Tax season is well underway, so it’s time for a kinda long update. I know you guys are just dying to know how it’s going!
The IRS has released all the funds they were holding until February 27 and is currently taking 1-2 weeks to direct deposit refunds. The states generally take a week or so longer.
Early filers may receive a letter from their mortgage company about PMI (Premium Mortgage Interest). See, PMI used to be deductible along with other mortgage interest, but Congress let that provision expire this year. Enter lobbyist and some really ticked off tax payers and guess what Congress did? Did you guess cave? Yeah, yeah, I was shocked too. Alas, you have to amend your tax return (we charge $75) to claim the PMI deduction if you’ve already filed, and it’s usually not worth it. Send over your updated 1098 and we will let you know.
A few of you received an email from me about letters Georgia is sending to some tax payers. There was a glitch (read: whoopsie) between our transmitter and the state and one tiny little bit of data was left off. But…everything is computers these days, and Georgia’s computers had a hissy fit and started kicking out letters. Bottom line, if you get a letter from Georgia adjusting your refund and asking for more info, it’s probably wrong. Let us see the letter, but we’ll likely tell you to ignore it.
We’ve been trying to use our SecureFile Portal instead of email this year, but alas, there have been glitches. When it works for e-signatures and e-payments, it’s awesome, but when it fails it’s like your dog getting sick on the carpet. We’re hoping to improve the system before next year, but for the remainder of this tax season, we will likely use email for “drop off” signatures and payments. Please feel free to still use the portal to send us documents though.
And finally, my seasonal reminder! April is approaching fast and appointments are filling up, especially for Penny. If you can’t get an appointment, I want to give props to Dalila. All of our preparers are very experienced and know their stuff, and Penny will still backstop any weird or funky tax stuff you may have going on. You can also “drop off” (snailmail, email, fax, SFP) your taxes for your preferred preparer.