The IRS has announced initial plans for processing tax returns involving the Earned Income Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit during the opening weeks of the 2017 filing season. The IRS is sharing information now to help the tax community prepare for the 2017 season, and plans are being made for a wider communication effort later in the summer and fall to alert taxpayers about the changes that will affect some early filers.

This action is driven by the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 that was enacted into law on December 18, 2015. Section 201 of this new law mandates that no credit or refund for an over payment for a taxable year shall be made to a taxpayer before February 15 if the taxpayer claimed the earned income tax credit or additional child tax credit on the return.

Source:The Tax Book Photo:Pexels

It’s certainly not our favorite thing to do but sometimes we must.

Its been said that, “paperwork rules the world.” No, not really, but when it comes to dealing with the government and paying federal taxes the IRS is making it easier – paper checks are no longer required nor is the lengthy EFTPS registration process.

IRS Direct Pay offers an online presence for paying your 1040 return. http://www.irs.gov/Payments/Direct-Pay

IRS Direct Pay at a glance:

• IRS Direct Pay is for paying 1040 tax returns (up to 20 years in arrears)
• Identity verification uses one of your prior year return information
• You must verify your identification each time you use Direct Pay
• Payments take two days to process
• A payment confirmation number will be issues
• Payments can be scheduled up to 30-days in advance
• Only one payment at a time can be scheduled
• A U.S. bank account is required (Payments require routing and account numbers)
• IRS Direct Pay is different from EFTPS. Direct Pay does not require a registration process.
• The service has been tested with a combination of computer operating systems and Internet software (Internet Explorer on Windows XP, Safari 7 on IOS).

Important to know:

• Write down and keep your confirmation number
• An message will be posted on the home page if the site is down for maintenance
• If you run into technical difficulties make sure to try again for your payment is still required by the deadline

Updates are scheduled to include the addition of other tax forms, adding a Spanish version, registration with a login/password combination. All in all I see this as an improvement to the process.