Better Choice Financial Services

01/08/2026

IRS announces first day of 2026 filing season; online tools and resources help with tax filing

IR-2026-02, Jan. 8, 2026

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service announced Monday, January 26, 2026, as the opening of the nation’s 2026 filing season. This year, several new tax law provisions of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill become effective, which could impact federal taxes, credits and deductions.

Taxpayers have until Wednesday, April 15, 2026, to file their 2025 tax returns and pay any tax due. The IRS expects to receive about 164 million individual income tax returns this year, with most taxpayers filing electronically.

IRS.gov has online tools and resources taxpayers can use before, during and after filing their federal tax return. One, Big, Beautiful Provisions provides information that could help lower tax bills and potentially increase refund amounts.

“President Trump is committed to the taxpayers of this country and improving upon the successful tax filing season in 2025,” said Acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent. “Prior to the passage of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, which delivered working families tax cuts, Treasury and IRS were diligently preparing to update forms and processes for the benefit of hardworking Americans, and I am confident in our ability to deliver results and drive growth for businesses and consumers alike.”

“The Internal Revenue Service is ready to help taxpayers meet their tax filing and payment obligations during the 2026 filing season,” said IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano. “As always, the IRS workforce remains vigilant and dedicated to their mission to serve the American taxpaying public. At the same time, IRS information systems have been updated to incorporate the new tax laws and are ready to efficiently and effectively process taxpayer returns during the filing season.”

IRS Individual Online Account. Taxpayers can access their individual online account information, including balance due, payments made or scheduled, tax records and more.

New Schedule 1-A. Taxpayers will use the new Schedule 1-A to claim recently enacted tax deductions, such as no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on car loan interest and/or the enhanced deduction for seniors.

Enroll in a Trump Account. Parents, guardians and other authorized individuals can establish a new type of individual retirement account for their children. To learn more, visit trumpaccounts.gov.

Open a bank account. The IRS strongly encourages taxpayers to establish a bank account to receive their tax refunds via direct deposit, because the IRS is phasing out paper tax refund checks due to the executive order, Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account.

Forms 1099-K and 1099-DA. Taxpayers should visit IRS.gov and learn what to do if they receive either of these forms. Form 1099-K, Payment Card and Third Party Network Transactions, is used to report payments received from credit cards, payments apps and online marketplaces. Form 1099-DA, Digital Assets, is used to report digital asset proceeds from broker transactions. Taxpayers must report all taxable income on their federal tax returns, even if they don’t receive either form.

Where’s My Refund? Refund status information is generally available around 24 hours after e-filing a current-year return, or four weeks after filing a paper return.

Be aware of tax scams and fraud. Taxpayers can learn how to prevent, report and recover from tax scams and tax-related identity theft on IRS.gov.

Choose a tax preparer. Taxpayers should review IRS guidance for Choosing a Tax Professional, including tips on choosing a reputable preparer and how to avoid unethical preparers.

Taxpayer Assistance Centers. Taxpayers should make IRS.gov their first stop to get help. If taxpayers cannot resolve their issue online, they can get help by making an appointment to visit a Taxpayer Assistance Center.

IRS Free File and Fillable Forms. The IRS Free File program will begin accepting individual tax returns starting Friday, Jan. 9 for qualified taxpayers. Taxpayers comfortable preparing their own taxes can use IRS Free File Fillable Forms starting Jan. 26, regardless of income.

MilTax. Military members and some veterans can use the Department of Defense program, MilTax, for free return preparation and e-filing software.

IRS-certified volunteers. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs offer no-cost, basic tax preparation to qualified individuals.

Pay your taxes. Get your refund status. Find IRS forms and answers to tax questions. We help you understand and meet your federal tax responsibilities.

12/26/2025

Is your boss paying you as a Contractor? Are you now required to pay ALL of your Social Security and Medicare taxes as a SELF EMPLOYED person?? You can file form 8919 to have that rectified.

IRS Form 8919, Uncollected Social Security and Medicare Tax on Wages, is for individuals misclassified as employees rather than independent contractors. It allows them to report wages and pay the employee portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes.

The form helps report earnings and credit the correct amount to Social Security records when an employer hasn't withheld these taxes due to misclassification.
Individuals who believe they were employees and had no Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld from a firm must file Form 8919, provided an IRS reason code applies.
Genuine independent contractors should not use this form; they must use Schedule C and Schedule SE to pay self-employment tax. If worker status is uncertain, Form SS-8 can be filed for an IRS determination. Form 8919 must be attached to the annual income tax return.
The form and instructions are available on the official IRS website.

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12/19/2025

We have a new office location.
528 Skip Back Rd
Schellsburg, PA

Schedule your tax appointment now to beat the rush!!

03/27/2025

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/taxpayers-can-request-a-copy-of-previous-tax-returns

Tax Tip 2025-21, March 27, 2025 — Taxpayers can access their personal tax records in several ways. Those records are useful and can help with future tax filing.

01/11/2025

Tax filing season set to begin January 27th when the IRS begins accepting efiled returns.

01/04/2025

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01/02/2025

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11/26/2024

Inside This Issue

Notice 2024-85 provides that calendar years 2024 and 2025 will be regarded as the final transition period for purposes of IRS enforcement and administration of the minimum reporting threshold for Form 1099-K, Payment Card and Third Party Network Transactions. Under Notice 2024-85, a third party settlement organization (TPSO) will be required to report payments in settlement of third party network transactions with respect to a participating payee when the amount of total payments for those transactions is more than $5,000 during calendar year 2024; more than $2,500 during calendar year 2025; and more than $600 during calendar year 2026 and after. Notice 2024-85 also provides that for calendar year 2024, the IRS will not assert penalties under section 6651 or 6656 for a TPSO’s failure to withhold and pay backup withholding tax during the calendar year.

Notice 2024-85 will be in IRB: IRB 2024-51, dated December 16, 2024.

11/13/2024

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11/12/2024

DO YOU HAVE AN LLC, CORPORATION, S CORP OR PARTNERSHIP?

Many businesses must report beneficial ownership information to Treasury by Jan. 1; free webinar can help

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service will sponsor a free one-hour webinar designed to help the many businesses that must report their beneficial ownership information to the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

Because this is not an IRS or tax-related requirement, FinCEN representatives will conduct the webinar on this new anti-money laundering provision. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2025, beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

Many companies created or registered to do business before Jan. 1, 2024, must e-file their initial beneficial ownership information (BOI) to FinCEN by Jan. 1, 2025. In general, this means reporting the names and other information about the people who own or control the company. Exceptions and special rules apply.

During this free webinar, FinCEN will:

Explain the Corporate Transparency Act. Provide Beneficial Ownership reporting resources. Analyze the BOI reporting requirement using the Small Entity Compliance Guide. Describe what happens if a company does not timely report BOI to FinCEN.

The webinar will also feature a live question-and-answer session. Though primarily aimed at tax professionals, anyone is welcome to attend.

Certificates of completion will be offered, but no continuing education credits are available for this webinar. Closed captioning will also be offered.

Time: 2 p.m. (Eastern); 1 p.m. (Central); 12 p.m. (Arizona and Mountain); 11 a.m. (Pacific); 10 a.m. (Alaska); 9 a.m. (Hawaii and Aleutian) time zones.

Registration: Visit the Internal Revenue Service webinar website. Questions about the webinar can be emailed to [email protected].

For more information about the BOI reporting requirement, including FAQs and a five-minute video illustrating how to file, visit FinCEN’s BOI page

09/11/2024

By law, all taxpayers have the right to finality of federal tax matters

Taxpayers have the right to finality when working with the IRS. For example, taxpayers have the right to know when the IRS has finished an audit. This is one of 10 basic rights, known collectively as the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

Here's what taxpayers need to know about their right to finality:

Taxpayers have the right to know:
The maximum amount of time they have to challenge the IRS's position.
The maximum amount of time the IRS has to audit a particular tax year or collect a tax debt.
When the IRS has finished an audit.
The IRS generally has three years from the date taxpayers file their returns to assess any additional tax for that tax year.

There are some limited exceptions to the three-year rule, including when taxpayers fail to file returns for specific years or file false or fraudulent returns. In these cases, the IRS can assess tax for that tax year at any time.
The IRS generally has 10 years from the assessment date to collect unpaid taxes. The IRS can't extend this 10-year period unless the taxpayer agrees to extend the period as part of an installment agreement to pay tax debt or a court judgment allows the IRS to collect unpaid tax after the 10-year period.

There are circumstances when the 10-year collection period may be suspended. This can happen when the IRS can't collect unpaid tax due to the taxpayer's bankruptcy or there's an ongoing collection due process proceeding involving the taxpayer.
A statutory notice of deficiency is a letter proposing additional tax the taxpayer owes. This notice must include the deadline for filing a petition with the tax court to challenge the amount proposed.
Generally, a taxpayer can be subject to only one audit per tax year. The IRS may reopen an audit for a previous tax year if the agency finds it necessary. This could happen, for example, if a taxpayer files a fraudulent return.
More Information

Publication 1, Your Rights as a Taxpayer
Taxpayer Advocate Service

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