Don't Mess With Taxes

Following the passage (finally!) in December 2010 of the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 that continued the current income tax rates (which just happens to be Today's Tax Tip) for the next two years and extended some popular tax breaks, the IRS announced that it would take a while for the agency to get ready for the filing season.

Specifically, or actually not so specifically, the IRS said that the tax measure's late passage meant taxpayers who claim educators expenses and tuition expenses directly on their 1040 or 1040A would have to wait until mid- to late-February to file.

That same postponement, noted the IRS, also applies to itemizers filing Schedule A.

Now, however, the agency has expanded its list of forms that it won't be able to process for a while.

In addition to Schedule A and Form 8917, the document necessary to claim the higher-education tuition and fees deduction on your personal return, the forms that still are being updated include:

Form 3800, General Business Credit
Form 4684, Casualties and Thefts
Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyer Credit and
                      Repayment of the Credit (Page 2)
Form 6478, Alcohol and Cellulosic Biofuel Fuels Credit
Form 8834, Qualified Plug-in Electric and
                      Electric Vehicle Credit
Form 8859, District of Columbia First-Time
                      Homebuyer Credit
Form 8910, Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit
Form 8936, Qualified Plug-in Electric Drive
                      Motor Vehicle Credit

So if you plan to file any of these 10 forms with your 2010 tax return, whoa up. The IRS is working to get the documents and the computer system that processes them up to date ASAP, but it will be a while.

Related posts:

• Important 2011 tax season filing dates and deadlines
• IRS commissioner chides Congress for its delay
  in dealing with expired taxes
• Merry Taxmas! House OKs tax bill
• The new tax bill and your 2010 taxes

Want to tell your friends about this blog post? Click the Tweet This or Digg This buttons below or use the Share This icon to spread the word via e-mail, Facebook and other popular applications. Thanks!