If you have a tax liability, you have several options for paying it. The IRS provides relatively straightforward instructions on the various types of payment methods and other ways to discharge the liability.
In California, you can also deal with the Franchise Tax Board, the Board of Equalization, and the Employment Development Division.
Payment options:
Let’s take a look at each.
When the IRS knocks on your door, it is enough to make you shake in your shoes. A visit from a revenue agent (auditor) or revenue officer (collection) who claims to have detected possible fraud means you are already in hot water.
The steps from suspicion to criminal tax investigation have already taken place, and that IS agent already has enough information to prosecute.
It is also possible that you expected this visit if you or your business have been audited recently by the IRS and you have gleaned from your interaction with the service that they may have found something fishy in the handling of your taxes.
The California Board of Equalization has audited you and found potential underpayment of taxes, fees, or additional amounts the BOE determines you owe.
Your next step is to meet with the BOE supervisor and then the District Principal Auditor. If you do not convince them that the results are in error, you can file an appeal.
The California Employment Development Department can legally withhold money owed to you by the state for repayment of debt. In other words, either through error or willful action, you owe a monetary debt to the State of California.
The EDD is within its legal rights to withhold money from a variety of programs and tax refunds if you do not pay up. It works with the California Franchise Tax Board, the State Lottery, and the State Controller to collect the outstanding debt.
A state may create legislation requiring a seller with nexus in that state to pay tax on sales of tangible property within the state.
What is nexus and how does it affect your business?
It is that most un-wonderful time of year: tax time. April 15 may be a bit far away, but as a small business owner, you need to get your documentation for 2016 together as soon as possible. Your tax professional will thank you.
By the way, one of the changes for next year includes moving a filing deadline from April 15 to March 15 if your business structure is a pass-through. More on that later. First, here is a rundown of the documents you need to gather for your accountant.
Our last few posts have been about how the various California state tax agencies handle tax liens.
A brief review:
We previously discussed how the Board of Equalization handles tax liens. For this post in our series, we would like to talk about how the California Franchise Tax Board addresses the use of liens. There are differences between the way the various California tax agencies and the IRS use tax liens about which you need to take note to stay out of hot water.
In our continuing series about tax liens, we would like to talk about how the California Board of Equalization handles them. While there are similarities between how the IRS and the various California tax agencies pursue, impose, and release tax liens, there are some important differences that every tax payer should be aware of.
In Part 1, you learned what a lien is, how taxpayers are notified of a lien, and what elements are required for a valid lien. In Part 2, you will read how a lien can impact your credit report, who has access to a list of those with liens, and what happens during bankruptcy and other financial events if a lien is involved.