How to Check the Status of Your Tax Refund Online
By Richard Chapo
So, you were pleasantly surprised to learn that you are getting a refund on your taxes. Congratulations! The question for most taxpayers expecting a return is, "Where is my refund?"
Check Your Refund Status Online
The easiest way to check on your refund is to ask the IRS through IRS.gov. On the home page of the site, you will see a "Where's My Refund?" link. Using the service is fairly easy. You will need a copy of your tax return to provide the necessary information to get the status of your refund. Specifically, you need to provide your social security number, you tax filing status and the exact amount of your refund. The reason the IRS requires all of this information is purely for security purposes, to wit, the agency wants to make sure it is giving access only to the taxpayer. Again, all of this information should be on your return. If it is not, something is very wrong!
Once you submit the required information, the IRS will provide online results typically showing:
1. That the return was received and is in processing;
2. The expected mailing date or direct deposit date of your refund; or
3. Whether your refund could not be issued because of a delivery problem.
In some cases, the results may alert you to the fact that the IRS is reviewing your tax return because of errors or questionable entries. In such a case, it is highly advised that you review your return with a qualified tax professional and make absolutely sure that the return will stand up to scrutiny.
How Long Do You Have To Wait Before Checking?
If you filed your tax return electronically, you should be able to access the status of your refund within 48 to 72 hours. Since the return is coming into the database electronically, it should be assimilated into the system fairly quickly. If you do not file your return electronically, you are going to have to wait three weeks or more before the status of your return can be checked. As you can imagine, the IRS is receiving an enormous amount of paper tax returns and it takes time to organize and enter the returns into the system.
How Long Should It Take To Receive Your Tax Refund?
If you are expecting a refund, the time to issue the refund will depend upon how you filed your return. If you filed a paper return via regular mail, you refund should be issued in six to eight weeks from the date it was received by the IRS. Alternatively, if you filed your return electronically, you should expect to receive your refund in three to four weeks. If you elected to have your refund directly deposited in your banking account, you should take one week off of the above estimates.
Richard A. Chapo is with BusinessTaxRecovery.com - providing information on tax and taxes. Visit us to read more tax articles and our new tax credits page.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Chapo
Monday, March 26, 2007
Free Online Federal Income Tax Refund, Return Estimator 2006
Free Online Federal Income Tax Refund, Return Estimator 2006
By FrankW Ellis
How to estimate your Federal income tax refund or return for free
Perhaps you want to know how much your tax refund will be, or maybe how much money you might owe come tax time. If you want to find out, the fastest way to do it is by using an online Federal income tax refund - return estimator.
To estimate your taxes
The best way is to select a website that has a tax estimator and that you know has a great reputation for helping people with their tax returns. Start by creating a user account on that website. Don't worry, it's free. Now you can use their tax preparation software to estimate your tax. Depending on your situation, this will take 30 minutes or less.
This may take a few minutes, but I assure you, it will be worth the effort. You will know the value of this as soon you see the tax return calculator do its magic. Once you start to see the way the the tax estimator works, you will begin to come up with ways to use the income tax estimator to your advantage.
This is by far the best way I've found for increasing the amount of my Federal income tax refund
Next time you sit down to work on your tax return or refund, try going to an online tax filing website. You'll find the tax estimating software to be a great tool for increasing your tax refund amount, increasing your tax deductions, and will also increase your knowledge about saving money at tax time.
You can go to Turbo Tax Online and estimate your tax refund or return for Free. Just create a user account, and your good to go. The only time there's a fee, is if you decide to print or efile your tax return. Try Turbotax Online today and see how you can get a bigger tax refund this year!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=FrankW_Ellis
By FrankW Ellis
How to estimate your Federal income tax refund or return for free
Perhaps you want to know how much your tax refund will be, or maybe how much money you might owe come tax time. If you want to find out, the fastest way to do it is by using an online Federal income tax refund - return estimator.
To estimate your taxes
The best way is to select a website that has a tax estimator and that you know has a great reputation for helping people with their tax returns. Start by creating a user account on that website. Don't worry, it's free. Now you can use their tax preparation software to estimate your tax. Depending on your situation, this will take 30 minutes or less.
This may take a few minutes, but I assure you, it will be worth the effort. You will know the value of this as soon you see the tax return calculator do its magic. Once you start to see the way the the tax estimator works, you will begin to come up with ways to use the income tax estimator to your advantage.
This is by far the best way I've found for increasing the amount of my Federal income tax refund
Next time you sit down to work on your tax return or refund, try going to an online tax filing website. You'll find the tax estimating software to be a great tool for increasing your tax refund amount, increasing your tax deductions, and will also increase your knowledge about saving money at tax time.
You can go to Turbo Tax Online and estimate your tax refund or return for Free. Just create a user account, and your good to go. The only time there's a fee, is if you decide to print or efile your tax return. Try Turbotax Online today and see how you can get a bigger tax refund this year!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=FrankW_Ellis
2.2 Billion Dollars in Unclaimed Tax Refunds About To Expire
2.2 Billion Dollars in Unclaimed Tax Refunds About To Expire
By Richard Chapo
For all the complaining about taxes, it is rather amazing that taxpayers leave so much money on the table each year. The IRS recently announced that 2.2 billion dollars in refunds are about to expire unclaimed.
April 17, 2007 represents Christmas for the federal government. Why? If 1.8 million Americans don’t wake up, the federal government will get a gift of 2.2 billion dollars. How would you like to find that under the tree!
The 2.2 billion dollars is a 2003 issue. Specifically, taxpayers failed to claim the money in the form of tax refunds for the 2003 tax filing period. How many taxpayers? About 1.8 million. This equates to an average refund of $1,222. Obviously, some are smaller and others bigger, but it is a nice chunk of change.
Given the amount of the tax refund pool, one might wonder how so many people could have failed to claim their refunds. The answer can be found in a couple of areas.
1. People who failed to file returns because they didn’t earn a lot.
2. People who switched jobs and didn’t calculate the taxes paid by both employers.
3. People who moved and didn’t tell the IRS. Tax refunds are not forwarded in the mail.
4. People who can claim the earned income tax credit.
5. Self-employed people who overpaid certain quarterly taxes.
So, why is there a deadline to file for the refunds? Tax law is such that you have three years to look back in time on tax issues. As a result, the April 17th deadline is three years from April 15th 2004, the date you should have filed a tax return for your 2003 taxes. The extra two days have to do with the fact the 15th is a Saturday this year.
If you complain about your taxes, you should go back and check your 2003 return. If you are due a refund and let it expire, you have nobody to blame but yourself. Just think, you could apply it to the amount you owe this year!
Richard A. Chapo is with BusinessTaxRecovery.com - providing information on tax articles.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Chapo
By Richard Chapo
For all the complaining about taxes, it is rather amazing that taxpayers leave so much money on the table each year. The IRS recently announced that 2.2 billion dollars in refunds are about to expire unclaimed.
April 17, 2007 represents Christmas for the federal government. Why? If 1.8 million Americans don’t wake up, the federal government will get a gift of 2.2 billion dollars. How would you like to find that under the tree!
The 2.2 billion dollars is a 2003 issue. Specifically, taxpayers failed to claim the money in the form of tax refunds for the 2003 tax filing period. How many taxpayers? About 1.8 million. This equates to an average refund of $1,222. Obviously, some are smaller and others bigger, but it is a nice chunk of change.
Given the amount of the tax refund pool, one might wonder how so many people could have failed to claim their refunds. The answer can be found in a couple of areas.
1. People who failed to file returns because they didn’t earn a lot.
2. People who switched jobs and didn’t calculate the taxes paid by both employers.
3. People who moved and didn’t tell the IRS. Tax refunds are not forwarded in the mail.
4. People who can claim the earned income tax credit.
5. Self-employed people who overpaid certain quarterly taxes.
So, why is there a deadline to file for the refunds? Tax law is such that you have three years to look back in time on tax issues. As a result, the April 17th deadline is three years from April 15th 2004, the date you should have filed a tax return for your 2003 taxes. The extra two days have to do with the fact the 15th is a Saturday this year.
If you complain about your taxes, you should go back and check your 2003 return. If you are due a refund and let it expire, you have nobody to blame but yourself. Just think, you could apply it to the amount you owe this year!
Richard A. Chapo is with BusinessTaxRecovery.com - providing information on tax articles.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Chapo
2007 Federal Excise Tax Refund Warning
2007 Federal Excise Tax Refund Warning
By Ray Dwyer
This is March 2007, a month yet before the end of the 2006 tax season, and audit letters from the IRS are already going out, some private tax offices have been closed and some people have been charged with fraud. All because of abuse of this years one time Federal Excise Tax Credit.
The government is refunding the Excise Tax because federal courts ruled that it is an improper tax. The IRS in response must refund the tax to all individuals who can prove they paid the tax. The refund is only for taxes charged as excise tax on long-distance, nothing on local is being refunded. This tax credit is a one time refund.
When examining your past phone bills look for the itemized part of the bill that states Federal Excise Tax. It can be as little as a few cents to a couple dollars. Anything more than that and you may not be looking at the right billing item.
The rule has two ways of filling. The most popular and the one I suggest is to use the standard deduction, where individuals can claim from $30 to $60.One exemption, the standard refund amount is $30;Two exemptions, the standard refund amount is $40;Three exemptions, the standard refund amount is $50;Four exemptions or more, the standard refund amount is $60.
If you are considering itemizing the tax credit to get the maximum credit, the first and most important rule, you MUST have a copies of the bills that you use to add up your total credit. These bills are from February 28, 2003 to August 1, 2006.
There is a rule that is getting many people into a lot of trouble. The rule is about listing the bundle service tax charges if the Federal Excise Tax in not individually listed out. If you do this you can just about bet you will get your very own nasty-gram from the IRS. Individuals with multiple phones over the three year period may pay some where between $100 to $200 dollars in Federal Excise Tax, yours could be more or less this is meant just as a broad example. If you add the bundled taxes it can get to be more than $1500. If you dare to think the IRS will let that go by, you will be sadly mistaken.
Finally if you have the records, by all means do your home work and take the credit. For a family, this bit of record keeping could change your $60 credit to $200 credit. If you do not have the records, do not fake it.
eBizNewbee is a new blogger and is a professional tax preparer. His new blog, Free Tax Help, is accepting articles that are specific and correct and help tax payers get the most out of their tax returns. http://freetaxhelp.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ray_Dwyer
By Ray Dwyer
This is March 2007, a month yet before the end of the 2006 tax season, and audit letters from the IRS are already going out, some private tax offices have been closed and some people have been charged with fraud. All because of abuse of this years one time Federal Excise Tax Credit.
The government is refunding the Excise Tax because federal courts ruled that it is an improper tax. The IRS in response must refund the tax to all individuals who can prove they paid the tax. The refund is only for taxes charged as excise tax on long-distance, nothing on local is being refunded. This tax credit is a one time refund.
When examining your past phone bills look for the itemized part of the bill that states Federal Excise Tax. It can be as little as a few cents to a couple dollars. Anything more than that and you may not be looking at the right billing item.
The rule has two ways of filling. The most popular and the one I suggest is to use the standard deduction, where individuals can claim from $30 to $60.One exemption, the standard refund amount is $30;Two exemptions, the standard refund amount is $40;Three exemptions, the standard refund amount is $50;Four exemptions or more, the standard refund amount is $60.
If you are considering itemizing the tax credit to get the maximum credit, the first and most important rule, you MUST have a copies of the bills that you use to add up your total credit. These bills are from February 28, 2003 to August 1, 2006.
There is a rule that is getting many people into a lot of trouble. The rule is about listing the bundle service tax charges if the Federal Excise Tax in not individually listed out. If you do this you can just about bet you will get your very own nasty-gram from the IRS. Individuals with multiple phones over the three year period may pay some where between $100 to $200 dollars in Federal Excise Tax, yours could be more or less this is meant just as a broad example. If you add the bundled taxes it can get to be more than $1500. If you dare to think the IRS will let that go by, you will be sadly mistaken.
Finally if you have the records, by all means do your home work and take the credit. For a family, this bit of record keeping could change your $60 credit to $200 credit. If you do not have the records, do not fake it.
eBizNewbee is a new blogger and is a professional tax preparer. His new blog, Free Tax Help, is accepting articles that are specific and correct and help tax payers get the most out of their tax returns. http://freetaxhelp.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ray_Dwyer
Unclaimed Tax Refunds - How To Claim Yours
Unclaimed Tax Refunds - How To Claim Yours
By Gray Rollins
When a taxpayer owes money on their taxes they need to pay the amount owed before the traditional April 15th deadline. If the amount owed on taxes is not paid before the deadline then federal and state governments can impose a number of late fees and penalties. While there are penalties for failing to a pay taxes on time there are no penalties assessed to individuals who are due a refund, but fail to file their tax returns on time.
Tax season is a stressful time for many taxpayers. With hectic lives and busy schedules it is likely that an individual may not find the time to have their taxes prepared. As previously mentioned there is the chance of late fees and other additional penalties for individuals who owe taxes; therefore, many individuals who are expected to owe money are more likely to find the time to have their taxes completed than those who do not. There are no penalties for taxpayers who are expected to receive a refund to file their taxes late; however, there many be another problem that arises. That problem is what is known as unclaimed tax refunds.
Unclaimed tax refunds are tax refunds that a due to a particular taxpayer; however, they failed to claim them. Unclaimed tax refunds often result when a busy taxpayer who expects a tax refunds puts off sending in their tax forms until it is completely forgotten about. Although the majority of Americans look forward to the day that their tax refund arrives there are still many others who allow their refunds to become unclaimed tax refunds. It is estimated that hundred to thousands of individuals each year fail to file their tax returns which would result in them receiving a refund. Filing a tax refund is a fairly simple process. For under thirty dollars an individual can purchase a tax software program that will make tax preparation easy and quick. Most taxpayers can prepare their own paper taxes by filing out a federal 1040A or a 1040EZ form. Each of these forms are likely to take less than an hour for the average taxpayer to complete.
A taxpayer has until three years after the year that they were supposed to file their tax return to claim their refund. For taxpayers to get their refund they have to file the federal or state tax return forms that they previously failed to file. Since the tax laws change from year to year a taxpayer looking to reclaim their unclaimed tax refund must use a tax form for the year that they missed. By visiting the website of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) at www.irs.gov an individual can find and download old federal tax forms. The same can be done with most old state tax forms. To do so individuals are encouraged to visit the website of their state tax department and then download the specific forms that they need.
It is hard to imagine why a taxpayer would not want to claim their tax refund. Unclaimed tax refunds do not benefit anyone but the federal or state government. A tax refund is money that is owed to taxpayer because they paid too much in taxes. Why pay more money in taxes than you have to? Act now before your money is forever known as one of the many unclaimed tax refunds.
Gray Rollins is a featured writer for EasyTaxSupport.com. Visit us to learn about tax refunds and to learn about IRS audit protection
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gray_Rollins
By Gray Rollins
When a taxpayer owes money on their taxes they need to pay the amount owed before the traditional April 15th deadline. If the amount owed on taxes is not paid before the deadline then federal and state governments can impose a number of late fees and penalties. While there are penalties for failing to a pay taxes on time there are no penalties assessed to individuals who are due a refund, but fail to file their tax returns on time.
Tax season is a stressful time for many taxpayers. With hectic lives and busy schedules it is likely that an individual may not find the time to have their taxes prepared. As previously mentioned there is the chance of late fees and other additional penalties for individuals who owe taxes; therefore, many individuals who are expected to owe money are more likely to find the time to have their taxes completed than those who do not. There are no penalties for taxpayers who are expected to receive a refund to file their taxes late; however, there many be another problem that arises. That problem is what is known as unclaimed tax refunds.
Unclaimed tax refunds are tax refunds that a due to a particular taxpayer; however, they failed to claim them. Unclaimed tax refunds often result when a busy taxpayer who expects a tax refunds puts off sending in their tax forms until it is completely forgotten about. Although the majority of Americans look forward to the day that their tax refund arrives there are still many others who allow their refunds to become unclaimed tax refunds. It is estimated that hundred to thousands of individuals each year fail to file their tax returns which would result in them receiving a refund. Filing a tax refund is a fairly simple process. For under thirty dollars an individual can purchase a tax software program that will make tax preparation easy and quick. Most taxpayers can prepare their own paper taxes by filing out a federal 1040A or a 1040EZ form. Each of these forms are likely to take less than an hour for the average taxpayer to complete.
A taxpayer has until three years after the year that they were supposed to file their tax return to claim their refund. For taxpayers to get their refund they have to file the federal or state tax return forms that they previously failed to file. Since the tax laws change from year to year a taxpayer looking to reclaim their unclaimed tax refund must use a tax form for the year that they missed. By visiting the website of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) at www.irs.gov an individual can find and download old federal tax forms. The same can be done with most old state tax forms. To do so individuals are encouraged to visit the website of their state tax department and then download the specific forms that they need.
It is hard to imagine why a taxpayer would not want to claim their tax refund. Unclaimed tax refunds do not benefit anyone but the federal or state government. A tax refund is money that is owed to taxpayer because they paid too much in taxes. Why pay more money in taxes than you have to? Act now before your money is forever known as one of the many unclaimed tax refunds.
Gray Rollins is a featured writer for EasyTaxSupport.com. Visit us to learn about tax refunds and to learn about IRS audit protection
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gray_Rollins
Free Online Federal Income Tax Refund, Return Calculator 2006
Free Online Federal Income Tax Refund, Return Calculator 2006
By FrankW Ellis
Want to know how you can calculate your Federal income tax refund or return for free?
Maybe you're wondering how much your tax refund will be, or you might want to know if you're going to owe money at tax time. If you would like to find out, then I suggest using an online Federal income tax refund - return calculator.
To calculate your tax refund or return, you must first find a website that has tax calculating software that's free to use. Start by creating a user account at the website you have selected. Now you'll be able to use their tax preparation program to calculate your taxes. Depending on your situation, this should take about 30 minutes or less to complete.
You will be asked to enter information as you go, such as marital status, income, and deductions. Soon you will see the tax calculator at work, as you enter your income and deduction information. After your taxes have been calculated, it's time for a review. If you've missed a deduction, you can enter it in and put the calculator to work again.
This is the best method I've found for figuring my tax refund in advance
This year, when you're ready to start your Federal tax return, think about using an online income tax calculator to figure your tax refund, or money owed. You'll like seeing your refund amount being displayed as you go. You might even be alerted to a tax deduction you've missed, which means, more tax savings for you!
You can go to Turbo Tax Online and calculate your tax refund or return for Free. Just create a user account, and your ready to start. The only time there's a fee, is if you decide to print or efile your tax return. Try Turbotax Online today and see how large your tax refund will be.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=FrankW_Ellis
By FrankW Ellis
Want to know how you can calculate your Federal income tax refund or return for free?
Maybe you're wondering how much your tax refund will be, or you might want to know if you're going to owe money at tax time. If you would like to find out, then I suggest using an online Federal income tax refund - return calculator.
To calculate your tax refund or return, you must first find a website that has tax calculating software that's free to use. Start by creating a user account at the website you have selected. Now you'll be able to use their tax preparation program to calculate your taxes. Depending on your situation, this should take about 30 minutes or less to complete.
You will be asked to enter information as you go, such as marital status, income, and deductions. Soon you will see the tax calculator at work, as you enter your income and deduction information. After your taxes have been calculated, it's time for a review. If you've missed a deduction, you can enter it in and put the calculator to work again.
This is the best method I've found for figuring my tax refund in advance
This year, when you're ready to start your Federal tax return, think about using an online income tax calculator to figure your tax refund, or money owed. You'll like seeing your refund amount being displayed as you go. You might even be alerted to a tax deduction you've missed, which means, more tax savings for you!
You can go to Turbo Tax Online and calculate your tax refund or return for Free. Just create a user account, and your ready to start. The only time there's a fee, is if you decide to print or efile your tax return. Try Turbotax Online today and see how large your tax refund will be.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=FrankW_Ellis
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