KANSAS CITY, MO — Super Bowl season is kicking off and Chiefs fans are excited and busy getting ready.
However, tax season also kicked off Monday, something Chiefs fans like Brittany Dayton are not looking forward to.
“Technically, it’s the Super Bowl of tax season, but I don’t want any of those problems,” Dayton said. “ I would rather focus on the Chiefs and not taxes — but you can’t do it.”
Dayton says she is busy and is getting a head start this tax season.
“If I don’t do it now I will forget about it; I don’t have time for an extension,” Dayton said.
Marquita Miller-Joshua, a Kansas City area tax accountant, advises folks to get started early this tax season, but not rush.
“I know all the excitement is building for some of those who are early filers, but I will say be very cautious,” Miller-Joshua said. “You want to make sure that you get all the necessary tax forms and you don’t prematurely kick, right? You want to make sure that you’re on point.”
Miller-Joshua adds that that its important to take a look at W-2’s and make sure your employers gets them to you before Jan. 31.
She also recommends people double check their W-4 forms.
“If you’re working for someone or a place of employment, check your W-4 forms to make sure they got the most recent address and your withholdings don’t need to be modified,” Miller-Joshua said.
She also advises people file online and make sure that they have their Identity Protection PIN number ready to go.
“The IP pin number — some people did that because of identity theft or to make sure that no one was using their information incorrectly,” Miller-Joshua said. “So you want to make sure that you keep track of that PIN number because its’s security. So it secures anyone from being able to file, but also if you don’t have it you can't electronically file as well.”
Miller Joshua adds that in 2023, refunds could look a bit different this year
“The stimulus in the previous years — if some taxpayers didn’t receive it, if there were some screw ups where they can get it on the current return — that’s all settled now,” Miller-Joshua said. “The child tax credit is back to the $2,000, and in previous times, there were some expand of things so some taxpayers may experience a reduction.”
With inflation impacting many, Miller-Joshua has some suggestions.
“It may be to your advantage to look at ways to reduce your tax refund, so that your paycheck is higher, so your take home pay is higher — now you have that freed ups cash to take care of the monthly obligations versus waiting until the end of the year,” Miller-Joshua said. “If the budget has already been tight for your family, then this is the time to say — 'Let’s use this refund very smart,' and make sure can we pay down debt can we eliminate something.”
Though Dayton is closely following the Chiefs postseason run, she’s taken the necessary steps to to get ahead of the game this tax season.
“My advice is, think about it now, because you’ll look up and the playoffs will get in your brain and then the next thing you’ll know, we're at the Super Bowl and you’re like, 'Oh crap, I forgot to file my taxes,'” Dayton said. “So do it while you can, because once we go to the Super Bowl nothing else matters.”
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