Tax season

The Internal Revenue Service plans to send expiration letters next week to tax practitioners who have not renewed their Preparer Tax Identification Numbers for 2014.

The U.S. Departments of Treasury and Education are partnering with accounting and tax software developer Intuit to raise awareness of income-driven repayment plans and other repayment options for federal student loan borrowers.

While many taxpayers look forward to filing season as the time they can get “free money” in the form of their tax refund, those with more complex returns are focused as well on avoiding situations that might lead to an audit.

The IRS Return Preparer Office has updated total numbers of federal return preparers who hold PTINs.

Refundo, a provider of low-cost tax-related bank products, has inked a deal with “socially responsible” San Francisco-based lender LendUp to couple short-term loans with Refundo's refund-processing platform for tax professionals.

Even though tax season for individual tax returns has been delayed until January 31, the Internal Revenue Service and the Free File Alliance are opening up free electronic filing for taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes of $58,000 or less.

Greatland Corp. has released speedEfiler.com, online reporting software designed for small and midsized businesses and professional accountants to file W-2 and 1099 forms online, meeting filing requirements for federal, state and recipient reporting.

As the holidays recede in the rear-view mirror, many CPAs begin to observe a worrisome trend. The stack of paperwork on the corner of the desk, the number of emails in the inbox, and the items on the to-do list begin to expand as if by magic. It is a sign that the busy season is upon us, yet again.

A laundromat in the Bronx, N.Y., plans to offer tax prep services while New Yorkers wash their clothes.

Bill.com has signed an integration deal with tax filing solutions creator TechAtlantis and its Tax1099.com product to automate the process of creating and e-filing 1099-MISC forms.

The Internal Revenue Service has returned to offering videos to help taxpayers cope with tax season, while avoiding the spoofs of old TV series like Star Trek and Gilligan’s Island that landed IRS officials in hot water last year.

Check out the digital edition of the January 2014 issue of Accounting Today.

IRS issues final and proposed regs on new Medicare taxes

The ACA, uncertain extenders, and other issues preparers are paying attention to in the run-up to tax season

A roundup of tax news from the previous month

Well over half of tax preparers in a recent survey said that they expect to generate more revenue in the coming tax season than they did last year.

While a recent survey found that tax preparers across the country intend to universally raise rates for this coming season, why they’re raising them -- and by how much -- varies widely depending on a range of factors.

The Internal Revenue Service is warning tax preparers who do not send a Form 8867, “Paid Preparer’s Earned Income Credit” Checklist,” with the tax returns they file for clients who claim the Earned Income Tax Credit that they are subject to a $500 penalty per return.

The Internal Revenue Service plans to transition more of its services for taxpayers to online, automated self-service options next tax season to save money and manpower.

The Internal Revenue Service plans to begin accepting business tax returns on January 13, more than two weeks ahead of the start date for accepting individual tax returns.