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South Carolina ranked 16th best place to retire

October 22, 2014 Moneyrates.com ranked all 50 states on their potential to provide a good experience for retirees.  South Carolina came in number 16, Alaska came in last place, Hawaii came in first place despite their high cost of living. The rankings considered factors such as the senior population, economics, crime, weather and life expectancy. […]

Is same sex marriage now legal in South Carolina?

October 6, 2014 The United States Supreme Court announced today that it has declined to intervene in a few same sex marriage cases that came before it. The supreme court’s refusal to hear the state of Virginia’s appeal of a court ruling allowing same sex marriages means Virginia must recognize same sex marriage.  Since South […]

The Individual Shared Responsibility Payment

September 16, 2014 Beginning in 2014, the individual shared responsibility provision of the Affordable Care Act requires each individual to: Maintain a minimum level of health care coverage – known as minimum essential coverage, or Qualify for an exemption, or Make an individual shared responsibility payment when filing their federal income tax returns. Minimum essential […]

IRS Scam Phone Calls Continue; Five Easy Ways to Spot Fake Calls

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service issued a consumer alert today providing taxpayers with additional tips to protect themselves from telephone scam artists calling and pretending to be with the IRS. These callers may demand money or may say you have a refund due and try to trick you into sharing private information. These con […]

The IRS adopts the Taxpayer Bill of Rights

Each and every taxpayer has rights they should be aware of when dealing with the IRS. That’s why the Internal Revenue Service adopted the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. The Taxpayer Bill of Rights provides you with a better understanding of your rights. While these rights always existed, they are now grouped into 10 broad categories, […]

Sales tax free weekend in South Carolina this Friday thru Sunday

This weekend, the 6% state sales and use tax, and any applicable local sales and use tax, will not be imposed on clothing, clothing accessories (e.g., hats, scarves, hosiery, and handbags), footwear, school supplies (e.g., pens, pencils, paper, binders, notebooks, books, bookbags, lunchboxes, and calculators), computers, printers and printer supplies, computer software, and bath wash […]

A Summer Adjustment Can Prevent a Tax-Time Surprise

When it comes to filing a federal tax return, many people discover that they either get a larger refund or owe more tax than they expected. But this type of tax surprise doesn’t have to happen to you. One way to prevent it is to change the amount of tax withheld from your wages. You […]

What to do if You Get a Notice from the IRS

July 2, 2014. Each year the IRS mails millions of notices. Here’s what you should do if you receive a notice from the IRS: 1. Don’t ignore it. You can respond to most IRS notices quickly and easily. And it’s important that you reply promptly. 2. IRS notices usually deal with a specific issue about your tax […]

Social Security Defines Policy for Same-Sex Married Couples

Social Security has published new instructions that allow the agency to process more claims in which entitlement or eligibility is affected by a same-sex relationship. These instructions come in response to last year’s Supreme Court decision in U.S. vs. Windsor, which found Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. This latest policy development […]

Use IRS Direct Pay to make free one time federal tax payments

The IRS recently announced that taxpayers could now make free one time federal tax payments using Direct Pay.  There are no fees and no complicated registration requirements to use this service.  It can be used for balances due or estimated tax payments.  This promises to be an excellent alternative to the time consuming and sometimes […]