COVID-19 Update: Beaird Harris has shifted a significant number of our team members to work remotely.
We continue to serve and care for our clients, just as we always have, and are available by phone, video or email.

Beaird Harris is closed on Thursday, February 24th due to inclement weather.
During this time our team will be fully available via phone or email should you need assistance.

Beaird Harris will be closed Wednesday, November 23rd (at noon) through Friday, November 25th in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
We’ll reopen on Monday, November 28th at 8:30am.

Beaird Harris will be closed Friday, December 2nd for our annual Christmas celebration. We will reopen on Monday, December 5th at 8:30am.

Blog

Protect Your Tax Return With This Secret Weapon!

Carla Medrano
February 3, 2021

The Problem

You hang up the phone with a huge smile on your face. You just learned that you’re getting a pretty sizeable tax refund this year. Now all you need to do is kick back and wait a week or two for the IRS to wire the money into your bank account.

This good news, however, is unfortunately short lived. The very next day you get another phone call.

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but someone else has already used your Social Security number to file a tax return.”

You’re told that you’ll still be able to eventually get your nice, big tax refund, but it may be several months before you see the money. You first need to work with the IRS to resolve your case of identity theft.

The Solution

There’s a secret weapon you can now use to protect your tax return – an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN).

Beginning this tax season, all taxpayers who can verify their identities are eligible to obtain an IP PIN. An IP PIN is a 6-digit PIN that offers additional protections when filing your tax return. This one-time-use number is sent to you by the IRS and must be entered on your tax return along with your Social Security number. Since the IP PIN is a one-time-use number, you will receive a new IP PIN number each year from the IRS.

If someone tries to fraudulently file a tax return using your Social Security number, they will be unable to do so without this IP PIN.

What You Need to Do

How to get an IP PIN. To obtain an IP PIN, click here to visit the IRS’s Get an IP PIN tool to opt into the IP PIN program.
If your identity has already been stolen. If someone uses your Social Security number to fraudulently file a tax return, ask for help to find out next steps for getting your identity fraud case resolved with the IRS.
Once in, tough to get out…for now. As this is the first year the IRS is making the IP PIN program available for anyone who wishes to use one, they are not ready to let you opt out once you agree to participate. They anticipate adding the opt-out feature in the near future.
Notify Beaird Harris of your IP Pin. We will need the IP Pin in order to avoid a delay in filing your return. Once you receive your IP Pin, please call our office and provide your IP Pin to your tax advisor, or securely send the IP Pin to your tax advisor here.

No Professional Advice, Client Relationship, or Reliance on Information

Please note that any information or content on our Website, or any forms or tools on our Website which allow you to submit information or make calculations, and your use thereof, are not intended to provide any kind of professional advice, consultation or service, including but not limited to, legal, accounting, tax, or business advice. Nor does any such information, content, forms, or tools, or your use thereof or reliance thereon, create or constitute an attorney/client, accountant/client, or consultant/client relationship. You should therefore not use our Website or reliance on any information, content, forms, or tools on our Website as a substitute for any kind of professional advice. Rather, you should consult with a licensed professional, including one employed by our Company, for any accounting or tax questions you may have. You agree that we will not be liable to you or to any third party to the extent you treat or consider any information, content, forms, or tools on our Website as constituting any kind of professional advice. The information and content, including but not limited to forms and tools, presented on or made available through our Website are made available solely for general information purposes. We, therefore, do not warrant the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any such information, content, forms, or tools, and any reliance you place on the same is strictly at your own risk. We disclaim all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on such materials by you or any other visitor to our Website, or by anyone who may be informed of any of its content.

Our Website provides illustrative lists of services that we provide. Nothing contained on our Website shall be construed as an offer or guarantee to provide any particular services to you, nor shall anything on our Website be construed as a direct solicitation for employment by any persons, companies, or organizations. Prior results we have obtained for others do not guarantee a similar outcome.