With so many people in the Commonwealth facing the challenges of layoffs and lost income right now, the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assitance (DUA) has made available an excellent, step-by-step guide to applying for unemployment benefits.
The Massachusetts DUA has further announced that a dedicated online platform is being built for self-employed workers to to apply for unemployment benefits under the CARES Act. Those who qualify for this new benefit, called “Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)” may be eligible for retroactive compensation. Although the hope was that the platform would be active in mid-March, delays have pushed the current scheduled launch date to April 30, 2020. More information is available through the Mass DUA site here.
We can now safely receive your documents at the office.
Breaking News: We now have a mail slot in the door to our office. Though our office officially remains closed, one or two of us periodically visit for limited timeframes to access office systems and check for items that may have been delivered to the office rather than our PO Box. If you must bring documents to our office, please make sure they are in a sealed envelope, and deposit them through our new mail slot. We will confirm receipt and let you know if we have any questions. This is a great help in assuring that we can continue to adhere to distancing and no-conact guidelines while still being flexible.
The single most accurate source for information regarding coronavirus can still be found at coronavirus.gov, the offical website with the most up-to-date information from The Center for Disease Control (CDC), The Federal Emergency management Association (FEMA), and The White House.
Additional relief for some taxpayers is included in the recently announced People First Initiative from the IRS. The initiative makes provisions for a variety of situations ranging from postponing Installment Agreement payments to compliance with Earned Income Credit verification requests. You can read more about the People First initiative here.
We want to confirm that we are receiving your e-mails and voicemails, and are doing our best to respond as quickly as possible. Under current circumstances, however, it could be up to a week before we are able to get back to you, and we greatly appreciate your patience!
While observing state guidance, one or two of us are periodically in the office for limited timeframes.
As a best practice, and particularly during this time of limited access, please be sure to make and keep copies of all of your original tax documents.
With the extension of the tax deadline to July 15, if you have not yet sent us your information, we would still encourage you to scan and upload your documents to the portal, or alternatively, send them to our PO Box:
Business Bookkeeping Services P. O. Box 249 South Weymouth, MA 02190
We continue to urge everyone to stay home, but If you must come to the office:
You will need to call or e-mail in advance to make sure we wil be there.
When you arrive, call us from your car to let us know you are dropping off or picking up documents.
We will then come to the main door to retrieve or deliver envelopes, packages, or checks, and/or wait for you to sign your returns.
As guidance changes and/or restrictions are lifted, we will issue additional communication for your benefit.
At a press conference on Wednesday, April 1, 2020 the Treasury and IRS has a bit of good news regarding economic the economic impact checks being issued to US citizens under the CARES Act. In short, those receiving Social Security benefits who don’t typically file a tax return will not need to file an abbreviated (simple) tax return to receive their stimulus payment. The IRS will use information from Forms SSA-1099 and RRB-1099 to generate payments for these individuals.
From the news release:
“We want to ensure that our senior citizens, individuals with disabilities, and low-income Americans receive Economic Impact Payments quickly and without undue burden,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “Social Security recipients who are not typically required to file a tax return need to take no action.”
The payment will be sent via the same method that the individual ordinarily receives their benefits, either as a direct deposit or check.
It is good to know that some of the people who are struggling the most will have one less thing to worry about during these especially difficult times.
