How To File Your Income Tax Returns

You've been feeling uneasy (perhaps even guilty) because you've failed to report your under the table business income. Perhaps you've never filed a tax return, even though you know you owe money. Finally, you contact an accountant to resolve the situation.

Although it is commendable that you are trying to correct matters, hiring an accountant to do these delinquent returns could be a big mistake. The reason why is because tax evasion is a criminal offence or felony. You might also be subject to civil action.

Would you hire an accountant to defend you in a criminal proceeding? Not likely. You would be wise to hire a qualified attorney.

First of all, lawyers have something called solicitor-client privilege (also known as attorney-client privilege or legal advice privilege). This basically means that things you tell your lawyer when seeking legal advice are confidential and can't be used against you. Even written records can be covered by this privilege.

On the other hand, your accountant can be compelled to testify against you and all records in his possession can be demanded by the authorities.

Second, your lawyer can prepare a legally binding agreement that can protect you. In return for your coming clean, the tax authorities may agree not to charge you criminally and, in some cases, even reduce penalties or tax liability.

If your accountant tried to do the same thing, they could demand all information about you. Your accountant would not be protected by solicitor-client privilege.

If, say, your accountant filed your tax return from ten years ago on your behalf, the tax authorities could still charge you with tax evasion, despite the fact that you are obviously trying to rectify matters (albeit a bit late).

It is even possible that your accountant could get into trouble for failing to report your delinquency. On the other hand, your lawyer can't be compelled to testify against you, being protected by solicitor-client privilege. Your lawyer may also have his own in-house accountant in order to protect you.

Your lawyer (specializing in criminal and tax law) will likely negotiate an agreement with the tax authorities before filing any tax returns.

Therefore, if there is a good chance you could be charged criminally for your failure to file tax returns or properly report income or expenses, don't see your accountant. Instead, consult a lawyer specializing in such matters before you file or amend any returns.

Resource Box

J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.

For profitable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/

To learn how to reduce your income taxes, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/income-taxes.html

Here are seven reasons for not being late filing your income tax returns.

1. Avoid Late Filing Penalties

Late filing can result in substantial and continuing penalties. This is in addition to any interest that is due.

In Canada, for instance, being just one day late can result in a penalty of five percent of the amount due; these penalties are doubled for habitually late offenders. As well, there is a continuing penalty of one percent per month (two percent for chronic delinquents) of the amount payable.

2. Receive Better Service from Your Accountant

The earlier you get your paperwork to your accountant, the sooner he can start preparing your tax returns. More importantly, there will be more opportunities to explore and implement tax saving strategies. On the other hand, if you file late, you tie your accountant's hands. For example, he may hesitate to retain profit in your corporation if such profit will be subject to substantial penalties.

3. Avoid Criminal Charges

Of course, if you don't file tax returns at all for a few years, you may also face charges of tax evasion.

4. Prevent Bankruptcy

Generally speaking, persons who don't file tax returns on a timely basis also lack adequate records for managing their business. Since they don't keep their bookkeeping and accounting up-to-date, they only think they know how they're doing and how they stand financially. This, of course, is a recipe for financial disaster.

5. Enjoy Better Relations with Tax Authorities

Late filers also receive the unwanted attention of the taxation departments. Non-compliance can result in audits, aggressive collection action and legal proceedings. In addition, if you ever do have extenuating circumstances that might call for some leniency or extraordinary consideration on the part of the tax department, you are more likely to receive it if you have a flawless history of co-operation and compliance.

6. Obtain Financing

You'll have difficulty obtaining financing if you can't provide your financial institution with current income information. Assessment Notices from taxation authorities give banks more assurance that the income claims you make are true. As well, if you haven't filed your current income tax returns, what hidden tax liabilities exist? What is the state of your record-keeping? How do you run your business without adequate financial information? Your bank may hesitate to loan you money or refinance under these circumstances.

7. Reduce Stress and Worry

Many people who are late filing their tax returns feel guilty about it. At the back of their minds, they worry about taxation authorities contacting them, audits, asset seizures, criminal prosecution, penalties and interest, and so on. Some of these worries can become magnified beyond what the actual situation warrants. Save yourself unnecessary stress by filing your income tax returns on time.

Resource Box

J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.

For profitable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/

To learn how to reduce your income taxes, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/income-taxes.html

Copyright 2003 Wayne M. Davies Inc.

When it comes to filing your tax return, spending 37 cents could be the biggest mistake you ever make.

Millions of taxpayers make the mistake of putting their income tax return in a regular letter-sized envelope, sticking on a 37 cent stamp, and placing the envelope in their mailbox.

And millions of taxpayers "get away" with this mistake year after year.

Why do I say that putting your tax return in the mailbox is a mistake?

Let me explain.

Every year, a small percentage of mail doesn't get delivered. The U.S. Postal Service doesn't like to admit this, but it's true.

Furthermore, even if your tax return gets delivered to the IRS, every year a small percentage of tax returns get lost by the IRS.

Don't believe me? I'll never forget the day one of my clients showed me a letter he received from the IRS:

"We regret to inform you that we received your return.... but have lost it."

Honest to goodness, this actually happened!

So my question to you is this: What are you doing to do if this happens to you!

If your tax return doesn't get delivered, or if it gets delivered but is subsequently lost inside the mammoth IRS, what are you going to do to prove that you actually mailed the return?

Just calling the IRS and saying, "Well, I mailed it on time. I know I did!" isn't going to prove anything. And the burden to prove you mailed the return on time will rest on your shoulders.

You have two ways to solve this potentially dangerous problem:

OPTION #1: File your return electronically.

There are many benefits to e-filing. The one I want you to focus on now is this: When you e-file your return, you receive an electronic acknowledgement within 48 hours that the IRS has accepted your return.

Bingo! Now you have proof positive that the return was filed. 'Nuff said?

E-filing is rapidly becoming the filing method of choice. But the majority of returns are still filed on paper, so here's a second way to avoid the "missing return" dilemma.

OPTION #2: If you're a "paper filer", go to the post office and spend a measly $4.05 to send the letter via Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested.

Doing this will accomplish two very important things:

1. Certified Mail (which costs $2.30) provides the proof that the return was mailed, and that it was mailed on time, on or before the due date.

According to the IRS, a paper return is filed on time if it is mailed in an envelope that is properly addressed and postmarked by the due date. When you use Certified Mail, you will get a receipt postmarked by the postal employee, and that date on the receipt is the postmark date.

So, should the return get lost by the IRS, or if the IRS questions whether you mailed it on time, you will have written proof.

Plus, every piece of Certified Mail is assigned a tracking number which can then be traced by the U.S. Postal Service should a problem arise.

2. Return Receipt provides another level of insurance. For an extra $1.75, when the letter is delivered, the IRS must sign or stamp a receipt that documents the date of delivery. This receipt then gets mailed back to you, so that you now have the written proof that the IRS received it.

Technically, you only need to send the return via Certified Mail to prove that it was indeed mailed on time. But I really like the Return Receipt as well -- it gives you that extra "peace of mind" to know that the IRS received it. And you'll know exactly what day it was received. This is the proof of delivery.

So don't run the risk of having your tax return get lost in the mail.

And don't run the risk of having your tax return get lost in the piles and piles of paper that flood the IRS each year.

Think about it. Well over 100 million personal income tax returns are filed with the IRS every year, and the majority of them are still prepared on paper and mailed by the U.S. Postal Service.

The U.S. Postal Service and the IRS are staffed by hard- working people who are only human. People make mistakes. To greatly reduce the chance of a mistake being made with your return, don't you make the mistake of just putting your tax return in the mailbox.

Instead, e-file it, or take it to the post office and send it Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested. It could be the best $4.05 you ever spent!

Resource Box

Wayne M. Davies is author of the new eBook, "The Tax Reduction Toolkit: 29 Little-Known Legal Loopholes That Will Reduce Your Taxes By Thousands (For Small Business Owners and Self-Employed People Only!)". Don't file another tax return until you visit The Tax Reduction Toolkit, part of the Ultimate Tax Reduction Guide.

Copyright 2003 Wayne M. Davies Inc.

I did it. I finally did it.

Last weekend, while the rest of Fort Wayne celebrated the long-awaited onset of springtime temperatures, I stayed inside and did something I've never done before.

I burned my first CD.

Yep, I joined the Pepsi generation and got me a real CD-RW drive. And I actually copied a music CD onto a blank CD (my wife's favorite Eric Clapton CD -- so now she's got one for home and one for the van; guess I better burn another one so she can listen to it at work, too.)

But it wasn't easy, let me tell ya!

If fact, I didn't think it would ever happen.

Why? Because when it comes to computers, I ain't the most proficient guy in the world. I know how to use my accounting and tax software, and I can peck away at a word processor with the best of them, but hardware? I'm clueless, man, absolutely clueless.

To me, RAM is an animal, the mascot for a pro football team that used to play in L.A. and then moved to St. Louis.

But my wife and kids have been pestering me for months to get a CD-RW so we can make our own music CD's. So last week I finally gave in and ventured out to my local discount electronics store.

And there they were, lined up on the shelf, all 28 different models.

I picked up one of the boxes and looked at the "specs". The first label that caught my eye was called "Disc Formats": CD-R, CD-RW, CD-ROM (mode 1 and mode 2), CD-ROM XA (mode2, form 1 and form2), CD-DA, Bootable CD, Photo CD (single and multi-sessions), Video CD, CD-Extra, Mixed mode CD, CD-text.

I suddenly felt the beginnings of a headache.

I know enough about hardware to know that you've got to make sure a new piece of hardware is compatible with your existing hardware.

Ah, yes, the "interface", gotta make sure that's right!

So I looked at the box where is said "E-IDE/ATAPI".

Now my stomach didn't feel so good either.

Finally, I turned the box over and found what I was looking for, "System Requirements": IBM PC Pentium 200MHz or higher; 64MB DRAM, 1 GB for image recording, 150MB free HD space for installing writing software.

I no longer had a headache. I had a migraine.

Enough was enough. I left the store and came home empty- handed. I was in over my head, and it was time to admit it.

While driving home I suddenly realized something.

What I just experienced is exactly what most people experience as they sit down to prepare their tax return each year. All those forms, schedules and worksheets, each with their own set of unique codes and convoluted calculations.

Forms, forms and more forms. They might as well be written in Greek.

For some people, mostly folks with "regular" day jobs and simple W2's, doing your own tax return can be a relatively painless process (particularly if you don't itemize deductions and have no investment income).

And with the proliferation of user-friendly tax preparation software programs, I'm sure millions of returns are filed by do-it-yourself-er's without a hitch.

But if you're self-employed or own your own business, and you're new to the world of taxes, well, I've got news for you -- be prepared to go through exactly what I went through at Best Buy -- lots of pain, agony and frustration.

And be ready to "give up" and do what I eventually did -- call a professional.

For me, that meant giving my friend George a call. George is a client who also happens to be a "computer guy" with all the latest gizmos and gadgets known to mankind.

George was very happy to help me out. He told me exactly what kind of CD drive to get, and then he came over to the house and installed the thing in 15 minutes! I couldn't believe it! Then he installed some software, spent 10 minutes showing me how to use it, and the next thing I know, I'm burning a CD like I've been doing it all my life.

If you are a small business owner or self-employed person and you're trying to prepare you own return this year, how's it going?

Do you think you did OK? Or are you getting by on trial and error with a dose of prayer mixed in ("Please, God, please don't let me get audited!")

Maybe it's time you did what I did.

By George, call a professional.

If you're in over your head, admit it, and get some help. Visit your local tax professional today!

Resource Box

Wayne M. Davies is author of the new eBook, "The Tax Reduction Toolkit: 29 Little-Known Legal Loopholes That Will Reduce Your Taxes By Thousands (For Small Business Owners and Self-Employed People Only!)". Don't file another tax return until you visit The Tax Reduction Toolkit, part of the Ultimate Tax Reduction Guide.