Drake Software blog for tax pros, covering tax, IRS news, and more

Bob Williams

Forget genes; I’ve got words in my DNA. Communication has been part of who I am nearly all my life. From a long career in radio news to another one in newspapers – and a University of Georgia journalism degree sandwiched between the two – language has been my life. I’ve also been fortunate to have learned the tax business from the ground up here at Drake, starting with 1040.com online forms some years ago before moving on to work on the Web. In all things tax-ish, we aim to give you tools you can use.

Dirty Dozen: Keep an Ear Out for Phone Scams

Bob Williams - March 06, 2019

The April tax filing deadline is fast approaching and scammers are sure to take advantage of it, attempting to steal money or personal information from taxpayers and tax pros alike.…

Dirty Dozen: Phishing Not Just Aimed at Taxpayers Anymore

Bob Williams - March 05, 2019

The Internal Revenue Service kicked off its annual “Dirty Dozen” list of tax scams this week, and used the occasion to spotlight phishing schemes.…

Calling the IRS? Here’s What You Need to Know

Bob Williams - March 04, 2019

Tax professionals calling the IRS for help will have to answer a question before they can ask one. Tax pros and taxpayers will all have to verify their identities before they can get telephone help from the Internal Revenue Service help desks.…

House Members Want More Data on New Design 1040

Bob Williams - February 26, 2019

Is the “new, improved” Form 1040 actually helpful to taxpayers – or do the design changes actually make filing taxes more of a chore? Two congressmen on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee are trying to get some answers.…

Cincinnati Tax Processing Center to Be Closed

Bob Williams - February 07, 2019

The Internal Revenue Service is reminding the nation’s tax professionals that, by the end of 2019, the IRS’ Cincinnati Tax Processing Center will be closed.…

Private Debt Collectors Recovered Just 2 Percent of Owed Taxes

Bob Williams - February 05, 2019

In 2017 the IRS embarked on a familiar quest: to collect outstanding taxes from delinquent taxpayers. Some members of Congress thought private industry could succeed where the IRS had fallen short previously, and inserted language into a highway funding bill that mandated the IRS use private debt collection firms to recover the back taxes.…

TIGTA Finds Successes and Shortfalls in IRS 2018 Filing Season

Bob Williams - February 01, 2019

As we get into the 2019 income tax filing season, an audit of the previous filing season has good news and bad news for the Internal Revenue Service.…

IRS Adds Tax Reform Resources for Businesses on its Website

Bob Williams - January 30, 2019

A lot has been said and written about the tax reform legislation that went into effect in 2017. Termed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the new law made some big changes to the tax code aimed at helping business. But despite the press attention, the law’s bottom line for business isn’t always easy to predict.…

Shedding Light on the Dark Web

Bob Williams - December 12, 2018

If an identity thief manages to steal a tax preparer’s client data, where does it go? An IRS investigator gives us a chilling roadmap for stolen data’s journey—from closely guarded identification to illegal commodity.…

Tax Security Awareness Week Slated Dec. 3-7

Bob Williams - November 27, 2018

The Internal Revenue Service, along with its Security Summit industry partners, is sponsoring a national campaign next week to promote better practices to protect sensitive tax and financial data.…