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IRS Considers License For Tax Preparers Government losing billions through fraud and incompetence.
1040X to the Rescue Fouled up your tax return? Here's your second chance to get it right.
What If Your Tax Refund is Wrong? You got a check from the IRS that's less, or more, than you expected. Find out why and what to do about it.
Coming Up with Tax Cash Can't pay your taxes? Don't panic. Here are some options.
NJ Tax Prep Firm Ordered to Pay $1.64 Million to Clients Malqui Tax didn't disclose true cost of refund anticipation loans, court finds.
Tax Refunds Likely to Boost Consumer Spending Refunds higher this year, thanks to lower household incomes.
Last-Minute Tax Tips When all else fails, an automatic extension will buy you time.
Tax Tips & News for Procrastinators Everything you need to get your return ready.
Need More Time to File Your Taxes? Just Ask If you just can't finish your taxes by April 15, you can get six more months by just asking Uncle Sam.
Don't Overlook These Itemized Deductions Tallying up all your expenses can help you cut your tax bill, especially if you claim every deduction the IRS allows.
10 Ways Uncle Sam Helps You Save Money Saving for the future is of paramount importance to all Americans. Luckily, we all have a rich uncle to turn to.
10 Common Tax-Filing Mistakes to Avoid Tax law changes have created new tax-filing pitfalls to watch out for, as well as the usual ones we face every filing season.
Penalties for Late Tax Returns If you haven't filed a tax return since 2005, there's no time to waste. But expect to pay hefty penalties.
Tempting the Tax Auditor The IRS is coming after more filers. You might be a target if you fly these red flags on your tax return.
10 Often Overlooked Tax Breaks The tax code is full of ways to cut your taxes, but taxpayers too often miss these ten tax breaks.
$1.3 billion in Refunds Awaiting Owners The IRS wants to hand out $1.3 billion in refunds that were never claimed. Some of the money might be yours.
Big Break for Lower-Income Taxpayers If you don't make a lot, the earned income tax credit could help you get some cash back from Uncle Sam.
Should You Always File a Joint Return? It usually makes sense to file jointly, but some circumstances warrant separate filings.
Your Taxes From A to Z Doing your taxes is not as easy as ABC, but these tips could make the process less difficult.
Stimulus Offers Modest Auto Savings Consumers who buy a new car in 2009 can save a few dollars on their taxes.
Video: How to Lower Your Property Taxes The only upside of declining real estate values may be lower property taxes.
Some Cars Save More than Gas A vehicle that runs on alternative fuel could provide big tax breaks.
5 Stupid Tax Mistakes Steve Bucci lists the top five ways to make your tax season bleak.
Stimulus Tax Payout Will Be Small A third of the stimulus package is tax relief, but it puts only a few more dollars in your paycheck.
Taxpayer Rights Just One Click Away IRS problems? There’s a Web site you can visit to check out your taxpayer rights.
Foreclosure Tax Double-Whammy Eased Congress eases taxation on home lost to debt or forgiveness.
Tax Consequences of Defaulting on Your Mortgage The bank's actions will drive the tax consequences of walking away from a mortgage.
Help for Low-Income Taxpayers Special clinics can help eligible individuals who need help with tax filing.
Video: Tax Tips – New Tax Breaks For Your 2008 Return Take advantage of every deduction coming your way.
Tax Scam Deal Really Is Too Good To Be True Most companies are selling an offer in compromise and the IRS will rarely approve them.
FDIC Study Finds Outrageous Overdraft Fees Bank automatic overdraft programs, also called courtesy overdraft, are not so polite to your wallet.
IRS Offers Help to Financially Stressed Taxpayers Agency makes policy changes to help those in trouble.
Don't Let Just Anyone Do Your Taxes Poor choices in preparers could lead to trouble.
H&R Block to Stop Selling Refund Anticipation Loans in California Company settles suit charging it with deceptive practices.
Tax Preparers Tighten Up on 'Instant Refund' Loans Refund anticipation loans almost always a bad idea.
Early Mortgage Payment Could Cut Tax Bill Make your January mortgage payment by Dec. 31 and you'll have extra interest to deduct on your upcoming tax return.
New Tax Rules Could Cost Second-Home Owners If you hope to get the most tax savings on a second-home sale, you've only got a few weeks to act.
New York Stops H&R Block's Deceptive Sweepstakes Ads Company will pay $245,000 penalty for not playing by the rules.
J. K. Harris Settles Deceptive Ad Charges Company took consumers' money, did nothing, states charged.
Tax Rebate Checks Going Towards Necessities Supermarkets ramp up gift card promotions to snare their share.
IRS Faulted for Lax Identity Theft Protection Efforts Taxpayer advocate wants improvement; Agency promises more action.
Tax Scams Proliferate In April Scam artists scramble as deadline draws near.
Mystery Shoppers Find Deceit, Incompetence Among Tax Preparers IRS urged to bar sale of refund anticipation loans.
Consumers Taking Out Fewer Instant Tax Loans But low-income taxpayers still lose hundreds of millions in unnecessary costs.
California Sues H&R Block Marketing of refund anticipation loans challenged.
FTC Warns Consumers About Tax Rebate Scams Crooks try to steal information over the phone.
Avoid Tax Rebate Direct Deposit Scam Callers claim to be with the 'tax refund department'.
Scam Artists Jump on Tax Rebate Plan Need Social Security number to issue check, callers tell victims.
Instant Tax Refund Always Carries a Price Nothing free about refund anticipation loans.
'Instant Refund' Loans an Avoidable Expense No reason to give money away, consumer groups advise.
Tax Breaks for Family Caregivers Elderly parents may qualify as dependents.
IRS May Limit 'Instant Refund' Loans New regulations will also limit sharing of returns with third parties.
Scam Targets Elderly Seeking Tax Help Victims lose money and risk identity theft.
IRS Warns About New Email Scam Email says you're under investigation.
IRS Warns Of Virus Email Scam Nasty collection warning is even nastier than it looks.
Court Shuts Down 'Warehouse Bank' Promoter told taxpayers they could legally hide their assets to avoid taxation.
TurboTax Suffers Meltdown, IRS Extends Deadline Server problems cause dismay for last-minute filers.
Holidays Extend IRS Tax Deadline IRS forgot about Emancipation Day, a holiday in the barely-emancipated District of Columbia.
Feds Sue Jackson Hewitt, Claiming "Pervasive" Tax Fraud Preparers claimed bogus deductions, took kickbacks from clients, government charges.
Don't Be Fooled By IRS Look-Alike Sites Scam artists use similar names to steal taxpayers' personal data.
IRS Warns of Common Income Tax Scams Inflated telephone excise tax refund claims lead the list this year.
Mistakes Abound on Telephone-Tax Refund Requests IRS offers tips for getting it right.
Scammers Play On Taxpayers' Audit Jitters IRS says it never contacts taxpayers by e-mail.
One-Time IRS Credit for Telephone Tax Congress repealed telephone excise tax dating back to 1898.
Poor Americans Missing Billions in Earned-Income Tax Benefits Low-income working families often fail to file for earned-income benefits.
Despite Reforms, Tax Refund Loans Gouge Taxpayers Interest rates exceed 1,000% on loans that victimize low-income taxpayers.
IRS Promises Improved Free File Program Says it will not allow its private "partners" to trick taxpayers into expensive refund loans this year.
IRS Forms Not Quite Ready For Tax Season Some late actions by Congress don't show up in this year's printed forms.
Taxpayer Advocate Targets IRS Collection Policies Alternative minimum tax, federal tax gap also identified as top-priority issues in annual report.
Jackson Hewitt Pays $5 Million to Settle California Charges Tax prep firm misled customers into high-cost tax refund loans, state alleged.
IRS Bans Refund Loans from Free File Program "Instant refund" loans victimize low-income taxpayers.
IRS Scales Back Outsourcing Plans Bowing to critics and its employees, agency decides to keep more functions in-house.
December is Tax-Prep Time Actions taken now can make a big difference when you file your return next year.
Jackson Hewitt Faces NY Class Action New York franchises hit consumers with undisclosed fees, lawsuit charges.
IRS Has Refunds for 95,746 "Missing" Taxpayers Incorrect address sends checks astray.
H&R Block Launching Its Bank Company plans to have one million customers by next year.
IRS Gives Away Millions Due To Failed Software Upgrade Contractors blamed for failures, taxpayers foot the bill.
New IRS Online Payment System Raises Privacy Fears Consumer advocates fear scam artists will take advantage of the system.
IRS Renews E-mail Alert Following New Scams IRS says it never sends unsolicited emails seeking information from taxpayers.
NYC Lawsuits Hit American Tax Relief "Pennies on the dollar" tax settlements often don't materialize, suits charge.
H&R Block Threatened Employees, Spitzer Charges Company allegedly put heat on tax preparers who didn't push flawed IRA.
H&R Block Settles Tax Refund Loan Suit Company will pay $39 million to settle claims it gouged taxpayers for tax refund loans.
Complex Laws Make Tax Filing Worse National Taxpayers Union finds tax-preparation woes worsen each year.
Taxpayers Can Get an Automatic Six-Month Filing Extension Can't finish your return on time? No problem. But you still have to pay on time.
April 15th Should Be Just Another Day, Taxpayer Groups Argue Groups call for a national sales tax and eliminated of the IRS.
"Tax Freedom Day" Three Days Late This Year Rising incomes pushing Americans into higher tax brackets, counter-balancing tax cuts.
Feds, States Eye Internet Taxes States gang up to go after online sales while feds sharpen their gaze.
Paying Taxes With Your Credit Card Can Get Expensive Consumers should use credit card as last resort when paying taxes.
Senators Push for Electronic Tax Filing IRS shoves consumers into hands of commercial preparers and scam artists by failing to put taxpayers' interests first.
GAO Finds Tax Preparers Prone to Error Commercial tax preparers miss deductions, fail to report taxable income.
Consumer Group to Taxpayers: Don�t Borrow Your Own Money Refund anticipation loans "should be outlawed," National Consumers League insists.
IRS May Let Tax Preparers Sell Customers' Information Change would be a license to plunder, consumer groups argue.
There's No Escaping Taxes But there are steps you can take to minimize the tax bite ... and the tax preparation sting.
H&R Block Goofs on Its Own Taxes $32 million black eye comes at the height of tax preparation season.
Children�s Defense Fund: Tax Refund Loans "Indefensible" High fees, interest steal badly-needed funds from the working poor.
California Sues H&R Block Tax giant snares low-income consumers with "instant refunds" that are really loans, state charges.
GAO: Feds Not Guarding Social Security Numbers Handled by Contractors Controls lax or non-existent on data turned over to government contractors, report finds.
Is IRS Playing Political Favorites? Agency accused of "outrageous abuse of public trust."
IRS Free File Returns for Another Tax Year Seventy percent of taxpayers eligible to file online this year.
IRS Shuffles Tax Centers Many taxpayers will be mailing their returns to a different address this year.
IRS Wrongly Delays Thousands Of Refunds Taxpayers wrongly labeled as cheats wait years for their refunds, auditor finds.
H&R Block Doesn't Block Identity Theft Unsolicited TaxCut mailings display customers' Social Security numbers.
H&R Block to Settle More Payday Loan Suits Tax preparer will pay about $30 million to settle latest batch of suits.
IRS Warns of Questionable Deductions for Donated Vehicles Some charities ay be misleading donors about allowable deductions.
H&R Blocked: Consumer Groups Oppose Tax Giant's Proposed Bank Groups cite Block's long history of high-cost tax refund loans and subprime mortgages.
Don't Ignore Tax Payment Problems Unpaid taxes? Don't panic, there are solutions.
Feds Charge Tax Scam Targets Military Personnel Hawaii tax preparers encourage military clients to claim false deducations, feds charge.
Income Tax Filing Extensions Free and Easy Automatic four-month extensions available online or by phone.
Instant Tax Refunds: Fast But Expensive More than half of taxpayers opt for online tax return filing, others fall for "instant refund" loans.
Taxtime - A Primer There are lots of ways to save money on your taxes. Trouble is, they can get you into trouble.
IRS Warns of Tax Preparer Fraud Error or fraud by the tax preparer can mean prison for the taxpayer.
Taxpayers: Beware of Instant Refunds California's attorney general warns taxpayers to be wary of high-interest "refund anticipation loans."
ACORN Opens Free Tax Prep Sites in 45 Cities Community action group will help low- and moderate-income taxpayers at no cost.
Federal Judge Shuts Down Tax Freedom & Privacy Committee Promoters pushed false "church" exemption and other tax dodges.
Feds Sue Alabama, Florida Tax Preparers Preparers inflated deductions on clients' returns, Justice Department charges.
Louisiana Tax Preparers Sued Mr. Ed's Tax Service allegedly defrauded government of $45 million.
Feds Sue Seattle-Area Tax Scam Company sold tax fraud schemes, Justice Department charges.
Court Bars Tennessee Tax Firm From Tax Preparation Taxing Solutions Plus overstated clients' deductions, prosecutors charged.
Don't Overlook the Earned Income Tax Credit IRS offers online tool to help low-income families calculate whether they qualify for valuable tax credit.
Court Bars North Carolina Tax Scam Promoter sold Freedom & Privacy committee schemes to local taxpayers.
Class Action Challenges H&R Block's Electronic Filing Fee Suit says fee is based on "illusory" expenses and should be refunded to millions of clients.
IRS Offers Free Online Filing for Third Year IRS links taxpayers to private companies providing free online tax filing.
Supreme Court Rejects H&R Block Appeal in Refund Loan Class Action Tax preparer accused of gouging 17 million consumers who took out refund loans.
H&R Block Charged in Enron Collapse Company allegedly sold millions of dollars worth of Enron Corporation bonds after Enron's finances, and its bond ratings, had begun to collapse.
Judge Upholds Racketeering Complaints Against H&R Block, Household Class-action suits accuse the companies of conspiring to trick poor customers into taking out high-interest loans.
Court OKs Class Action Against H&R Block Suit charges Block gouged clients who filed electronically.
Tax Anticipation Loans Victimize Cash-Strapped Consumers H&R Block and other commercial preparers drain $1.2 billion from working poor each year.
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Most of us could easily do our own tax return, but somehow it seems easier to hand it over to someone else. There are a couple of problems with this. For one thing, it's expensive. For another, if the tax preparer makes mistakes, guess who's on the hook? Whatever you do, don't fall for the 
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