Your Tax Questions

If you earned as much as shown below and are under 65 years old, you must file an income tax return

Dependents must file a tax return if they have more than $800 of unearned income, or earned income over $5,000.

If you are 65+ years old or blind at the end of the tax year you may add $1,250 to those amounts above ($1000 if Married or Qualifying Widow(er)).

You must meet the following requirements to receive Earned Income Tax Credit:

•  Must have a valid Social Security Number

•  You must have earned income from employment or from self-employment and the amount of income cannot exceed the limits set forth by the IRS.

•  Your filing status cannot be married filing separately.

•  You must be a U.S. citizen or resident alien all year, or a nonresident alien married to a U.S. citizen or resident alien and filing a joint return.

•  You cannot be a qualifying child of another person.

•  If you do not have a qualifying child, you must:

•  be age 25 but under 65 at the end of the year,

•  live in the United States for more than half the year, and A

•  not qualify as a dependent of another person

•  Cannot file Form 2555 or 2555-EZ (related to foreign earn income )

Your dependent must meet 4 conditions in order for you to receive the Child Tax Credit:

1. He/she must be your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, or a descendant of any of them (for example, your grandchild).

2. He/she must have been under the age of 17 at the end of the tax year.

3. He/she must have resided with you for more than half of the year, with the exception of temporary absence such as school, vacation, medical treatment, etc.

4. He/she was a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, or a resident of the United States . If the child was adopted, that child meets this requirement so long as you were a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, or a resident of the United States .

In order to receive the Credit for Child and Dependent Care, you must meet 5 conditions:

1. You must have earned income from wages, salaries, tips or other taxable employee compensation, or net earnings from self-employment

2. The payments for care cannot be paid to someone you can claim as your dependent on your return or to your child who is under age 19

3. Your filing status must be single, head of household, qualifying widow(er) with a dependent child or married filing jointly

*If your filing status is married filing jointly, both parents must have earned income.

4. The care must have been provided for one or more qualifying persons

5. The qualifying person must live with you for more than half of 2005

The IRS usually corrects math errors or requests missing forms -- such as W-2s or schedules. In these instances, do not amend your return. However, do file an amended return if any of the following were reported incorrectly:
• Your filing status
• Your total income
• Your deductions or credits

An amended return, form 1040-X, cannot be e-filed. We do offer the preparation of 1040-X but only when the taxpayer filed their original return with us. A 1040-X must be signed by the taxpayer and mailed to the IRS, and it includes a copy of the original 1040.

Generally, to claim a refund, you must file Form 1040X within three years of the date you filed your original return or within two years from the date you paid the tax, whichever is later.