Ask TaxMama Issue 659 – Autumnal Moods

Dear Family,

Welcome to autumn. This is the best time of the year. Summer’s heat is starting to fade away. Winter’s snow hasn’t yet come (to those of you who live in snowy climes). And the trees are turning glorious shades of gold and auburn.

And Congress is back in session. See how active they’ve been this week? Actually, here’s where you’ll find the bills that have been proposed – another tax break or two; funding to re-hire laid-off teachers; setting up a veteran’s job corps – and more. However, there’s not really anyone around to vote on anything. They’re just marking time. California Congressman, Henry Waxman says that there’s too much work to be done to drag out this pre-election recess. Time to get back to work. Naturally, his wisdom was brushed aside.

One of the key attributes of a good legislature is wisdom. This week’s Money Funnies introduces some wise concepts. Who knows, perhaps our legislators have also learned these pearls of wisdom?

Speaking of wisdom, in IRS News , we learn President Obama decreed that the government must find ways to cut costs. So, the IRS responded by starting to have more workers tele-commute. TIGTA evaluated the potential savings as being in excess of $100 millions. We’ve been talking about whistleblowing recently. Well, what happens when an IRS agent exposes a whistleblower? Just watch and see.

This week’s Equifax Blog provides Tax Strategies for the Unemployed. Alas, there are still too many!

Have you entered Equifax’s Family Money Matters Video Contest? Do enter – especially you terrific TaxNerds! One grand prize winner will receive a $1,000 Discover gift card, and all finalists will receive a complimentary full-year subscription to Equifax Complete Family Plan, a credit monitoring and identity theft protection product for the entire family. (Considering all the identity theft going on, this can be a serious valuable prize.)

If you want to see all the TaxQuips from earlier in the week, drop by here. There are some interesting topics.

The job search is on. If you’re looking for a job, an intern, or a new employee, please visit the new TaxMama Career center, partnered with JobTarget.com. For 15% off on any postings or orders, use the code: taxcareers

We have an RTRP class coming up at CPE Link in October – after tax season ends. I am getting happy emails from people who have passed the exam! If you haven’t scheduled your exam date yet, in this week’s AccountingWeb.com blog, I explain why you may want to reserve that date now!

TaxMama’s EA Exam Review Course is back again tomorrow. The weekend is devoted to the Part 2, intense, Final Review sessions. And yay! People are passing the EA Exam. Even Part 2, You still have time to Join the fun! (With a Fall Special discount, no less!) We will be starting Part 3 next week, on October 2^nd.

Remember to follow TaxMama®’s Tweets – http://twitter.com/TaxMama

Have you grabbed the TaxQuips Widget for your phone, social networking page, website, or…? You’ll get the TaxQuips as soon as they published – about an hour before they are distributed in by e-mail. It’s a fun gadget. Just pick up the code and paste into your site or phone app. http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/taxmamas-taxquips-daily-tax-podcasts

Let’s address a few tidbits of news – and go back to work!

Weekly Equifax blog is still going strong.
http://blog.equifax.com/tax/
Filing Taxes: Paperwork For Your Tax Professional
Avoid Paying Penalties on Estimated Taxes
Learning from Your Tax Filing Mistakes
After Filing Taxes: Responding to Letters from IRS
Tax Tips: How Long Should You Keep Records?
Using Standard Mileage Rate for Business Deductions
Making Estimated tax payments
Free Money Coming Your Way Due to Tax Mistakes
Using Your Home Renovation to Maximize Tax Benefits
Money Management: Explaining Paystubs to Your Teen
Harvesting Capital Gains Now—or Later
Working Like an Employee While Being Paid Like a Freelancer
Tax Issues to Resolve During Your Divorce
I Received an IRS Notice – Now What?
Tax Strategies for the Unemployed – New!

MarketWatch
http://www.marketwatch.com/Journalists/Eva_Rosenberg
Ruling poses tax issues for same-sex couples
Whistleblowing for Fun or Profit – New!

ITS A WAHM THING
Home Based Business Accounting Software Options
Writing off your Family’s Vacation
TaxMama’s 10 Tips for Success
Writing off summertime parties.
Vehicle Deductions Driving You Crazy?
Are You Classifying Your Workers Properly?
http://taxmama.wpengine.com/?p=11430
The Ins and Outs of Shoeboxed.com
A Moving Story – or Three Good Reasons to Tell IRS You Moved
Avoiding Fly by Night Tax Pros
4 Easy Steps to Resolving Your Tax Problems
Are you Wasting Tax Benefits? – New!
BizFilings
What is the Best Entity for Your Business?
The Non-Profit as a Business Model
Tax Issues Regarding Copyrights and Trademarks
Business Licenses You Need and Trust
Now That You Have an LLC, it’s Time to Make Tax Decisions

You can find daily TaxQuips into YouTube videos
http://www.youtube.com/taxmama1 http://www.youtube.com/user/taxmama1/videos

Remember to follow TaxMama®’s Tweets – http://twitter.com/TaxMama

http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/taxmamas-taxquips-daily-tax-podcasts

Remember TaxMama’s Tax Calendar has enough information to carry you through to the first quarter of 2013.

As always, we love your feedback, opinions and ideas.

You are what makes all this fun – and interesting!

http://taxmama.wpengine.com/asktaxmama/ask-taxmama-issue-659

TaxNerd gear makes a bold statement year-round.

Hugs from your favorite TaxNerd,

Eva Rosenberg, EA

Your TaxMama® www.TaxMama.com

09/30/2012	Last day to establish SIMPLE plans for current year
09/30/2012	Time for businesses to consider setting up retirement plans
10/15/2012	Personal Returns due – Nonresident, US income, etc. FINAL DEADLINE
10/15/2012	Personal Returns due – Easy – Final Deadline
10/15/2012	Personal Returns due – Not Itemizing – Final Deadline
10/15/2012	Deadline for Schedule C filer to fund SEP-IRAs for previous year.
10/15/2012	Net Operating Loss – Eligible Small Business carry back loss
10/15/2012	US Gift and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Return – Final Deadline
10/15/2012	Employers Make Monthly Payroll tax deposit on the 15th of each month
10/15/2012	Employers File Annual Return for Employee Benefits Plan 5500, if on extension
10/15/2012	Employers File Annual Return for Employee Benefits Plan 5500-EZ, , if on extension
10/31/2012	3rd Quarter Payroll Taxes Due
10/31/2012	Employer’s Deposit Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA) – if total due is more than $500 through Sept 30th.
10/31/2012	3rd Quarter Federal Excise Tax Return & Payment Voucher – Form 720