For purposes of claiming a refund, the SOL expires three (3) years from the due date of the return even if you file the return before the due date.
FORBES: Taxes From A To Z (2013): S Is For Statute Of Limitations
However, if you file your return after the due date, the later date applies: if you file for the 2012 tax year on October 23, 2013, the IRS may examine your tax return, make changes or assess additional tax through October 23, 2016.
FORBES: Taxes From A To Z (2013): S Is For Statute Of Limitations
If you file a paper return, you can use the AMT Assistant tool at IRS.gov.
Remember, if you amend your federal return, you'll likely owe extra to your state, too.
If you have a potentially complex return, (for instance, if you have multiple employers or want to claim deductions and have multiple investments) it may be worth the time and money to find some help.
If you measure the return on investment based on how much money students make, the answer is a resounding maybe.
FORBES: $200,000 College Tuition Got You Down? Payback is 6.3 Years
And if you never filed a return, or the government can prove you filed a fraudulent one, there's no time limit.
It's rare that you'll be able to recover your purchase price if you have to return an item bought from a dealer or from an auction house.
Warning: If you amend your return to claim missed sales taxes, it could affect whether you owe the alternative minimum tax, since the deduction isn't allowed in the AMT calculation.
If you have your return prepared now, that return will be queued up by your preparer to be sent to IRS when tax season opens but will not actually be filed early.
Additional refund If you are amending your return to get an additional refund, wait until you have received your original refund before filing Form 1040X.
FORBES: Batman Faces Dark Night With IRS If He Takes H&R Block's Tax Advice
If you are concerned about your return, and you have not received any information that would indicate that there is a problem, contact your tax preparer.
FORBES: Hundreds Of Thousands Of Taxpayers Thought To Be Impacted By Education Credit Snafu
Intuit is working to correct the errors, so if you have prepared your return using Intuit but have not yet filed, the Department of Revenue advises that you wait to file until Intuit communicates the problems are corrected.
FORBES: Minnesota Tax Authorities Warn Taxpayers To Stop Using Intuit Products
And again, remember that a joint return requires two signatures: if you are filing a joint tax return, you and your spouse will each need to create a PIN and enter these PINs as your electronic signatures.
If you just finished your tax return filings the last thing you want to do is look at them again.
If you have already filed your return and paid the tax, you will need to file an amended tax return to claim a refund.
"Sure you may be paying yourself interest at 5%, but you're forgoing the opportunity to make a double-digit return, if you're lucky, on that money, " he says.
It is possible, then, that you might have to file a state (or local) income tax return even if you are exempt from federal income tax.
FORBES: A Beginner's Guide To Taxes: Do I Have To File A Tax Return?
You have until October 17, 2011 (because October 15, 2011, is a Saturday), to re-characterize your 2010 rollover or conversion to a Roth IRA if you file your 2010 tax return on time, including any extensions, and regardless of whether you requested an extension to file your 2010 tax return.
FORBES: Before you get out the checkbook, second thoughts on your Roth IRA conversion...
I'll do you a great favour, but only if you don't return the compliment.
According to the IRS, if you file a paper return, your refund should take about six weeks.
If you extended your tax return filing to October 15, 2012, it extends the date to file your Form 8938.
But there is commercial logic, too: Spanish bonds, say, promise a nice return if you think the debt crisis will go no further.
ECONOMIST: Capital and companies from China are sidling into Europe
If you measure risk and return during a time period in which one asset category did poorly, that category will not appear on the efficient frontier.
So, for example, if you file your 2012 return on February 1, 2013, but your return is due on April 15, 2013, the SOL will expire after April 15, 2016.
FORBES: Taxes From A To Z (2013): S Is For Statute Of Limitations
If you are waiting for your return to be processed for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Aid) purposes, you can manually enter your financial info on the website and update that information once the returns are processed.
FORBES: Hundreds Of Thousands Of Taxpayers Thought To Be Impacted By Education Credit Snafu
If you discover an error after you file your tax return, you can correct it by amending your return.
FORBES: Batman Faces Dark Night With IRS If He Takes H&R Block's Tax Advice
The math is simple: If you think the stock market will return 10% a year for the next 10 years, you can lock in that return today by purchasing carefully selected junk bonds.
应用推荐