IRS - Telephone Tax Refund - Would this qualify?

Question

I'm doing my taxes and wondering if I qualify for the Telephone Tax Refund. I've had a cell phone with Cingular since 2002. I'm not sure if I was paying "Long distance" tax, but I would make the assumption I was.

Has anyone run into this? Can I call Cingular and ask them to verify it?

I know it applies to landlines, VOIPs, and cell phones.

Answer 1

Unless you specifically requested a local-only plan, your Cingular plan would almost certainly qualify. It doesn't matter if your long-distance service is bundled or billed separately. A phone call to Cingular should verify this for you.

Answer 2

Here is an article that should help with your question:

Avoid telephone tax refund mistakes
Source: ConsumerAffairs.com

The Internal Revenue Service says many taxpayers are making basic mistakes in applying for the one-time telephone excise tax refund, while others are requesting excessive refunds or simply missing out on the refunds altogether.

“We encourage taxpayers to take a few minutes and review the details of the telephone-tax refund,” said IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson. “A little extra time will reduce the chance for a mistake, avoid a refund delay and possibly add a few dollars onto refund checks.”

The government stopped collecting the long-distance excise tax last August after several federal court decisions held that the tax does not apply to long-distance service as it is billed today. The tax was first imposed in 1898 as a “luxury” tax to help pay for the Spanish-American War...

For full article see:

http://www.loanmadeeasy.org/nj.php?DLINK=/press/articles/avoid_telephone_tax_refund_mistakes&TITLE=Avoid+telephone+tax+refund+mistakes

Answer 3

If you can make long distance calls, whether or not there is an additional charge for the calls or long distance coverage, you can claim the credit. Virtually all Cingular plans include long distance calling, so that would qualify.

Answer 4

It will qulaify, just make sure you stay in the range of $30-$60 though otherwise you run the risk of an audit by the IRS

Answer 5

Cell phones are included if they had long distance service, either charged separately or with a bundled cost.