Estes & Associates LLC - Lake of the Ozarks

IRS is 'buried' in paper backlog, creating tax season anxiety so high that even tax pros want relief

IRS is 'buried' in paper backlog, creating tax season anxiety so high that even tax pros want relief Tax professionals prepare for high stress levels after many individuals and small business owners faced lengthy refund delays in the past two years.

Former Lebanon CPA sentenced for $12 million ponzi scheme

Former Lebanon CPA sentenced for $12 million ponzi scheme A former certified public accountant in Lebanon, Missouri, was sentenced in federal court today for engaging in a $12 million scheme to defraud dozens of victims across the United States.

Millions of backlogged tax returns may be processed by summer, IRS Commissioner says

Millions of backlogged tax returns may be processed by summer, IRS Commissioner says A build-up of unprocessed tax returns at the IRS caused by the pandemic has become a focal point for lawmakers who are reminding the agency that Americans need the cash amid the ongoing economic recovery.

IRS distributing tax refunds slower than usual this year after delayed start

IRS distributing tax refunds slower than usual this year after delayed start The Internal Revenue Service reported last week the total dollar amount of tax refunds was down 59.2% through Feb. 19, exactly one week after the start of tax season.

Your Home. A Bundle of Tax Benefits.

Are you capturing all the tax benefits built into homeownership? Here are the most common.

tips.resourcesforclients.com Are you capturing all the tax benefits built into homeownership? Here are the most common.

Age (not death!) and Taxes - Age does matter, when it comes to tax obligations

tips.resourcesforclients.com The tax code is filled with age triggers. Some are beneficial, while others can create a tax increase surprise. Outlined here are some of the important age triggers everyone should know.

Advanced Tax Solutions - Lake of the Ozarks

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEZFEF-BVKZ/?igshid=67crw69lc1qp

IRS Releases Draft Form 1040: Here’s What’s New For 2020

First draft released

forbes.com The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released a draft of Form 1040, U. S. Individual Income Tax Return.

media1.tenor.co

media1.tenor.co

Advanced Tax Solutions, LLC

The IRS has announced the following in response to the COVID-19 situation

Tax returns are still DUE April 15th or due with an extension properly filed by April 15th. However the IRS is delaying penalty and interest until July 15th.

Refunds are unaffected and should be mailed out timely.

At this time our office continues to be open regular business hours.

Tax Pros and More

7 and 1/2 years ago I was trying to figure out for sure where I wanted my business to go and I was actually thinking maybe I should let it go and give up. I had hired an employee for the first time and that employee didn't last even 3 months before I had to let her go. Because of that experience I wasn't sure what to do when one day I checked the mail and I found a resume which had been mailed to me by a young woman who had just completed her bachelors degree and was looking for a job in accounting. After reviewing her resume I decided maybe I ought to give it one more shot at hiring an employee so I called and scheduled an interview. On May 23, 2012 I hired Bobbie Jo Pendleton. Over the course of the next 7 years I learned I could trust Bobbie to handle clients with the respect and diligence that they expected and I started growing my business. During those 7 years we went from just the 2 of us in shared office space to having 4 offices and at the peak 16 employees before I became ill and had to sell this business.

For the last several years Bobbie had been working on and completed her Masters degree in Accounting and was taking the required tests to get her CPA license. Today Bobbie notified me that she finally did it, she received her license and I couldn't be prouder of her for the accomplishment that she has achieved.

Congratulations Bobbie!!!

Apparently there are scams going around again about Military Retirement Pay causing confusion over taxable vs non taxable income. PLEASE if you have any questions about this give me a call or PM me. As a disable retired veteran and a tax professional I have first hand knowledge and experience in this matter so please contact me and don't get scammed.

Just a quick note, these are the basic 3 types of payments you get regarding retirement/disability from the military:
1. Retirement Pay from your branch of service (Based on years of service and rank)
2. Disability pay from the VA (Based on service connected disability - this can cause an adjustment to your military retirement pay depending on %)
3. Disability pay from your branch of service (Based on disability received while on Active Duty and meet the requirements not to receive severance pay)

Lonnie Dean
Owner
Tax Pros and More

On Tuesday I revealed that I was diagnosed with ALS on February 8th this year on my personal page. It was recommended that I mention this also here on my business pages as well to maybe provide answers to clients that may had some concerns over the lack of contact from me this year.

Because of my ALS I've been out of the office a lot this year and due to my voice deteriorating I've limited my direct communication with clients. Going forward I'm available by ways of texting or emails but I personally will be restricted on direct communication. But fortunately we have staff year round at all the offices that can handle the direct communication.

Thank you again to all our clients, friends and family this year and we will continue to be here to serve you.

Lonnie Dean
Owner
Tax Pros and More & Hometown Return

Thank you to all our clients, friends and family for making this a great year at Tax Pros and More and Hometown Return !!

Yes we still have a few returns we are working on (actually almost 200 extensions) and will get them completed as quick as we can

I also want to thank our staff for all their hard work and dedications this year with all the changes to the tax law and tax forms this year it was a challenge at times!!

labor.mo.gov

Now that New Year's Day is over time to get down to business. For all Missouri employers remember the new minimum wage is now $8.60 an hour. I've attached a link so you can download the page to post on your bulletin board.

https://labor.mo.gov/sites/labor/files/pubs_forms/LS-52-AI-2019.pdf

For other required posters go to www.labor.mo.gov/posters

If we need any help drop me a PM or give us a call at Tax Pros and More:
St Robert office 573-451-2229
Richland office 573-765-4876
Lebanon office 417-588-4017
Lake Ozark office or me directly 573-216-8251

Lonnie Dean
Owner
Tax Pros and More

labor.mo.gov

Happy New Year

All Tax Pros and More offices are closed today but will be open tomorrow

Another quick Taxbit:

Only 5 days left if you need a deduction for this year! The IRS may be shut down but the calendar stays the same. Business owners and managers make sure you check your P&L, if you are on an accrual basis you can simply order that new equipment before 1/1/19 but if you're on a cash basis put that check in the mail by 12/31/18.

Any questions drop me a PM or call me at 573-216-8251.

If you're looking for help preparing your W2s or 1099-Misc, we are here to help. At Tax Pros and More we help clients with only 1 employee to others well over 100, same with subcontractors.

Final thought for today, if you are looking for a new company to take care of your payroll, bookkeeping and or tax preparation needs give me a direct call at 573-216-8251.

Tax Pros and More, 4 offices opened year round and a very qualified staff able to service your needs!

Lonnie Dean
Owner
Tax Pros and More

All Tax Pros and More offices will be closed tomorrow
Merry Christmas to all our family, friends and clients

Tax Pros and More : Newsletter

Taxbit:
Another change with the new tax law is the "Child Tax Credit"
Prior to 2018 the "Child Tax Credit" provided up to a $1,000 for every child under 17 (some restrictions and limitations existed) but with the new tax law the "Child Tax Credit" was increased up to $2,000 for every child under 17 as of December 31, 2018 (some restrictions and limitations still exist). If you want to learn a little bit more about this and a few other tax breaks for parents check out our July edition of our Newsletter found at https://taxprosandmore.com/newsletter.php?nid=528#1224

Any questions? post them here or email me at [email protected]

taxprosandmore.com New parents have their work cut out for them. Not only are they dealing with lost sleep, they also face the extra cost of raising a child. At least there are a lot of potential tax breaks available to them. Check out this list and share it with any new parents you know.

Tax tidbit:

Unreimbursed employee expenses are not deductible this year

Any questions?

Ready for a little more tax info?

Personal exemptions on a 1040 tax return are gone this year and standard deductions basically doubled.

Standard reductions are as follows:
Married filing jointly = $24,000
Head of Household = $18,000
Single (Married filing Separate) = $12,000

Will be less people itemizing this year compared to last year.

Basic return will probably have a slightly better year compared to last year while complex returns may have a slightly worse compared to last year if everything is about the same.

Here's a little information for you. The 1040A and 1040EZ forms are gone for this tax season, everyone will file a 1040. So the short and easy are gone but the long has been changed into the short with attachments 😂

Any questions? Drop my a message and I'll be happy to answer 🙂

[email protected]

Many changes in our federal and state income taxes this year that will affect your return this coming tax season as well as a major change in the Federal form 1040. Stay tune over the next few weeks and I'll try to highlight some of these changes.

All Tax Pros and More offices and Hometown Return will be closed on Thanksgiving and Friday.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Labor Day!
Now get to work - lol

Tax Pros and More offices are closed today

Tax Pros and More

Its September and in just 4 months 2019 will be here. Over the next 4 months we'll start posting tax topics to help prepare you for the upcoming changes. This is the time of the year when our industry is getting all our continuing education done and we're getting updates on changes that affect taxpayers and tax preparers so stat tuned. In the meantime feel free to read our newsletter in our website, www.taxprosandmore.com

Lonnie

Tax Pros and More

Have you checked out our helpful monthly newsletter? https://taxprosandmore.com/newsletter.php?nid=512

Tax Pros and More

Many people think April 15th is the only day you have to deal with income taxes. In reality though dealing with your income taxes is a year round event. By time April 15th rolls around almost half of the current year has passed and you are playing catch up if you are trying to put in place new strategies to improve or reduce your tax liability.

For example let’s say you wanted to add $2000 this year to your IRA, if you started back in Jan that meant you would save $166.67 a month but if you start this month you have to save $250 a month to have the same deduction. A less dramatic impact, but maybe more important to your take home pay is updating your withholdings with your employer.

The bottom line, don't let April 15th be the only day you think about taxes. Talk to your tax advisor for more ideals on ways to help with your tax burden throughout the year. And if you don't currently have a trusted tax advisor feel free to give me a call at 573-216-8251.

Lonnie Dean

TAX PROS AND MORE
(Offices Open year round)
St Robert office 573-451-2229
Richland office 563-765-4876

Tax Pros & More Lake Ozark's cover photo