Hitendral Patil has joined the software company AccountantsWorld as director of practice development. He joined the Hauppauge, N.Y.-based company after serving in management with outsourcer Pransform. Patil's LinkedIn profile shows he moved into the new job this month.

The mileage rates used to calculate deductible costs for operating automobiles for business, medical and moving purposes will drop next year. The Internal Revenue Service has issued the rates for those purposes and for miles driven in service of charitable organizations beginning January 1.

Tax season will begin on January 23 when the Internal Revenue Service begins accepting electronic returns and processing paper ones. The IRS expects more than 153 million individual tax returns to be filed this year. They are due on or before April 18.