Hi All
one more reminder:
Again, thanks so much for putting up with LOTS of work, slow computers and internet, ACA issues and ME  🙂
Don’t forget to submit your mileage online through the AARP Volunteers portal ASAP.
I have an LC meeting at the Moose tomorrow morning but then I must leave to start a camping trip so I will probably miss seeing you at the lunch.
Have a great summer filled with fun stuff. I will be heading back to the mountains of Colorado by June, then I plan on hiking the haute route in Switzerland in August from Mt Blanc to the Matterhorn. If I survive that, Bette and I will wander around the south of Italy in November.
I will see many of you again in December at the HPL  online refresher workshop and I will be teaching a 2 day review class in January.
Happy Trails…..
End of Year Tax Stuff we may see:
Don’t forget, begin to update your mileage online at the AARP volunteers Portal at:
https://volunteers.aarp.org/portal/core/welcome.htm?MSG=DSPLAY_LOGIN
C U at breakfast at Luigi’s, tomorrow at 8:30:)
HPL#18
Susan, Rachel, Ellen and Pat I know you will work out your schedules.
Add this web site to your bag of tricks to help determine if someone is a dependent:
Reimbursement Time-start completing the online process.
Select reimbursements and then you must decide on Flat Rate or mileage.
Out->In
The link for IR-2015-54: Taxpayers Receiving Identity Verification Letter is INCORRECT.
Copied below is the info:
Taxpayers Receiving Identity Verification Letter Should Use IDVerify.irs.govÂ
WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers who receive requests from the IRS to verify their identities that the Identity Verification Service website,idverify.irs.gov, offers the fastest, easiest way to complete the task.
Taxpayers may receive a letter when the IRS stops suspicious tax returns that have indications of being identity theft but contains a real taxpayer’s name and/or Social Security number. Only those taxpayers receiving Letter 5071C should access idverify.irs.gov.
The website will ask a series of questions that only the real taxpayer can answer.
Once the identity is verified, the taxpayers can confirm whether or not they filed the return in question. If they did not file the return, the IRS can take steps at that time to assist them. If they did file the return, it will take approximately six weeks to process it and issue a refund.
Letter 5071C is mailed through the U.S. Postal Service to the address on the return. It asks taxpayers to verify their identities in order for the IRS to complete processing of the returns if the taxpayers did file it or reject the returns if the taxpayers did not file it. The IRS does not request such information via email, nor will the IRS call a taxpayer directly to ask this information without you receiving a letter first. The letter number can be found in the upper corner of the page.
The letter gives taxpayers two options to contact the IRS and confirm whether or not they filed the return. Taxpayers may use the idverify.irs.gov site or call a toll-free number on the letter. Because of the high-volume on the toll-free numbers, the IRS-sponsored website, idverify.irs.gov, is the safest, fastest option for taxpayers with web access.
Taxpayers should have available their prior year tax return and their current year tax return, if they filed one, including supporting documents, such as Forms W-2 and 1099 and Schedules A and C.
Taxpayers also may access idverify.irs.gov through www.IRS.gov by going to Understanding Your 5071C Letter or the Understanding Your IRS Notice or Letter page. The tool is also available in Spanish. Taxpayers should always be aware of tax scams, efforts to solicit personally identifiable information and IRS impersonations. However, idverify.irs.gov is a secure, IRS-supported site that allows taxpayers to verify their identities quickly and safely.
Hi All
Or
http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USIRS/bulletins/f8d0af#.VRG4NKXvgZw.email
To:Â All Volunteers for AARP Foundation Tax-Aide (with a valid email address in VMIS)
From:Â Bonnie Speedy, Vice President and National Director, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide
Subject: CyberTax TY2014-09: Message from Bonnie Speedy, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide
Dear Tax-Aide Volunteer:
Yesterday marked a month left in the tax season! We, you, are more than halfway done and in the home stretch. Please know how appreciative we are for your perseverance this season. I know from years of working with you that your driver is helping those taxpayers. With ACA, TaxWise issues and more snow and ice than many of us have seen for a while, this season has had extra hurdles to clear. Many of you are adding hours and/or days to schedules to try to get the tax returns “all” done. On behalf of those taxpayers, who may not quite know all the extra efforts you have made this year, thank you!
I also wanted to let you know that we have taken the literal list of issues with TaxWise and CCH very seriously. Veronica Coates, our program Technology Manager, has been in constant contact with them. Nearly all of the issues are resolved BUT we are very aware of the toll it took on you this season on top of ACA and weather. Veronica and I had a sit down meeting here at AARP Headquarters with the President of CCH SFS and the VP/General Manager of Commercial Services of CCH SFS. Also at the meeting were the IRS SPEC Director, our lead IRS executive, and our IRS Relationship Manager. It was a two-hour meeting with frank discussion around the issues, especially the outages and those issues still unresolved. We also spent significant time helping these most senior level staff at CCH SFS understand how you work at sites and how these issues affect you, especially when you have plenty of non-TaxWise issues going on as well. Our work model is unique with only volunteers in the field and volunteers leaders, not paid staff, managing sites, districts, states and regions and the additional detail was quite helpful. We will be traveling to their headquarters after the season to share our issues and work model (again) more broadly among a larger group of staff at CCH SFS. We did that a few years ago, but this is a good time to do it again as a post-mortem for learnings and improvements needed.
We also addressed and will continue to work with the IRS on issues of slow-to-press ACA procedures and needed clarifications, some even hitting after the season started. In the 15 years I have lead this program and including four of those I was a member of the full IRS and in-depth focused IRS Advisory Council, ACA was the largest single impactful tax issue I have ever seen. It also had need for substantial interaction with other agencies, which inherently complicates process development and communication. The good news is that the first year is near past us. Obviously changes and clarifications will happen but in the scheme of implementation management, getting the first year behind us is big!
It seems with the timing of the tax season, that we are simply destined to face all the weather issues the weather gremlins desire to throw at us. I do understand that getting issues we can resolve resolved will go a long way toward making the season more pleasant, tough weather or not, and allow you do what you do best, help taxpayers!
I want to end where I began, with a huge thanks! Your extra resilience to push through this year is very, very appreciated. Hoping your taxpayers are showing you the love and appreciation you deserve as it is the reason you give so much through this program and what you get back.
Bonnie Speedy – Vice President and National Director
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE MAIL-IN PACKAGE
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Austin, TX 73301– 0002
If you are a Florida resident and owe an amount, enclose your check or money order and  mail the package to
Internal Revenue Service
P.O. Box 1214
Charlotte, NC 28201– 1214
Hi
According to Larry we Efiled 72 returns and helped about 130 people last week with only 1 minor error that he could fix and 1 possible identity theft.
Saturday Mar 21st we have a full schedule from 10 to 3 (last appointment)
If you used to ski and are interested, this is the link to my ski GoPro video from Vail.
my ski video
——————
The end of the year Results and Awards Luncheon:
WHEN:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â April 22, 2015
TIME:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11:30 Â Â Â Lunch starting at 12:00
WHERE:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Moose Lodge
1855 S. Sun coast Blvd.
Homosassa, FL 34448-1466
COST:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â $11.00
Sub Sandwiches being offered: Turkey === Beef === Ham
Sides: Potato Salad === Macaroni Salad === Chips === Pretzels
Beverage: === Ice Tea
From the proceeds collected we will be purchasing Coke Products, Strawberry Whip Cream Cake, and paper products.
Please turn in with your payment by April 8th.
—————————
Cut off and turn in with your funds. Someone at each site will collect your money .
YOU’RE NAME:                _________________________________________
Attending Y/N and indicate how many people Yes:  _____________  No:  _________
Please circle the Sub Sandwiches you want:
Turkey === Beef === Ham
Hi From Colorado
Out—-> in
Barry->Wes
Martie->Karen Rose
Jennifer–>Jeanne
Catherine until 1 only

Based on the incorrect data that the Marketplace sent out to MANY TP’ers
If someone comes in with a 1095-A, ask if they have an online sign-on to Healthcare.gov. Â
- If they do, have them sign on to see if they have the message that their 1095-A is incorrect
- If they do not, prepare the return normally
- If they do, prepare the entire return, have it QRed and put it on hold until they get the corrected 1095-A. Â When they get it, the return should take less than 10 minutes to complete
- If they do not, go to https://www.healthcare.gov/taxes/tools/silver/
- Find out the cost of the second lowest price silver plan
- If it agrees with that listed on their 1095-A, prepare the return normally
- If it does not, prepare the entire return, have it QRed and put it on hold until they get the corrected 1095-A.  When they get it, the return should take less than 10 minutes to complete
- In either event, alert them to the possibility that they will receive a corrected 1095-A. Â If they do, they will need to return so that we can determine whether they will need to file an amended return.
- We may also try having the TP’er call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596  to request assistance.
- ***We may try to set up a computer and ask our amazing CF’s to monitor helping TP’ers with an online signon to help them go online and check if there is a problem on their 1095A.****
FYI:This season, I have reduced our appointment load from 10 each hour to 9 to give us some breathing room, avoid backups , reduce frustration when the network slows, and allow us to take some walkup clients. Now you sometimes get a brief break in-between clients, and to avoid a backlog disaster if I cannot get a sub if one of us is out. Every week we have several people gone and I cannot always get subs. The other benefit is we seem to be finishing our client list just a bit after 6, rather than pushing the 7 pm closing of the library when we are more prone to make mistakes. We have also been able to free up more people to QR to help you with complicated returns and complete a return quicker.
Just received this message about a problem with some f1095A’s. We will put together a plan to help our clients check their status.
—
Date:Â Â Â Â Â Â February 20, 2015
To:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â All Tax-Aide Volunteers
From:Â Â Â Â Â Marcy Gouge, Assistant National Director, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide & Pete Freiermuth, Chair NTTC
Subject:Â CyberTax TY2014-08:Â Critical News released today regarding completing tax returns which have ACA issues
Critical News released today regarding completing tax returns which have ACA issues:
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS) have released the attached news alert which announced that a significant number of the form 1095-A sent at the end of January contained a critical error. This information affects only taxpayers who had Federally-facilitated Marketplace coverage in 2014 and used tax credits to lower their premium costs.
Key Elements of Attached Alert:
 What this means for Tax-Aide sites:
============================
The CMS Blog: What Consumers Need to Know about Corrected Form 1095-A
FEBRUARY 20, 2015
Last year, millions of Americans used advance payments of tax credits to help lower the cost of their monthly health insurance premiums. Now that tax season is here, individuals and families enrolled in a health plan through the Marketplaces will need to provide some basic information about their health insurance when they file their tax returns.
If you signed up for coverage through the Marketplace last year, you should have received a statement in the mail in February from the Marketplace called a Form 1095-A. This statement includes important information you need in order to complete and file your tax return. One piece of information included in your 1095-A is the premium amount for the “second lowest cost Silver plan” in your area. This premium amount represents the benchmark plan we use to determine the amount of premium tax credit you were eligible to receive.
Your 1095-A form should have arrived in your mailbox in February. Most consumers can also download a copy of their 1095-A through their HealthCare.gov account. We have been urging consumers to check the information on their forms – such as the number of people in your household – for accuracy. People who find errors on their form can contact the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 to find out how to request a corrected form.
About 20 percent of the tax filers who had Federally-facilitated Marketplace coverage in 2014 and used tax credits to lower their premium costs – about 800,000 (< 1% of total tax filers) – will soon receive an updated Form 1095-A because the original version they were issued listed an incorrect benchmark plan premium amount. Based upon preliminary estimates, we understand that approximately 90-95% of these tax filers haven’t filed their tax return yet. We are advising them to wait until the first week of March when they receive their new form or go online for correct information before filing. For those who have filed their taxes — approximately 50,000 (< 0.05% of total tax filers) – the Treasury Department will provide additional information soon.
It’s important to note that this issue does not affect the majority of Marketplace consumers and only affects people who signed up through one of the 37 states using HealthCare.gov. About 80 percent of Marketplace consumers who received a 1095-A from the federal Marketplace do not have affected forms and should go ahead and file their annual tax return. Additionally, this issue does not mean that consumers received the incorrect amount of tax credit throughout the year. It’s also important to note that this does not affect the vast majority of tax filers who will just need to check a box on their tax return to indicate that they had health coverage in 2014 either through their employer, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans care, or other qualified health coverage programs.
Our priority is to make sure people with affected forms are alerted to the issue and are made aware of the steps they need to take. If your form was affected, you will receive a phone call from the Marketplace by early March, in addition to letters and emails with additional information about the status of your form.
Marketplace consumers concerned about the status of their 1095-A forms should take the following actions:
You can find out if you are affected by logging in to your account at HealthCare.gov. You will see a notice message that will let you know if your form was or was not affected. A majority of tax filers with Marketplace coverage through HealthCare.gov that received a 1095-A– about 80 percent – will find that their form was not affected by this issue and will be able to file their taxes with their current form.
Wait to file if your form was affected. It’s best to wait to file your tax return until you receive your corrected 1095-A Form from the Marketplaces. New forms are being sent from the Marketplace beginning in early March. When your corrected form is ready, we’ll also send a message to your Marketplace account on HealthCare.gov.
If you need to file now, use our tool. If you can’t wait, and want to find the correct amount of the second lowest cost Silver plan that applied to your household in 2014, you have 2 options: 1) You can use this tool to find that amount, or 2) You can call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325) and they can help.
As soon as we discovered the error, we immediately began examining who was affected, how to communicate about the error, and how to make the corrections process as simple as possible for consumers. We are committed to making sure that consumers who need corrected forms are contacted with updates and will receive new forms quickly. We are focused on making sure that every Marketplace consumer understands how taxes and health care intersect and if they need to get a corrected form, the steps they need to take.
Consumers with questions or who want to learn more are encouraged to visit http://www.healthcare.gov/taxes. Representatives at the Marketplace Call Center are also standing by to answer consumer questions. The call center is open 24/7 at 1-800-318-2596.
The responsibility for any tax due on a scholarship is that of the student, not the parents even if the student is their dependent. Conversely, if a person is claimed on someone else’s return then whoever claims him or her is eligible for an education credit. If the parents don’t claim the child, then he or she is eligible for an education credit but still has to file as “can be claimed” and is not eligible for a personal exemption.
Jerry(all Day)–>Judith (AM)
Wes(PM)–>Karen Rose(PM)
Rachel, Susan, Sonny–>Ellen (AM) Rich (AM)
Results from our first week of tax work: 100 efiles.
Some resources for you to use:
I have come down with the cold going around citrus county. May not make it to HPL on Wednesday. Barry
HPL Tax-Aide blog 