Insight

Still have Questions after you File your Tax Return?

Still have Questions after you File your Tax Return? | Business Consulting and Accounting Services in Baltimore County | Weyrich, Cronin & Sorra

Even after your 2020 tax return has been successfully filed with the IRS, you may still have some questions about the return. Here are brief answers to three questions that we’re frequently asked at this time of year.

Are you wondering when you will receive your refund?

The IRS has an online tool that can tell you the status of your refund. Go to irs.gov and click on “Get Your Refund Status.” You’ll need your Social Security number, filing status and the exact refund amount.

Which tax records can you throw away now?

At a minimum, keep tax records related to your return for as long as the IRS can audit your return or assess additional taxes. In general, the statute of limitations is three years after you file your return. So you can generally get rid of most records related to tax returns for 2017 and earlier years. (If you filed an extension for your 2017 return, hold on to your records until at least three years from when you filed the extended return.)

However, the statute of limitations extends to six years for taxpayers who understate their gross income by more than 25%.

You should hang on to certain tax-related records longer. For example, keep the actual tax returns indefinitely, so you can prove to the IRS that you filed legitimate returns. (There’s no statute of limitations for an audit if you didn’t file a return or you filed a fraudulent one.)

When it comes to retirement accounts, keep records associated with them until you’ve depleted the account and reported the last withdrawal on your tax return, plus three (or six) years. And retain records related to real estate or investments for as long as you own the asset, plus at least three years after you sell it and report the sale on your tax return. (You can keep these records for six years if you want to be extra safe.)

If you overlooked claiming a tax break, can you still collect a refund for it?

In general, you can file an amended tax return and claim a refund within three years after the date you filed your original return or within two years of the date you paid the tax, whichever is later.

However, there are a few opportunities when you have longer to file an amended return. For example, the statute of limitations for bad debts is longer than the usual three-year time limit for most items on your tax return. In general, you can amend your tax return to claim a bad debt for seven years from the due date of the tax return for the year that the debt became worthless.

Year-round tax help

Contact us if you have questions about retaining tax records, receiving your refund or filing an amended return. We’re not just here at tax filing time. We’re available all year long.

© 2021

 

Related Insights

Explore SEP and SIMPLE retirement plans for your small business | Quickbooks Consulting in Washington DC | Weyrich, Cronin & Sorra

Services

Explore SEP and SIMPLE retirement plans for your small business

Suppose you’re thinking about setting up a retirement plan for yourself and your employees. However, you’re concerned about the financial…
Discover if you qualify for “head of household” tax filing status | cpa in harford county md | Weyrich, Cronin & Sorra

Tax Prep, Planning & Strategy

Discover if you qualify for “head of household” tax filing status

When we prepare your tax return, we’ll check one of the following filing statuses: single, married filing jointly, married filing separately,…
Are you a tax-favored real estate professional? | accounting firm in bel air md | Weyrich, Cronin & Sorra

Tax Prep, Planning & Strategy

Are you a tax-favored real estate professional?

For federal income tax purposes, the general rule is that rental real estate losses are passive activity losses (PALs). An individual taxpayer…

Connect with us

Use the form below to send us an email. WCS responds directly to all inquiries and general questions within 24 hours of posting.

This contact form is deactivated because you refused to accept Google reCaptcha service which is necessary to validate any messages sent by the form.