Uh oh. It is now after April 18th, and you did not file your taxes. What do you do? If you are expecting a refund, you don’t sweat it because you do not get penalized for not filing in this case. You won’t get your refund until you do file, but otherwise, the IRS is not going to come after you for your paperwork. (If you wait until after April 18, 2020, though, the IRS keeps your refund, so...

It is time once again for that annual rite of passage for every taxpayer: getting the tax return and payment to the IRS on time. If you have already filed and paid your taxes, you are to be congratulated. Hopefully, you have not made mistakes or, if you have, then your early filing may give you a cushion for correcting them before the tax deadline.

Most of the time, taxpayers can handle personal income taxes without too much trouble but there are times when a tax attorney can be either a handy resource or a required partner. Both the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) can get quite aggressive when the rules are not followed, even when taxpayers are doing their best.

The first few months of every new year seems to be dragged down by the necessity of preparing tax returns and the feeling of becoming poorer by the minute. To ease some of the federal burden, the IRS created an earned income tax credit that was implemented in 2013. California taxpayers, who are in a state where the tax burden is higher than average, were provided a state earned income tax...

California can be an expensive state in which to do business. Small businesses in the state are particularly hard hit under the state tax laws. California has a higher than average state income tax imposed on business and personal income, plus it engages in double-taxation when it comes to business entities structured so that the income passes through to the owner. The Franchise Tax Board is...

October 17, 2016, was the last day you can file California State or Federal income tax returns if you were granted the six-month extension in April. It is not the time to panic, but it is definitely time to move quickly if you have not completed your 2015 tax return and payment. As long as you did so by October 17, you will be allowed to file electronically. However, if you are planning to...

As if taxes were not complicated and frightening enough, the federal and state taxing authorities have a variety of devices in their arsenal to compel payment and stave off penalties. Tax liens, one of the most common of those devices, can cause trouble not just with your property and bank accounts, but with your credit score and ability to obtain lines of credit.

In California, state income taxes are generally among the highest in the country, but the burden is spread among different segments of the population. The rate of California income tax is arranged on something of a sliding scale, separated by income tax brackets. Low earners pay a smaller percentage of tax on their wages, while people who earn more pay higher rates. Understanding which bracket...