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 HR Block Preparation Checklist

What a shame it would be if you go to HR Block or any tax preparer and you did not have all your information ready. This could mean a delay of your refund simply because your tax return could not be filed. So before you run off to HR Block check out the following tax return preparation checklist that will help you make sure you have the basic items you may need to prepare your tax return.

  1. W2 Form for wage earners
  2. 1099 Interest if you earn interest income
  3. 1099 Dividends if you get dividends
  4. 1099 B if you sold stocks during the year and make sure you have the cost also
  5. 1098 for homeowners that pay mortgage interest
  6. Charitable deductions
  7. Medical expenses
  8. Investment expenses

If you have a business the list is much longer and it will depend on how your business is set up.

Refund Anticipation Loan

By Christopher John Bennett

Many people will take advantage of refund anticipation loans this tax season without knowing what they are and how they work.

The way these loans work is simple; a person completes their income tax return and submits it. A lender then issues a loan which will be repaid using the amount of the tax refund. Large numbers of taxpayers take out such loans every year without realizing the risks involved.

The vast majority of refund loans are made through tax preparation companies such as HR Block, Liberty and Jackson Hewitt. Many of these companies operate store front locations in poorer neighbourhoods that specialize in making these loans to working class people. The people who walk in to these tax pre-parers may think they are getting an early refund when they are really taking out a loan.

The biggest risk from an anticipation loan is one that most people don't know about. The borrower will still have to pay off the refund anticipation loan if the IRS rejects the tax return. The taxpayer will still owe the lender the money and interest on the loan.

This can occur because the tax return is not official until the International Revenue Service accepts it. A tax return is not official when the tax prepare has completed it. All the prepare has done is fill out the tax forms; the return is not official until the IRS signs off on it.

This can't happen until an IRS employee has looked over the return and approved it. That process usually occurs several days after the tax return has been filed, even if it's been filed electronically.

Lenders are willing to make these loans because the vast majority of tax returns are approved by the IRS within a few days of filing. The lenders are willing to take the risk of a few returns being rejected because they know that they'll get most of their money back.

The danger is that the return maybe rejected and the taxpayer will still have to pay off a loan. This can damage an individual's credit rating and ability to borrow money in the future if they can't the loan. Some of the tax services will also take unpaid anticipation loan amounts out of future tax refunds.

This means that you should not take out a refund anticipation loan if you don't need to. For the vast majority of taxpayers it will be better to wait to get the money and not take the risk of owing money to a lender.

The wait to get the refund money isn't that long because it takes the IRS only a few days to approve tax returns. Once the return is approved the IRS can electronically deposit the refund amount into a bank account almost instantly at no charge to the taxpayer.

Another advantage to not getting a refund loan is that the taxpayer will get the full amount of the refund. When a lender makes such a loan they take a fee out of the refund amount. That means the taxpayer isn't getting back all the money the government owes them. Refund anticipation loans simply are not a good deal for most people.

Chris has been enjoying writing articles for nearly 3 years. Come and visit his latest website over at http://www.whitemetaldetectorshome.com/ which helps people find the best Minelab Metal Detector and information they are looking for when looking for a Minelab Metal Detector

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