Saturday, December 24, 2011

Topic #18 – Refund, Amount You Owe, Third Party Designee, Sign Here, Paid Preparer Use Only, Part II


Line 77 - Estimated tax penalty (see instructions)

You may owe this penalty if:

1) Line 76 is at least $1,000 and it is more than 10% of the tax shown on your return, or
2) You did not pay enough estimated tax by any of the due dates. This is true even if you are due a refund. For most people, the “tax shown on your return” is the amount on your 2011 Form1040, line 61, minus the total of any amounts shown on lines 64a, 65, 66, 67, and 70 and Forms 8828, 4137, 5329 (Parts III through VIII only), 8801 (line 27 only), 8839, 8885, and 8919. Also subtract from line 61 any tax on an excess parachute payment, any excise tax on insider stock compensation of an expatriated corporation, any uncollected social security and Medicare or RRTA tax on tips or group-term life insurance, any look-back interest due under section 167(g) or 460(b), and any write-in tax included on line 60 from Form 8885. When figuring the amount on line 61, include household employment taxes only if line 62 is more than zero or you would owe the penalty even if you did not include those taxes.

Exception

You will not owe the penalty if your 2010 tax return was for a tax year of 12 full months and either of the following applies.

1) You had no tax shown on your 2010 return and you were a U.S. citizen or resident for all of 2010.
2) The total of lines 62, 63, and 69 on your 2011 return is at least 100% of the tax shown on your 2010 return (110% of that amount if you are not a farmer or fisher-man, and your adjusted gross income(AGI) shown on your 2010 return was more than $150,000 (more than $75,000 if married filing separately for 2011)). Your estimated tax payments for 2011 must have been made on time and for the required amount.

For most people, the “tax shown on your 2010 return” is the amount on your 2010Form 1040, line 60, minus the total of any amounts shown on lines 63, 64a, 65, 66, and 67 and Forms 8828, 4137, 4136, 5329 (Parts III through VIII only), 8801 (line 27 only), 8885, and 8919. Also subtract from line 60 any tax on an excess parachute payment, any excise tax on insider stock compensation of an expatriated corporation, any uncollected social security and Medicare or RRTA tax on tips or group-term life insurance, any look-back interest due under section 167(g) or 460(b), and any write-in tax included on line 60 from Form 8885.

When figuring the amount on line 60, include household employment taxes only if line 61 is more than zero or you would have owed the estimated tax penalty for 2010 even if you did not include those taxes. But if you entered an amount on your 2010 Schedule H, line 7, include the total of that amount plus the household employment taxes on your 2010 Form 1040, line 59.

Figuring the Penalty

If the Exception just described does not apply and you choose to figure the penalty yourself, use Form 2210 (or 2210-F for farmers and fishermen). Enter any penalty on line 77. Add the penalty to any tax due and enter the total on line 76.

However, if you have an overpayment on line 73, subtract the penalty from the amount you would otherwise enter on line 74a or line 75. Lines 74a, 75, and 77 must equal line 73.

If the penalty is more than the overpayment on line 73, enter -0- on lines 74a and 75. Then subtract line 73 from line 77 and enter the result on line 76.

Do not file Form 2210 with your return unless Form 2210 indicates that you must do so. Instead, keep it for your records.

TIP

Because Form 2210 is complicated, you can leave line 77 blank and the IRS will figure the penalty and send you a bill. We will not charge you interest on the penalty if you pay by the date specified on the bill. If your income varied during the year, the annualized income installment method may reduce the amount of your penalty.

But you must file Form 2210 because the IRS cannot figure your penalty under this method. See the Instructions for Form 2210 for other situations in which you may be able to lower your penalty by filing Form 2210.



Third Party Designee

If you want to allow your preparer, a friend, a family member, or any other person you choose to discuss your 2011 tax return with the IRS, check the “Yes” box in the “Third Party Designee” area of your return. Also, enter the designee’s name, phone number, and any five digits the designee chooses as his or her personal identification number (PIN).

If you check the “Yes” box, you, and your spouse if filing a joint return, are authorizing the IRS to call the designee to answer any questions that may arise during the processing of your return. You are also authorizing the designee to:

1) Give the IRS any information that is missing from your return,
2) Call the IRS for information about the processing of your return or the status of your refund or payment(s),
3) Receive copies of notices or transcripts related to your return, upon request, and
4) Respond to certain IRS notices about math errors, offsets, and return preparation. You are not authorizing the designee to receive any refund check, bind you to anything (including any additional tax liability), or otherwise represent you before the IRS. If you want to expand the designee’s authorization, see Pub. 947.

The authorization will automatically end no later than the due date (without regard to extensions) for filing your 2012 tax return. This is April 15, 2013, for most people. If you wish to revoke the authorization before it ends, see Pub. 947.



Sign Here

Form 1040 is not considered a valid return unless you sign it. If you are filing a joint return, your spouse must also sign. If your spouse cannot sign the return, see Pub. 501. Be sure to date your return and enter your occupation(s). If you have someone prepare your return, you are still responsible for the correctness of the return. If your return is signed by a representative for you, you must have a power of attorney attached that specifically authorizes the representative to sign your return. To do this, you can use Form 2848. If you are filing a joint return as a surviving spouse, see Death of a Taxpayer,  later.

Child’s Return

If your child cannot sign the return, either parent can sign the child’s name in the space provided. Then, enter “By (your signature), parent for minor child.”

Daytime Phone Number

Providing your daytime phone number may help speed the processing of your return. We may have questions about items on your return, such as the earned income credit, credit for child and dependent care expenses, etc. If you answer our questions over the phone, we may be able to continue processing your return without mailing you a letter. If you are filing a joint return, you can enter either your or your spouse’s day- time phone number.

Electronic Return Signatures!

To file your return electronically, you must sign the return electronically using a personal identification number (PIN). If you are filing online using software, you must use a Self-Select PIN. If you are filing electronically using a tax practitioner, you can use a Self-Select PIN or a Practitioner PIN.

Self-Select PIN

The Self-Select PIN method allows you to create your own PIN. If you are married filing jointly, you and your spouse will each need to create a PIN and enter these PINs as your electronic signatures. A PIN is any combination of five digits you choose except five zeros. If you use a PIN, there is nothing to sign and nothing to mail—not even your Forms W-2.

To verify your identity, you will be prompted to enter your adjusted gross in- come (AGI) from your originally filed 2010 federal income tax return, if applicable. Do not use your AGI from an amended return (Form 1040X) or a math error correction made by IRS. AGI is the amount shown on your 2010 Form 1040, line 38; Form 1040A, line 22; or Form 1040EZ, line 4. If you do not have your 2010 income tax return, call the IRS at 1-800-908-9946 to get a free transcript of your return or visit IRS.gov and click on “Order a Tax Return or Account Transcript.” (If you filed electronically last year, you may use your prior year PIN to verify your identity instead of your prior year AGI. The prior year PIN is the five digit PIN you used to electronically sign your 2010 return.) You will also be prompted to enter your date of birth (DOB).

CAUTION
You cannot use the Self-Select PIN method if you are a first-time filer under age 16 at the end of 2011.

TIP

If you cannot locate your prior year AGI or prior year PIN, use the Electronic Filing PIN Request. This can be found at IRS.gov. Click on “Tools” and then “Electronic Filing PIN Request.” Or you can call 1-866-704-7388.

Practitioner PIN

The Practitioner PIN method allows you to authorize your tax practitioner to enter or generate your PIN.
The practitioner can provide you with details.

Form 8453

You must send in a paper Form 8453 if you have to attach certain forms or other documents that cannot be electronically filed. For details, see Form8453.

Identity Protection PIN

If the IRS gave you an identity protection personal identification number (PIN) because you were a victim of identity theft, enter it in the spaces provided below your daytime phone number. If the IRS has not given you this type of number, leave these spaces blank.



Paid Preparer Use Only

Generally, anyone you pay to prepare your return must sign it and include their Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) in the space provided. The preparer must give you a copy of the return for your records. Someone who prepares your return but does not charge you should not sign your return.



Assemble Your Return

Assemble any schedules and forms behind Form 1040 in order of the “Attachment Sequence No.” shown in the upper right corner of the schedule or form. If you have supporting statements, arrange them in the same order as the schedules or forms they support and attach them last. Do not attach correspondence or other items unless required to do so. Attach a copy of Forms W-2 and 2439 to the front of Form 1040. If you received a Form W-2c (a corrected Form W-2), attach a copy of your original
Forms W-2 and any Forms W-2c. Also attach Forms W-2G and 1099-R to the front of Form 1040 if tax was withheld.


This concludes our series on the 2011 Form 1040 Exclusive.

Upcoming series: Important tax topics

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