Sunday, July 19, 2009

IRS Tax Return Reviews & Tips

By Anne Durrell

Each time you earn income, the IRS will require you to state it as part of your income. At the end of the year, you add to your total income and declare this amount on your tax return the IRS.

Payments of tax withheld

If you work for an employer, then your employer usually withholds tax from your gross salary before you receive the net figure and then paid to the IRS. You might also find that income tax is also withheld from several other types of income you receive, like pensions or unemployment payments.

Every time you complete your IRS tax return, the amount of gross earning you receive reveals the amount of tax you need to pay to the IRS. It is possible for some people to reduce the amount of gross earning that is reported on your tax return to the IRS by claiming deductions for expenses related to work each year.

Estimated Tax Payments

Freelancers do not have tax withheld from their income payments. They receive their money directly from customers or clients and are required to pay estimated tax payments.

This can be a tricky area for many self-employed people as the amount they can earn may vary greatly from month to month, depending on sales or business volume.

Insufficient Withheld Tax Payments

Every time you complete your IRS tax return, you will be asked to add the total amount of the deduction of income tax payments were paid to the IRS on your behalf by an employer, or if you paid by 'estimated tax payments throughout the year.

If the amount of tax paid is not enough to account for income you have reported, then you will receive a tax bill to offset the shortfall, called a tax penalty.

Avoiding tax penalty

In fact, there are some things you can do throughout the year to reduce your chances of receiving a tax penalty. You can ask your employer to take a tax from your pay during the year or you can make payments to the IRS during the year.

Lodging Your IRS Tax Return

While it's possible to lodge your IRS tax return yourself using the secure online system, you might prefer to pay a qualified tax agent to prepare your return for you.

The advantages of paying a professional to help you find may mean more tax deductions to help reduce your taxable income more than you could yourself.

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