• To deduct the unreimbursed travel expenses, you must have been selected to attend a convention, board meeting or other event as a representative of a qualified charitable organization. (Most 501(c)(3) organizations that are current in their tax filings would be qualified.)

• Travel expenses unreimbursed by the charity are deductible "only if there is no significant element of personal pleasure, recreation or vacation in the travel." A taxpayer that spends only a few hours working for the charity leaving most of the day free for recreation and sightseeing will not be allowed a deduction even if he or she works very hard during those few hours.

• The duties performed must be "genuine and substantial" throughout the trip. Enjoying an evening out after spending the day at a charitable organization's regional meeting as a chosen representative, will not affect the deductibility of the expenses (as long as the taxpayer does not deduct the cost of the evening's entertainment.)

• Deductible travel expenses may include; air, rail, and bus transportation or car expenses, lodging costs, cost of meals, and taxi fares or other transportation costs between the airport or bus/rail station and the hotel.

• A volunteer cannot deduct the value of their time or services, or the value of income lost while working as an unpaid volunteer. The cost of travel for spouses and children is not deductible.

• The volunteer must have adequate records to support their unreimbursed volunteer expenses: 

• a cancelled check or credit card receipt;  

• when neither a cancelled check or receipt is available, "other reliable written records" showing the donee's name, contribution date, and amount of the expenses  

• If the expense is $250 or more a proper acknowledgement must be received from the organization. Acknowledgment from charity must contain (a) a description of the services provided, (b) a statement as to whether the charity provided any goods or services in return for the services and if so, a description and a good faith estimate of their value (or a statement that only intangible benefits were provided). The acknowledgment does not have to list the amount of the unreimbursed expenses. The acknowledgment must be received no later than the date the volunteer actually files a return for the year that the gift was made, or the return due date, including extensions.

 

With the tax filing season for 2013 returns just around the corner, many people are anxiously awaiting their tax refund. If you are one of those who like to file your tax return at the start of every tax season, you may have to wait a little longer to file your 2013 tax return.

The IRS announced it will open the 2014 filing season on January 31, 2014 - 10 days later than originally scheduled. Even though many tax preparation and tax software companies are expected to begin accepting tax returns in early January, they would have to hold those returns until the IRS systems open on January 31. The IRS cautioned that it will not process any tax returns before January 31, so there is no advantage to filing a paper return before the opening date. 

The new opening date will allow the IRS adequate time to program and test its tax processing systems. The annual process for updating IRS systems was interrupted in October during the 16-day federal government shutdown. "The government closure came during the peak period for preparing IRS systems for the 2014 filing season," the IRS said in a release. "Programming, testing and deployment of more than 50 IRS systems is needed to handle processing of nearly 150 million tax returns." 

 
The government shutdown in October put the IRS "nearly three weeks behind its tight timetable for being ready to start the 2014 filing season." During the 16-day government shutdown, the IRS furloughed more than 90 percent of its workers and closed most of its operations.
"Our teams have been working hard throughout the fall to prepare for the upcoming tax season," said IRS Acting Commissioner Daniel Werfel. "The late January opening gives us enough time to get things right with our programming, testing and systems validation. It's a complex process, and our bottom-line goal is to provide a smooth filing and refund process for the nation's taxpayers." 

 
Every year brings new changes and updates to the tax law, all of which must be worked into the IRS systems. There are a lot of tax changes for 2013 tax returns, particularly due to the new 3.8% net investment tax that resulted from the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"). Another significant change includes the matter of same-sex couples who are now eligible to file their federal tax returns as married couples. 

 
This will be the second year in a row that the IRS delayed opening of the tax filing season because of political bickering. The 2013 tax filing season was delayed until January 30, 2013 because of the last-minute major deal that adjusted tax rates and averted a possibility of the nation going off the "fiscal cliff". Some taxpayers had to wait until February or even March to file their 2012 tax returns.

Most of the taxpayers will notice no change to the usual process. Only the beginning of the filing season would be delayed, which means that the early filers would have to wait about a week longer than usual to receive their tax refunds. The actual processing times of the returns by the IRS would not be affected. So if you normally receive your refund in two to three weeks after you file, you should still receive it within the same timeframe. 

 
The IRS has emphasized that taxpayers who file their returns electronically will get their refunds much faster than those who file by mail. In addition, you can request direct deposit of your refund into your checking or savings account.

Even though the IRS issues most refunds in less than 21 days, some returns require additional review, and the refunds may be delayed. You can check the status of your Federal refund by going to the IRS website. The "Where's My Refund" tracking tool asks the taxpayer a few simple questions and displays progress through three stages: 1) return received, 2) refund approved, and 3) refund sent. 

 
The other filing deadlines did not change. Companies must still send out Forms W-2 and other income tax forms on schedule (typically by January 31), and taxpayers must still file returns by April 15. The April 15 tax deadline is set by statute and cannot be changed. However, the IRS reminds taxpayers that they can request an automatic six-month extension to file a tax return using Form 4868, which can be filed electronically or on paper. Even if an extension of time to file is requested, any tax due for 2013 must be paid by April 15, 2014.

But what about state tax returns? The North Carolina Department of Revenue warns taxpayers of the impact the IRS filing delay may have on the filing of North Carolina individual income tax returns. As a result of the IRS's delay, returns filed through the joint federal/state electronic filing program will not be forwarded on to the NC Department of Revenue until the IRS begins accepting individual income tax returns. In addition, state taxpayers who file their returns electronically before the federal filing season begins will not receive an electronic acknowledgment from the NC Department of Revenue until the IRS receives and officially begins processing tax returns.

Just like the IRS, the NC Department of Revenue offers a refund tracking tool on its website. "Where's My Refund?" tool allows taxpayers to check the status of their current year individual income tax refund and obtain information about amended returns and prior year returns filed late. 

On April 8th, Microsoft will no longer be supporting XP and Office 2003. This means no more security updates, hotfixes, or free or paid support. Once XP and Office 2003 become unsupported, any machines running this software will be vulnerable to security risks, which may include theft of data.

What you need to do:
If you are running Windows Vista or later, as well as Office 2007 or later, you are supported and don't need to do anything. If you have XP or Office 2003, you will need to upgrade to newer software. This may be a good time to replace aging computers, as the newer software may not be compatible with older hardware.

Please visit Microsoft's website.