The Forms of ExpressIRSForms

Boy, oh boy, has it been a big year for ExpressIRSForms! Growing from the simple, dependable e-filing base ExpressTaxFilings created with its 2012 launch, ExpressIRSForms had a booming first season, providing you with more e-filing capabilities than ever before.

The expansion into ExpressIRSForms brought with it e-filing support for twice as many IRS forms as before. To catch you up on all the forms we’ve added, here’s a bit about all the forms you can e-file at ExpressIRSForms.

Form 1099
The Form 1099 is a classic, used to report when a taxpayer has received income from sources other than a wage-paying job. That means it needs to be filled out by you (the employer) for all of the independent contractors and other non-employees you paid more than $600 to throughout the year for work related to your business.

Depending on how the payee received that moolah is which 1099 form you need to complete. Luckily, ExpressIRSForms supports four of the most commonly used 1099 forms, as well as their correction and transmittal forms:

• Form 1099-MISC, used to report payment for services performed for a business by people who aren’t employees, like subcontractors, renters, or prize recipients
• Form 1099-INT, which summarizes income of at least $10 from interest income
• Form 1099-DIV, used by banks and financial institutions to report dividends and other distributions over $10 received
• Form 1099-R, which reports distributions of retirement benefits over $10

W-2 Forms
For the people you hired as actual employees, we’ve got Form W-2 generation and e-filing. And when you e-file your W-2s with ExpressIRSForms, a digital copy of Form W-3 (the W-2 transmittal form) is automatically sent to the IRS along with your return. And while we try to make sure your return is sent off without any errors, making corrections to rejected W-2s is a breeze through ExpressIRSForms.

Affordable Care Act Forms
One of the biggest changes from ExpressTaxFilings to ExpressIRSForms was the addition of ACA Forms 1094-B, 1094-C, 1095-B, and 1095-C. Starting with the 2015 tax year (which was filed this past tax season), these forms became required to be filed by certain business owners and health insurance providers. ExpressIRSForms was one of the first IRS-authorized e-filing programs to have software capable of filing ACA forms, and we work every day to make sure we stay the best option for it.

Form W-9
Form W-9 isn’t a form you need to file with the IRS, but it is a form you need to complete to be able to complete the forms you need to file with the IRS. Typically when you hire someone, you’ll have them fill out and sign a Form W-9 to have a record of the information you’ll need to fill out their tax information returns each year, whether that’s a 1099, W-2, or ACA form. ExpressIRSForms gives you the ability to handle getting all that information and e-signature through a secure portal within your account. How simple does that sound?

Wanna Know More?
We get it, August isn’t a big time to think about your information returns. Or the upcoming tax season. That’s why we aim to make everything about your information return e-filing easier. So take a minute, check out our site, create an account, give us a call if you have a question. Then, go enjoy the rest of your summer, and come back in January when we’ll have everything ready for you to complete your 2015 return!

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1099 & W-2 Late Filing Penalties

Alright, guys, it’s time to get serious at ExpressIRSForms: if you haven’t filed your 1099s and/or W-2s for your payees and employees, they are officially late. At midnight on March 31, the 2015 tax year POOFED back into a pumpkin, and anyone left not having filed was too late to submit their returns without penalty.

So what, oh what, are these late filers to do?

E-file Your Returns ASAP
The most important thing now is getting your filing done as quickly and accurately as possible. Remember: if your forms get rejected for an error, you have to re-file them, making them even later. Also, remember that your penalty is determined by how long it takes you to file your returns (correctly). You’ll want to make sure you e-file; if you paper file your forms, the IRS will have to determine your penalty by the paper filing deadline (February 29, making them already over a month late) instead of the March 31 e-filing deadline.

Know What You’re Up Against
As we just said, the IRS determines your penalty based on when your forms are ultimately filed. This means that if you file

• within 30 days of the deadline, your penalty is $50 per form, not to exceed $532,000 a year ($186,000 for small businesses);
• after 30 days the due date but before August 1, your penalty is $100 per form, not to exceed $1,596,500 a year ($532,000 for small businesses); 
• after August 1, or not at all, your penalty is $260 per form, not to exceed $3,193,000 a year ($1,064,000 for small businesses).

Know the Exceptions to the Rule…
...but don’t count on them to keep your penalty amount zero. Most of the exceptions are at the discretion of the IRS, so it’s still best to file as soon as you can after the deadline. The IRS considers these three main exceptions when looking into late filing cases:

1. If you can show that the late filing (or non-filing) was due to events beyond your control, or due to significant mitigating factors rather than willful neglect, the IRS penalty will not apply.
2. Inconsequential errors or omissions that don’t prevent the IRS from processing the return aren’t considered failures to include correct information. Usually, these errors are related to a TIN, a payee’s/employee’s surname, and any money amounts.
3. De minimis rule for corrections. In other words, if your correction forms were filed after the deadline but before August 1 and were to correct forms you filed before the deadline. If you meet these conditions, the penalty won’t apply to 10 information returns, or ½ of 1% of the total forms, whichever is greater, for your filing.

Know Who to Call
Hint: it’s not Ghostbusters. Give up? It’s us! Our friendly, US-based support team is here all year long, not just during tax season, to help you with any post-March-31st-at-midnight issues or questions you have. Just send us a live chat or give us a call at (704) 839-2270, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT. You can also email us 24/7 at support@ExpressIRSForms.com!

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Tomorrow's Another Tax Deadline...Are You Ready?

Tomorrow’s a big day for the IRS and, quite possibly, a big day for you! That’s because March 31, 2016, is the deadline for not one, not two, but three types of 2015 IRS tax forms: 1099s, W-2s, and ACA Forms.

Now, personal income tax filers of these forms - if you happen to have stumbled upon this blog - tomorrow’s not your deadline; that’s not until April 18 (April 19 in Maine and Massachusetts). Tomorrow is the deadline for businesses and other payers to complete their copies of the 1099s and W-2s and e-file them with the IRS. It’s also the deadline to have all ACA Forms 1095-B and 1095-C postmarked and sent to the appropriate recipients.

If you are a business owner and this is all news to you, well sit back and pay attention, because we’ve got a few things to go over:

What’s Due and By When?

• Form 1099: If you have to file 1099 forms (of any kind) for your payees, these must be e-filed by 11:59 p.m. (your time) on March 31, 2016.
• Form W-2: If you need to file W-2 forms for your employees, these must be e-filed by 11:59 p.m. (your time), March 31, 2016.
• ACA Forms: If you have to report health insurance coverage offered to your employees or recipients, the recipient copies must be postmarked and mailed out on March 31, 2016.

Are There Any Penalties for Filing Late?
Is the pope Catholic?

But, in some seriousness, it’s the IRS, so of course there are penalties for filing late. For 1099 and W-2 forms, depending on when you get your corrected forms filed determines your total penalty:

• $50 per form if you file correctly within 30 days of the due date, with a maximum penalty of $532,000 per year ($186,000 for small businesses)
• $100 per form if you file correctly after 30 days but before August 1, with a maximum penalty of $1,596,500 per year ($532,000 for small businesses)
• $260 per form if you file after August 1 or not at all, with a maximum penalty of $3,193,000 per year ($1,064,000 for small businesses)

You may also incur a penalty by filing your forms on paper, even if your forms are in by tomorrow. Since the paper filing deadline was February 29, any paper forms filed now are considered late, so you must e-file by March 31 to have your forms in on time. If you’ve never e-filed before, there’s no need to alert the IRS you’re doing so now.

As for the ACA forms, this year only, the IRS is forgiving any late filing penalties as long as you can prove you made every effort to file on time. Next year, you won’t be so lucky. Also, next year, this deadline will be moved back up to its original date, January 31, and your ACA forms must be e-filed by March 31 (just like the 1099s and W-2s).

What Can I Do to Make Sure I’m Not Late?
If you’re not sure you’ll be able to get your 1099s and W-2s in on time, you can e-file Form 8809 with ExpressIRSForms. Form 8809 is an IRS extension form used for 1099s, W-2s, and various other information returns. If you e-file this, you’ll get an automatic 30 day extension to e-file your forms. And if you end up not using it, you won’t be penalized for having filed one.

As for your ACA forms, just make sure to have them postmarked by tomorrow. If you don’t think you’ll be able to do that, you can have ExpressIRSForms do it! Just make sure you get in your postal mailing order by 5:00 p.m. EDT tomorrow so we can guarantee it’s postmarked on the 31st. Although the IRS won’t know these forms are late unless one of your recipients reports not having gotten theirs, it’s important to get these out sooner rather than later since your recipients need them to complete their tax returns.

What If I Have More Questions?
That’s what our friendly and helpful support team is here for! We’re here until 6:00 p.m. EDT today to answer any phone calls (704-839-2270) and chats coming in, then we’ll come back tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. and stay as late as we need to help you get your filing complete. You can also utilize our 24/7 support email by sending in your question to support@expressirsforms.com.

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E-file Form 8809 to Extend Your 1099 & W-2 Deadline

In case you hadn’t heard, the deadline to have your 1099 and W-2 Forms e-filed with the IRS is this Thursday, March 31. Now, you do have until 11:59 p.m. your time to get these forms transmitted, which means you’ve got the better part of four days to get everything done. But if that still seems like a pretty daunting task, have we got a form for you!

Form 8809, Application for Extension of Time to File Information Returns, can be e-filed for an automatic extra 30 days to e-file your 1099 and W-2 forms. Even better: it can be e-filed through ExpressIRSForms! It’s only $2.99 to process, and if you do pull off your filing by Thursday, you won’t be penalized for having filed an extension form. Just think of it as your very own tax-filing safety net. We’ll even show you how to e-file it now:

From your Dashboard, select Start New Form. A pop-up will appear, from which you can select to File an Extension:

On the next page, you’ll enter your payer information, or the information of the person or entity applying for an extension. You can do this by selecting a payer from the drop-down menu, or manually entering your payer information and clicking Next.

On the next screen, you’ll select which forms you need to extend. In this example, I chose to extend the filing due date for my W-2 forms:

Click Next to continue to your Summary screen. From here you can review and delete and extension forms you’ve started. You can also add a new extension form for another payer by selecting the option circled below:

Once you’re satisfied with your extension(s), click Continue to view a summary of your transaction before checking out:

Click Continue, and on the next page, you’ll select a credit card you’ve already entered or enter the details for a new one to pay the processing fee to e-file your extension. Once you’ve made sure your payment is secure, click to continue to the next page.

You’ll see this summary screen before your form is transmitted. Remember: your extension form will not be sent to the IRS until you hit that big, green “Pay and Transmit” button. We’ll then keep you updated on the status of your extension via email. So long as everything goes well - and depending on IRS wait times - you could be approved for 30 extra days to file in less than 30 minutes!

If you have any questions or need help e-filing your Form 8809 extension, feel free to reach out to our support team. We’re always happy to help! You can give us a call (704-839-2270) or send us a live chat Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT. Need after hours help? Send us an email to support@ExpressIRSForms.com.

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ExpressIRSForms E-filing Features: Postal Mailing

At ExpressIRSForms, we’re all about the features - the features that make e-filing for users like you easier than ever. Last week, we talked about our Bulk Upload feature, and this week we’ll take you through our Postal Mailing feature, as well as talk a bit about the checkout process with ExpressIRSForms.

What is Postal Mailing?

So you might be wondering what we mean when we say “the postal mailing feature.” You came to an e-filing site, why are we talking about physically mailing your forms? Well, it’s simple: if you select our postal mailing package, not only will we e-file your forms federally and with your state (if applicable), but we’ll also mail the employee/payee copies of your forms to your recipients for you.

For an additional postage fee, you could quite literally be done with your filing as soon as you hit Transmit from your ExpressIRSForms account.

How Do I Get This Awesome Feature?
In order to show you how to utilize our postal mailing feature, we’ll need to back up a couple of steps to your first summary screen:

Before you select the e-filing package you’d like, you’ll see this screen which shows a summary of your order so far. From here, you can view, edit, and delete any forms you’ve completed, broken down by payer. You can also add another form for this payer by selecting the “Add form for this Payer” button, circled above on the far right. Pro tip: to get more bang for your buck, add any other payers and their forms before continuing to check out.

When you’ve got everything in order, click Continue and you’ll see this screen:

In this option, you’ll see that Federal E-file Only is the package that has been selected. As a result, even though I’ve entered state information on my W-2s, they’ll only be federally filed with the IRS and SSA, not with the state (of South Carolina, in this case).

To include postal mailing, you’ll need to select the Package tab, like in this example:

As you can see, my state icons have turned green, as have the plan options on the left side of the screen to reflect my choosing to file federally and with the state, and to have postal mail sent to my recipients. Keep in mind that even if you select this option, your state icons may not turn green; they may become any one of these stoplight colors:

So make sure you pay attention to what the signs say before proceeding. When you do click Continue, you’ll see a brief explanation of the filing requirements for the state for which you’re filing (if applicable):

Some users will be delighted to see they don’t need to do anything else while others will still be required to file additional forms with their state. Once you’ve got your ducks in a row, click Continue to be taken here:

Here we have a summary of the completed e-filing order and details on the package I chose. From here on out, it’s just a matter of paying the piper and transmitting your forms. Once you transmit your forms, your recipient copies will be sent out to your employees/payees by the next business day from our offices here in South Carolina.

If you have any questions about e-filing or the ExpressIRSForms e-filing packages, give us a call at 704-839-2270. We’re available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST. We also offer 24/7 email support at support@ExpressIRSForms.com.

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ExpressIRSForms E-filing Features: Bulk Upload

When you e-file with ExpressIRSForms, you have access to a few bonus features designed to make your 1099, W-2, and ACA filings the easiest they’ve ever been. Of these functions, the Bulk Upload option is great if you’re one of our high volume filers.

We added the Bulk Upload feature, so you don’t have to input information for each recipient or employee if you’ve got a whole bunch of ‘em. Instead, just upload an Excel spreadsheet (or use ours!) of your recipients’ information, then check to make sure everything transferred correctly before transmitting all of your forms. It’s so easy, we’ll break it down for you:

First Things First
Create or log into your account from www.ExpressIRSForms.com. On your Dashboard, you’ll see an orange button that says Start New Form. Click this. Pro tip: If you’ve filed with us before and have multiple payers, make sure to select the appropriate payer on the left side of the screen before starting your forms.

From the handy dandy pop-up, select which forms you need to file (1099, W-2, or ACA). You’ll then either enter your payer information, or verify the information is correct if you’re filing for a payer already in your account. When you hit Continue, you’ll see this:

Select the Bulk Upload option, and we’re on our way!

Here Comes the Upload

Once you select Bulk Upload, you’ll be asked to choose if you want to upload your own Excel spreadsheet…

Or use ours. Let’s pretend you’re going to use ours:

Step 1 is to download the blank Excel document. Transfer the information needed for your recipients into this document, then make sure to save it. Next, upload your newly saved Excel document by clicking Choose File under Step 3. Press the magical, orange Upload button, and ALAKAZAM! Your information will appear in your account all at once.

Well, okay, it’s not that magical. But for someone who isn’t super knowledgeable about how computers work (like me), it’s pretty darn close.

And Now for the Previews
Next, you’ll need to make sure all of the data is mapped correctly. If you used our Bulk Upload document, you shouldn’t have to do anything. But if you used your own, you may need to move and adjust where each value is supposed to go on the form.

Once everything is in its proper place, you can preview your forms by clicking to the next step:

Use the blue arrows (seen circled in green) to scroll through your forms to make sure all your ducks are in a row, then click Continue to Import. You’ll then see this nifty little screen:

Double check to make sure everything imported correctly. In other words, make sure the first two numbers match (and match the number of forms you need to file) and the last number is zero. From there, click Go to Summary, where you’ll see a summary of your order. Once you’re satisfied with your filing, you can pay and transmit your forms to the IRS. No heavy lifting required.

In this example, I was pretending to e-file 1099 forms, but the Bulk Upload feature works the same for any form you need to file with ExpressIRSForms. The only difference between uploading 1099s, W-2s, or ACA forms is the information required in your spreadsheet.

If you have any questions about the e-filing process or need help with the Bulk Upload feature, don’t hesitate to contact our customer support team. We’re available by phone (704-839-2270) and live chat Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST, and by email 24/7 at support@expressirsforms.com.

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The 1099 & W-2 Recipient Deadline is Just A Week Away

In the modified words of the late, great Robin Williams: Gooooood morning ExpressIRSFooorms!

Do you know what today is? Other than a Monday, of course. Today marks the start of the last week left to get your 1099s and W-2s to your recipients. The last day to have your recipient copies to your employees or payees is next Monday, February 1st.

The deadline is normally January 31st, but since that’s a Sunday, the deadline gets extended to the next business day.

It’s a common misconception that these forms need to be postmarked by the last day in January when they need to be in the hands of your recipients by that day. It’s important that you get the 1099s and W-2s to your recipients so they can accurately complete their 2015 tax returns by their deadline. If you don’t get your copies to your recipients by February 1st, you can be reported to the IRS and face steep penalties for every form not delivered.

There’s still time to e-file with ExpressIRSForms and have your forms sent to your recipients by our dedicated team. Just log in and file your forms, and from the checkout screen select the Postal Mailing option. But be sure to get your filings in soon: the postal system only works so quickly!

While you’re filing your 1099s and W-2s, why not get started on your ACA forms if you need to file those too? After this year, the recipient copies of Forms 1095-B and 1095-C will be due at the same time as the 1099s and W-2s, so it couldn’t hurt to practice getting them out there sooner rather than later.

If you have questions or need help in the e-filing process, just reach out to our friendly, US-based support team! We’re available by phone (704-839-2270) and live chat Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. We’re also available to take your questions 24/7 at support@expressirsforms.com.

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Happy Holidays from ExpressIRSForms!

Happy Christmas Eve Eve from ExpressIRSForms!

Whether you celebrate your winter holidays in the next couple of days or at another time during December (or not at all), we hope your holiday season is filled with comfort and joy in the company of family and friends.

We invite you to take the next couple of days off from your taxes, because that’s what we’re doing too. Our offices will be closed tomorrow (12/24) and Friday (12/25), with phone and chat support resuming during office hours (9-6 EST) on Monday (12/28).

If you really, really need us, email support will be available throughout the weekend. You can reach us at support@expressirsforms.com during this time should you have an ExpressIRSForms-related emergency (if it’s the regular kind of emergency, call 911).

Happiest of holidays to you and yours! We’ll see you next week!

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Form 1099 FATCA Update for the 2015 Tax Year

Welcome to another blog post brought to you by ExpressIRSForms to prepare you for the 2015 tax filing year. We’ll keep this one short and sweet: with the shortest day of the year (tomorrow) falling on a short work week like this one, there isn’t time for much more than a quick update. Plus, there’s not that much information to divulge; it really is a quick update from the IRS this time (I know, who’d have thunk?).

If you’re the type to read the General Instructions for Certain Information Returns PDF each year before you file, you probably already noticed the “What’s New” section. If you haven’t caught up on your IRS reading yet, however, here’s what you’re missing:

FATCA -- that’s the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act -- states new filing requirements be completed by certain foreign financial institutions (FFIs) beginning with 2015 tax year filings. So from now on, FFIs with a chapter 4 requirement to report a US account maintained by that FFI and held by a specified US person can fulfill this requirement by checking the box that says “FATCA filing requirement” on the 1099 form they’re filing.

The FATCA filing requirement box is now included on forms 1099-MISC, 1099-INT, and 1099-DIV that have been updated for the 2016 filing season. So if you’re an FFI and this chapter 4 requirement applies to you, be prepared to check an extra box on your 1099s.

Told ya that would be quick. And, as far as new IRS requirements go, it’s a pretty painless one. Now the new Affordable Care Act requirements, those are a different story (but we can help you with those, too).

If you need help with your 1099s, W-2s, ACA forms, or the e-filing process, feel free to reach out to us. We’re available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST through phone (704-839-2270) and live chat, and we have 24/7 email support for any emergencies.

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