Phone tax

[jekajekalynn]

I just heard on my local news that the IRS is now letting ppl claim a phone tax on their tax returns. I believe they said the max you can claim is 60 bucks.

This is because the goverment has been claiming some sort of tax since the begining of phonedum (lol) , and there has been some sort of law suit and overturning of the tax. Ask your tax preparer or whatnot because the news was very vague about where to enter it .

 

[Lisa L from MI]

turbo tax online automatically does it for you....the most is 60 for married filing jointly I believe...less for single

 

[sorcerormickey]

Yep, TurboTax put it on for us automatically. $30 for singles.

 

[kstinnett]

SBC now ATT has all prior bills available online (not sure about other carriers)and you can calcuate your tax paid manually. The IRS automatically gives you $30 for single and $60 for married but if your actual tax paid during the time period is greater you can use that amount instead.

 

[Lisa L from MI]

I was just looking around about it again and it also applies to cellphones too...I may just have to look into this and see if it is worth it.....to take the actual than the standard.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

Here is some more info for you. I got wind of this a few weeks ago and saved the article for when I get ready to file....waiting on those W-2's!

http://www.snopes.com/business/taxes/excise.asp

 

[TheGottis]

I'm sure there were threads about this.. it's called the Telephone Excise Tax Refund

You would need bills for 41 months for the period after Feb. 28, 2003 and before Aug. 1, 2006 to claim the exact amount....

If you take the standard deduction:
* one exemption, the standard refund amount is $30
* two exemptions, the standard refund amount is $40
* three exemptions, the standard refund amount is $50
* four exemptions or more, the standard refund amount is $60

For FULL details and FAQs - Go HERE and HERE (FAQS).