Ask a CPA

Transportation assistance. If you provide certain transportation fringe benefits, changes are afoot. The limit on the value for monthly free parking will rise to $245 (up from $240), while the limit on monthly transit passes and vanpooling will be $245 . Bicycling assistance will stay at $20 per month.

If you provide certain transportation fringe benefits, there are 2012 changes.
The limit on the value for monthly free parking will rise to $240 (up from $230), while the limit on monthly transit passes and vanpooling will drop to $125 (down from $230).
Bicycling assistance will stay at $20 per month.

The $2,500 maximum deduction for interest paid on student loans begins to phase out for a married taxpayers filing a joint returns at $125,000 and phases out completely at $155,000,
For single taxpayers, the phase out ranges between $60,000 and $75,000.

Lower Capital Gains and Dividend Tax Rates Extended Through 2012.
The tax rate reductions for long-term capital gains remain in effect for 2011 and 2012.
If tax bracket = 10% or 15% the Short Term CG taxed at ordinary rates
Long Term CG and Qualifing Dividends tax rate = 0%
If tax bracket = greater than 15% the Short Term CG taxed at ordinary rates
Long Term CG and Qualifing Dividends tax rate = 15%

If you can pay the IRS in less than 120 days from April 15, you should file your return and send in as much money as you can afford to send in with the return. The IRS will send you a bill every 30 days up to 120 days which at that time you will receive the dreaded certified letter saying you are out of time.

The failure-to-pay penalty is generally half of 1 percent per month with an upper limit of 25 percent. You can borrow the money somewhere else. You can pay your taxes with a credit card, however the merchant processing fees of approximately 3% will be your responsibility

If you know you need more than 120 days you can file Form 9465 – an Installment Agreement Request and attach this form to page 1 of your tax return. You can decide how much you want to pay the IRS monthly, but make your payments as large as possible to limit the interest and penalties that will continue to be assessed until you pay the outstanding balance in full.

If you can’t file your return on time, you can file an extension with form 4868. While everyone is entitled to an automatic six month extension to file, people misunderstand that this automatic extension form only gives you more time to file and not more time to pay.

YES- The IRS announced a new six month payment extension form 1127-A which gives you six more months to pay also and avoid the failure to pay penalty. This form is only available for those taxpayers who are unable to pay but were unemployed in the current year for at least 30 consecutive days during the current year or were self employed and suffered greater than a 25% reduction in business income in the current year. To qualify you must also meet certain income limitations. To request an extension of time to pay you must file this form 1127-A separately. Do not attach it to your tax return or do not attach it to form 4868, the other extension form. Payment must be paid in full by Oct 15, 20XX or you will retroactively be assessed penalties and interest.

Cost basis is the value of an asset used to calculate capital gain or loss for tax purposes.
For most positions, cost basis is purchase price plus commissions plus disallowed wash sales plus reinvested capital during the time before the sale.