Barnes Tax Associates

01/28/2026

Update: IRS now requiring direct deposit of your tax refunds. You must include direct deposit information with the filing of your tax returns. If the information provided is incorrect, or incomplete, your refund will be delayed 6 weeks or more. Call with questions. 412-761-9111.

From the IRS:
Q5. What will happen if taxpayers do not include direct deposit information on tax returns?
A5. Providing electronic payment information is voluntary. If taxpayers do not provide this information and
no exception applies, their refunds could take longer to process. Taxpayers should provide direct deposit
information when filing a tax return. If banking information is missing when filing a tax return, the tax
return will still be accepted and processed. However, when filing electronically, the taxpayer may receive
an alert notifying them of the missing banking information and outlining the next steps if they are due a
refund.
For all taxpayers with missing information, the IRS will send letters to individuals using their last-known
address on record, asking them to update their banking information if they did not provide it on their tax
return, or if their financial institution rejected the direct deposit.
The taxpayer will then receive a CP53E notice in the mail requesting a response within 30 days, either to
provide banking information or to explain why such information cannot be provided. Additionally, the
Where’s My Refund? tool on IRS.gov will provide messaging related to the need for banking information.
The taxpayer will be able to use the IRS Individual Online Account to provide this information. For security
reasons, IRS employees cannot take direct deposit information over the phone or in person.
Once the taxpayer provides the direct deposit information or exception, the refund will be immediately
released via direct deposit or paper check. If there is no response to the notice and there are no other
issues with the tax return, the refund will be released as a paper check after six weeks.

Send a message to learn more

01/24/2026

Lots of tax changes for 2025 and 2026. See below for a quick summary. For more information please feel free to reach out to us. We are happy to help. Tax season is coming!

OBBA Summary:

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) significantly alters U.S. tax law, making many TCJA provisions permanent (like higher standard deductions and QBI), boosting the SALT deduction to $40k (2025-2029), and introducing new credits/deductions, including a senior deduction and changes to QSBS.
Here's a summary of a few key OBBBA tax provisions:

For Individuals:
- Standard Deduction: Permanently increased (e.g., $31,500 for joint filers in 2025), with the elimination of personal exemptions remaining.
SALT Deduction: Increased to $40,000 for 2025-2029 (with annual 1% bump) before reverting to $10k in 2030, phasing out for higher incomes.

- New Senior Deduction: Up to $6,000 deduction for those 65+, phasing out by income, expiring end of 2028.

- QBI Deduction: Made permanent with expanded phase-in ranges and a minimum deduction for qualified income.

-Miscellaneous Itemized Deductions: Certain unreimbursed employee expenses, tax prep fees, etc., remain non-deductible.

-Charitable Contributions: A new non-itemizer deduction (up to $1k/$2k) and a 0.5% AGI floor for itemizers.

- No tax on tips. Eligible workers to deduct up to $25,000 of qualified tip income from their federal taxable income. The deduction is effective for tax years 2025 through 2028.

11/01/2024

Own or manage 25% or more of an LLC or Corporation? You should read this article on your reporting requirements for the 12/31 deadline.

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02/19/2023

Sell a home last year? We can help you manage through the tax consequences. Call or email to discuss.

If you made a sizable profit from selling your home, you may have an unexpected tax bill. Here's what sellers need to know.

04/09/2022

9 days left to file....

If you're among the millions scrambling to meet the April 18 tax deadline, it's critical to avoid errors that may flag your return or even trigger an IRS audit.

02/13/2022

READ: Reasons why your return may be flagged. If you would like to discuss further, please give us a call.

There are several reasons why your tax return may get flagged or audited by the IRS. Here’s how to avoid IRS scrutiny and processing delays.

01/28/2022

Make sure you report your crypto transactions. Call with Questions.

If you don’t report crypto activity and face an IRS audit, you may be hit with interest, penalties or even criminal charges, according to tax experts.

01/11/2022

Tax season offically commences on 1/24/22. IRS will begin accepting efiled returns on this date. If you have any questions please let us know!

05/09/2021

Almost 31 million returns are being held for manual review, delaying refunds. "I depend on that money," one taxpayer says.

04/28/2021

Trouble with your refund? Can't contact IRS? Here's why....

The agency is answering just one in 50 calls for help on its individual tax return phone lines.

04/26/2021

Delays in tax refunds and payment processing.

The Internal Revenue Service is holding up millions of tax refunds for manual processing and its systems were unable to process many of the quarterly payments that needed to be sent by April 15.

04/16/2021

Information on stimulus "plus-up" payments.

More than 700,000 Americans will receive a supplemental stimulus payment this week as the IRS continues to process 2020 tax returns.