Special Edition IRS Tax Tip 2013-06 New IRS YouTube Video – How to Check on Your Refund
With the April 15 tax filing deadline approaching, the Internal Revenue Service created a new YouTube video to provide taxpayers more details and tips to check on their tax refund.
The new video How to Use the Where’s My Refund? Tool offers in-depth information about how the redesigned “Where’s My Refund” tool on IRS.gov works. The IRS’s previous refund YouTube video When Will I Get My Refund? has already received more than 750,000 views. The IRS expects this video will also be a helpful resource for taxpayers.
The IRS issues more than nine out of 10 refunds to taxpayers in less than 21 days. Even though the IRS issues most refunds in less than 21 days, some tax returns will require additional review and take longer.
The refund video released today is one of several YouTube videos the IRS created to help taxpayers navigate this year’s filing season. Other top videos that help people prepare their tax returns or resolve tax problems include:
- W-2 Missing? – English | Spanish | ASL
- How to Request a Copy of Your Tax Return – English | Spanish | ASL
- Do Your Taxes for Free: Taxes Made Less Taxing – English | Spanish
- Do It Yourself Free Tax Preparation – English | ASL
- Are You a Victim of Identity Theft? – English | Spanish | ASL
- Protect Yourself from Identity Theft – English | Spanish | ASL
- Phishing-Malware – English | Spanish | ASL
The IRS YouTube channels offer short, informative videos in English, American Sign Language and other languages. IRS currently has more than 100 videos, which already have more than 4 million views.
Additional videos to help people with the tax season are available on the “tax tips” playlist at IRS – YouTube.
IRS Tax Tip 2013-26: Four Tax Tips about Your Unemployment Benefits
Four Tax Tips about Your Unemployment Benefits
If you received unemployment benefits this year, you must report the payments on your federal income tax return.
Here are four tips from the IRS about unemployment benefits.
1. You must include all unemployment compensation you received in your total income for the year. You should receive a Form 1099-G, Certain Government Payments. It will show the amount you were paid and the amount of any federal income taxes withheld from your payments.
2. Types of unemployment benefits include:
Benefits paid by a state or the District of Columbia from the Federal Unemployment Trust Fund
Railroad unemployment compensation benefits
Disability payments from a government program paid as a substitute for unemployment compensation
Trade readjustment allowances under the Trade Act of 1974
Unemployment assistance under the Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act
3. You must include benefits from regular union dues paid to you as an unemployed member of a union in your income. However, other rules apply if you contribute to a special union fund and your contributions are not deductible. If this applies to you, only include in income the amount you received from the fund that is more than your contributions.
4. You can choose to have federal income tax withheld from your unemployment benefits. You make this choice using Form W-4V, Voluntary Withholding Request. If you complete the form and give it to the paying office, they will withhold tax at 10 percent of your payments. If you choose not to have tax withheld, you may have to make estimated tax payments throughout the year.
For more information on unemployment benefits see IRS Publications 17, Your Federal Income Tax, or IRS Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income. You can download these free booklets and Form W-4V from the IRS.gov website. You may also order them by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).
Additional IRS Resources:
Publications 17, Your Federal Income Tax
Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income
Form W-4V, Voluntary Withholding Request
Stacie's Tax Stuff 