The IRS has created a special page to provide current updates and the latest tax filing information
To assist taxpayers and tax professionals, the IRS created Help for taxpayers and tax professionals: Special filing season alerts page on the IRS.gov site. It provides the latest details and information affecting the 2022 filing season and ongoing efforts by the agency to address the inventory of previously filed tax returns.
During this tax season, taxpayers face a number of issues due to critical tax law changes that took place in 2021 and ongoing challenges related to the pandemic. To raise awareness about these issues and provide the most up-to-date information, this special tax season page was created. The page provides a quick overview of information to help people filing tax returns as well as those who have previous year tax returns awaiting processing by the IRS.
Filing a tax return this year might get you a refund (even if you don't think you'd get one)
The IRS urges Americans to file a 2021 federal income tax return so they can take advantage of key tax benefits included in the American Rescue Plan and other recent legislation. Often, individuals and families can get these expanded tax benefits, even if they have little or no income from a job, business or other source. This means that many people who don’t normally need to file a return should consider doing so this year. Because claiming these benefits could result in tax refunds for many people, individuals should file an accurate return electronically and choose direct deposit to avoid processing delays and speed delivery of their refund.
Expanded tax benefits
A new fact sheet, FS-2022-10, is available on IRS.gov and describes many of these expanded tax benefits. It is important to note, these benefits are only available to people who file a 2021 federal income tax return. Benefits include:
- An expanded Child Tax Credit: Families can claim this credit, even if they received monthly advance payments during the last half of 2021.
- An increased Child and Dependent Care Credit: Families who pay for daycare so they can work or look for work can get a tax credit worth up to $4,000 for one qualifying person and $8,000 for two or more qualifying persons.
- A more generous Earned Income Tax Credit: The American Rescue Plan boosted the EITC for childless workers. There are also changes that can help low- and moderate-income families with children.
- The Recovery Rebate Credit: Those who missed out on last year’s third-round of Economic Impact Payments (EIP3), also known as stimulus payments, may be eligible to claim the RRC. This credit can also help eligible people whose EIP3 was less than the full amount, including those who welcomed a child in 2021.
- A deduction for gifts to charity: The majority of taxpayers who take the standard deduction can deduct eligible cash contributions they made during 2021. Married couples filing jointly can deduct up to $600 in cash donations and individual taxpayers can deduct up to $300 in donations. In addition, itemizers who make large cash donations often qualify to deduct the full amount in 2021.
Helpful reminders
- The IRS urges everyone to make sure they have all their year-end statements in hand before filing their 2021 return. Besides all W-2s and 1099s, this includes two statements issued by the IRS -- Letter 6419, showing their total advance Child Tax Credit payments, and Letter 6475, showing their total EIP3 payments. Individuals can also use IRS Online Account to see the total amounts of their third round of Economic Impact Payments or advance Child Tax Credit payments. Married spouses who received joint payments will each need to sign into their own account to retrieve their separate amounts.
- For most Americans, the tax-filing deadline is April 18, 2022.
- Taxpayers can find answers to questions, forms and instructions and easy-to-use tools online at IRS.gov. They can use these resources to get help when it’s needed at home, at work, or on the go.
There's a lot of good information here for taxpayers, and a lot more at the various links provided. And there are always going to be questions and issues, so if you need additional help – or if you have a tax problem of any kind, don't hesitate to reach out to me or my Tax Team. You can contact me by one of the methods below in the blue box, or email me at Larry@TaxProblemSolver.com and we can dive into your specific issues and solve them. You can also click here to book a free consultation.
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