Tax season

The Internal Revenue Service has been having more problems with delayed tax refunds.

Just over 50 percent of Americans anticipate they will receive a refund on either their federal or state income tax return this year, according to a new survey, and of those 63 percent said they plan to save or invest at least part of the money.

The Internal Revenue Service is giving extra time to taxpayers who lived in some of the countries caught up in the “Arab Spring” upheavals in the Middle East.

IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman warned tax executives that they face substantial tax risks from uncertain tax positions, international enforcement efforts, and impermanent tax credits that expire every year or two.

The Internal Revenue Service offered advice Wednesday to unemployed taxpayers on how they and their tax preparers should report unemployment benefits on their tax returns.

The Internal Revenue Service has released a set of proposed regulations expanding the list of tax return preparers who may obtain and renew a Preparer Tax Identification Number.

The Internal Revenue Service is reminding tax preparers that they need to complete 15 hours of continuing education, starting this year, under new requirements, and has posted a list of approved providers.

The IRS effort to combat identity theft couldn’t have come at a better time. With the IRS closing in on its goal of 80 percent e-filed returns (aided in part by the e-filing mandates on return preparers), the last thing it needs is a decline in confidence in the system. Yet that’s just what has happened, according to a survey commissioned by tax software developer Taxsoftware.com.

The Internal Revenue Service has released an expanded version of its smartphone application, IRS2Go, with a new YouTube video feature and additional tax help for taxpayers.

The tax refund delays this tax season could be tied not only to new identity theft detection filters, but also to overly tight business rules written into the IRS’s Electronic Fraud Detection System.

A new app for Apple’s iPhone relies on data from eBay to estimate the fair market value of goods donated to charity for charitable deductions.

The Internal Revenue Service has debuted an online tool to help low- and moderate-income taxpayers find Volunteer Income Tax Assistance locations where they can get help with their taxes.

A majority of taxpayers are concerned about the security and privacy of their personal and financial information when filing their state and federal tax returns online, according to a new survey.

The Internal Revenue Service has introduced a new online tool for taxpayers who need to repay their First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit.

I can't tell you how often I hear my "older-school" counterparts tell me that their clients aren't using the Internet ... in any way. This includes portals, social media and, specifically, e-commerce (i.e., eBay and other online sales platforms). But I'm here to tell you this misconception is going to cause many professionals some serious issues once all the 1099-Ks start showing up.

With the filing season well underway, the IRS is estimating that more than 144 million individual tax returns will be filed this year - some 4 million more than last year - and it expects to receive most of them by the April 17 deadline.

A SLOW START

The Internal Revenue Service needed to put the brakes on its tax refunds this tax season when newly installed filters to prevent tax fraud and identity theft held up processing for a week or more.

The National Consumer Law Center and the Consumer Federation of America are predicting that this year’s tax season will be the final one that refund anticipation loans will be available on a large-scale, nationwide basis.

Retail giant Sears is partnering with H&R Block this tax season, offering free federal 1040EZ tax filing online and in stores through Feb. 29.