Adept Tax Services

Qualifying Dependents – Did You Know?

In addition to your children and parents, a number of other individuals may qualify as your dependents for tax purposes. Important factors can include the person's income, how much support you provide, and how much of the year the person lives with you. In some cases, even a non-relative who lives with you year round as a member of your household may qualify as a dependent.

Health Savings Accounts - Did You Know?

Changing jobs? If you have a health savings account (HSA), you can take it with you. Unlike flexible spending accounts (FSAs), which are usually tied to your employer, your HSA belongs to you. You can continue using your HSA funds after leaving the job where you opened the account. However, you may make new HSA contributions only if you remain eligible to contribute. To remain eligible, you generally must be covered by an HSA-eligible high-deductible health plan (HDHP) and have no disqualifying coverage.

Updated Withholding Estimator Available for 2026

Having the right amount of tax withheld from your pay protects you against unpleasant spring surprises, while ensuring that you do not unnecessarily sacrifice take-home pay. The IRS recently made important updates to its Withholding Estimator tool (link below), to account for tax law changes enacted in 2025. Those changes include the "No Tax on Tips" and "No Tax on Overtime" deductions, the car loan interest deduction and special deduction for seniors, and the new deduction rules for charitable donations.

Verifying the accuracy of your withholding a couple of times a year is especially important if you and your spouse both work, or if you owed tax this spring, work multiple jobs, or have self-employment or investment income. It is also a good idea to complete a withholding checkup anytime you experience a major life change like marriage, or the birth or adoption of a child. Using the Withholding Estimator typically takes 25 minutes or less, and you do not have to log in or provide any personally identifying information. If an adjustment to your withholding is needed, the tool can help you complete a new W-4 form to submit to your employer.

IRS Withholding Estimator Tool: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator

IRS Impersonation Scams – Did You Know?

Criminals continue to use IRS impersonation scams to steal money and personal information. Understanding how the IRS actually communicates can help you recognize and avoid these schemes.

The IRS generally initiates contact by sending a letter through the mail on official letterhead. If you have an IRS online account, you can log in to verify whether a notice is legitimate. If you are unsure, you can contact the IRS directly at 800-829-1040.

Scammers, however, often pose as the IRS in several ways:

By mail: Fake letters may look official but include incorrect contact details or suspicious language such as “in relation to your unclaimed refund.”

By email or text: The IRS does not initiate contact this way. Messages promising refunds, credits or urgent fixes often contain links to fraudulent websites designed to steal your information.

By phone: Scammers may leave threatening messages or demand immediate payment using gift cards or other unusual methods—tactics the IRS does not use.

In person: Unannounced visits are extremely rare. Most legitimate IRS appointments are scheduled in advance by letter.

If you suspect a scam, do not respond, click links or share information. Instead, contact the IRS using an official phone number to verify the situation.

Unfiled 2022 Federal Tax Refunds Must Be Claimed by April 15 – Did You Know?

The IRS estimates that over one million people are owed tax refunds from 2022, with the majority of those refunds exceeding $600. However, in order to claim their refunds, people must file their 2022 tax returns by April 15, 2026. Some people may also need to file 2023 and 2024 returns in order to receive an IRS refund.

Those who qualified for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in 2022 but did not file a return could be missing out on much larger refunds, potentially exceeding $6,000. The adjusted gross income limits for the 2022 EITC ranged from $16,480 to $53,057 (or $22,610 to $59,187 for joint filers), depending on a person's number of qualifying children.

Filing an accurate tax return for 2022 may require referring to income statements like W-2 and 1099 forms. If you cannot locate those forms but have an IRS online account, you can generally obtain the needed information by using the free IRS Get Income Transcript tool (link below). Most people can set up an account in about 20 minutes, less time than it takes to request and receive replacement documents from employers, banks, etc.

IRS Get Transcript Online tool: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript