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It’s not all about the IRS: How to Best Represent Your Client through the NYS Audit and Collections Tips from a former deputy commissioner at the NYSDTF for how to best represent your clients when dealing with NYS auditors and enforcement agents. We will cover tools for representing your client through a NYS audit, including how to communicate with the department, streamlining audit inquiries, and...

IRS opens 2019 tax filing season for individual filers on Jan. 27, 2020 (MONDAY)



WASHINGTON ― The Internal Revenue Service confirmed that the nation’s tax season will start for individual tax return filers on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, when the tax agency will begin accepting and processing 2019 tax year returns.

The deadline to file 2019 tax returns and pay any tax owed is Wednesday, April 15, 2020. More than 150 million individual tax returns for the 2019 tax year are expected to be filed, with the vast majority of those coming before the traditional April tax deadline.

“As we enter the filing season, taxpayers should know that the dedicated workforce of the IRS stands ready to help,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “We encourage taxpayers to plan ahead and use the tools and information available on IRS.gov. The IRS and the nation's tax community are committed to making this another smooth filing season."

The IRS set the Jan. 27 opening date to ensure the security and readiness of key tax processing systems and to address the potential impact of recent tax legislation on 2019 tax returns

Press Release
Recordkeeping Tips to Ensure You Receive Valuable Tax Credits
More than 506,000 taxpayers claimed over $155 million in New York State Child and Dependent Care credits for tax year 2017. The average claimed: more than $306
The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance today reminded taxpayers to keep good records throughout the year to ease the process for claiming tax credits on their personal income tax returns. For example, taxpayers should save proof of childcare expenses this summer to support eligibility for the child and dependent care credit.

“Summer day-camp expenses for a child or dependent may qualify you for the Child and Dependent Care Credit,” said New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Michael Schmidt. “This valuable credit, which varies based on income, can help reduce expenses involved in raising a child or caring for a dependent. I encourage all New Yorkers to check their eligibility and keep the required records to claim this credit.”



Keep good records



You must provide proof of how much money you spent on summer day-camp to support your claim for the tax credit. Examples:



copies of cashed checks that were written to and cashed by the summer camp; or
an itemized statement issued from the camp listing each payment received from you.


See the two-page DTF-216, Claim for Child and Dependent Care Credit, for more information.



The Tax Department will not accept the following as proof:



statement or document indicating that money was paid by someone else (such as a friend or relative) directly to the summer camp
handwritten receipts that weren’t issued at the time of payment and can’t be verified by the Tax Department
a statement, without any additional supporting documentation, that you made cash payments (or the camp received cash payments)


You don't need a scanner to make copies of your documentation. You can use your smartphone to take a digital picture.



Guidelines



If you qualify to claim the federal child and dependent care credit, you’re entitled to claim New York State's credit. The New York State credit ranges from 110% of the federal credit, for those with incomes under $25,000, to 20% if their income is over $150,000. A New York City Child Care Tax Credit is also available to New York City residents with income of $30,000 or less with a child or children under age 4.



Dependent-care benefits from an employer will reduce the credit amount; these benefits are included on the recipient’s Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement.