Meridian Tax and Accounting, Pleasant Hill MO

STIMULUS PAYMENT PORTAL INFO: https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments

UPDATED STIMULUS INFORMATION FROM THE IRS ISSUED TODAY 04-10-2020

Important Stimulus Payment Information from the IRS: PLEASE SHARE.

Update: Stimulus Payments and Social Security Recipients The IRS has announced that Social Security recipients will automatically receive economic impact payments. Those receiving Social Security benefits who don’t typically file a tax return will not need to file an abbreviated (simple) tax return to receive their stimulus payment. The IRS will use information from Forms SSA-1099 and RRB-1099 to generate payments for these individuals. The payment will be sent as a direct d...eposit or check, however they normally receive their benefits. From the news release: We want to ensure that our senior citizens, individuals with disabilities, and low-income Americans receive Economic Impact Payments quickly and without undue burden, said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. Social Security recipients who are not typically required to file a tax return need to take no action. IMPORTANT: Based on the latest information we have, the IRS still plans to offer an online portal for the purpose of collecting deposit information from taxpayers who haven’t provided it on their 2018 or 2019 tax return. Providing account information is not required to receive a stimulus payment. Checks will be mailed if deposit information is not available. At this time, we haven’t received guidance regarding low-income taxpayers who are not required to file a return and don’t receive Social Security benefits. Our best advice at this time is to wait for further information.

Beware of Stimulus Payment Scams As we get closer and closer to the stimulus payments, please beware of scammers! Here are a few tips to help you identify a scammer:... 1. Be alert for phone scams. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury Department, or any other government agency will not contact you by phone to collect information for stimulus payment processing. Period. 2. Be alert for phishing scams. Government agencies will not email or text you to collect information for stimulus payment processing. Watch for suspicious emails or texts with links or attachments requesting information for processing stimulus deposits or checks. If you receive one, do not click the link or open the attachment. It’s a scam. Delete it. 3. Be alert for state-related scams. State agencies will also not call, email or text you to collect information or a fee to process a stimulus payment. To date, no state has introduced their own version of a stimulus payment. As of now, we are only aware of one communication a taxpayer will receive from the IRS. No later than 15 days after distributing a stimulus payment, the IRS is required to mail a notice to the taxpayer indicating the payment amount, whether the payment was mailed or deposited, and a phone number to call if the taxpayer did not receive

To All Our Valued Clients: We are committed to the health and safety of our clients, our staff, and our community. This COVID-19 situation is very fluid and certainly not something we could ever imagine we would be dealing with. Through this situation we are making every effort to provide the same level of quality service that you have come to expect and deserve from us while also promoting health and safety for each of you, our staff, and the community we serve. With Cass C...ounty and the majority of our surrounding counties issuing stay-at-home orders and given the additional time to file/pay taxes owed to Federal, MO, & KS we have made the decision to suspend face-to-face appointments for the duration of the stay-at-home order. We know this can cause some stress to you and we certainly are not wanting to create additional burdens on you. We also know that many of our clients are wanting to go ahead and get their returns finalized on or before April 15th. Let me reassure you that we are still working diligently to complete the returns and will still continue to do so. We have setup options to host appointments in a virtual format via Zoom or by a telephone conference. You can drop your items at our office through the front doors drop slot. We will be checking this daily. You can also email any of us for a secure link to upload your documents to us securely using our Sharefile portal. Katie’s email address is [email protected] and Pat’s email address is [email protected]. The Sharefile portal may also be accessed on our website at www.meridiantax.net. We also have electronic options available for getting your returns documents signed and can take payments over the phone. Our office phones will be continuously monitored during our office hours and calls will be returned as quickly as possible. We will be suspending our regular office hours until the stay at home order is lifted. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. Should you prefer to keep with the traditional face-to-face appointment style please contact us at 816-987-2393 so that we may follow-up with you to schedule those appointments for a later date when this situation comes to a safe point to do so. We truly value and appreciate each and everyone of you and thank you for your patience and understanding through this very fluid situation. See more

During the daily White House briefing, President Trump confirmed today that tax season has been extended until July 15th for both filing of tax returns and payment of taxes for both 2019 and the first extension payment for 2020.

The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service are providing special payment relief to individuals and businesses in response to the COVID-19 Outbreak. Highlights Filing Deadline... The filing deadline for tax returns remains April 15, 2020. The IRS urges taxpayers who are owed a refund to file as quickly as possible. For those who can't file by the April 15, 2020 deadline, the IRS reminds individual taxpayers that everyone is eligible to request a six-month extension to file their return. Payment Relief - Individuals Income tax payment deadlines for individual returns, with a due date of April 15, 2020, are being automatically extended until July 15, 2020, for up to $1 million of their 2019 tax due. This payment relief applies to individuals, trusts and estates. IRS will automatically provide this relief to taxpayers. Taxpayers do not need to file any additional forms or call the IRS to qualify for this relief. Payment Relief - Corporations For C Corporations, income tax payment deadlines are being automatically extended until July 15, 2020, for up to $10 million of their 2019 tax due. Estimated Tax Payments This relief also includes estimated tax payments for the tax year 2020 that are due on April 15, 2020. Penalties and Interest Penalties and interest will begin to accrue on any remaining unpaid balances as of July 16, 2020. If a tax return or extension is filed by April 15, 2020, the taxpayer will automatically avoid interest and penalties on the taxes paid by July 15. States This relief only applies to federal income tax (including tax on self-employment income) payments otherwise due April 15, 2020, not state tax payments or deposits or payments of any other type of federal tax. State filing and payment deadlines vary and are not always the same as the federal filing deadline. We expect state tax agencies to announce any available tax relief for affected taxpayers in the coming days; some have already published these notices on their websites.

We are continuing to monitor the COVID-19 situation along with the government’s reactions through the tax relief bill and the recommendations for closing of businesses. Currently it does not appear that Congress will be extending the April 15th tax deadline for time to prepare and file returns. Keep in mind that extensions are still available through the traditional route of filing for an "automatic" six-month extension. If you are affected by COVID-19 and unable to meet the ...April 15th deadline, please contact us and we would be happy to file an extension for you. We do not charge for preparation of extensions. It is likely that the proposed extension of additional time to pay taxes will pass as part of the relief bill. We will keep you posted as more information becomes available. Currently, we are not closing our office, however, we do ask that if you are able to do a virtual appointment that you consider this option. Through a virtual appointment you upload your documents in pdf format via our secure Sharefile portal on our website www.meridiantax.net. Then we call you during a scheduled time to complete the return while answering any questions you may have. It would work just like an in-office appointment just from the convenience of your home. If you are unable to do a virtual appointment due to the lack of an ability to upload your documents to us you may drop them by the office and we can do the virtual appointment for the completion of the return process. Currently we are still taking in person appointments at the office for those who cannot do the virtual options. For these appointments we ask that you limit the number of people that come with you and that you do not come if you believe you have been exposed to COVID-19 or are experiencing any of the systems of COVID-19. Please do not arrive more than 5 minutes early for your schedule appointment as we are trying to reduce the number of persons waiting in our lobby. Our office is working to provide you the most efficient and convenient solutions to complete your 2019 income tax filings in a safe manner for you and our staff. Your patience and understanding through this process is greatly appreciated and your patronage is truly valued.

Corona Virus Pandemic: How We're Responding We have had several questions about our plans during the current coronavirus pandemic so we thought we would take a minute to try and answer some of those concerns. Currently our office is remaining opening and we will continue to take appointments and receive dropped off documents. We are taking necessary precautions to ensure your safety as well as the safety of our staff by providing hand sanitizer to our staff and patrons and cl...eaning our offices regularly. If you feel you should not come in for your scheduled appointment you can utilize our secure Sharefile portal to upload the documents to us in a safe and secure format and we can do a virtual appointment via the telephone. If you need to drop off and feel you should not come in, call the office and we can meet you in the parking lot to accept your documents. We also have convenient digital signing tools available for you to sign your tax documents without having to travel to us. Should our office need to close we are preparing our employees to work from home to continue to provide you with the highest level of customer care and support possible. See more

The Meridian Tax and Accounting, Pleasant Hill MO Crew are back at it wishing all the Pleasant Hill R-3 School District Students and Staff a great #HOCO2018! Good Luck tonight Roosters! We are "Accounting" on a WIN!