Dear Valued Client, 2013 TAX QUESTIONAIRE & CHECKLIST PLEASE VISIT: WWW.JEFFLAINECPA.NET FOR MORE INFORMATION Welcome and Happy New Year! As indicated last year, once again audits are up, greater emphasis on 1099 reporting, increased penalties and complicated rules particularly related to new health care law require greater attention to minimize tax liabilities and the likelihood of an examination. Competent tax planning, advice and preparation is critical and I invest substantial dollars and time in continuing professional education every year staying abreast of the ever changing tax laws. Please find my INCOME TAX SERVICES ENGAGEMENT LETTER enclosed which I would like signed and returned to me at your earliest convenience. The letter clarifies the terms under which I have always operated but the need to document this is recommended by the AICPA and NJSCPA, the professional associations I am a member of. Please also find enclosed the TAX QUESTIONAIRE / CHECKLIST to help you organize your tax information which we will need to complete your return accurately and to take advantage of tax savings opportunities. * PLEASE NOTE TAX PREPARATION FEES WILL BE REQUIRED TO BE PAID AT THE TIME THE E FILE AUTHORIZATION FORM (FORM 8879) IS PRESENTED TO YOU FOR YOUR SIGNATURE. UPON RECEIPT OF YOUR TAX PREPARATION FEE AND SIGNED FORM 8879 YOUR RETURN WILL BE E-FILED. * BE SURE TO NOTE ANY CHANGES TO BANK INFORMATION FOR DIRECT DEPOSIT OF YOUR REFUND * BE SURE TO REVIEW THE CHECKLIST TO MAKE SURE YOU DID NOT MISS ANYTHING. * PLEASE CALL ME FOR CLARIFICATION OF REQUESTED INFORMATION YOU ARE UNSURE OF. * IF YOU ARE WAITING FOR A FEW MISSING ITEMS, PLEASE DON T WAIT. SCHEDULE THE APPOINTMENT NOW AND SUPPLY THE MISSING ITEMS AS SOON AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE. * ANY SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL ISSUE AFFECTING YOU SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE AS THESE MAY PROVIDE TAX SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES OR PRESENT SIGNIFICANT TAX CONSEQUENCES. Thank you again for this opportunity to serve you and I look forward to seeing you soon. Do not hesitate to call if you have any questions or wish to schedule a meeting time now. Sincerely, Jeff
INCOME TAX SERVICES ENGAGEMENT LETTER TO: JEFFREY A. LAINE, CPA (TAX PREPARER) FROM: Taxpayer/Client I have engaged you to prepare my individual (1040) Federal and State income tax returns for the year ended December 31, 2013. THIS ENGAGEMENT AUTHORIZATION IS DEEMED TO CONTINUE TO FUTURE YEARS UNLESS CANCELED IN WRITING BY EITHER PARTY. I understand that it is my responsibility to provide you with all of the information required to complete my tax return. In that regard, I state that, to the best of my knowledge and belief: 1. I have provided true, correct and complete information regarding my income as listed on the attached Forms W- 2, 1099 and/or attached written summaries. I understand that it is my responsibility to provide all the information necessary to complete the returns. I will retain for four (4) years all the documents, receipts, cancelled checks and other records required to substantiate the items of income and expense claimed on my return. 2. I have provided true, correct and complete information regarding amounts I have provided to you to claim as tax deductions, and have maintained written documentation supporting all amounts, including logbooks and receipts. I understand that if a question arises regarding the interpretation of tax law, and a conflict exists between the tax authorities interpretation of the law and other supportable positions, that you will use your professional judgment in resolving the issues. 3. I understand the taxing authorities may examine the returns, that documentation should be retained to support the information provided to you, especially for charitable contributions (both cash and non-cash), unreimbursed employee business expenses, business travel and entertainment deductions, business use percentage of autos and other assets, and barter activities, and that penalties may be imposed on returns that are late, underpaid or incorrect. 4. I understand that you will not audit or otherwise verify any information, that you may require clarification or additional information, and that you are not responsible for disallowed deductions, or the inclusion of additional unreported income or any resulting taxes, penalties or interest. 5. I understand that I will be charged an additional fee if you are asked to assist or represent me in a tax examination or inquiry. I understand that, in the event of preparer error, I (The TAXPAYER) am responsible for additional tax and interest that may be due, but that the extent of your (The TAX PREPARER) responsibility may be to pay for any penalty that the IRS or the above state revenue department may assess.
6. I will contact you immediately if I discover additional information that will lead to a change in my return, or if I receive any letters from the IRS or state taxing authorities. 7. I understand that your bill will be due and payable upon completion of these returns, and that additional services will not be performed until the bill for these services is paid in full. I understand that your bill will be based upon the complexity of the tax returns including the types of forms prepared and the number of transactions entered. PLEASE NOTE TAX PREPARATION FEES WILL BE REQUIRED TO BE PAID AT THE TIME THE E FILE AUTHORIZATION FORM (FORM 8879) IS PRESENTED TO YOU FOR YOUR SIGNATURE. UPON RECEIPT OF YOUR TAX PREPARATION FEE AND SIGNED FORM 8879 YOUR RETURN WILL BE E-FILED. 8. If there are other services or tax returns that I expect you to prepare, such as estate, gift, sales, fiduciary, property, or other state or cities, I will note them at the bottom of this letter. I have read, understand and accept the conditions of this engagement letter. Client Signature Date Print Name Client Signature Date Print Name And By Jeffrey A. Laine, CPA
2013 TAX RETURN PREPARATION CHECKLIST A friendly reminder to get your tax information together if you haven t done so already. Ever changing tax laws create both headaches and opportunities, so the earlier we can review your materials and questions the better off you ll be. Checklist of Common Tax Information To Gather: ATTACH ADDITIONAL SCHEDULES IF NECESSARY CHANGE IN BANK INFORMATION FOR DIRECT DEPOSIT OF REFUND W-2 Forms for Wages Form 1099 for Interest and Dividend (also tax exempt income) and Penalty for early withdrawal of savings acct. Form 1099R for retirement distributions, IRA rollovers & distributions Form SSA-1099 for Social Security Benefit payments Form 1099-G for State Income Tax Refunds received and State Unemployment Compensation Cost Basis, Sales Price and related dates of Purchases & Sales of all Stocks, Bonds and Mutual Funds STOCK TRADERS - PLEASE SCHEDULE STOCK TRANSACTIONS AS FOLLOWS: Description Date Bought Date Sold Sale Proceeds Cost Gain (Loss) 100 shs IBM 7-15-2013 8-15-2013 $2000 $1800 $200 Settlement Sheet on all real estate sales & purchases (information on points paid on new mortgages) School Tuition & Student Loan Information for Education Credits (Hope and Lifetime Learning Credits) Child Care Credit Information day care facility expenses Employee Business Expenses Auto expenses, supplies, travel & entertainment Deductible Education Costs Charitable Contributions (Both Cash and Non Cash such as Goodwill) Need receipt for payments over $250 to a single charitable organization not just cancelled check. Information on NEW dependents Date of Birth & Social Security Number Form 1098 Home mortgage interest & real estate taxes paid Medical expenses, (include doctors, Dentists, Hospital bills, Prescriptions, Eye glasses, hearing aids, medical insurance premiums, medicare premiums, medical travel, mileage, parking, tolls, medical supplies, long term care insurance premiums. Self Employed or Sole Proprietor income & expenses (everything you can think of!!) CALL TO DISCUSS Home Office Deduction expenses (Utilities, Painting, Office Furniture & Equipment, Rent, Supplies & more) Record of Estimated Tax Payments made and Vouchers for next year if received from IRS & State Investment statements, IRA account statements, Roth, IRA and other retirement account contribution information Tax preparation fees, IRA account fees, professional dues, uniforms and cleaning, professional subscriptions Alimony (payments received income OR payments made deduction) Schedule K-1 Forms for Income from Trusts, Estates, Partnerships or S-Corps. Interest paid on student loans (may qualify as deductible under certain circumstances) Rental Property Income & Expenses Attach Schedule including new property & equipment purchases Stock option information (options received, exercised, sold, copy of plan) Adoption expenses Job search expenses Moving expenses Sale of home information Gifts GIVEN over $13,000 to any ONE person Household employment taxes IRA S - NEW RULES AFFECT CONTRIBUTION AMOUNT, DEDUCTIBILITY, WITHDRAWALS CALL! New car or large purchases for higher sales tax deduction Rent paid in 2013 for the NJ tenant credit AND Certain FEDERAL PENSIONS EXEMPT FOR NJ PURPOSES Kiddie Tax age raised to age 18, therefore your children s 1099 Forms should also be provided with your tax information. Energy Credit information PLEASE INCLUDE ANY INFORMATION WHICH MAY BE HELPFUL OR USE REVERSE SIDE TO WRITE DOWN ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE FOR WHEN WE MEET. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU SOON. PLEASE DON T HESITATE TO CALL IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS IN THE MEANTIME.
Please ask if you are interested in finding out more about any of the following type of tax advantaged accounts. RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OPTIONS: Traditional IRA Deductible limits for 2013 are $5,000. In addition, for those over age 50 an additional amount of $1,000 can be contributed. Limitations as to the deductible treatment of your Traditional IRA are subject to certain limitations. For 2014 the base amount is currently $5,000 with the $1,000 additional for over age 50. Roth IRA An alternative to Traditional IRAs for those eligible to make Traditional IRAs but unable to deduct the contribution. The Roth IRA, while providing no current tax deduction, does allow your earnings to grow tax deferred, however, you can take qualified distributions, which include both contributions and earnings, out completely tax free. A great tax planning tool later during retirement should you have the opportunity to split your distributions out of taxable retirement accounts and your Roth IRA account to potentially keep you from jumping into the next higher tax bracket! SEP IRA A retirement plan for the self-employed or small business owner who want potentially higher deductible contributions to a qualified retirement savings account. COLLEGE SAVINGS PLAN OPTIONS: Section 529 Plans An attractive college savings plan that permits very substantial initial contributions into a savings and investment account which not only allows for the tax deferred growth of your savings in the account but also permits qualified withdrawals of all contributions AND EARNINGS to be paid out COMPLETELY TAX FREE if used for qualified purposes. Special features may include greater continued control of the savings in the name of the person making the contribution, exclusion from the estate of the contributor, ability to take the funds back, subject to penalties and taxation and ability to change the beneficiary recipient to other individuals even after originally set up. IMPORTANT NOTE The above is not a complete list of opportunities. While opportunities are significant, rules are complex and benefits typically come with trade-offs such as penalties for early withdrawal and that the investments selected may come with risk of loss of principal invested and that investment objectives may not be achieved, however, you should educate yourself about these opportunities which may help you achieve your long term financial goals. Finally, this is also a good time to evaluate the status and adequacy of your current life and disability insurance coverage as the cost of providing for your family with one or more providers gone is daunting. Have you reviewed your Wills and or Trusts for adequacy or required changes? Do you even have a Will? While not in the Will preparation business we can discuss some of the important aspects as well as assist your attorney with information necessary for a well prepared set of documents.
Jeffrey A. Laine, CPA s relationship with its customers is uniquely personal. That is why we work diligently to safeguard your privacy. The information that you provide us is kept in the strictest of confidence. We have no intention of selling personal information about our customers to third-party businesses. We are proud to make that commitment to you, because your trust is the foundation of your business. The following privacy policy explains how we use and protect the information about our customers. We ask that you read it carefully. NOTICE OF YOUR FINANCIAL PRIVACY We, our, and us, when used in this notice, means Jeffrey A. Laine, CPA. This is our privacy notice for our customers. When we use the words you and your we mean the following types of customers. All of our consumer customers who have a continuing relationship with us, such as: Investment accounts - Financial Planning Services - Retirement Accounts - Tax Services We will tell you the sources for nonpublic personal information we collect on our customers. We will tell you what measures we take to secure that information. We first define some terms. Nonpublic personal information means information about you that we collect in connection with providing a financial product or service to you. Nonpublic personal information does not include information that is available from public sources, such as telephone directories or government records. A nonaffiliated third party is a company that is not an affiliate of ours. The Information That We Collect We collect nonpublic personal information about you from the following sources: Information we receive from you on applications or other forms Information about your transactions with us Information about your transactions with nonaffiliated third parties Information We Disclose About You We do NOT disclose any nonpublic personal information about you to anyone, except as permitted by law. The Confidential, Security, and Integrity of Your Nonpublic Personal Information We restrict access to nonpublic personal information about you to those employees who need to know that information to provide products or services to you. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to guard your nonpublic personal information. Nonpublic Personal Information and Former Customers We do not disclose nonpublic personal information about former customers, except as permitted by law. For More Information If you would like more information, please contact Jeffrey A. Laine directly at (856) 751-5220.
NJ Medical Deduction Worksheet: For NJ the threshold is easier to overcome thereby allowing a medical expense deduction for state purposes even though not available for federal purposes. Complete this worksheet to determine medical expenses for NJ purposes. Medical Insurance Premiums paid by employee taxable as NJ Wages: Prescription Drugs paid by taxpayer CO-Pays Dr. Bills Dentist bills Hospital, physical therapy, etc. Deductibles Long term care insurance Medical supplies required by physician Total