Tag: IRS

FAQ: Kansas State Property Taxes

With tax deadlines right around the corner we get asked a lot of questions about property taxes before, during and even after closing. Part of our job during the closing process is to make sure you and your clients understand what is on the settlement statement before signing. The following are the most frequently asked questions we hear regarding real estate taxes:

Q – When are real estate taxes in Kansas due?

A – Taxes are paid in December and May.

Example: Annual taxes are due in December of every year but the second half of the payment may be deferred until May of the following year.  Therefore, most real estate taxes are paid in two installments in December and May.  For example, the first half of 2019 taxes were due on December 20, 2019 and the second half will be due on May 10, 2020. 

Q – When will I receive my tax statement?

A – Tax statements are sent out by your county treasurer’s office on or after November 1st but no later than December 15th each year. You can also look them up online at the county treasurer’s website..

Q – I paid this year’s taxes, why is it showing up on my settlement statement that I have to pay it again?

A – Taxes for the year 2019 are due in December of 2019 and May of 2020. We make sure that all of 2019 taxes are paid at the time of closing and if they are not, we put the payment on the settlement statement to pay them current.  The other real estate tax payment appearing on a settlement statement  is a tax proration. If a closing happened in April of 2020 and all of 2019 taxes are paid in full the sellers will give the buyers a credit for the time the Sellers owned the real estate from January 1st to the date of closing. Then, when 2020 taxes are assessed and become due in December 2020, the Buyer is responsible for paying the 2020 taxes in full.

Q – I closed in October, why did I receive a tax statement, shouldn’t this go to the new owners?

A – Yes, however when closing happens so close to issuing statements, the county offices do not always have time to get addresses and ownership updated in their system before statements are issued and sent out. If you paid your taxes through closing you will not have to pay them again.

If you have other questions regarding property taxes we are here to help answer them. Our team at Tallgrass Title is very knowledgeable and eager to assist.

Intro to 1031 Exchanges

Sam and Mary Lou bought a pasture in 1972 for about $20,000. They are ready to sell it now and know that someone would pay about $80,000 for it. They will incur about $60,000 of capital gain and will be subject to tax on this amount. At the same time, they would like to purchase a pasture closer to their home. Luckily for this couple, the IRC (Internal Revenue Code) allows for real estate owners to defer capital gains tax through a like-kind exchange.

What are the steps involved in a 1031 exchange?

The first step is to hire an attorney or some other appropriate professional who can assist you with the exchange. There are certain documents needed to facilitate the exchange and you will need someone to draft those for you.
The second step is to complete the sale of your real estate. The real estate sold is called the relinquished property. If you are using a real estate agent, tell that person as soon as possible that you are doing an exchange. The most important part of the process is that you cannot receive the proceeds from the sale of your relinquished property. The title company will send your proceeds from the sale to a third party to hold until you purchase your replacement property. If the proceeds are given to you, they are immediately taxable.
The third step is to identify your replacement property and complete the purchase. During the closing, your title company will collect the proceeds from the third party, then apply them towards the purchase price.

What are some things to keep in mind about a 1031 exchange?

There are many rules governing 1031 exchanges. You do not need to learn all of them; a professional can help guide you through the process. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
A 1031 takes some time to happen. If you are thinking about doing one, you should talk to a professional as soon as possible. Don’t wait until the week before closing to talk to someone about it, because it could cause delays.
There are certain deadlines after closing that must be met. There is a deadline from the sale of your relinquished property to identify your replacement property. There is also a deadline from the sale of your relinquished property to complete the purchase of your replacement property and officially complete the 1031 exchange.
There are also requirements for the type of property that qualifies for this treatment. The basic rule is that the property must be “investment property”. The IRS has very specific rules for what qualifies as investment property.

A 1031 transaction can sound intimidating, with a lot of information to remember. At Tallgrass Title, our closing agents are specifically trained on how to handle your 1031 exchange.

IRS Tax Scam Phone Calls

It’s that time again! Tax Season!  With tax season, come the tax scammers.  Starting in late January and early February, these are the calls that go something like this:

This is the IRS. We are contacting you regarding money you owe to the IRS.  If this money is not paid within 24 hours, a warrant for your arrest will be issued.  To avoid any further legal action please call xxx-xxx-xxxx. 

Holy cow! That is panic inducing, but do not fear, it is only a scam! Here are some clues that it is not really the IRS.

*The IRS will NOT:

  • Call you to demand immediate payment. The IRS will not call you if you owe taxes without first sending you a bill in the mail.
  • Demand tax payment and not allow you to question or appeal the amount you owe.
  • Require that you pay your taxes a certain way. For example, demand that you pay with a prepaid debit card.
  • Ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
  • Threaten to bring in local police or other agencies to arrest you without paying.
  • Threaten you with a lawsuit.

The IRS will not call you if you owe them money. They will send you notice after notice regarding what you owe, and they will send it through the United States Postal Service a/k/a regular mail.  They will not email, call, fax, or use any other type of technological service. They will send it through good old-fashioned mail.

Their notices will include not only how much you owe, but where the discrepancy was, and how they calculated any interest or late fees. They will not just throw a number at you and expect you to take their word for it.  They give evidence and hard numbers to back up their claim, and they give you, the tax payer, a chance to appeal the claim or question the amount owed.

So, if you are on the receiving end of one of these scams, do not panic. Take a deep breath. Take note of their phone number. Get the spelling of their name (it may be a fake name), and hang up the phone. You can then notify your tax preparer, and/or you can contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.  You should also report it to the Federal Trade Commission.

Contact the TIGTA at the “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page

Or

Contact the FTC at the “FTC Complaint Assistant” on FTC.gov.  Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments of your report.

Taxes are stressful enough. Do not add to your stress this year by worrying about coming up with money to pay off the IRS scammers. Just keep telling yourself;

The IRS will not call and threaten me! 

*This information was taken directly from https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/scam-calls-and-emails-using-irs-as-bait-persist. Check it out for more information regarding Tax Telephone and Phishing scams! 

For additional information check out this IRS YouTube video.

Real Estate Tax Proration in Real Estate Closings

A common question that arises during the closing process is how a real estate tax proration works in Kansas. Every county in Kansas, including Pottawatomie, Wabaunsee and Riley Counties, has a tax levied against real estate.  It is based upon the value of the property owned by an individual.  There are also different tax rates for residential, commercial and agricultural real estate.  Taxes are due for each year a person owns real estate and are charged against the owner of the real estate at the time the tax becomes due.  In Kansas, real estate taxes are not due until the month of December of the year of the accrued tax.  Additionally, the actual amount of tax is also not known until shortly before the tax is owed. So, basically, that year’s taxes are always paid at the end of the year in December.  To add further confusion, an owner of real estate may pay all the tax owed for that year in December or can pay one-half of the tax in December and pay the second half in May of the next year.

So, if you close a real estate transaction on any day besides January 1, the Seller will have occupied the real estate for a portion of the tax year and the Buyer will occupy for a portion of the tax year.  Therefore, to be fair, the Seller pays for the portion of the taxes that accrued while he occupied the real estate and the Buyer for his portion.  However, the actual tax amount is not known until around December, right?  If a transaction closes in July, how do we charge each side its amount?  As real estate taxes are based on value and value typically does not fluctuate wildly year to year, we estimate the amount of the taxes for that year based upon the previous year’s real estate taxes owed.  If your closing takes place when taxes are known, we will use the actual real estate tax figures from the county for that year.

Lastly, real estate taxes for that year cannot be paid until they come due in December.  Therefore, the Seller pays the Buyer the Seller’s portion of the taxes at the closing table.  The Buyer is then responsible for all of the taxes when they come due.  To simplify the process even further, we usually just show this as a credit at the closing table.  Meaning, we reduce the purchase price to be paid to the Seller by the Buyer by the amount of the real estate taxes that are the responsibility of the Seller.

Real estate taxes in Kansas can be quite confusing.  Therefore, if you have additional questions about real estate taxes in your closing, simply call our office for further assistance.  That’s why we are here!