Be Prepared for Natural Disasters: With tornado season in full force and the start of hurricane season, the IRS encourages taxpayers (including practitioners) to have safeguards in place in the event a natural disaster does strike. The IRS suggests maintaining a backup set of records for insurance policies, tax returns, and other key financial documents. This can be done by saving electronic copies of statements, or scanning original documents that are paper only, and storing them on an external hard drive or burning to a CD or DVD. [ Editor's Note: Equally important to safeguarding records is safeguarding lives. Tips are available at http://www.ready.gov/natural-disasters .] Documentation of valuables should be done by photographing or videotaping the contents of the office or home, particularly high value items. Taxpayers affected by a disaster can talk to an IRS specialist trained in disaster-related issues at (866) 562-5227. Copies of previously filed tax returns and attachments can be requested by filing Form 4506 (Request for Copy of Tax Return) or transcripts of a return can be obtained by filing Form 4506-T (Request for Transcript of Tax Return).

If you have any questions about preparing for natural disasters, or any other questions about the 2013 filing season, please contact our office at 813-282-3400.