Landmark Tax Group - October 2020

Landmark Tax Group - October 2020

Landmark Ledger

(949) 260-4770 Professional | Experienced | Licensed Expert IRS & State Tax Relief

October 2020

Don’t Let the IRS Put the Haunt on You The Not-So-Scary Truth About Tax Relief

Imagine getting a letter from the IRS during Halloween! Truth be told, it can be a scary moment no matter what month you’re in. You might wonder what the letter is going to say. Does it contain bad news? Is something wrong with your taxes? Undoubtedly, your head will be filled with questions until you finally open it. Even after you learn why the IRS sent you the letter, you still might have some questions. You might not know what to do, especially if you learn that you owe much more than expected or are being penalized.

abatement, can be granted. (See

Page 2 for more on penalty abatement.)

In 2019, the IRS released a roadmap — The Taxpayer Roadmap 2019.

It’s a chart to help taxpayers understand their “journey” through the IRS. You can see this map on our website at LandmarkTaxGroup.com/RoadMap . When it comes to the IRS, you want to be on offense, not defense, and be one step ahead of their moves. Being on offense requires a roadmap, and preferably one you can understand. You might take one look at the IRS roadmap above and say, “I don’t want that roadmap.” I don’t blame you. The good news is we have our own roadmap. If you haven’t visited our website to check out our IRS roadmap yet, I’ll break it down:

When you’re being “haunted” by the IRS, who are you going to call?

Fortunately, the answer comes in the form of tax relief. No, there isn’t a group of tax experts out there called the “Taxbusters” who drive around in a decked-out car taking care of tax problems. Instead, there are more official channels to find tax relief. If you’ve visited the IRS website in an attempt to navigate your tax problem or understand those official channels, there’s a chance you ended up lost. You’re not alone. The IRS operates under countless rules, policies, and procedures, and it’s reflected on their website. Simply put, there’s a lot of information to sift through to find exactly what you’re looking for. It can be intimidating, just as it can be intimidating when you receive a notice from the IRS. That said, when it comes to routine IRS tax relief, any and all relief is granted under two official sources:

“One of the most highly rated and best reviewed businesses on Yelp!” AS SEEN ON:

Step 1: Consultation Step 2: Investigation and Resolution Step 3: Freedom

When I worked for the IRS, I deliberately avoided making field calls during Halloween. I didn’t want taxpayers to get terrified by some guy in a suit with a badge calling himself an IRS agent. After all, Halloween is spooky enough on its own! The fact of the matter is that looking at the IRS roadmap isn’t going to ease your fears. It might do the opposite. But there is no need to be scared of the IRS. All you have to do is call (949) 260- 4770 , and we’ll do the rest.

Entrepreneur, Inc

1) Title 26 of the United States Code This is the Internal Revenue Code, aka the Tax Code.

2) Internal Revenue Manua l This is the policy and procedure handbook of the IRS.

In general, the IRS looks at only these two sources when determining if tax relief, such as a payment plan or penalty

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Published by The Newsletter Pro | TheNewsletterPro.com

The Best Halloween Movies on Disney+

stop-motion adventure about the love between a boy and his dog. Some scenes may be a little intense for young children, but “Frankenweenie” never becomes too scary for kids to enjoy.

Pop some popcorn and break out the candy corn because it’s time for a spooky family movie night! Disney+ offers a treasure trove of Halloween movies with just the right amount of tricks and treats. Here are a few of the best Halloween movies you can watch on Disney+ right now.

‘Halloweentown’

‘Hocus Pocus’

When 13-year-old Marnie and her siblings follow their grandmother home on Halloween night, they make some surprising discoveries. Not only does their grandmother live in Halloweentown, a place where monsters lead normal lives, but their whole family is secretly a bunch of witches! Marnie must learn to rely on the magic of family in order to save her grandmother and all of Halloweentown. If your family enjoys “Halloweentown,” you’ll be glad to know that all three of its sequels are also on Disney+!

Max and his family have just moved from California to Salem, Massachusetts, when Max accidentally resurrects three evil witches. To save his little sister, Max must team up with his new crush and a talking cat to stop the witches’ reign of terror. “Hocus Pocus” does contain some truly frightening scenes, so it may not be appropriate for young children. However, the way this film balances comedy and humor makes it a perfect Halloween thrill for older kids. These are just a few of the creepy and cool Halloween movies streaming on Disney+. When you’re done with these, scroll through the catalog to find some more new favorites. Happy Halloween!

‘Frankenweenie’

This movie is a charming twist on the classic horror story! When a young boy loses his faithful dog, he uses the power of mad science to bring the pooch back to life. What follows is a strange and heartwarming

SAY GOODBYE TO IRS TAX PENALTIES

WITH THESE 10 SECRETS

Per the Tax Code, a taxpayer can request the removal (abatement) of IRS penalties under two provisions: the First Time Abatement and the Reasonable Cause Argumen t. The First Time Abatement is secret No. 1. Here’s how it works: • Generally applies to personal income (Form 1040) back taxes. • One-time consideration available only for taxpayers with a “clean” compliance history.

7. Ignorance of Tax Laws 8. Reasonable Cause/Ordinary Business Care and Prudence 9. Undue Economic Hardship The request for a penalty abatement under the Reasonable Cause provision must be in writing, the timing of the event must correlate to the tax years involved, and you must include supporting documentation to substantiate your claims. Furthermore, the entire abatement request package must be prepared in such a way to meet IRS policy and procedure criteria to prevent it from being outright rejected and returned.

disability, and emotional/psychological distress.

2. Fire, Casualty, Natural Disaster Considerations: •

What steps were taken to comply?

• •

Did you comply as soon as it was possible? Major disasters include hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood, riot, or other “emergency” events.

3. Unable to Obtain Records Considerations: • Why were the records unavailable? • Why were the records needed to comply? • When and how did you become aware that you did not have the necessary records?

• •

Can only be requested on one period. You must be in what the IRS calls “current compliance.”

Here’s a closer look:

That aside, there are nine other ways to get IRS penalties removed. These fall under the Reasonable Cause Arguments . They break down as follows: 1. Death, Serious Illness, Unavoidable Absence 2. Fire, Casualty, Natural Disaster 3. Unable to Obtain Records 4. Mistake Was Made 5. Erroneous Advice or Reliance 6. Written/Oral Advice From the IRS

•

What other means were explored to secure the information? Why didn’t you estimate the information? Did you promptly comply once the missing information was obtained?

1. Death, Serious Illness, or Unavoidable Absence Considerations: • Immediate family only. • Issue must be addressed in a reasonable time after death/illness. • Were other obligations impaired or just taxes? • Written proof of illness/death. • Examples include terminal illness, surgery, substance/physical abuse, depression,

• •

Want to know more about the Reasonable Cause Arguments? You can find No. 4–9 by heading to LandmarkTaxGroup.com/Penalty . There you will find our Special Report detailing how you can get your penalties removed!

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$103,756 IRS BALANCE RESOLVED FOR ONLY $12,000!

How One Man Eliminated $91,756 in Tax Debt

John lost 40% of his income during the COVID-19 pandemic. To make matters more complicated, he owed the IRS $103,756. There was no way he would be able to manage this kind of debt and be able to get through the pandemic with his head above water. He would be devastated. We stepped in and successfully put an end to IRS enforcement action. This allowed John to get through the ongoing pandemic with one less thing to worry about — the IRS would not be breathing down his neck.

As a result, he would be able to keep his home, and know that his income and assets were protected. The IRS would not be putting any levies on his income, as they often do in these types of situations. More than that, we negotiated the IRS down from John’s initial $103,756 balance. Instead, John would only have to pay a total of $12,000! This represents just 12% of what he owed — and a savings of $91,756!

Now, John can work to get things back on track and focus on things that really matter.

You can see the official IRS Approval Letter at LandmarkTaxGroup.com/ Results — along with many others! When IRS action threatens to derail your life, Landmark Tax Group has the answers; Tel 949-260-4770

S UDOKU

TAX QUOTES

“AMERICA IS A LAND OF TAXATION THAT WAS FOUNDED TO AVOID TAXATION.” –Dr. Laurence J. Peter

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Inside This Issue The Not-So-Scary Truth About Tax Relief 1 Family-Friendly Halloween Movies You Can Watch Tonight! Get Your IRS Penalties Removed — Here’s How 2 How One Man Eliminated $91,756 in Tax Debt Tax Quotes 3 5 Steps to a Safer Hotel Room 4

Sudoku Answer Key

5 Steps to a Safer Hotel Room S taying home is the best way to protect yourself and your family from illness, but sometimes life gets in the way. Maybe you need to travel for work, to help a relative, or just to keep your kids from bouncing off the walls. If you have a hotel stay on the books, worrying about safety is understandable. But by taking these precautions, you can protect your loved ones and increase your odds of coming home healthy. 1. Bring a sanitation kit and use it! Most hotels are going above

Keep Strangers and Viruses Out With These Quick Tips

3. Quarantine your remote control. As USA Today puts it, “It’s common knowledge that one of the germiest items in a

hotel room is the remote control.” To avoid the ick, pick up the remote while wearing gloves and drop it into a Ziploc. Then, remove your gloves and seal the bag. Now you can use the remote without touching it directly! 4. Invest in a rubber door wedge. Viruses aren’t the only risk in hotel rooms — break-ins are another concern. To keep your room secure, bring a rubber door wedge. They cost less than $10 on Amazon and make kicking in a door much more difficult. 5. For maximum security, bring a door alarm. Simple travel alarms hang from the handle of a door and have two prongs that slide between the door and its frame. When the door opens and the prongs separate, that triggers the alarm. These simple devices send thieves running, and Lewis N. Clark makes a model for just $14.99.

and beyond to sanitize their rooms these days, but it never hurts to take extra care. Before you check in, pick up cleaning supplies like disinfectant spray, wipes, plastic bags, and gloves. Then, use them to wipe down your room. Focus on big surfaces as well as features like faucet handles, doorknobs, lightswitches, and microwave buttons. 2. Skip the decorative linens. Many hotels don’t wash decorative bedding like comforters and fancy pillowcases. To be extra safe, strip these off the bed and wash your hands afterward. If you’re chilly, opt for the hotel’s spare blanket (it’s probably hiding in a closet) or bring one from home.

Hopefully, these tips give you some peace of mind on your next trip. Happy trails!

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