Welcome to the FEA Home Page.
Here is another opportunity to volunteer and have fun at the same time.
Bill Shaw,
HUD, is coordinating this event again this year and needs our help.
Attached is the FEA volunteer registration form that we need you to
complete if you are going to volunteer this year. Bill keeps a
list of volunteers, and their email addresses, so he can communicate
with you prior to the Mini-Marathon and to ask for volunteers in
subsequent years.
This year's mini-marathon is on Saturday, May 8, 2010. Please
consider volunteering and sending in your registration form. It
always is a lot of fun, and a good way to let people know that federal
employees support our community. Thanks for your help. What
a great reason to get you out of bed early early on a Saturday so you
can go downtown to fill a bunch of cups with water and Gatorade. Ha ha
Really, it is a lot of fun and great to participate in. Thanks and have
a great day.
Employee of the Year
NOMINATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED
ON OR BEFORE 3:00 PM ON
MARCH 29, 2010.
Throughout my career one of the marks of a good manager and supervisor
is how many times their employees are submitted for an award. Not
how many awards their employees won, but how many times they were
submitted. We are all short on time and long on duties but I
challenge you to take the extra time and consider your employees for the
hard work and dedication they have shown to you and your agency.
The Employee of the Year nominations are
now being accepted. The nomination package is attached. I have
also attached a flyer to be printed and routed through your agency in
hopes of increasing participation. Please consider nominating
employees at your agency. Thanks, Scott
IMPORTANT FEATURES
-
The size of the nomination package you must prepare has been
substantially reduced.
-
The Administrative category has 2 awards: Grades 9 and below,
and Grades 10 and above.
-
The Law Enforcement category has 3 awards: Law Enforcement
Support and Administration, Sworn Law Enforcement Officer, and
Public Safety Personnel.
I hope you have a great day and GOOD LUCK in the
competition.
New Photos Posted..check 'em out in the Photo
Gallery Feb 2010
Newly Revised Tax Guide Features Recovery Tax Breaks;
Helps People Save on their 2009 Taxes
Dec. 4, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS — Taxpayers can get the most out of new recovery tax
breaks and get a jump on preparing their 2009 federal income tax returns
by consulting a newly revised comprehensive tax guide now available on
IRS.gov.
Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax, features details on taking
advantage of new tax-saving opportunities, such as the making work pay
credit for most workers, American opportunity credit for parents and
college students, energy credits for homeowners going green, first-time
homebuyer credit, sales or excise tax deduction for new car buyers, and
the expanded child tax credit and earned income tax credit for low- and
moderate-income workers. This useful 308-page guide also provides more
than 6,000 interactive links to help taxpayers quickly get answers to
their questions.
Publication 17 has been published annually by the IRS for more than
65 years and has been available on the IRS Web site since 1996. As in
prior years, this publication is packed with basic tax-filing
information and tips on what income to report and how to report it,
figuring capital gains and losses, claiming dependents, choosing the
standard deduction versus itemizing deductions, and using IRAs to save
for retirement.
To get Publication 17, go to www.irs.gov and enter “17” in the
search box in the upper right corner of the home page. Those who do not
have access to the Internet can call 1-800-TAX-FORM (829-3676) to
request a free copy from the IRS. Printed copies will be available in
January 2010.
Besides Publication 17, IRS.gov offers many other helpful resources
for those doing year-end tax planning. Many 2009 forms are already
posted, and updated versions of other forms, instructions and
publications are being posted almost every day. Forms already available
include Form 1040, short Forms 1040A and 1040EZ, Schedule A for
itemizing deductions, new Schedule L for those increasing their standard
deduction by real-estate taxes paid, sales or excise taxes on new car
purchases or a net disaster loss, and new Schedule M for claiming
the making work pay credit.
In addition, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Information Center features a variety of recovery-related videos,
podcasts, tax tips and answers to frequently-asked questions.
Tax
Credits Help Homeowners Winterize their Homes, Save Energy
IR-2009-98, Oct. 29, 2009
People can now weatherize their homes and be rewarded for their
efforts. According to the Internal Revenue Service, homeowners making
energy-saving improvements this fall can cut their winter heating bills
and lower their 2009 tax bill as well.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act), enacted
earlier this year, expanded two home energy tax credits: the
non-business energy property credit and the residential energy efficient
property credit.
Non-business Energy Property Credit
This credit equals 30 percent of what a homeowner spends on eligible
energy-saving improvements, up to a maximum tax credit of $1,500 for the
combined 2009 and 2010 tax years. The cost of certain high-efficiency
heating and air conditioning systems, water heaters and stoves that burn
biomass all qualify, along with labor costs for installing these items.
In addition, the cost of energy-efficient windows and skylights,
energy-efficient doors, qualifying insulation and certain roofs also
qualify for the credit, though the cost of installing these items does
not count.
By spending as little as $5,000 before the end of the year on
eligible energy-saving improvements, a homeowner can save as much as
$1,500 on his or her 2009 federal income tax return. Due to limits based
on tax liability, other credits claimed by a particular taxpayer and
other factors, actual tax savings will vary. These tax savings are on
top of any energy savings that may result.
Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit
Homeowners going green should also check out a second tax credit
designed to spur investment in alternative energy equipment. The
residential energy efficient property credit, equals 30 percent of what
a homeowner spends on qualifying property such as solar electric
systems, solar hot water heaters, geothermal heat pumps, wind turbines,
and fuel cell property. Generally, labor costs are included when
calculating this credit. Also, no cap exists on the amount of
credit available except in the case of fuel cell property.
Not all energy-efficient improvements qualify for these tax credits.
For that reason, homeowners should check the manufacturer’s tax credit
certification statement before purchasing or installing any of these
improvements. The certification statement can usually be found on the
manufacturer’s website or with the product packaging. Normally, a
homeowner can rely on this certification. The IRS cautions that
the manufacturer’s certification is different from the Department of
Energy’s Energy Star label, and not all Energy Star labeled products
qualify for the tax credits.
Eligible homeowners can claim both of these credits when they file
their 2009 federal income tax return. Because these are credits, not
deductions, they increase a taxpayer’s refund or reduce the tax he or
she owes. An eligible taxpayer can claim these credits, regardless of
whether he or she itemizes deductions on Schedule A. Use Form 5695,
Residential Energy Credits, to figure and claim these credits. A draft
version of this form is available now on IRS.gov.
