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Where Is My NY State Tax Refund?

Find out when you should receive your 2012 New York state tax refund

Are you still waiting on a tax refund from New York state? You can check the status of your state refund online by using the Income Tax Refund Status tool on the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance website. If you prefer to use the phone you can also check the status of your refund by calling 518-457-5149.

These days you can expect your federal refund from the IRS in under twenty-one days. In some cases they are even fast enough to get your money out in a week. State operations are not quite so sophisticated.

New York says to expect your refund six to eight weeks after they receive your return. As with federal taxes, the fastest way to get your refund is by e-filing your return and then requesting your refund by direct deposit. Mailing your return in to the tax office and requesting a paper check will both slow down the refund process.

If you really want to know when you’ll get your refund the moment that information become available, you can sign up to receive an email from New York State as soon as they process your return. The message will include the amount of your refund, the expected payment date, and the payment method. In order to receive this email, you have to sign up through the online services. Continue reading “Where Is My NY State Tax Refund?”

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Do I Have to File a Mississippi Income Tax Return?

Find out if you have to file a Mississippi income tax return when you file your federal

As if filing a federal tax return weren’t complicated enough, the states have to go and add their own tax forms on top of it.

Oftentimes the most complicated thing about state taxes is figuring out whether you have to file at all. There are two different types of state tax returns you have to look out for: resident and nonresident returns.

If you are a Mississippi resident, then you have to file a Mississippi return. This return will tax you on all of your income, no matter where it was earned.

If you moved during the year either into or out of Mississippi, you will have to file a part-year resident return that taxes you on all of your income for the portion of the year that you were a Mississippi resident. You will also have to file a part-year resident return in the state that you moved to/from. Continue reading “Do I Have to File a Mississippi Income Tax Return?”

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How to Contact the IRS or State Tax Authority

Need to contact the IRS? Here’s what you need to know.

When in the course of the tax season it becomes necessary to contact the IRS, you may have to wade into the tangled thickets of the nation’s tax bureaucracy. But never fear! Talking to the IRS is not as dreadful as it seems on first take.

Individuals can reach the IRS toll-free at 1-800-829-1040, Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. your local time (though Alaska and Hawaii should follow Pacific Time).

The IRS has a special phone number for those who believe they are the victim of identity theft. If this has happened to you call 1-800-908-4490.

When you call, you will have to navigate through an automatic system designed to direct your call to the right department. If you wish to bypass the automated system, press “0” repeatedly and you will be immediately routed to a live agent. Try it: it works!

Continue reading “How to Contact the IRS or State Tax Authority”