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Minnesota Tax Attorneys: Corporate Deadlines on March 17, 2014

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Minnesota tax attorneys and attorneys in other states warn their clients that there are two important IRS deadlines next Monday, March 17, 2014.

First, corporate income tax returns are due for corporations with fiscal year ending on December 31, 2013. Normally, the deadline would be on March 15, but because this date falls on Saturday, the deadline in 2014 is March 17.

If you are not ready to file corporate income tax return, you can request an extension using Form 7004 for an additional six months until September 15, 2014. Note, if you file an extension, you still must pay the corporate taxes due by March 17, 2014 (in such a case, Minnesota tax attorneys estimate the final tax liability of the corporation for 2013 and ask their corporate clients to pay the amount due with extension). As Minnesota tax attorneys advise, in most cases, EFTPS system should be used by the corporations to make such a payment.

Minnesota tax attorneys also warn about a second important deadline on March 17 ,2014. This deadline concerns the Subchapter S election for the corporations with tax years ending on December 31, 2013. The corporation can make such an election no later than two months and fifteen days after the beginning of the tax year in which the election is to take place. Again, since March 15 is Saturday, the deadline for this election is moved to March 17, 2014.

Whether your corporation may benefit from becoming an S-corporation is a question that depends on your particular facts. In such case, Minnesota tax attorneys weigh in multiple consideration, legal and tax, before giving an advice to their corporation clients.

Of course, corporations with fiscal years ending on a date other than December 31, 2013, have their own deadlines, but the rule behind calculating the deadlines in such cases are similar. Therefore, you should contact your Minnesota tax attorney to determine the exact due date of the income tax return of your corporation.

Tax Lawyers in Minneapolis: Three Most Important Questions You Should Ask

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When you are about to hire a tax lawyer to help you with a tax issue, there are three fundamental questions that you need to ask him.

1. What percentage of the practice is devoted to the tax law? The purpose of this question is two-fold. First, you will figure out whether this tax lawyer likes handling cases in your area of law. If a Minneapolis attorney devotes more than 20% of his practice to tax law, you know that he likes this area of law and will be enthusiastic about your case. This means that, in addition to his general due diligence obligations, this tax lawyer will have a professional interest in your case. Second, generally, a tax lawyer who devotes 20% or more of his practice to tax law is likely to have good experience in this area.

2. How will I be billed? Generally, Minneapolis tax lawyers will bill you on an hourly basis, particularly in a tax litigation setting. They will provide you with a general estimate of your future expenses, which, understandably, will vary with the progress of the case. In a tax preparation or sometimes even in a simple tax planning case, a tax attorney may also offer a flat fee option. Where there are complex tax planning issues involved, however, most Minneapolis tax lawyers are likely to charge on an hourly basis. Similarly, Minneapolis international tax lawyers tend to rely on the hourly fee arrangements.

The more important issue with regard to this question is the manner in which you will be billed. Here, the practice varies among tax lawyers in Minneapolis. Some tax attorneys may require you to supply a large retainer which is later deposited in a client’s trust account; if the retainer is later depleted, your lawyer may ask you to replenish it. Other tax lawyers will require a smaller retainer and will then bill you on a monthly basis. If the latter option is proposed by your tax lawyer, you should ask for a sufficient time period (usually 10-14 days) to pay your bill. A mix of these options is also available. You will find that Minneapolis tax lawyers, especially solo practitioners, are rather flexible in their choice of the payment mode, but, once the fee agreement is signed, they will be firm in insisting that you comply with the terms of the agreement.

3. Will the tax lawyer devote his personal attention to your case? This question is very important, especially in the context of mid-size and large law firms, because in those firms the partner with whom you signed the agreement will generally delegate some of his responsibilities to his associates, who are generally less experienced in the area than the partner. In this case, you should insist that the tax attorney with whom you signed the agreement devotes his personal attention to your case and delegates only marginal matters to his associates. Generally, tax lawyers in Minneapolis who operate as solo practitioners or in small firms do not have similar problems.

The other important issue involved in this question is whether your tax attorney is generally responsive to your calls and keeps you up-to-date with respect to the progress of your case. Most tax lawyers in Minneapolis are very busy people; yet, you must insist that you would be able to communicate with them. In my practice, I devote a great deal of energy and time to make sure that my clients do not feel neglected and have the latest information about their case. For example, my firm has a rule of returning most calls within two hours after the client calls. I also make sure that the communication details are discussed during the first meeting. Usually, in additional to bi-weekly phone updates, I also send out a monthly written update, which generally includes a brief summary of events and copies of all relevant documents and materials, including communications with the other party.

In conclusion, by asking these three questions to tax attorneys in Minneapolis, you will make sure that the tax lawyer you are choosing is congruent to your interests and character.