Posted on

What to do with a 1095-A, 1095-B and 1095-C

An apple a day keeps the doctor away…just not from your paychecks.

There are new tax forms that you should keep your eyes peeled for this year. These are the 1095-A, 1095-B and 1095-C. No need to panic. These forms are mainly for your reference and can be stowed away with the rest of your tax documents until you’re ready to file a tax return for the year. So why are they making a debut in a mailbox near you? Let’s take a look at what they are and how to handle them.

What is each form?

A 1095-A is your Health Insurance Marketplace statement. This provides you with the annual information about your health coverage if you or someone in your family was enrolled in coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

A 1095-B is your Health Coverage statement. This shows you the yearly information about your health care coverage if you, your spouse or your dependents were enrolled in coverage through an insurance provider or self-insured employer.

A 1095-C is your Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer & Coverage statement. This form will provide you with the yearly coverage offered to you through your employer.

Which form will I get?

You’ll receive a 1095-A if you, your spouse or your dependent(s) were enrolled in health coverage for the year through the Marketplace.

A 1095-B will be coming your way if you and/or your family members received insurance through a health insurance provider. Health insurance providers consist of insurance companies, certain self-insured employers and government agencies that run Medicaid, Medicare or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Continue reading “What to do with a 1095-A, 1095-B and 1095-C”

Posted on

2015 IRS Late Tax Penalties

Failure to file or failure to pay; is there a lesser of two evils?

There are two IRS tax penalties that you put yourself in jeopardy of paying when you don’t file your tax return on time.

  1. Failure-to-File Tax Penalty. This applies to you if you did not file your tax return by the tax filing deadline and owed tax to the IRS.
  2. Failure-to-Pay Tax Penalty. This applies to you if you filed your tax return but did not pay your entire tax liability due by the tax filing deadline.

If you are expecting a refund, you will never be held liable for a penalty fee.

How do I calculate my failure-to-file tax penalty?

The late filing penalty is 5% of the additional taxes owed amount for every month or fraction of a month that your return is late. This is capped at 25%. Let’s take a look at an example.

Let’s say you owe the IRS $950. One September morning, you wake up and it hits you. You forgot to file your 2015 tax return! You can assume that you will owe the IRS an additional $240. Here’s the math:

$950 tax liability x 5% = $47.50 per month late Continue reading “2015 IRS Late Tax Penalties”

Posted on

7 Filing Tips to Get Your Tax Refund ASAP

Waiting for your tax refund can really test your patience.

Unfortunately, we can’t speed up the actual processing time of your tax return once the IRS gets hold of it. However, there are actions we can take to ensure a smoother journey through the IRS database. Let’s take a look at seven steps you can take when filing your tax return this year.

E-File your tax return.

Oh, how far technology has come. You can e-file your tax return worry-free until the April deadline. After that date, you can still e-file until the October deadline. However, if you can’t get it filed before mid-April and you’re not sure if you’re getting a refund, you’ll want to file an extension. Either way, the IRS processing time is quickest with e-filing. Compared to mailing in your return, you could be speeding up your refund by almost a month!

Choose direct deposit to receive your refund.

Many businesses offer a direct deposit option to their employees, so it only makes sense that the IRS would offer the same. After all, it’s your money. This is preferred by many taxpayers, based on convenience. On top of that, waiting on direct deposit will eat up less of your time than waiting on a check in the mail.

Make sure you’re the only one claiming your dependent(s).

This can be easier said than done in some cases. However, if you know someone who could also claim your dependent on their tax return, do your best to verify that they won’t be. Why? A person can only be claimed once per year. If a dependent is claimed by more than one person, then the second tax return to claim them will be rejected by the IRS. If the second person to claim the same dependent appeals to the IRS, the IRS may pull the first return for review, to make sure that taxpayer was allowed to claim the dependent. In either case, this will ultimately delay your tax refund. Continue reading “7 Filing Tips to Get Your Tax Refund ASAP”