Ask Liz Weston

Get smart with your money

IRS

Who’s giving crooks your tax information? Could be your preparer–or your boss

By

fraud, scam, theftThe IRS is reporting a 400 percent increase this year in malware and phishing scams as crooks try to get their hands on your tax data. Some of the scams target tax preparers, with emails that try to fool them into downloading bogus client documents or clicking on supposed links to the IRS. And some of the bad guys are going straight to your boss, reports the National Association of Enrolled Agents:

As if there weren’t already enough schemes out there to steal your identity, crooks have a new scam involving gaining access to employees’ tax forms W-2. In this scenario, emails are sent to human resources departments, supposedly from high-ranking company executives, requesting W-2s for a list of employees. Those forms have personal data that includes social security numbers. The scam was successful recently at Snapchat, a social media company in Venice, CA. Someone posing as Chief Executive Evan Spiegel requested W-2 data for nearly 700 current and past employees. Shortly after the information was sent, the HR employee became suspicious, but the information was already in the wrong hands.

Some of the stolen data is used to file phony tax returns and collect refunds. Other times it’s used to fuel imposter scams, where criminals posing as IRS agents threaten you with lawsuits or jail. Keep in mind that your first contact with the IRS over a problem won’t be a phone call or an email. The agency still uses old-school snail mail to notify taxpayers of problems.

 

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

By

file_161555_0_tax refundToday’s top story: Investing your tax refund so it feels like splurging. Also in the news: IRS scams to avoid, financial mistakes to watch out for, and being frugal without wasting your time.

How to Invest Your Tax Refund So It Feels Like Splurging
Long term rewards.

Don’t Fall for These IRS Scams
With tax season comes scam season.

3 Big Financial Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make
Avoiding these pitfalls.

How to Be Frugal Without Wasting Your Time
Making the most of your time AND money.

Q&A: Why your W-4 forms are likely ‘wrong’

By

Dear Liz: After being an unmarried couple for 15 years, we were married in February 2014. Though I sent this information to my company’s benefits department, I neglected to change my W-4 status from “single” to “married.” I’m crossing my fingers that when all is said and done, we have paid the correct taxes when we filed for 2014 (we filed jointly as married) regardless of what was withheld pursuant to the W-4. Or do I need to inform the IRS of the oversight for the 2014 and 2015 tax years?

Answer: Best wishes on your marriage, and don’t worry. Since you were married as of Dec. 31, 2014, and you filed as a married couple for 2014, you’re good — assuming, of course, you used current tax software or IRS tax tables for married filing jointly.

The W-4 form is meant to tell your employer how much of your paycheck you want withheld. Most people’s W-4s are “wrong” in the sense that they have the government withhold too much. They get fat refunds that average close to $3,000, but they aren’t penalized for doing so (other than not having access to their own money until they get that refund, of course).

If you’re getting refunds, you can tweak your withholding when you visit your benefits department to update your W-4. The IRS and TurboTax, among other sites, have online calculators to help you figure out what you should have withheld.

While you’re there, check your beneficiaries for any workplace retirement plans and life insurance. Federal law says your spouse must be the beneficiary of your retirement plan unless he or she signs a waiver. Life insurance, by contrast, goes to the named beneficiary even if you subsequently marry.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

By

Today’s top story: What Yoda would say if he were your financial adviser. Also in the news: Why the IRA will audit you, why waiting for perfect finances is futile, and how your New Year’s Resolutions can actually hurt your credit.

10 things Yoda would say if he were your financial adviser
Save money, you will.

7 Reasons the IRS Will Audit You
Avoid hoisting these red flags.

When It Comes to Your Finances, Don’t Let Perfect Get in the Way of Better
Waiting for perfection will only dig a deeper hole.

3 New Year’s Resolutions That Can Hurt Your Credit
Yes, you read that correctly.

Q&A: Delayed tax refunds

By

Dear Liz: How long is too long for an IRS tax refund to be disbursed? I got my state tax refund in a matter of weeks. The IRS refund has been “under review” for almost five months.

Answer: A sizable surge in tax refund theft as well as a database breach that exposed more than 300,000 taxpayers’ returns have kept the IRS pretty busy. At the same time, big budget cuts have left the agency with fewer people to help with these issues.

Five months is a long wait, but people who have been the victims of refund theft report waiting nine months or more to get their money back.

You can try contacting the IRS directly at (800) 829-1040, although you’re likely to be on hold for quite a while. If you can’t get a response, you can contact the IRS’ Taxpayer Advocate at (877) 777-4778, but be advised its resources have been trimmed as well and it may just refer you back to the IRS.