If you plan on filing an extension, be careful. The due date for extended returns will be October 15, not 17.

While we’re at it, here’s another date for you: January 17. That’s the first day you can e-file your returns.

Now, at the risk of sounding like mother hen, there’s no reason you have to wait until any of these dates to actually prepare your return. And by all means, don’t wait until April 17 to call your tax accountant for an extension. It drives them crazy. Trust me on this.

The app is called IRS2go, and is available on both the Android marketplace and the iPhone App Store.

The app currently allows you to check the status of your refund, subscribe to IRS news, follow them on Twitter, and it also provides their contact information. I suspect most people will be using it to check the status of their refund.

I’ve tried it, and I must say it’s really simple and easy to use. Not necessarily what I was expecting when I initially downloaded the app.

To check the status of your refund, you simply enter your SSN, filing status (single, head of household, etc.), and exact dollar amount of your refund.

I even used it to check the status of my 2009 refund (though the app prompts you to enter your information for your 2010 return—I suspect that it just pulls the last return you have on file).

The contact option is pretty useful; it not only gives you the contact number for each unit, but also gives you the hours of operation with a link that automatically dials the number (at least in the iphone version).

It’s a win-win situation: you can quickly check the status of your refund—even while waiting in the dentist office— and they get less calls inquiring about refund status.

The returns that are impacted are those that claim deductions on Schedule A (mortgage interest, property taxes, medical expenses, etc.), the higher education tuition and fees deduction on Form 8917, and the educator expense deduction.

Also as previously mentioned, just because the returns won’t be accepted by the IRS until February 14 doesn’t mean that you can’t prepare them before that; you or your tax preparer will just have to hang on to them until then.

I was audited last year, but with all the moving, I never received my audit paperwork, can I still file this year or do I need to take care of the audit first

While getting audited isn’t fun, having to also pay penalty and interest for late filing a return would be even worse. So go ahead and file your 2010 return.

While you’re at it, reach out to the IRS examiner that was handling your audit to find out the status. An audit is just not something you want hanging over your head.

If the audit is still pending, depending on your circumstances, you may even want to hire a tax professional to assist with the audit.

Good luck!

Disclaimer: like any decent tax professional will tell you, since you’re not currently a client of mine — though you can be — it’s almost impossible to provide complete and accurate tax advice over the internet without being aware of the taxpayer’s entire situation; therefore, I suggest you consult a tax professional before relying on any information provided on this site.

They boast that they were able to help close to 7,000 taxpayers during their last open house on May 15.  I know it’s Saturday and the last thing you probably want to do is worry about taxes, but honestly, if you’ve got some free time and a tax issue to resolve, it may be worth paying them a visit.

The last open house is schedule for sometime this fall.

Each office will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time. You can find a listing of each IRS office here.

How will this affect tax return preparers? Potentially, these recommendations could focus on a new model for regulation, service and outreach, education and training, and enforcement.

The first part of this effort will focus on fact finding and receiving input from a very large and diverse constituent community that includes those that are licensed by state and federal authorities, which includes enrolled agents, accountants, and lawyers, and even unlicensed preparers and software vendors. Input and dialog will also be sought from consumer groups and taxpayers.

The IRS plans to hold meetings in Washington and around the country later this year. The Commissioner is expected to submit his recommendations to the Treasury Secretary and the President by the end of the year.

Please see the “Tax Professionals” page of the IRS website for more information such as schedules and agendas for upcoming public meetings.

This news should come as no surprise to you since it is completely inline with the IRS’ initiatives to crack down on unethical and noncompliant tax return preparers; one of the first signs of this was the increased tax return preparer penalties. I suspect there will be more programs just like this one. I, for one, am anxious to see what the end result will be. Though I am anxious, I do have a few concerns; for starters, if taxpayers will have the ability to review tax return preparers, what exactly will their review be based on? Normally, taxpayers don’t know exactly what the IRS’ rules and regulations are, which, might I add, is why they employ us. In such a situation, would they simply be reviewing the services provided by the tax professional, just like a regular reviewer would on, say, yelp.com? With that said, what exactly will this review system be based on and who will be doing the review? What are your thoughts? Please share in the comments.