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For week of April 3, 2006, Issue #256
 
Featured Articles:
1. Procrastinating Just Got a Little Easier
2.  IRS Establishes Email Box for Taxpayers to Report Phony Emails
3. Tech Tip Weekly: Aligning MS Excel Cell Contents
4. Compliance Calendar
 
 
If you would like to have further information on any of these articles, let us know.  We would appreciate receiving your comments and/or suggestions, anytime!
acarroll@pmcpa.com
 
1.  Procrastinating Just Got a Little Easier
 
It's usually better to file your personal tax return earlier rather than later.  You'll get your hands on your refund sooner, you'll have less time to misplace your tax records, and it's one more job out of the way.  But sometimes it's just not possible to be ready by April 15 (or April 17 this year because April 15 falls on a Saturday).  And in those cases, the IRS just made it easier to obtain a six-month extension.
 
The old rules:
In the past, if you couldn't meet the April 15 filing deadline, you could obtain an automatic four-month extension without any explanation.  All you had to do was file an extension request.  If you still couldn't meet the new deadline, you could request a further two-month extension.  But to do this, you had to file another form and explain why you needed the extra time.
 
The new rules:
New regulations simplify this process.  Now all you have to do to get more time to file your 2005 return is to file a single IRS form before April 17, with no explanation required.  You'll receive an automatic extension of the filing date until October 16, 2006.
 
Note that the extension gives you more time to file your return, but not to pay the taxes you owe.  You must still pay any taxes you owe by April 17, or interest and possible penalties will apply.
 
Similar new regulations also streamline the procedures for businesses that need an extension of their filing date.
 
Please contact our office if you think you'll need an extension this year and need more details or assistance.
 
2.  IRS Establishes Email Box for Taxpayers to Report Phony Emails
 
The Internal Revenue Service announced today that it has established an electronic mailbox for taxpayers to send information about suspicious emails they receive which claim to come from the IRS. Taxpayers should send the information to:  phishing@irs.gov
 
The IRS reminded taxpayers to be on the lookout for scam emails aimed at tricking the recipients into disclosing personal and financial information that could be used to steal the recipients' identity and financial assets.
 
"The IRS does not send out unsolicited emails asking for personal information," said IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson.  "Don't be taken in by these criminals."
 
The IRS has seen a recent increase in these scams, many of which originate outside the United States.  To date, investigations by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration have identified sites hosting more than two dozen IRS-related phishing scams.  These scam websites have been located in at least 20 different countries, including Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, China, England, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Singapore and Slovakia, as well as the United States.
 
The current scams claim to come from the IRS, tell recipients that they are due a federal tax refund, and direct them to a website that appears to be a genuine IRS site.  The bogus sites contain forms or interactive web pages similar to IRS forms or web pages but which have been modified to request detailed personal and financial information from the email recipients.  In addition, email addresses ending with ".edu" - involving users in the education community - currently seem to be heavily targeted.
 
The IRS does not send out unsolicited emails or ask for detailed personal information.  Additionally, the IRS never asks people for the PIN numbers, passwords, or similar secret access information for their credit card, bank or other financial accounts.
 
 
3.  Tech Tip Weekly:  Aligning MS Excel Cell Contents
 
By default, cell contents appear at the bottom, numbers are right-aligned, text is left-aligned, and logical values are centered in cells.
 
You can apply the most common horizontal alignment options by selecting the cell or range of cells and using the tools on the Formatting toolbar:  Align Left, Center, and Align Right.
 
You can use the following procedure to align cell contents:
 
    1.  Select the cell or range of cells to align.
    2.  Choose the Format, Cells command.
    3.  Click the Alignment tab in the Format Cells dialog box.
    4.  Choose the desired horizontal or vertical alignment option from the drop-down lists.
    5.  Click OK.
 
4.  Compliance Calendar
 
April 7
-Employers deposit Social Security, Medicare and withheld income tax for April 1, 2, and 3.
 
April 12
-Employers deposit Social Security, Medicare and withheld income tax for April 4, 5, 6, and 7.
 
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