Norman H. Smith, CPA, P.C.

https://www.irs.gov//tax-day-for-individuals-extended-to-m

Due to the ongoing pandemic, our procedures for tax season will be very different this year: 1) We encourage you to send us your tax documents via email ([email protected]), fax (678-999-4991), or upload to our online portal (email or call us for an invitation link). 2) If you would like talk with us, we can do a conference call, a Zoom video call, or an in-office meeting. Email or call us to arrange any of these. 3) We ask that in-office meetings be scheduled only when abso...lutely necessary. When arriving for your meeting, we ask that you call us and then wait in your car and we will let you know when to come into the office. We are trying to limit our office to only one client in our reception area at a time. FACE COVERINGS MUST BE WORN BY ANYONE ENTERING THE OFFICE. We realize these procedures may be an inconvenience for some of you. We ask for your patience and understanding as we attempt to work through a difficult season for all of us.

Here's a website that might be helpful. You can use it to enter your information to receive a stimulus check if you're not required to file a tax return, and also to check on the status of your stimulus check. https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments

https://www.accountingtoday.com//10-things-to-know-about-i

Many people have been asking about the small business assistance provisions of the recently passed stimulus bill. Here is a link to the best summary I have been able to find so far: https://www.rubio.senate.gov//71AB6CB05A08E369E0D488A80B38 This program is just out, so there aren't a lot of details. My suggestion would be to contact your bank to ask about the Paycheck Protection Program. They may or may not be set up for this yet, so you may need to keep checking back with ...them. My understanding is it may be the end of the week before this is up and running. Also, here is a link that will help you determine how much of a stimulus payment you will receive: https://www.cnbc.com//the-stimulus-payment-calculator-tell

Ok, so we finally got the word we've been waiting to hear. Following the announcement earlier this week deferring all income tax payments until July 15, the IRS announced today that the Tax Filing Deadline has been extended to July 15 as well. So what does this mean? 1) If you are due a refund, you probably want to go ahead and file now. We can help with that (see 4 & 5 below). 2) If you're in no hurry to file, you now have an extra 3 months to do so. We will be here to help ...you when you're ready. No tax payments will be due until July 15. No penalties. No interest. 3) Our office has been operating with a reduced staff in order to minimize the risk to our staff from having face-to-face contact with clients. We will continue to do so. 4) We will now begin operating on a reduced schedule as well as we extend our "social distancing". Our office will be staffed Monday through Friday, 9-5. During office hours we will receive documents from you and ask you a few questions, but we will not be meeting with you in the office. We would also prefer you not come in to pick up your documents if your return has already been completed. We can either mail them to you, or hold them until after May 1. 5) Outside of office hours, you can drop your documents through the mail slot in our door. You may also fax them to 678-999-4991, send them via postal mail, or email them to [email protected]. You can also contact us as that email address for a secure link to upload your documents to our portal. 6) We will continue to monitor the progress of the virus, and expect to begin in office appointments again May 1, but that of course is extremely tentative at this point. 7) If you are a new client, please refer to the Tax Center of our website - www.nsmithcpa.com - for a Client Information Sheet to be completed, as well as a document checklist before visiting. We thank you for your patience during this unique time. Blessings to you and health and safety to all your family.

In response to the spread of the coronavirus, and the recommendation of health professionals that we each limit our physical contact with others for a period of time, we are strongly urging all our clients against meeting with us in a face-to-face appointment, but instead to simply provide the necessary tax documents to us. There are a number of ways to provide your tax documents to us: 1) dropping them off at the front desk or through our mail slot after hours,... 2) scanning and emailing them to us at [email protected] 3) you can request a secure link from us by which you can upload them to our client portal, 4) by fax with a cover sheet to 678-999-4991, 5) by postal mail. We will complete your return and send you the signature forms electronically, and return any original documents by postal mail, or hold them for you to pick up later. If you believe a face-to-face appointment is essential in your case, we will still be happy to meet with you, but we sincerely ask you to reconsider. Please let us know your decision either way so that we may plan accordingly.

https://www.wsj.com//tax-preparers-stock-up-on-tissues-to-

https://www.irs.gov//ten-things-for-taxpayers-to-think-abo Some good suggestions.

Early impressions from the first week and a half of filing: Seeing very few people better off under the new tax system than the old. Almost everyone's withholding went down last year - some by a lot. Taxes went down for some - others not so much. So on balance I think the average person is going to see a lower refund (or more owed) this year than last. Have a feeling I'm going to be spending a lot of time explaining to people why they're getting back less money this year. Not looking forward to it...

https://www.irs.gov//irs-confirms-tax-filing-season-to-beg

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/irs-withholding-calculator

https://www.irs.gov//2018-tax-filing-season-begins-jan-29-

https://www.irs.gov/ne/ten-tips-for-choosing-a-tax-preparer

Good information.

https://www.irs.gov//all-of-georgia-now-eligible-for-disas