Most small businesses in the United States have entered the electronic age-especially when it comes to using QuickBooks, Peachtree and other accounting software. No one is more aware of this trend than the Internal Revenue Service and its auditors.

Intuit is offering free use of its Tax Online tax preparation system from the filing of extensions through October 16. The company says the offer is good for new and existing customers. Intuit also says that it it plans to add states and 1041 forms for the 2011 version of the product, along with providing improved application performance.

The Internal Revenue Service has determined that employer-provided cell phones are not taxable fringe benefits. That guidance was issued relating to a provision of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 that removed cell phones from the definition of listed property.

H&R Block said this week it would not offer a refund anticipation loan program during the 2012 tax. That was something of an academic statement since it did not offer them in 2011 and there's not enough money to go around to all the parties that previously provided RALs with most banks withdrawing or forced out of the market by regulators.