Electronic filing with or without direct deposit will be free. On joint tax returns both husband and wife must sign. With direct deposit refunds will be in your account (checking or savings) within 21 days. We do not offer rapid (24 to 48 hour) refunds which are actually loans, pending your actual refund. The so-called rapid refund is a very short term loan at a high interest rate.
Divorced or Separated Parents with Dependent Children
If you are the non-custodial parent and claiming your dependent child, you need to complete Form 8332 to bring to us to attach to your tax return. Failure to do so may result in additional taxes to the IRS. If you have any questions or need a copy of the form, please contact us before your appointment. The custodial parent is defined for IRS purposes as the parent whose child resides with them a minimum of 183 days or more during the calendar year. In other words, if your child lives with you less than half the year (183 days), you are the non-custodial parent and the Form 8332 is required!
If you receive an e-mail or telephone call from the IRS, it is a scam. Do not provide any information. Do not open any e-mail from the IRS; hang up on a telephone call from the IRS. They only contact you by mail, and their envelope never has a postage stamp on it. It is always government permitted mail.
Identity theft is unfortunately a common problem and tax returns can also be affected. Most returns are now electronically filed, and if your identity has been stolen and used to prepare a fraudulent tax return a rejection notice is sent back to the preparer from IRS saying your return has already been filed. It may take months to resolve the issue with IRS. When it is resolved, the IRS will issue you a unique pin number to be used on your tax return. You will also continue to receive a new PIN number from IRS by mail at the beginning of each tax season. You will no longer be able to file without this number. Bring this number with you when you file. If you lose it, it will be very difficult to get a new one!
If you move, please mail a completed Form 8822 to IRS to change your address with them, because IRS uses the address on your last filed tax return. Changing your address with the U.S. post office does NOT change your address with IRS, and IRS mail is prohibited from being forwarded.
If you are the victim of identity theft, contact the following:
IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490 ext. 245
FTC Identity Theft Hotline at 877-438-4338
File a local police report.
Contact the three major credit bureaus:
Equifax: 800-525-6285
Experian: 888-397-3742
Trans Union: 800-680-7289
Home Owner's Insurance Declaration Page
This is the one document most often forgotten by taxpayers when they come to our office for income tax preparation. This one document will result in additional state tax refund. It must be from the homeowner's policy -- not flood insurance and not from a separate wind and hail damage policy. Also it must be from the policy period beginning in 2019, even if it started in December of 2019. You receive this as part of your homeowner's policy. (This applies to Louisiana state income taxes only.)
Louisiana Residents Only - School Tuition Deduction
There is a deduction for school tuition, books, supplies, and uniforms for grades K-12. Expenditures must be dated in 2019 (not 2018 for 2019 or must have a statement from the school on the school letterhead or other appropriate form indicating the amount of tuition allocated for 2019), and we need totals for each category separately. You must have receipts for these expenses.This deduction applies only to the state return, not the federal return.
The IRS now requires a receipt for all cash charitable contributions--even for church and even if it is as little as $1.00. We never ask you for receipts, cancelled checks, or credit card statements which you can use, if audited, to prove your figures. That is one reason why you sign our disclosure form which clearly states that you have all necessary records and/or receipts for deductions claimed by you.
Donations to foreign charities are not deductible - only contributions to charities that are organized in the U.S. or established under U.S. law are deductible.
Can Church Contributions Be Disallowed If You Have a Receipt?
You should get a receipt or statement from your church for individual or annual contributions. Your receipt may be disallowed if it is dated after the date of your tax return or if it does not state on the receipt "that you have received no goods or services as the result of your donation".
If you attend a charity dinner, the receipt must clearly state the value of the meal and the amount of the donation on the receipt or ticket.
Buying a raffle ticket at a church fair or for the annual St. Jude "dream home" is not deductible because it is not a true donation since you have an opportunity to get something in return.
There is no gain and no tax on the sale of your principal residence provided that you have occupied it as your principal residence for at least two of the last five years before the sale. The exclusion applies to a sales price of $250,000 maximum for a single filer or $500,000 for a married couple. If you receive a 1099S on the sale of your home, it must be reported on the tax return; however, we can reverse it.