Your Refund Is on Hold and the IRS Wants Documents: How to Answer a CP05A Notice
An IRS CP05A notice holds your refund until you send W-2s, 1099s and pay stubs — reply within 30 days, allow 45–60 days more, and escalate with Form 911.
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Tax Filing
Tax filing procedures, deadlines, and best practices
New Hampshire HB 155 Raises the BET Filing Threshold to $400,000: What Small Businesses Need to Know
New Hampshire HB 155 lifts the BET filing threshold to $400,000 from 2027, exempting ~4,000 small firms, and adds an automatic rate cut down to 0.25%.
IRS Free File Survived While Direct File Didn't: Your 2026 Guide to Filing Free
IRS Free File is open to AGI of $89,000 or less for 2026, and Direct File is gone. Start at IRS.gov or your free return quietly becomes a paid one.
Joint Venture Bookkeeping: Capital Accounts, Profit Splits, and Partnership Tax Filing
The IRS treats most joint ventures as partnerships: keep separate books, track capital accounts, and file Form 1065 by March 15.
Mississippi's Franchise Tax Is Almost Gone: What the 2026 Rate Cut Means for Your Corporation
Mississippi's franchise tax falls to $0.50 per $1,000 of capital over $100,000 for 2026, then repeals in 2028 — S corps still owe it at the entity level.
Free Tax Return Preparation for Side-Hustlers and Seniors: How VITA and TCE File Your Return for $0
IRS-certified VITA and TCE volunteers file federal returns for $0 — VITA at roughly $69,000 income or less, TCE at age 60+ with no income cap.
Hawaii's General Excise Tax Is Not a Sales Tax: What the GET, County Surcharges, and the 4.712% Pass-Through Cap Mean for Small Businesses
Hawaii has no sales tax — the GET taxes your gross receipts at 4.5% including county surcharges, and 4.712% is the most you may legally show a customer.
The IRS Says You Didn't File: What Notice CP59 Means and How to Respond
Notice CP59 means the IRS has no record of your prior-year return. File the missing return, show you already filed, or explain on Form 15103 why none is due — and file your own return before the IRS prepares a substitute one without your deductions.
How an IRS Identity Protection PIN Locks Thieves Out of Your Tax Return
An IRS Identity Protection PIN is a free six-digit code that blocks anyone from e-filing a federal return with your Social Security number. Here is who can get one, the three ways to request it, how it works for spouses and dependents, and the errors that cause rejections every filing season.
Does the Postmark Date Count as Your Tax Filing Date? The Mailbox Rule, Explained
Under Section 7502 a return mailed on or before its due date is deemed filed on the postmark date — but only if it actually arrives, and a postage-meter date never counts. Since December 24, 2025, USPS postmarks reflect regional processing rather than deposit, so certified mail or a free manual postmark is the proof that holds.
Is Your State Tax Refund Taxable? The Tax Benefit Rule, Explained
A state income tax refund is federally taxable only to the extent last year's deduction actually reduced your tax. Standard-deduction filers report nothing; itemizers run the Schedule 1 worksheet, where the SALT cap ($40,000 for 2025, $40,400 for 2026), the margin by which itemizing beat the standard deduction, and the income-tax-versus-sales-tax election each cut the taxable amount below the Form 1099-G figure.
Tax Refund Seized? How the Treasury Offset Program Works and How Injured Spouses Get Their Share Back
The Treasury Offset Program lets the Bureau of the Fiscal Service withhold a federal tax refund to pay past-due child support, defaulted federal student and SBA loans, state income tax, and unemployment debts, in that priority order. Creditor agencies must mail a Notice of Intent to Offset at least 60 days before referral, giving you time to pay, sign a repayment agreement, or dispute the debt. When the debt belongs only to your spouse, Form 8379 Injured Spouse Allocation recovers your share of a joint refund in roughly 8 to 14 weeks.