Tax Form Availability

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

My one useful reminder here. If you are waiting or looking to see if a certain tax form is available, check the tax agency's web site before asking the tax form software vendor.

For the IRS: https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications

I click on the posted date until it sorts to latest first, then scroll for the latest date (something I look at nearly every day). You can also use the search to look for a specific form. I have never seen any non public availability, so it is likely the case if not in this list, it cannot possibly be included in your tax software either. Over the years, the reports here are anything from a few days to a few weeks between form release and form including in your tax software. With fewer using paper forms, the delay is likely all programming and priority (meaning volume), not any sort of wait for IRS approval.

For DRAFT IRS forms: https://www.irs.gov/draft-tax-forms

Use the drafts to get an idea, but while not often, they sometimes change from raft to release. The one draft form I will usually include before release is 940a, as the form rarely changes other than the credit reduction % (which is known weeks before the form is released).

 

And as always important this time of year, and never too often to reconsider, there is no such thing as an accounting emergency! which ties nicely to what our medical student offspring will say "this too shall pass", coupled with drink more water!.

[Catherine]

18 hours ago, Medlin Software, Dennis said:

our medical student offspring will say "this too shall pass", coupled with drink more water

Our now-retired dentist, when he wanted to keep an eye on something, would say "One of three things will happen. It will get worse, it will get better, or it will stay the same." With the first, you act. With the second, you give thanks. With the third, keep watching!

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

Ours recently had two weeks of in patient rotation with repeated issues of things not moving, requiring manual assistance. Dues paying, but also very enlightening.

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

The new postings are usually Tue-Sat. For me, just after midnight PT.

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

Rather than creating a 1036 (which has not been used for a few years), the IRS added a spreadsheet to the draft 2024 15T as an "early release" of the 2024 federal withholding formula.  Works great for me, as the sooner I get those figures, the less "when will you have the 2024 calculations?" type of message!

One state has new calcs, which depend on whether or not a new state W4 is used, but they have yet to publish the new W4

[Catherine]

1 minute ago, Medlin Software, Dennis said:

One state has new calcs, which depend on whether or not a new state W4 is used, but they have yet to publish the new W4

"Hey, we're the tax agency. We don't have to make sense!"

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

1 minute ago, Catherine said:

"Hey, we're the tax agency. We don't have to make sense!"

But they do have to do at least enough to justify their budget! NY, trying to ding me (years ago) for submitting junk data to a test only forms person (via mail) for approval to print the form. The data was unusable, with invalid EIN and SSN, but they still sent me a bill - and I did not send to the normal forms adress. Tax agencies who change just text on their form to cause new approval processes. Tax agencies who cannot use simple programming commands like trim, remove, etc, and reject good data.

[Catherine]

As I've often said - if they were competent, they'd be far more dangerous than they already are!

[Lee B]

On 12/8/2023 at 1:23 PM, Catherine said:

"Hey, we're the tax agency. We don't have to make sense!"

My state's normal release date for the new W 4 is is usually the third week of January.

There are other states that don't release their new withholding tables until late January.

It's been that way for years.

[Abby Normal]

Maryland hasn't had the unemployment rates ready for the first payroll of the new year, in many years. They used to get it out on time, but I guess the computers are slowing them down.

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

EE UI rates are nice to have, but not needed until end of Q1.  Most are close using their prior rate, and can bump it if they had high usage.