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IRS Offers Small Businesses a One-Stop Resource Center for Help Preparing, Filing and Paying Taxes

Small businesses across the country are preparing for their special day — Small Business Saturday – taking place on Nov. 25. The Internal Revenue Service wants new small business owners, including those involved in the sharing economy, to know that IRS.gov has an online resource center to help them learn all they need to know about the tax implications of running a small business. The Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center offers a variety of useful tools that small business owners can access to prepare, file and pay taxes.

The Center is a virtual one-stop tax shop with an A to Z index that gives answers for most business-related tax questions. It includes the Virtual Workshop, an educational video series that walks small business owners step-by-step through the basics. New owners can learn the ins and outs of their taxes at their own pace with other educational tools and products linked from the page. One of the Center’s newest features is the Sharing Economy Tax Center for those who use various online platforms to rent rooms, provide rides and offer other goods and services. Those involved in the Sharing Economy may visit the Pay as You Go, So You Don’t Owe page to learn more about ways to avoid paying the Estimated Tax Penalty.

Getting an Employer Identification Number (EIN) is often the first step for new small businesses, and the Center’s page makes it easy. There are links to the downloadable tax calendar and a variety of videos. Figuring out what is the best form of business entity to establish is easier with the selecting a business structure section. It explains the tax implications of  setting up a Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Corporation, S Corporation or a Limited Liability Company (LLC) .

The Center features relevant tax forms and instructions for small businesses. It serves as a resource on how to handle employment taxes, if employees are part of a business, or figuring out self-employment taxes for the sole proprietor. The section on filing and paying business taxes details which IRS forms to use for what sort of business entity and when to file.

The resources on Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center are not just for new small businesses but can be used for every stage of a small business lifecycle; from starting up and operating a business to selling or closing one. In addition, the page has information on topics like recordkeeping, types of retirement plans and the Affordable Care Act.

Additional IRS Resources:

Checklist for Starting a Business
Small Business Publications
Reporting Payments to Independent Contractors
Estimated Taxes
Electronic Filing Options for Business and Self-Employed Taxpayers
Tax Help in Spanish and Other Languages

Source: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-offers-small-businesses-a-one-stop-resource-center-for-help-preparing-filing-and-paying-taxes

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National Tax Security Awareness Week No. 5: Small Businesses: Be Alert to Identity Theft

The IRS, state tax agencies and the nation’s tax industry joined together to warn small businesses to be on-guard against a growing wave of identity theft against employers.

Small business identity theft is a big business for identity thieves. Just like individuals, businesses may have their identities stolen and their sensitive information used to open credit card accounts or used to file fraudulent tax refunds for bogus refunds.

The Internal Revenue Service, state tax agencies and the private-sector tax community — partners in the Security Summit — are marking “National Tax Security Awareness Week” with a series of reminders to taxpayers and tax professionals. The week concludes with warnings about small business identity theft.

In the past year, the Internal Revenue Service has noted a sharp increase in the number of fraudulent Forms 1120, 1120S and 1041 as well as Schedule K-1. The fraudulent filings apply to partnerships as well as estate and trust forms.

Identity thieves are displaying a sophisticated knowledge of the tax code and industry filing practices as they attempt to obtain valuable data to help file fraudulent returns. Security Summit partners have expanded efforts to better protect business filers and to better identify suspected identity theft returns.

Identity thieves have long made use of stolen Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) to create fake Forms W-2 that they would file with fraudulent individual tax returns. Fraudsters also used EINs to open new lines of credit or obtain credit cards. Now, they are using company names and EINs to file fraudulent returns.

As with fraudulent individual returns, there are certain signs that may indicate identity theft. Business, partnerships and estate and trust filers should be alert to potential identity theft and contact the IRS if they experience any of these issues:

  • Extension to file requests are rejected because a return with the Employer Identification Number or Social Security number is already on file;
  • An e-filed return is rejected because of a duplicate EIN/SSN is already on file with the IRS;
  • An unexpected receipt of a tax transcript or IRS notice that doesn’t correspond to anything submitted by the filer.
  • Failure to receive expected and routine correspondence from the IRS because the thief has changed the address.

New Procedures to Protect Business in 2018

The IRS, state tax agency and software providers also share certain data points from returns, including business returns, that help identify a suspicious filing. The IRS and states also are asking that business and tax practitioners provide additional information that will help verify the legitimacy of the tax return.

For 2018, these “know your customer” procedures are being put in place that include the following questions:

  • The name and SSN of the company executive authorized to sign the corporate tax return. Is this person authorized to sign the return?
  • Payment history – Were estimated tax payments made? If yes, when were they made, how were they made, and how much was paid?
  • Parent company information – Is there a parent company? If yes, who?
  • Additional information based on deductions claimed
  • Filing history – Has the business filed Form(s) 940, 941 or other business-related tax forms?

Sole proprietorships that file Schedule C and partnerships filing Schedule K-1 with Form 1040 also will be asked to provide additional information items, such as a driver’s license number. Providing this information will help the IRS and states identify suspicious business-related returns.

For small businesses looking for a place to start on security, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) produced Small Business Information Security: The Fundamentals. NIST is the branch of the U.S. Commerce Department that sets information security frameworks followed by federal agencies.

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) has Resources for Small and Midsize Businesses. Many secretaries of state also provide resources on business-related identity theft as well.

The IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry are working together to fight against tax-related identity theft and to protect business and individual taxpayers. Everyone can help. Take steps recommended by cyber experts and visit the Identity Protection: Prevention, Detection and Victim Assistance for information about business-related identity theft.

Source: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/national-tax-security-awareness-week-no-5-small-businesses-be-alert-to-identity-theft

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