Page 4 April 6, 2017 IRS Has $1 Billion to Give Back to Taxpayers…With a Catch Follow Us on Twitter @heraldpub Seniors Seven Steps to Secure Your Home While You’re on Vacation (BPT) - Warmer temperatures, budding trees and blooming flowers are all lovely parts of spring, but what you really look forward to is the start of vacation planning season! Deciding where to go and what to see, making arrangements and planning your wardrobe are all exciting aspects of summer vacation planning. But before you pack up to leave on your getaway, be sure to take care of the most important asset you’ll be leaving at home - your home itself. “Before going away on vacation, homeowners do a lot of things to prepare for the security and safety of their home while away, including stopping the mail, powering down electronics and turning off water and gas,” says Emily Lewicki, brand manager with Coleman Heating and Air Conditioning. “Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that a home’s temperature needs to be monitored, which can easily be done by using a programmable thermostat.” While you’re savoring the fun of your vacation planning, here are seven steps you also should take to prepare your home to remain secure while you’re away: 1. Stop the Mail Home safety experts agree: a stuffed mailbox is a sign of an empty home. The United States Postal Service allows you to request a vacation hold on your mail up to 30 days before your departure date. Go to holdmail.usps.com to see if this service is available in your area. You should also put newspaper and package delivery on hold, too, as uncollected newspapers or parcels in front of your house could also alert others that you’re not home. 2. Turn Off Water and Gas If a water or gas leak occurs while you’re not there to address it, the emergency could cause significant damage to your home. You can reduce risks by turning off water flow to appliances like the clothes washer. To conserve energy and money, you can also turn off the gas flow to your water heater. 3. Adjust the Thermostat You don’t need to spend money to heat or cool your home to a comfortable level when you’re not there to enjoy it. Turn down the thermostat, but don’t turn your HVAC system completely off. Extreme Price Hikes from page 2 By Rob McCarthy While most taxpayers are scrambling to get their income taxes filed on time, along comes an announcement from the Internal Revenue Service. Would the owners of $1 billion in unclaimed refunds please pick up their money? It’s just waiting on that paperwork we asked for three years ago. As many as 97,000 Californians didn’t file income taxes in 2013, the IRS says. The average refund sitting in the federal government’s taxpayer lost-and-found section is about $700, and its offer to return that money is good until April 18. After the deadline passes, $93 million that Californians paid in federal income taxes goes into the Treasury piggy bank. To recap, taxpayers nationwide have almost $1 billion in refunds coming to them and the IRS is looking to return the money. But, there is a catch. To claim their refund, a taxpayer must file a late return. There’s no financial penalty for filing late when a refund is due, so taxpayers aren’t in trouble because they procrastinated. They will forfeit the quick payout, though, if they wait much longer. And, they might not see the money right away. Taxpayers who haven’t filed yet for 2014 or 2015 don’t receive a refund right away. The IRS says a refund will be applied first to any amounts still owed to the IRS, or to the California Franchise Tax Board. And, a federal refund can be held up to pay back child support or past-due student loans. That might explain why some taxpayers procrastinated. The reality is the IRS will be keeping a big chunk of this money because people have either changed jobs, left the state, or weren’t legally able to work in the United States and so they don’t qualify for a federal refund. Whatever the reason, the federal government is the beneficiary of whatever is left over from 2013’s collections after the April deadline, according to the IRS. “The IRS estimates the midpoint for potential refunds for 2013 to be $763; half of the refunds are more than $763 and half are less,” it said earlier in March. “In cases where a tax return was not filed, the law provides most taxpayers with a three-year window of opportunity for claiming a refund. For 2013 tax returns, the window closes April 18, 2017.” The revenue department stressed that a 2013 tax return must be properly addressed, mailed and postmarked by April 18 or the window for claiming a refund is slammed shut for good. Many Americans prefer to overpay their federal taxes during the year and collect a refund the following year. This way, there are no surprises but the federal government doesn’t pay interest for holding onto individuals’ refunds for an entire calendar year. Financial advisers refer to this practice as “the IRS savings plan. For these people, the refund is a safe bet and worth the wait. People stand to lose more than just the money deducted from their checks in 2013 if they don’t file these back taxes, the IRS added. Individuals and households that made $46,227 or less may qualify for a tax credit. The credit--up to $6,000--reduces any amount owed to the federal government and potentially increases the size of any refund. The tax credit helps individuals and families with low- to moderate incomes. To qualify, they had to show earnings for that year that don’t exceed: - $46,227 ($51,567 if married filing jointly) with three or more children; - $43,038 ($48,378 if married filing jointly) with two children; - $37,870 ($43,210 if married filing jointly) with one child; - $14,340 ($19,680 if married filing jointly) with no children. The 2013 tax forms and instructions are available on the IRS website at www.irs. gov/forms-pubs, or by calling 800-829-3676. Taxpayers missing their W-2, 1098, 1099 or 5498 earnings documents should request copies from their current or past employer, a bank or other source of taxable income, the department says. Taxpayers who are unable to get missing forms from their employer or other payer should go to IRS.gov and use the “Get Transcript Online” tool to obtain a Wage and Income transcript. Taxpayers can file Form 4506-T to request a transcript of their 2013 income. They can use information on the transcript to file their tax return, according to the IRS. Why is the tax-filing deadline pushed back to April 18 instead of the 15th, you might ask. The IRS says that because the 15th falls on a Saturday next month and the following Monday is a legal holiday in the District of Columbia, everybody in the nation gets an extra day to file. The IRS is in a generous mood, but that’s a limited-time offer. • last year, and total revenues increased six percent, according to 2016 financials. Drug sales grew six percent in 2016 over the previous year, led by a 49 percent increase in sales of Blincyto for leukemia patients. The company’s other big gainers for the year included Kyprolis for treatment of myeloma--up 35 percent--and bone-density-building Prolia, which was up 25 percent in annual sales. The top-10 sellers for Amgen, which the shareholder group targeted in its proposal, generated $16.6 billion for the biotech firm last year. Only a dozen or so drug companies temperatures can harm your home and its contents. A programmable thermostat can take care of temperature adjustments for you while you’re away. If you don’t already have a programmable thermostat, consider installing a model like Coleman’s Hx(TM) thermostat. The touch-screen interface makes it easy to program the system, plus a free downloadable app allows you to control the thermostat from your smartphone, no matter where you travel. Just be sure to leave your internet connection active at home so your thermostat can communicate with the app while you’re away. 4. Put Lights on Timers or Sensors A well-lit home looks lived in and is less appealing to burglars. Put outside lights on sensors so they’ll turn on when the sun goes down. Use timers to turn interior lights on and off at appropriate times. 5. Prep your Kitchen Go through the refrigerator and pantry and throw away any food that could go bad while you’re away. No one wants to come home to smelly, spoiled food. Empty the trash and arrange for a neighbor to put the trash at the curb on your scheduled pickup day. Unplug all small appliances like the coffee maker, toaster ovens, food processors, etc. 6. Power Down Electronic Devices Items like computers, TVs and phone chargers all draw power while plugged in, even if they’re not switched on. Turn off and unplug electronic devices to reduce power usage in the house and protect electronics from power surges while you’re away. 7. Secure the Garage This is especially important if your home has an attached garage with direct access into your home. Most garage doors have a simple bolt lock that can be engaged from inside to prevent the door from being raised. Remember to also lock the door from the garage into your house. Everyone looks forward to vacation. With some simple prep, you can ensure your home stays secure while you’re away. To learn more about home heating and air-conditioning, visit www.colemanac.com or follow Twitter @ColemanHVAC. • outsell this Southern California success story. The company can choose to address at its annual shareholder meeting the drug-pricing issue and the risks from the current political debate over healthcare costs in the nation’s and state capitals, but for now the federal government watchdog over publicly traded companies won’t force pharmaceutical makers to say anything. This ruling is corporate America’s version of the Miranda rule. The SEC decided a drug maker has the right to remain silent, even when it’s the investorowners of the company asking the questions. • BIPRO Computers BiPro Computers wishes to extend our deepest appreciation to our many, many neighbors who have supported our store over the past 34 years. We’re closing our Main Street brick & mortar location and transitioning to a mobile support service. Our phone number, web site and email addresses are remaining the same. We have thoroughly enjoyed serving you, our community, from our storefront and we hope you’ll welcome our on-site delivery and support crew into your homes and businesses! www.bipro.com 310-640-0000 • sales@bipro.com
MBSun_040617_FNL_lorez
To see the actual publication please follow the link above