If the federal government collected enough taxes to meet 2012 federal spending, Tax Freedom Day would have come 27 days later — on May 14, 2012. And unless Congress acts to prevent tax increases scheduled for 2013, next year’s Tax Freedom Day will be eleven days later than in 2012, and the average American household will pay $3,800 more in taxes.

Either way, set aside your guilt. Financial planning means creating effective strategies that work for you — which can include forcing yourself to save by overpaying your income tax during the year.

The more important consideration is what you do with the money you get back. Here are ideas for making the most of your refund.

* Save. The unexpected happens. The question is, how do you pay the resulting bills? Parking part of your refund in a readily accessible location, such as a bank checking, savings, or money market account, will help you weather short-term, temporary setbacks without incurring penalties or transaction fees.

* Spend. Spending your refund wisely can get your finances in shape and pay off over the long run. For instance, home improvements like energy-efficient windows or a new water heater may result in lower electric and insurance bills. Refinancing your mortgage reduces your monthly cash outlay, freeing money for investing or saving. Ditto for paying down high-interest credit cards — so long as you resist the urge to reload them.

* Self-invest. Using your refund to refresh your current career-related skills or to learn new ones can provide a double benefit: more employment opportunities and tax savings. Unsure of your job security? Put your refund to work by financing a home-based business and creating a second stream of income.

Give us a call for assistance related to your tax withholding, estimated tax payments, or tax refund.

* You have until April 17 to make a tax-deductible IRA contribution for 2011. If you qualify, you could contribute up to $5,000 and have it count as a deduction against last year’s taxes. If you were 50 years old or older last year, your maximum contribution is $6,000.

* Even if you’ve already made your 2011 contribution to a Roth IRA, it may not be too late to make a change. You may be able to recharacterize your contribution as a traditional IRA contribution and take the deduction. You’ll need to set up a traditional IRA, make a trustee-to-trustee transfer, and report it on your 2011 tax return. Get details before you try this to make sure you avoid any tax traps.

*If you’re self-employed, there’s still time to set up a SEP-IRA for your business. You have until the due date of your return, including extensions, to set up the plan and make a contribution from 2011 earnings. SEP-IRAs are relatively easy to establish and flexible to manage.

Contact our office if you’re interested in any of these ideas. We can help determine whether you qualify and guide you through the process.

 A growing number of businesses are using the barter system to supplement their normal purchasing activity. Bartering is a payment method in which goods and services are exchanged between parties in lieu of cash.

In a simple bartering arrangement, two parties trade items of similar value. For example, let’s say your business owns a building located next to a telephone company. An Internet service provider might be interested in putting its servers in an unused portion of your basement and, instead of paying you rent, offers to provide you with a high-speed Internet connection and a website.

Before you consider jumping on the bartering bandwagon, though, it is important to be aware of the tax consequences of these transactions. While your first thought might be that bartering is a simple exchange of goods or services with no tax implications, the tax authorities have other ideas.

The IRS requires that the fair market value of goods or services received in a bartering transaction be recognized as taxable income. However, the business can deduct the fair market value of the business goods or services that were tendered in exchange. A bartering arrangement doesn’t always result in a deduction immediately equal to the income you recognized. For example, you might provide a service and recognize income immediately in exchange for some equipment you’ll end up depreciating over several years.

Records of bartering transactions should be maintained just like ordinary transactions to maintain compliance with sales tax laws.

The growth of bartering has also led to a number of companies that bring parties together and facilitate bartered transactions. Such companies operate much like a bank, whereby clients register with them and earn “trade” credits in an account that can be used against future transactions. The normal fee structure is a one-time registration fee with a fee per transaction based on its dollar value.

If you have any questions about bartering, please give us a call.

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Promoters of the scheme target senior citizens, low-income individuals, and members of church congregations. The con artists say they can get a tax refund or stimulus payments based on the American Opportunity Tax Credit, even if the taxpayer was not enrolled in or paying for college.

Victims of these scams can lose the upfront fees they are asked to pay to have the promoters file these claims on their behalf.

The IRS also warns taxpayers to be careful of these scams because they are legally responsible for the accuracy of any tax return filed and will have to repay any refunds received in error, plus penalties and interest. They may also face criminal prosecution.

In its notice about the promotion of these bogus refund claims, the IRS cautions taxpayers to beware of any of the following:

* Fictitious claims for refunds or rebates based on false statements of entitlement to tax credits.

* Unfamiliar for-profit tax services selling refund and credit schemes to the membership of local churches.

* Internet solicitations that direct individuals to toll-free numbers and then solicit social security numbers.

* Homemade flyers and brochures implying credits or refunds are available without proof of eligibility.

* Offers of free money with no documentation required.

* Promises of refunds for “Low Income — No Documents Tax Returns.”

* Claims for the expired Economic Recovery Credit Program or for economic stimulus payments.

* Unsolicited offers to prepare a return and split the refund.

* Unfamiliar return preparation firms soliciting business from cities outside of the normal business or commuting area.

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* Here’s an example. Say you want to sell a piece of property for $10,000 cash. A potential buyer offers $5,000 cash down, and $5,500 one year from now. How does the buyer’s offer compare to your terms?

If you receive the entire $10,000 today, let’s assume you could earn 5% on the money. A year from now you’ll have $10,500, which is referred to as the “future value” of $10,000.

On the other hand, the future value of the buyer’s offer turns out to be $10,750, which is the sum of the payment one year from now ($5,500) plus the future value of the down payment ($5,250). If the buyer has good credit, you may be better off taking the buyer’s offer.

* Calculate present value. Another way to evaluate this kind of offer is to compare the “present value” of both alternatives. Using a financial calculator or special financial table, and still assuming you can earn 5% on your money, the present value of the buyer’s offer is calculated to be $10,238, compared to a present value of $10,000 for a lump-sum cash payment. A higher present value means a better deal for you, so the buyer’s offer is more attractive.

If you’re on the other side of a transaction (buying something), time-value concepts can also help you make better decisions. For example, a time-value analysis can help you decide whether to buy or lease a car. You can also use time value to analyze investment alternatives, negotiate a divorce settlement, or hammer out the best possible deal when leasing real estate or business equipment.

If you’re about to enter into any financial arrangement that requires you to pay money over time, or entitles you to receive periodic payments, time value could be an important issue. Before you sign on the dotted line, let us help you work through the numbers.

Normally, a failure-to-pay penalty of one-half of one percent per month, up to a 25% maximum, is charged for overdue taxes. The “Fresh Start Penalty Relief” initiative gives eligible taxpayers a six-month extension to fully pay 2011 taxes — that is, until October 15, 2012, before the penalty begins to apply. Interest of 3% will still be assessed starting from April 17, 2012.

The penalty relief is available to workers who have been unemployed at least 30 consecutive days during 2011 or 2012 and to self-employed individuals who experienced a 25% or larger reduction in business income in 2011 due to the economy. Income limits apply: the relief is not available to singles with adjusted gross income over $100,000 or to couples with income over $200,000. Also, taxes due cannot exceed $50,000.

The Fresh Start program also changes the eligibility threshold for streamlined installment agreements from $25,000 to $50,000 and increases the maximum term from five to six years.

For details or assistance, contact our office @ 718-356-5178.

Here’s how the rules work. Once you reach age 70½, you must start taking annual distributions from your traditional IRAs. Normally these distributions must occur by December 31 of each year. But a special rule lets you defer the first distribution until April of the year after you reach age 70½. So if you turned 70½ last year, April 2 is the deadline for your 2011 distribution. Be aware that you’ll still need to take your 2012 RMD before the end of this year.

Generally, the amount of the RMD for any year is based on your age. You take the balance in all your traditional IRAs as of the last day of the previous year, and divide by a factor representing your life expectancy. The IRS has published a standard life expectancy table to use in the calculation. Special rules might apply if your spouse is more than ten years younger than you are.

Because all or part of your distribution may be taxable income, it is important to include RMDs in your tax planning. Ideally you should start planning for RMDs several years before you reach age 70½. But whether you’re planning in advance or looking at a distribution on April 2, contact our office for more detailed advice.

The RMD rules don’t apply to Roth IRAs. Unless you’re still working, this deadline also applies to your other retirement accounts.