Skip to main content

Wisconsin Identity Verification Quiz

Question:

I received a letter from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue requiring me to take an identity verification quiz. I have never received correspondence like this before. Is this legitimate, and, if so, how does the quiz process work?

Answer:

Yes, the letter is legitimate. Identity theft for the purpose of filing false income tax returns to receive refunds has become a major issue that the Wisconsin DOR hopes to resolve through the Identity Verification quiz. Feel free to visit the Wisconsin DOR website to view the ID Verification information page or call at (608) 266-2772.

The instructions for the quiz are detailed on the letter you received from DOR. Only those who receive the letter need to complete the quiz. The ID quiz is, in reality, simply a verification of your identity. Once you receive the letter, you will have 20 days to take the four-question quiz either online or over the phone, and you will know the quiz results upon completion. If passed, processing of the return continues. If failed, you will have another opportunity to take the quiz with four different questions. Failure of the second quiz means that you must mail the following documentation to DOR to prove your identity: a copy of the letter, a copy of a document that has your full name and photograph (e.g. driver’s license), and a copy of a document that has your full name and complete address used on the tax return (e.g. bank statement). Once your identity is confirmed, your income tax return will be processed.

Comments

  1. Is there a timeline on when I should receive this letter? I filed electronically last week, and when I checked on the status this morning, it said that identity verification is required. I haven't received the letter yet, and was wondering when it might arrive.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Church Car Purchase for Pastor

Question: A church would like to purchase a car for the pastor's use. What is the best method to accomplish this goal? Should the car be titled in the pastor's name? What will be the tax consequences of this arrangement? Answer: The church has two main alternatives for this purchase:  Title the car in the pastor's name and reimburse him for business expenses Title it in the church's name and treat personal use as taxable compensation There are fewer immediate tax consequences for the latter. Since both are viable options, we will discuss both situations in this post. If the church chooses to give the car to the pastor and register it in his name, he is free to use it for whatever personal use he desires with no tax consequences. However, the fair value of the car is taxable as compensation at the time it is given to the pastor. Internal Revenue Code section 102(c) clearly states that gifts given to employees by their employers are taxable compensation. The...

Can Form 4361 be filed after the deadline?

Question:   Is it possible to opt out of Social Security after the 2-year deadline? Answer:  Unlike other employees, a licensed or ordained minister has the option to opt out of Social Security and Medicare (FICA). If a minister wants to opt out they must file Form 4361 by the tax deadline including extension, in the second year in which they have received ministerial income of $400 or more. This election is final, and the minister cannot opt back into FICA taxes.  At MinistryCPA, we have received questions from ministers who have exceeded the two year deadline and desire to opt-out. There have been several court cases which provide guidance in answering this question. Some have argued that the minister was unaware of the deadline, had mistakenly believed they had filed a timely election, were given incorrect advice by an IRS employee, or their opposition to participate in Social Security and Medicare did not arise until after the 2-year deadline had passed. In each of th...

Rental of a Church Parsonage to a Non-Minister

Question: A church owns a parsonage, but the pastor does not use it as he owns his own home. The church rents the parsonage to a tenant other than a minister or employee of the church. Will the church be responsible for paying income tax on these monies as Unrelated Business Income (filing a Form 990-T) even if the money is used to carry on the business of the church? Answer: Whether the money is used for church purposes is irrelevant.  IRS Publication 598  states: "If an exempt organization regularly carries on a trade or business not substantially related to its exempt purpose, except that it provides funds to carry out that purpose, the organization is subject to tax on its income from that unrelated trade or business." Fortunately, in the case of rental income from real property, such income is "excluded in computing unrelated business taxable income" (Publication 598). Caution: see content below regarding debt-financed property.  However, a second concern not a...