to send them a letter saying stop calling.

You don’t need collectors to constantly remind you that you owe money – you already know that. Getting them off your back will let you focus on budgeting, saving, and spending wisely on living essentials. If you do those things, soon you’ll be calling the collectors to make payments.  Yes, make payments…. you did borrow the funds, and you used the money without anyone forcing you to do so; therefore, pay the debt that you incurred and owed, do the right thing!   Make a payment plan with your collector and slowly, but surely, you will catch up!

 

On the Money,
Sufen Wang
Wang Solutions

3 Comments

Articles

A Foreign Affair Close to Home:

In Accounting & Finances,Business,Culture,Education,Taxes on July 9, 2012 by Sufen Wang Tagged: , , , , ,

U.S. SEC Takes Action against Shanghai-Based Accounting Firm 

The world got a good look at American business’ bad side from 2001-2002, and boy, was it ugly. The Enron (now synonymous with corruption), Worldcom, and Tyco scandals made it clear that big corporations and accounting firms needed to bring their ethic sup to code. But first, that code had to be brought up to date.

That’s exactly what the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 did: it established new and improved standards for U.S. business practices. Companies could no longer pretend they didn’t know something wrong was going on and they would be held accountable for their “oversights.”

Or at least that’s what was supposed to happen. Welcome to 2012, where several Chinese companies listed on the U.S. stock exchange appear to have slipped-up in their accounting.  And the foreign accounting firms that audit these companies – in other words, the people who should be reporting any suspicious financial activity – have been less than forthcoming with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  

For example, a Shanghai-based firm, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, has been withholding some very important papers from the SEC. One of the firm’s clients, a Chinese company that trades in the U.S., is under investigation. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act says that the accounting firm must provide the SEC with any documents relating to this suspected, U.S.-based company. 

That’s nice, but Deloitte said they gave the documents to the Chinese Securities Regulatory Authority (CSRA), and it was up to the SEC and CSRA to figure things out. That didn’t happen and when the SEC asked for the work papers again, Deloitte said nope. Accordingly, the SEC is charging Deloitte with violating the Sarbanes-Oxley Act provision.

This administrative action comes at an inopportune time for the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), an agency created by the Act specifically to oversee U.S. accounting firms in their auditing duties, as well as the auditors of any U.S. listed companies – i.e. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. Chinese officials had not previously allowed inspectors this crucial access, but the PCAOB was on the very brink of working out an agreement.

That possibility of observing audit inspections in China could be in jeopardy due to the SEC’s aggressive move. Now the million– and what could end up as the billion – dollar question is what should the U.S.government do? What can the government do? Should U.S. law be imposed onto the Chinese? What about accounting laws in China? Should the U.S. be following their laws as well? It’s an international nightmare with no easy answers.  

 

On the Money,

Sufen Wang

Wang Solutions

Leave a Comment

Articles

Hosting an Exchange Student?

In Accounting & Finances,Business,Culture,Education,Family,Taxes on June 25, 2012 by Sufen Wang Tagged: ,

Don’t Expect the IRS to Help Much!

School’s out for summer and students across the country get to sleep in and watch cartoons. However, summer is also the time when foreign exchange students get ready to travel and arrange their fall residence with their foreign hosts. If you’re thinking of being a host, you might want to do some homework, especially on how much tax relief (or how little) you’ll get from the IRS.  

$50! That’s the MAXIMUM amount a taxpayer who hosts a foreign exchange student can deduct from his/her federal income tax as a “charitable contribution in qualifying expenses per month for maintaining the student.” If you buy the kid a pair of sneakers, you’ve already spent more than your deduction. And let’s just say that the IRS doesn’t make it easy to get even this small amount.

No frat boys, sorority girls, or any college students for that matter. To get the tax relief, the student you host must be a full-time 12th grader (or lower) in a U.S. school. And don’t try to pass your teenage son off as an exchange student, although he might seem like a stranger to you.  The person you host can’t be a dependent or a relative. Most restrictively, the student must live in your home “under a written agreement between the taxpayer and a qualified organization as part of the organization’s program to provide the student with educational opportunities.” These are only the key limitations, so be sure to check out the IRS publication for more fine print.

Luckily, lots of expenses count towards the deduction: the cost of books, food, clothing, transportation, entertainment,etc. We all know that teenagers hate books, but they love food, clothing, and especially entertainment, and so you’ll probably hit the $50 mark the first day your exchange student arrives. Just keep reminding yourself that $50 per month is as much as you’re going to get back from the IRS.

And it doesn’t look like that amount is going to be raised anytime soon. Back in 2005 a bill was introduced to increase the deduction to $200 per month, but the bill flopped. So if you’re going to be hosting an exchange student, don’t do it for the money. Do it because it’s agreat learning experience for everyone involved!

 

On the Money,
Sufen Wang
Wang Solutions

 

7 Comments

Articles

Amazon.com Gets Two California Addresses…

In Accounting & Finances,Business,Culture,Taxes on June 14, 2012 by Sufen Wang Tagged: , , , , , , ,

with a Big Share of the Sales Tax….

Amazon could soon be your next-door neighbor. The online retailer already has plans to build fulfillment centers in San Bernardino and Patterson, CA. While these huge brick and mortar warehouses won’t attract tourists, they will generate much-needed local jobs and, even better, about $8 million for each city.

That’s because Amazon agreed to start collecting sales tax starting Sept. 15. Since all Amazon purchases by California customers will “originate” from San Bernardino and Patterson, those two cities will earn 100% of the city portion of the state-wide, standard sales tax that will be charged by the online merchant.

Except the cities won’t be keeping the full 100% – after all, Amazon needs a housewarming gift. Specifically, a sales-tax rebate of 75% from Patterson and 80% from San Bernardino. These deals are still in the works, but the high numbers are indicative of how desperate cities are to welcome major online retailers to the neighborhood.

However, Amazon as the new kid on the block isn’t necessarily a win-win situation. California law leaves it up to the merchant to pick the point of sale – that is, the community where they are physically housed which gets the share of the sales taxes. That means that online merchants can shop around the state for the best sales-tax rebate deal, while cities butt heads and try to out-bargain each other.

The result is that Amazon, previously so resistant to charging sales tax, could profit the most from the state sales tax – and not California itself. Now that’s hospitality at its best.
 
On the Money,
Sufen Wang
Wang Solutions
 

2 Comments

Articles

Beat the Tax Penalty Heat with….

In Accounting & Finances,Business,Taxes on May 20, 2012 by Sufen Wang Tagged: , , , , , , ,

A Fresh Start from the IRS

If you still owe taxes, you might be feeling the heat from deadlines and failure-to-pay penalties. Luckily, the IRS is cool enough to give you relief in three areas with its “Fresh Start” initiative.
 
1. PENALTIES: That’s right folks, the Fresh Start Penalty Initiative gives eligible taxpayers a six-month extension (until Oct. 15, 2012) to fully pay their 2011 taxes, without any penalties. This won’t get you out of paying interest on your owed taxes. But as long as you pay those taxes and the interest by the October deadline, you won’t be charged any nasty failure-to-pay penalties.

All the people who aren’t getting a lot of business/unemployed people in the house raise your hands! Your bad luck is good news for you, because the Fresh Start Penalty Initiative is only available to:  Wage earners who have been unemployed at least 30 consecutive days during 2011 or in 2012 up to this year’s April 17 tax deadline – OR – Self-employed individuals who experienced a 25 percent or greater reduction in business income in 2011 due to the economy.

To find out more about this limited time offer, you’ll need to visit the IRS website and read over the brand spankin’ new Form 1127A.
 
2. INSTALLMENT AGREEMENT: The Fresh Start initiative also offers expanded and improved streamlined installment agreement provisions. Sounds fancy, but it actually makes things simpler. Under this option, more people will have more time to catch up on back taxes, which means fewer penalties for everyone involved. Best of all, streamlined installment agreements require limited financial information.
 
3. OFFER IN COMPROMISE: What’s the difference between an agreement and a compromise? Well, the “Offer in Compromise” is an agreement between a taxpayer and the IRS that settles the taxpayer’s tax liabilities for less than the full amount owed. Under the Fresh Start initiative, the IRS decided to get real and has been working on more common-sense changes to the OIC program.
 
Tired of reading, but want to find out more? Then grab some popcorn and enjoy the IRS Fresh Start YouTube video and the IRS video series “Owe Taxes: Understanding IRS Collection Efforts.” They’re not as boring as they sound.
 
On the Money,
Sufen Wang
Wang Solutions
 

1 Comment

Articles

Is an IRS Notice Your Worst Nightmare?

In Accounting & Finances,Business,Taxes on May 11, 2012 by Sufen Wang Tagged: , , , , , , ,

It Shouldn’t Be…

You head out to your mailbox expecting to find this week’s issue of Forbes. Instead, you open the mailbox and see a notice from the IRS sitting on top. Don’t assume it’s going to be a hassle – most of these letters can be handled without having to call or visit an IRS office.The notice might order you to pay up, but often it will simply notify you of account changes. Whatever the problem, the letter will provide specific instructions about what you need to do.

Please read carefully. If you received a correction notice, compare it with the information on your tax return. If everything looks A-okay, there’s no need to reply – unless the notice tells you otherwise. If the correction looks incorrect, you’ll need to let the IRS know with a written explanation.

Just because you don’t need to contact the IRS, doesn’t mean you can’t. If you have a question, just call the telephone number in the upper right corner of the notice. Have your tax return handy when you call.

See, you’ll be relaxing and reading your magazine in no time – until the next IRS notice arrives in the mail.

On the Money,

Sufen Wang

Wang Solutions

 

3 Comments

Articles

Managing Your Tax Records After Filing…

In Accounting & Finances,Business,Human Resources,Taxes on April 23, 2012 by Sufen Wang Tagged: , , , , , , ,

You’re Not Done Yet!

Now that you’ve filed your tax returns, you might be tempted to push your tax documents out of sight, out of mind. That’s not a good idea. Keeping good records after you filed is a good idea, just in case the IRS selects your returns for an audit.
 
In general, any documents relating to your federal tax returns should be saved for at least three years. This includes bills, credit card receipts, invoices, and any other records that support deductions or credits you claim on your return.
 
Don’t pull out the shredder for your whole filing cabinet just yet. To be on the safe side, you should keep any and all real estate refinancing loan docs, exchange calculation, escrow closing statements, inheritance or funds gifted to children, trust-related issues, stocks and bond trades, etc. for more than 3 years. Let’s try 5 to 7 years.
 
Finally, any and all payroll related records should be kept for about 10 years. Yes, you read that right: one whole decade. A few years ago I encountered a case where the State of California Employment Office (EDD) could not reconcile data on an employee, dating back to 1999 and decided to seek out my assistance via an audit. Fortunately, I was able to complete the audit, clean as a whistle, because I had all of the original records on the subject employee. 
 
That just goes to show that employers should make room for keeping records. If you want to save space, go digital and scan all of the employees’ records – but always ensure that their signatures are clear and legible in the scanned images. However you do it, save your records now so you can save yourself some trouble in the future.
 
 
On the Record,
Sufen Wang
Wang Solutions
 

 

2 Comments

Articles

FILE, FILE, FILE….

In Accounting & Finances,Business,Taxes on April 16, 2012 by Sufen Wang Tagged: , , , , , , ,

 
Can’t Pay? It’s Okay! Don’t Delay, File Your Returns Today
 
 
Tax returns will be due in less than 48 hours. Don’t have a panic attack if you can’t pay all the taxes you owe when you file. There are always solutions to problems…..  But File, File, File – on time. It’s better to file right now and pay as much as you can, than to not file at all. If you don’t, you’ll be looking at a late filing penalty, in addition to a late payment penalty, and accrued interest charges.  Or make sure you file an extension by April 17 with some estimated tax along with it. 
 

This extension will give you an extra 6 months, until October 15.  But remember this extension will only give you extra time, but not to reduce your tax liabilities.  Interest and penalty will continue to accrue during this 6 months extended period on your tax responsibilities.    Folks, DO NOT wait until October 15 to seek another extension, because there is NO extension on your extension… 

Business Extension Form 7004.

Personal Extension Form 4868.

 
If you are not able to pay your taxes right now, still file your returns on time, and then request for an installment payment agreement from the IRS (for a fee, of course). You can also use this option when your bill arrives from the IRS.  Remember the IRS also accept credit cards…  In any case, File, File, File… 
 
 
On the Money
Sufen Wang
Wang Solutions
 
 

1 Comment

Articles

Standard Deduction vs. Itemized:

In Accounting & Finances,Business,Taxes on April 11, 2012 by Sufen Wang Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Find Your Perfect Match

To itemize or not to itemize? That is the question with personal tax returns due April 17. When choosing between a standard or itemized deduction, you’ll want to pick the method that gives you the lower taxes.
 
To do this, first figure out the amount of your standard deduction. It’s based on your filing status and can change each year from inflation adjustments. For 2011, the amounts are:

Single: $5,800
Married Filing Jointly:   $11,600
Head of Household:   $8,500
Married Filing Separately:  $5,800
Qualifying Widow(er):  $11,600
 
These numbers are higher for taxpayers who are blind and/or 65 or older. If the total amount you spent on qualifying expenses is more than your standard deduction, you can usually benefit by itemizing.  
 
However, not everybody gets to choose between itemized and standard deduction. Are you a nonresident alien, dual-status alien, or an individual who files returns for periods of less than 12 months due to a change in accounting periods? If you answered yes to any of the above, you are not eligible for the standard deduction.
 

Those in the “Married Filing Separately” category have some extra rules when it comes to deductions. If one spouse itemizes deductions, the other spouse must also itemize to claim their allowable deductions. Better dust off those communication skills and make sure you and your spouse are on the same page, that is “standard or itemized?”  Hit that “refresh” button and make sure both of your tax returns are in sync….

Now that you’ve decided on standard or itemize, the next item on your list should be to finish your taxes…
 
On the Money,
Sufen Wang
Wang Solutions
 

1 Comment

Articles

The Joy of Adoption:

In Accounting & Finances,Culture,Education,Family,Taxes on March 30, 2012 by Sufen Wang Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Now with an Added Bonus from the IRS

Have you read the tabloids lately? Brangelina is having another baby! No, not adoption this time, but for those adoptive parents out there who need extra money, here are some IRS tips on taxes and credits.
 
With adoption, comes responsibility – and lots of bills. Luckily, if you paid expenses to adopt an eligible child in 2011, you have even more to be excited about than just a new member of your household. Say hello to an expanded adoption credit. The Affordable Care Act increased the credit to a maximum $13,360 and made it refundable. In other words, you can get the adoption credit as a tax refund even after your tax liability has been reduced to zero.
 
Of course, there’s always fine print when money is at stake. While you may consider the Chihuahua you rescued from the animal shelter to be your baby, the IRS defines an eligible child as “under 18 years old, or physically or mentally incapable of caring for himself or herself.” And those expenses don’t refer to the big screen TV you bought on the way to the courthouse. They mean adoption fees, court costs, attorney fees – basically all the “reasonable and necessary expenses” directly related to the legal adoption. One more qualification: if you are rich like (Brangelina), then you are out of luck. Anybody with a modified AGI of $225,210 or higher cannot receive the credit.
 
Unfortunately, getting the credit requires actual paperwork. Yes, you read that right. You must file a paper tax return, Form 8839, Qualified Adoption Expenses, and attach documents supporting the adoption. No, a hand-written note on a piece of binder paper doesn’t count as a supporting document. The IRS wants you to include stuff like a final adoption decree or a placement agreement from an authorized agency. All of this doesn’t mean you can’t use IRS Free File or other software to prepare your returns first. However, you must eventually print your returns and mail them if you want the IRS to show you the money.

So, for those of you with a big heart and an ache to have children running around the house, adopt away!  Hope this article helps the road to adoption a little easier….

On the Money,
Sufen Wang
Wang Solutions
 

 

3 Comments

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »
« Back to Home