Q & A

Integrated Tax Services client standing at the counter of their boutique home goods store

Q & A

Questions & Answers

Where’s My Refund?

IRS Refund: Go to www.irs.gov and click on “Where’s My Refund?”

You will need the following information:

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  1. Social Security number of the first taxpayer listed on the return
  2. Filing status
  3. Refund amount

Oregon Refund: Go to www.oregon.gov/DOR and click on “Where’s My Refund?”

You will need the following information:

  1. Social Security number of the first taxpayer listed on the return
  2. Refund amount

When is My IRS Balance Due?

Check Payments: Use the voucher and envelope included in this folder. Make your check payable to the “United States Treasury”. Be sure to mail it on or before the due date of your tax return.

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Check Payments: Use the voucher and envelope included in this folder. Make your check payable to the “United States Treasury”. Be sure to mail it on or before the due date of your tax return.

Direct Debit: If you requested Direct Debit, your payment information is sent to the IRS as part of your tax return. Your balance due will be directly debited from your account on the return due date.

IRS Direct Pay: Go to www.irs.gov/payments to use IRS Direct Pay and see other ways you can pay.

When is My Oregon Balance Due?

Check Payments: Use the voucher and envelope included in this folder. Make your check payable to the “Oregon Department of Revenue”. Be sure to mail it on or before the due date of your tax return.

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Direct Debit: If you requested Direct Debit, your payment information is sent to the IRS as part of your tax return. Your balance due will be directly debited from your account on the return due date.

IRS Direct Pay: Go to www.irs.gov/payments to use IRS Direct Pay and see other ways you can pay.

Can I Pay My Invoice Online?

Yes!

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You have the ability to pay your invoices online by credit card. You can find the link in the top right of our menu bar found on our website.

How to Value Non-Cash Donations

Non-cash donations should be valued at a “fair market value.” That is what a willing buyer would pay to a willing seller on the date the item was donated. Examples would be garage sale or thrift store prices.

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The following link provides a value guide that meets the IRS guidelines for typical values of donated household items: Goodwill Donated Goods Value Guide

*”Fair market value” is what a willing buyer would pay a willing seller on the date the item was donated. (Example: Garage sale or thrift store prices.)

Will Your Tax Return Be Audited?

Few things are more unnerving than having your tax return selected for an IRS audit. The IRS uses that “audit anxiety” to help keep taxpayers honest on their tax returns.

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What interests the IRS?

Some higher risk areas are:

  1. Tax protests.
    Both the IRS and tax courts are getting fed up with what they consider frivolous tax protests. If you file a return stating that you owe no tax because the dollar is worthless or make some other such protest, you’ll probably be audited.
  2. High income.
    Because auditing higher-income taxpayers is likely to produce more additional tax revenue than auditing lower-income taxpayers, this category is targeted by the IRS.
  3. Certain occupations.
    Taxpayers whose occupations produce cash income, such as taxi drivers and waiters, run a higher risk of being audited. Self-employed individuals, particularly independent contractors, are IRS targets for the same reason; they are more likely to have unreported cash income.
  4. No preparer or a problem preparer.
    If you have a complex return and prepared it yourself, or if your return was prepared by someone on the IRS’s problem preparer list, you are more likely to be audited.
  5. Certain deductions.
    The IRS has found it profitable to audit returns that claim office-in-the-home deductions, travel and entertainment deductions, and certain other write-offs where they feel taxpayers stretch the truth.
  6. Related party transactions.
    Taxpayers who involve family members in their financial operations are more likely to be scrutinized by the IRS. Paying wages to your children, lending money to relatives, splitting income among family members, or running a family business will make the IRS more interested in your returns.

What’s Your Best Audit Defense?

Between one and two percent of all individual tax returns filed in any year will be selected for audit.

Unless there is suspicion of fraud or substantial understatement of income, the IRS has three years from the due date of your return to initiate an audit. Typically, most returns are selected within two years of their filing date.

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The best defense in an audit is a two-part strategy

  1. Have supporting documentation for all deductions and credits.
  2. See your accountant immediately upon notification that you’re being audited.

A professional can put your mind at ease, find the information that the IRS wants more quickly than you can, and very likely will save you money in the long run by getting a faster and more favorable conclusion to the audit.

There are other business management strategies in addition to those mentioned here. If you would like assistance in identifying ways to improve profits in your business, please call our office.

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