Tax season

The late start to this year's filling season has both good and not-so-good implications,

Some taxpayers seeking a quick refund may have to wait longer than usual this year as the Internal Revenue Service tries to stop criminals who steal others’ identities and file fraudulent returns.

Without some kind of accepted certification program, the taxpaying public has no way of knowing if a person who says that they are a professional tax preparer has any training or experience. The answer would be some kind of voluntary “certification program” where a tax preparer could receive a universally accepted professional designation based on testing or credentials.

The Internal Revenue Service is promising more video conferencing assistance for taxpayers, social media tools and an improved Web site as it launched tax season Wednesday, along with stepped-up efforts to protect taxpayers from tax refund fraud and identity theft.

A federal court has denied H&R Block’s effort to stop Intuit from continuing to air a pair of TV commercials for TurboTax that comically suggested tax prep franchise employees worked as plumbers and clothing store clerks outside of tax season.

The Internal Revenue Service is scheduled to begin accepting individual income tax returns starting Wednesday.

CCH has introduced the CCH Code & Regs 2013 App, a mobile app for Apple iPhone and iPad and Google Android devices.

The Internal Revenue Service has joined the popular microblogging service Tumblr, expanding the IRS’s array of social media networks.

A group of New Jersey CPAs are making themselves available to answer tax questions from the public during tax season.

The IRS said today that processing of tax returns claiming education credits will begin by the middle of February.

A trio of tax preparers who successfully sued the Internal Revenue Service to halt its mandatory testing and continuing education requirements is contesting the IRS’s request for a federal judge to suspend his ruling against the agency while it mounts an appeal.

The Internal Revenue Service re-launched its annual outreach campaign Friday, in conjunction with community organizations, to promote awareness of the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Tax preparers charge an average of $246 to prepare an itemized Form 1040 with a Schedule A and a state tax return, according to a survey by the National Society of Accountants.

The Internal Revenue Service said it will appeal a court’s ruling that it lacks the power to license tax preparers, a decision that might affect as many as 700,000 people who work on clients’ returns.

Four states have signed up for a new system aimed at combating the growing problem of identity theft-related tax fraud.

The Internal Revenue Service provided advice to taxpayers Wednesday on dealing with the late opening of tax season on January 30 that could also prove helpful to tax preparers.

Unfortunately, recent events make fundamental tax reform, already a heavy lift, much less likely.

The Internal Revenue Service reacted Tuesday to the surprise ruling Friday by a federal judge striking down the IRS’s authority to regulate tax preparers, shutting down its Preparer Tax Identification Number registration system and its testing system for tax preparers.

Professional services search firm ExpertBids has released its 2012 tax Webpage designed to help small and medium sized businesses across the United States find the right tax accountant free of charge.

In a stunning blow to the Internal Revenue Service’s efforts to regulate the tax preparation profession, a federal judge struck down the IRS’s licensing requirements for tax preparers on Friday, including testing and continuing education.