Tax season

The Internal Revenue Service warned small businesses and their tax preparers Wednesday that a group of tax return forms should not be filed until it is ready to start processing them.

With many indications showing that the Internal Revenue Service is behind in the number of tax returns filed so far this year compared to last year, Liberty Tax Service reported positive growth Wednesday in revenue, same-store sales and tax returns filed.

While the late December tax cut extension slowed down the beginning of tax season for some, it brought a welcome degree of certainty to the tax landscape.

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service filed a lawsuit Monday against H&R Block claiming that Block is disseminating “false, misleading and highly disparaging advertising claims about Jackson Hewitt.”

Online tax preparation site FreeTaxUSA said it now supports all 42 states with a state income tax.

The Internal Revenue Service and its partners nationwide marked the 5th Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day on Friday.

The Internal Revenue Service has provided a dispensation for tax preparers who have tried unsuccessfully to register for a Preparer Tax Identification Number so they can go ahead and prepare tax returns for compensation, even though they have not yet received a PTIN.

Intuit has made several updates to its ProLine Tax Online tax prep application for this tax season.

Valentine’s Day will turn into Tax Day as the Internal Revenue Service plans to begin processing tax returns delayed by last month’s tax law changes on Feb. 14.

All taxpayers can now e-file a federal return for free with TaxACT, an online service from 2nd Story Software that files returns to the IRS allowing for refunds in as few as eight days with direct deposit.

The Internal Revenue Service opened its 21st season of electronic filing Friday with a reminder to taxpayers that e-file remains the best way to get fast refunds and ensure accurate tax returns, particularly following several tax law changes in December.

The Internal Revenue Service opened its Free File program Friday for the ninth year, offering free tax preparation and electronic filing to taxpayers.

Henry Bloch, the “H” in H&R Block, needs no introduction to accountants, or the millions of taxpayers whose returns have been prepared by the firm — and the industry — he spawned.

The Treasury Department launched a pilot program Thursday to provide tax refunds on prepaid debit and payroll cards.

The AICPA has posted a sample client letter that accountants and tax practitioners can download, personalize and use to inform their clients about how the legislation extending the Bush-era tax cuts could affect them.

The Internal Revenue Service said a series of forms will be disabled until mid- to late February with error codes.

The Internal Revenue Service has been hearing a lot of concerns about its new requirements for tax preparers to electronically file tax returns.

The Internal Revenue Service has opened the 2011 tax season by announcing that taxpayers have until April 18 to file their tax returns as a result of a Washington, D.C., holiday.

The American Institute of CPAs has written a letter to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman urging more flexibility in implementing mandatory electronic filing of tax returns by tax preparers in 2011 for individuals, trusts and estates.

Complex changes to tax laws and uncertainty around regulations - and 2010 saw almost unprecedented levels of both - always drive more taxpayers to turn to professional tax return preparers.