Individuals have until April 15, 2010, to file an original or amended tax return for 2006 and receive a refund from that year. The IRS says it has about $1.3 billion in reserve for people who still need to file their 2006 returns.
Additionally, taxpayers had a special one-time-only tax credit available to them in 2006. It was called the telephone excise tax refund. Basically this is a tax credit available to anyone who had telephone service, whether landline or mobile, and represents a refund of excise taxes that were ruled unconstitutional. In reviewing previous tax returns for clients I have noted that some failed to request this tax credit. So as a tip to my readers, I would suggest pulling out a copy of your 2006 tax return to see if you took this credit. If you did not, you can file an amended tax return using Form 1040X to request additional money back from the government. Here's what to look for on your 2006 return: see if there's a tax credit amount showing up on:
- Form 1040EZ, Line 9.
- Form 1040A, Line 42.
- Form 1040, Line 71.
- Form 1040NR, Line 69.
If not, then file an amendment to claim either a standard tax credit amount ranging from $30 to $60.
Related: filing back taxes.
Isn’t there heck to pay for filing a 2006 return right now?
Not necessarily. The IRS imposes late filing penalties only if there’s a balance due. Most people who file late, in my experience, tend to have refunds coming to them — hence the importance of filing before the 3-year statute of limitations on refunds runs out.
I found out today that my employer for years has been using clients social security numbers as dependants on staff individual returns. This has gone on for a number of years. Where can I report this>> this is not right.