Year: 2012

Receive a Faster Refund with Direct Deposit

The New Year has arrived, which means . . . it’s tax time!

This year, do you want your refund faster? Have it deposited directly into your bank account. More taxpayers are choosing direct deposit as the way to receive their federal tax refunds. More than 78.4 million people had their tax refunds deposited directly into their bank accounts last year. It’s the secure and convenient way to get money in your wallet faster.

      • Security. The payment is secure – there is no check to get lost. Each year thousands of refund checks are returned by the US Post Office to the IRS as undeliverable mail. Direct deposit eliminates undeliverable mail and is also the best way to guard against having a tax refund stolen.
      • Convenience. There’s no special trip to the bank to deposit a check!

You can also electronically direct your refund to multiple accounts. With the new “split refund” option, taxpayers can divide their refunds among as many as three checking or savings accounts and three different U.S. financial institutions. The split refund option, using Form 8888, is also available for paper returns.

Caution: Some financial institutions do not allow a joint refund to be deposited into an individual account. Check with your bank or other financial institution to make sure your direct deposit will be accepted. Also, make sure you have the correct nine-digit routing number and your account number when selecting direct deposit.

To request direct deposit, just ask us. We are happy to assist you.

IRS Announces 2012 Standard Mileage Rates

Beginning January 1, 2012, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups, or panel trucks) became:

      • 55.5 cents per mile for business miles driven
      • 23 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes
      • 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations

The rate for business miles driven is unchanged from the mid-year adjustment that became effective on July 1, 2011. The medical and moving rate has been reduced by 0.5 cents per mile.

The standard mileage rate are based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile.

Let us know if you have questions about which driving activities you should monitor as tax year 2012 begins.

Tax Brackets, Deductions, and Exemptions for 2012

In 2012, personal exemptions and standard deductions will rise and tax brackets will widen due to inflation.

By law, the dollar amounts for a variety of tax provisions, affecting virtually every taxpayer, must be revised each year to keep pace with inflation. New dollar amounts affecting 2012 returns, filed by most taxpayers in early 2013, include the following:

    • The value of each personal and dependent exemption, available to most taxpayers, is $3,800, up $100 from 2011.
    • The new standard deduction is $11,900 for married couples filing a joint return, up $300, $5,950 for singles and married individuals filing separately, up $150, and $8,700 for heads of household, also up $200. The additional standard deduction for blind people and senior citizens remains unchanged from 2011 at $1,150 for married individuals and $1,450 for singles and heads of household. Nearly two out of three taxpayers take the standard deduction, rather than itemizing deductions, such as mortgage interest, charitable contributions and state and local taxes.
    • Tax-bracket thresholds increase for each filing status. For a married couple filing a joint return, for example, the taxable-income threshold separating the 15-percent bracket from the 25-percent bracket is $70,700, up from $69,000 in 2011.

We’ll be glad to help with all of your tax planning needs in 2012. Give us a call today!

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