Modernized e-File

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Modernized e-File (MeF) is an electronic system for filing tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States.

Tax returns in the United States are reports filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or with the state or local tax collection agency containing information used to calculate income tax or other taxes. Tax returns are generally prepared using forms prescribed by the IRS or other applicable taxing authority.

Internal Revenue Service revenue service of the United States federal government

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The government agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, who is appointed to a five-year term by the President of the United States. The IRS is responsible for collecting taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of federal statutory tax law of the United States. The duties of the IRS include providing tax assistance to taxpayers and pursuing and resolving instances of erroneous or fraudulent tax filings. The IRS has also overseen various benefits programs, and enforces portions of the Affordable Care Act.

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

The MeF system describes tax forms in terms of XML and supports web-based filing. Modernized e-File was originally introduced in 2004, exclusively for corporate tax returns. Initially, there was only support for Form 1120 and related forms, but each year additional corporate tax forms were supported. [1]

XML Markup language developed by the W3C for encoding of data

Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. The W3C's XML 1.0 Specification and several other related specifications—all of them free open standards—define XML.

Beginning with tax year 2009, the IRS will extend the Modernized e-File program to cover the 1040 series of forms for income tax returns filed by individuals. [1] [2] The IRS expects to accept the first MeF-based individual income tax filings in 2010. [1] [3] In the initial phase, MeF for individual returns will support form 1040, schedules A, B, C, D, E, EIC, M, R, SE, as well as the additional forms 1099-R, 2106, 2210, 2441, 4562, 4868, 8283, 8812, 8829, 8863, 8880, 8888, and W-2. [1] XML schemas for Form 1040 MeF are available on the IRS web site.

Fiscal year 1 year term for government and business financial reporting

A fiscal year is the period used by governments for accounting and budget purposes, which varies between countries. It is also used for financial reporting by business and other organizations. Laws in many jurisdictions require company financial reports to be prepared and published on an annual basis, but generally do not require the reporting period to align with the calendar year. Taxation laws generally require accounting records to be maintained and taxes calculated on an annual basis, which usually corresponds to the fiscal year used for government purposes. The calculation of tax on an annual basis is especially relevant for direct taxation, such as income tax. Many annual government fees—such as Council rates, licence fees, etc.—are also levied on a fiscal year basis, while others are charged on an anniversary basis.

Form 1040

Form 1040 is one of three IRS tax forms used for personal (individual) federal income tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by United States residents for tax purposes.

Form 1099-R

In the United States, Form 1099-R is a variant of Form 1099 used for reporting on distributions from pensions, annuities, retirement or profit sharing plans, IRAs, charitable gift annuities and Insurance Contracts. Form 1099-R is filed for each person who has received a distribution of $10 or more from any of the above.

See also

Customer Account Data Engine (CADE) was a planned update to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax processing system, used for filing United States income tax returns, that was stopped in 2009. Currently, the CADE 2 solution is being developed to deliver a modern tax processing system to the IRS.

E-file is a system for submitting tax documents to the US Internal Revenue Service through the Internet or direct connection, usually without the need to submit any paper documents. Tax preparation software with e-filing capabilities includes stand-alone programs or websites. Tax professionals use tax preparation software from major software vendors for commercial use.

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Under United States tax law, a personal exemption is an amount that a resident taxpayer is entitled to claim as a tax deduction against personal income in calculating taxable income and consequently federal income tax. In 2017, the personal exemption amount was $4,050, though the exemption is subject to phase-out limitations. The personal exemption amount is adjusted each year for inflation. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminates personal exemptions for tax years 2018 through 2025.

An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is a United States tax processing number issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It is a nine-digit number that begins with the number 9, and the 4th and 5th digits, also known as second section (xxx-xx-xxxx), range from 70 to 88, 90 to 92 and 94 to 99. Temporary identification numbers are issued to the main taxpayer only and these numbers are usually triggered after a 45-day suspension period. Filing the W-7 application incorrectly, checking the wrong box for the reason the individual is submitting a W-7 form or if the taxpayer's identifying documents are not accepted by the IRS, can be a reason for which the taxpayer may receive a temporary taxpayer identification number. ITIN numbers are issued by the IRS to individuals who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain, a valid U.S. Social Security Number, but who are required by law to file a U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. An individual required to file a tax return must check boxes b, c, d, e, f, or g on the W-7 application. Individuals who check boxes a, f or h meet certain conditions for not filing a U.S. tax return, and for obtaining an ITIN number from the IRS.

Form W-2 Internal Revenue Service tax form used in the United States

Form W-2 is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax form used in the United States to report wages paid to employees and the taxes withheld from them. Employers must complete a Form W-2 for each employee to whom they pay a salary, wage, or other compensation as part of the employment relationship. An employer must mail out the Form W-2 to employees on or before January 31. This deadline gives these taxpayers about 2 months to prepare their returns before the April 15 income tax due date. The form is also used to report FICA taxes to the Social Security Administration. The Form W-2, along with Form W-3, generally must be filed by the employer with the Social Security Administration by the end of February. Relevant amounts on Form W-2 are reported by the Social Security Administration to the Internal Revenue Service. In territories, the W-2 is issued with a two letter code indicating which territory, such as W-2GU for Guam. If corrections are made, it can be done on a W-2c.

Income tax in the United States form of taxation in the USA

Income taxes in the United States are imposed by the federal, most state, and many local governments. The income taxes are determined by applying a tax rate, which may increase as income increases, to taxable income, which is the total income less allowable deductions. Income is broadly defined. Individuals and corporations are directly taxable, and estates and trusts may be taxable on undistributed income. Partnerships are not taxed, but their partners are taxed on their shares of partnership income. Residents and citizens are taxed on worldwide income, while nonresidents are taxed only on income within the jurisdiction. Several types of credits reduce tax, and some types of credits may exceed tax before credits. An alternative tax applies at the federal and some state levels.

The Free File Alliance is a group of tax preparation companies that collaborate with the Internal Revenue Service to provide free electronic tax filing services to United States tax payers meeting certain guidelines. The Free File Alliance claims that the program benefits American taxpayers by providing services that would cost the IRS money to provide if online tax filing were administered directly by the IRS. The IRS stipulates filers must have an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $66,000 or less for tax year 2018, but participating companies have their own requirements and restrictions.

In the United States, Tax Day is a colloquial term for the day on which individual income tax returns are due to be submitted to the federal government. The term may also refer to the same day for individual states, even where the tax return due date is a different day.

Form W-4

Form W-4 is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax form completed by an employee in the United States to indicate his or her tax situation to the employer. The W-4 form tells the employer the correct amount of tax to withhold from an employee's paycheck.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax forms are forms used for taxpayers and tax-exempt organizations to report financial information to the Internal Revenue Service of the United States. They are used to report income, calculate taxes to be paid to the federal government, and disclose other information as required by the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). There are over 800 various forms and schedules. Other tax forms in the United States are filed with state and local governments.

A rate schedule is a chart that helps United States taxpayers determine their federal income tax for a particular year. Another name for "rate schedule" is "rate table".

Form 990 United States Internal Revenue Service form

Form 990 is a United States Internal Revenue Service form that provides the public with financial information about a nonprofit organization. It is often the only source of such information. It is also used by government agencies to prevent organizations from abusing their tax-exempt status. Certain nonprofits have more comprehensive reporting requirements, such as hospitals and other health care organizations.

Tax protesters in the United States advance a number of administrative arguments asserting that the assessment and collection of the federal income tax violates regulations enacted by responsible agencies –primarily the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)– tasked with carrying out the statutes enacted by the United States Congress and signed into law by the President. Such arguments generally include claims that the administrative agency fails to create a duty to pay taxes, or that its operation conflicts with some other law, or that the agency is not authorized by statute to assess or collect income taxes, to seize assets to satisfy tax claims, or to penalize persons who fail to file a return or pay the tax.

Free File is a service available through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which allows U.S. taxpayers to prepare and e-file their federal tax returns for free. Free File provides two options to tax payers: Free File Software, or Free File Fillable Forms. Both the Free File Software and Free File Fillable Forms services are managed and operated by the Free File Alliance, a consortium of private tax-preparation companies. The service is available through the IRS's website at www.irs.gov/freefile. Although the service is accessed via the IRS website, the service is not managed or operated by the IRS.

The premium tax credit (PTC) is a refundable tax credit in the United States. It is payable by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to eligible households that have obtained healthcare insurance by a healthcare exchange (marketplace) in the tax year. It can be paid in advance directly to a healthcare insurance company to offset the cost of monthly health insurance premiums.

In the United States, Form 1099-MISC is a variant of Form 1099 used to report miscellaneous income. One notable use of Form 1099-MISC is to report amounts paid by a business to a non-corporate US resident independent contractor for services. The ubiquity of the form has also led to use of the phrase "1099 workers" or "the 1099 economy" to refer to the independent contractors themselves. Other uses of Form 1099-MISC include rental income, royalties, and Indian gaming profits.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Modernized e-File (MeF) Overview". irs.gov. Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
  2. Caplan, Robert M. (December 31, 2007). "IRS Announces Release Date for 1040 Modernized E-File Program". thetaxadviser.com. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
  3. "Free File: Do Your Federal Taxes for Free". www.irs.gov. Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved 2016-09-04.