Taxes are the bane of many businesses. Often, they’re difficult to do and take up time and money. For those in Illinois, MyTax Illinois makes it easier to do your tax paperwork.
If you are a business owner in Illinois, MyTax Illinois is a tool to help you. A basic definition is a place for managing tax accounts. Yet, there is much more to it than that and Founder’s CPA assists you with the complications and hassle. Here is a solid guide to understanding MyTax Illinois and its features and benefits.
What Is MyTax Illinois?
According to the MyTax Illinois website:
MyTax Illinois is a free online account management program that offers a centralized location, provided by the Illinois Department of Revenue, for businesses.
This tool ensures an easier way for businesses to do all things tax-related. Think of it as a one-stop area for all your tax-related needs. A place to file, pay, and manage an account.
What Type of Tools Are Available?
Businesses are able to do the following at MyTax Illinois:
- Register for taxes
- File returns
- Make payments
- Manage their tax accounts
Businesses have a multitude of forms and actions including:
- File forms IL-990-T
- File forms IL-1041
- Zero Wage Report (Form UI-3/40)
- Tax rate finder
- Verify a registered business
- Verify a Sales Tax Exemption number (E-number)
- Register a new business
- Apply for or renew a Sales Tax Exemption
- File a Use Tax Return (Form ST-44)
There are other forms too. For instance, Abusive Tax Avoidance Transactions and Motor Fuel Refunds links are available. You may not use all the services or links found at the site. Yet, it is an all-encompassing site for most every need that deals with taxes.
How Do I Know if I’m Eligible to Activate a MyTax Illinois Account?
The first thing a new business needs to do is to visit the MyTax Illinois site and set up access. Do this by clicking the “sign up now” button and providing information about your company. It takes a minute or two for IDOR to verify your submitted information. An email arrives with an authorization code to finish the sign-up process and verify your account.
One thing to keep in mind is that a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) is for all businesses and a Social Security number for all sole proprietors. This means that all the tax types under your FEIN or SSN will be in one MyTax Illinois Account. If you get a new FEIN you will need a new MyTax Illinois account.
You are a master user who can grant others access if you are the one to activate the account at MyTax Illinois. A master user is typically the owner of the business. That owner is in charge of who gains access and of setting up the account. That is unless the owner grants permission to a tax service or entity that does their taxes. A master user can also be the person who set up the account yet allows someone else to use it.
Determining Eligibility
There are three ways that the MyTax Illinois site determines eligibility:
- The business must already have registered with the Illinois Department of Revenue. This also applies to those who have a recent Form IL-1040 individual income tax return.
- Or, have a tax account already available at MyTax Illinois.
- And, know the individual identification information and specific business information for activation.
The Box System
For some, the box system may be confusing. There are four colors represented in the entry boxes at MyTax Illinois. They are white, red, green, and yellow.
A white box in the field represents a view-only area.
A yellow field means there is required information to enter.
A green box is always optional information.
A red box implies that there is an error you need to fix. This is easily determined by clicking within the red box to see what the error is.
If you are in doubt, simply click the box to find out how to proceed.
Other Helpful Resources
MyTax Illinois offers other helpful resources that include links like:
- Audit Information
- Collection Information
- Employment Security (Unemployment)
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Site
- Other Helpful Links
- Other State’s Sites
- What are my Rights?
They even offer ways to file and pay taxes, including tax-prep software.
MyTax Illinois also handles individual taxes. According to The Edwardsville Intelligencer:
MyTax Illinois will begin accepting individual income tax returns on January 28. Taxpayers can file their Forms IL-1040 for free using MyTax Illinois. Individuals may also utilize MyTax Illinois to make payments, check the status of their Illinois Individual Income Tax refunds using the “Where’s My Refund?” link, and look up their IL-PINs, amounts of any estimated tax payments they have made, and (when necessary) amount reported on Form1099-G.
This makes it easy for individuals who own businesses but it won’t take care of all their tax needs. Instead, Founder’s CPA does it all.
We Help You Along With MyTax Illinois
Taxes don’t have to be stressful or difficult — even for businesses where taxes are complex. The resources are there at no charge so it is important for businesses in Illinois to utilize all of the available help. This frees up time for other important tasks dealing with your business. Life (and taxes) is complicated enough as it is, why not use resources that make it easier?
MyTax Illinois helps you perform tax tasks, submit paperwork, download files, and more. Yet, a tax service helps take all the headaches away. Combined together, it’s a powerhouse of two services that ensure anything to do with taxes remains easy and less stressful. Contact Founder’s CPA for a free consultation to see how we make it easier on you for all of your tax needs.
