What is comprehensive auto insurance?

When you buy a new car, you should think about buying car insurance and have to consider a number of factors, including coverage, cost and more. Usually, when people hear the word "comprehensive" they might think "It includes everything", but in terms of car insurance, the word has a different meaning.

At At GUARDIAN INSURANCE AGENCY located in Fairburn, Lagrange and Norcross, we want to give you all the information that you need to know about comprehensive auto insurance:

- Comprehensive insurance is an optional auto insurance coverage that can help protect your car against damages that are not related to a collision as well as theft. It covers a wide range of events that can damage your car, including vandalism, fires, and rockslides on twisting mountain roads.

- Although car insurance provides extremely valuable protections, towing, rental and personal property coverages are not among them, but just because comprehensive does not cover everything outside of collisions does not mean comprehensive insurance is not valuable.

- Comprehensive insurance can help you pay for the repair of your car, or even help replace it completely in the event of a total loss, due to any of the following:

1. Damage not resulting from a collision, including:

*Falling objects

*Fire

*Certain natural disasters

*Vandalism

2.Theft

3.Glass damage

4.Damage from hitting an animal

- What you must pay for comprehensive insurance coverage is determined differently than for basic coverages like property damage and personal injury liability. With these coverages, the amount of protection you buy dictates the cost. The cost of comprehensive insurance coverage varies depending on the deductible you select. The higher the deductible, the less you will spend on your premium, but the more you will spend out of pocket if you file a claim.

- No state requires comprehensive coverage, but people who finance or lease their car will probably find that their lender or lessee requires it. Lenders and lessees are the official owners of the vehicle, so they want to make sure they are adequately protected in case of an incident. For the same reasons, you will rarely be able to purchase comprehensive insurance without also buying bodily injury liability and collision coverage. 

Remember that a car insurance policy may help protect your wallet, your vehicle and even offer peace of mind. Contact us for more Information, At GUARDIAN INSURANCE AGENCY located in Fairburn, Lagrange and Norcross, we can help you choose the coverage that's right for your needs.

For more Information contact us: (706) 884-5006 or (770) 969-5666

Please visit us: www.go-guardian.com

What is a Tax Extension?

An extension is your way of asking the Internal Revenue Service for additional time to file your tax return. A Tax Extension is a prorogation to file the return, not an extension to pay the taxes due. The Internal Revenue Service allows taxpayers to file for a six-month extension if they need more time to prepare their tax return. You can obtain a tax extension for any reason; the IRS grants them automatically as long as you complete the proper form on time. 

At GUARDIAN INSURANCE AGENCY located in Fairburn, Lagrange and Norcross, we give you a few important things you should know about tax extensions before relying on one to postpone your filing obligations:

1. What do you need to do to get a tax extension?:

If you think that you may need an extension to file or could have difficulty paying the amount owed in April, it's best to act early, seek the advice of a professional or contact the IRS.

Once you have decided that you want to request a tax extension, you will need to choose a method for requesting an extension.

There are 3 ways you can get a tax extension:

- Electronically file (e-file) Tax Form 4868 online

- File a paper Tax Form 4868 by mail

- Pay all or part of your income tax due (what you expect to owe) with your credit card or debit card using the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS)

2. What are the benefits of filing an extension?:

- Six extra months to finish up your tax return: Having extra time to finish your return is often necessary, especially if you are still waiting for tax documents to arrive in the mail or you need additional time to organize your tax deductions. 

- Helps reduce late penalties: There are two basic penalties the IRS typically imposes: a late filing penalty of 5% per month on any tax due plus a late payment penalty of half a percent per month. If you file an extension and then file by the extended deadline of October 16th, you'll avoid the 5% per month late filing penalty. If you file after October 16th, the late filing penalty will begin from October 16th, which creates a deferral on this penalty.

- Can preserve your tax refunds if you file after the extended deadline: With an extension, the refund statute of limitations is also extended by six months, which can preserve the ability of taxpayers to receive their federal tax refund even if they get behind in submitting their tax return.

3. Why not to file an extension?:

- Many people file for an extension because they owe taxes and are unable to pay them, but an extra time to file doesn't mean extra time to pay. An extension will give you extra time to file your return, but any tax is still due by the original deadline.

- Some people aren't eligible for extensions. Taxpayers who were approved for an offer in compromise must file by the April deadline during their five-year probationary period. If you don't file by the April deadline, the IRS can revoke your offer-in-compromise and re-instate the original amount you owed.

- An extension won't give you extra time to fund an IRA. Contributions to a Traditional IRA and/or Roth IRA are due by the original April deadline.

The 2017 tax season is next to finish and at GUARDIAN INSURANCE AGENCY located in Fairburn, Lagrange and Norcross we help you with all about the Tax Filing Season.

For more Information contact us: (706)884-5006 or (770)969-5666

Please visit us: www.go-guardian.com

Information on Tax Deadlines for the 2017

At some moment in every spring, Americans remember that it's tax season and many begin worrying, trying to figure out what forms they must file and when.

The official deadline to file your federal income tax return each year may change. It's supposed to be April 15th, unless it falls on a holiday.

Under a special rule, whenever a tax deadline falls on a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday, it's moved to the next business day. That's April 18 in 2017. You have until October 16, 2017 if you file a request for an extension on or before that date.

At GUARDIAN INSURANCE AGENCY located in Fairburn, Lagrange and Norcross, we give you some other important deadlines to keep in mind:

Tax Deadlines in Calendar Year 2017 for 2016 Returns:

Estimated tax payments (IRS Form 1040ES)

-April 17, 2017

-June 15, 2017

-September 15, 2017

-January 16, 2018

Partnership returns (IRS Form 1065)

-March 15, 2017 

-Extended deadline is September 15, 2017

Trust and estate income tax returns (IRS Form 1041)

-April 17, 2017

-Extended deadline is October 2, 2017. 

C-Corporation income tax returns (IRS Forms 1120) 

-April 17, 2017 for C-corporations on a calendar year

-Extended deadline is October 16, 2017 

-The deadline for C-corp returns is the 15th day of the fourth month following the end of the corporation's fiscal year if the corporation is on a fiscal rather than a calendar year. The exception is corporations with a fiscal year from July 1 to June 30. In this case, the first deadline remains Sept. 15, the 15th day of the third month following the end of the fiscal year. The extended deadline remains Feb. 15, or five months after the first deadline, through fiscal years ending June 30, 2026.

S-Corporation returns (IRS Form 1120-S)

-March 15, 2017 for corporations on a calendar year 

-Extended deadline is September 15, 2017

Foreign bank account reports (IRS FinCen Form 114)

-April 18, 2017

Deadlines Organized By Date 

January 16, 2017

-Deadline to pay the fourth quarter estimated tax payment for the year 2016

January 23, 2017

-The Internal Revenue Service will begin processing tax returns, both those that are electronically filed and paper-filed returns

February 1, 2017

-Deadline for employers to mail out Forms W-2 to their employees and for businesses to furnish Forms 1099 statements reporting, among other things, non-employee compensation, bank interest, dividends and distributions from a retirement plan. For more details, see How to Prepare and Distribute Form 1099-MISC and General Instructions for Certain Information Returns. 

February 15, 2017

-Deadline for financial institutions to mail out Form 1099-B relating to sales of stock, bonds or mutual funds through a brokerage account, Form 1099-S relating to real estate transactions; and Form 1099-MISC if the sender is reporting payments in boxes 8 or 14. 

February 28, 2017

-Deadline for businesses to mail Forms 1099 and 1096 to the IRS if filing on paper. If filing these forms electronically, the deadline is March 31. For more details, see the General Instructions for Certain Information Returns.

March 15, 2017

-Deadline for corporate tax returns (Forms 1120, 1120A, and 1120S) for the year 2016, or to request automatic 6-month extension of time to file (Form 7004) for corporations who use the calendar year as their tax year

-Final deadline to file an amended corporate tax return (Form 1120X) for tax year 2013 and still claim a tax refund. Refunds expire three years from the original due date of the return

-Deadline to file partnership tax returns (Form 1065) or to request an automatic 5-month extension of time to file (Form 7004)

April 18, 2017

-Deadline to file individual tax returns (Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ) for the year 2016 or to request an automatic extension (Form 4868). An extension provides an extra six months to file your return. Payment of the tax is still due by April 18. You can submit payment for tax along with the extension form

-Last day to make a contribution to traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Health Savings Account, SEP-IRA or solo 401(k) for the 2016 tax year. You have until Oct. 17 to fund a SEP-IRA or solo 401(k) if you get an extension

-1st quarter estimated tax payments due for the 2016 tax year

-Final deadline to file an original tax return (Form 1040) for tax year 2013 and still claim a tax refund, as refunds expire three years from the original due date of the tax return

-Final deadline to file amended tax return (Form 1040X) for tax year 2013 and still claim a tax refund. (Be sure to mail the amended return well before April 15th to make sure your tax refund will be processed in a timely manner. And be sure to obtain proof of mailing, such as a certified mail with return receipt).

-Deadline to file estate income tax or trust income tax returns (Form 1041) or to request an automatic 5-month extension of time to file (Form 7004)

-Final deadline for estates, trusts, or partnerships to file an amended tax return and still claim a tax refund for the year 2013. Refunds expire three years from the original due date of the tax return.

May 31, 2017

-Deadline for financial institutions to send out Form 5498 to report balances in an individual retirement account for the year 2016

June 15, 2017

-2nd quarter estimated tax payments due for the 2016 tax year

June 30, 2017 

-Deadline to file Foreign Bank Account Report for the year 2016. This report is required if you have over $10,000 (in aggregate) held in foreign bank accounts. Foreign Bank Account Reports must be filed electronically. Extensions of time are available starting in 2017.

September 15, 2017

-3rd quarter estimated tax payments due for the 2016 tax year

-Final deadline to file corporate tax returns for the year 2016 if an extension was requested. (Forms 1120, 1120A, 1120S)

October 1, 2017

-Deadline for self-employed persons or small employers to establish a SIMPLE-IRA for the year 2016

October 16, 2017

-Final deadline to file individual tax returns for the year 2016. (Forms 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ)

-Last day the IRS will accept an electronically filed tax return for the year 2016. If filing after October 15, you'll have to mail in your tax return for processing.

-Final deadline to fund a SEP-IRA or solo 401(k) for tax year 2016 if you requested an automatic extension of time to file.

The 2017 tax season is next to finish and at GUARDIAN INSURANCE AGENCY located in Fairburn, Lagrange and Norcross we help you with all about the Tax Filing Season.

For more Information contact us: (706)884-5006 or (770)969-5666

Please visit us: www.go-guardian.com

Consequences of not filing your taxes

If you file your taxes late, you'll receive a 5 percent penalty on the amount you owe for every month you delay. If you fail to file completely, the consequences become much worse. 

Everyone makes mistakes, especially when under the stress of collecting documentation, crunching numbers and lowering tax liabilities as much as legally possible. However, avoiding your annual tax return obligations can result in costly consequences that extend beyond your bank account. In order to prevent the consequences of not filing your taxes in time, in GUARDIAN INSURANCE AGENCY located in Fairburn, Lagrange and Norcross, we inform you what happens if you do not pay your Taxes:

1. Late penalties:

Considering the importance of filing your tax return, it's fair to expect some degree of penalty for failing to file your taxes. If you are expecting an income tax refund, chances are you won't get the same level of scolding from the Internal Revenue Service that others who owe money can expect to receive.

However, if you are owing money to the government, it's time to get your tax return in as soon as possible.

The penalty for filing late takes effect immediately following the April 18 deadline and will typically equal 5 percent of the unpaid taxes you owe for every month you delay filing your return, up to a 25 percent cap.

A less hefty penalty of 0.5 to 1 percent of your unpaid taxes per month applies to taxpayers who file by the deadline, but owe taxes and don't pay up. Even if you can't afford your taxes now, it's best to at the very least file your tax return on time.

Those who both file late and fail to pay the taxes they owe are charged a maximum penalty of 5 percent of their unpaid taxes for every month the bill is late.

2. Delayed refund:

Those who wait until the last minute to file taxes and claim their refunds may not only get a late-filing penalty, but holding up refunds does an equal disservice.

If you are expecting to receive a refund on your taxes or a refund for the taxes you have paid, you will not be able to receive it or you may receive less money because of the penalties you have incurred.

By failing to file your taxes, you’re giving up the ability to save or invest that money at a higher return.

3. Forfeiture of tax refund:

Just because you don't owe the IRS money doesn't mean you can keep your refund on hold indefinitely. When you're owed a reimbursement from the government, its in no rush to pay you back. In fact, IRS will give you three long years after the tax year for which you filed to claim your back tax refund.

After this time, however, the IRS will consider your unclaimed refund a generous "donation," and you'll be out of your rightful cash.

4. Legal consequences:

The consequences for ignoring an IRS bill can be a lot more dire than warning letters. After sending multiple correspondences regarding an unpaid tax bill, the IRS will send a representative to your residence or business to collect payment, generally, if you owe $25,000 or more.

Continuing to avoid this responsibility can result in automatic wage garnishments, asset seizures like your car and may even lead to arrest and jail time for tax evasion.

The 2017 tax season is next to finish and at GUARDIAN INSURANCE AGENCY located in Fairburn, Lagrange and Norcross we help you with all about the Tax Filing Season.

For more Information contact us: (706)884-5006 or (770)969-5666

Please visit us: www.go-guardian.com