COVID-19 news and information

Having made significant progress in the ongoing effort against fraudulent employee retention credit claims, IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said the agency has entered a new phase of increasing scrutiny on dubious submissions while renewing consumer warnings against aggressive marketing.

The IRS issues final regulations that allow for the assessment of erroneous refunds of COVID-19 related paid sick leave, family leave, and employee retention credits.

With COVID-19 no longer considered a national emergency, the IRS will return to public hearings for proposed regulations published in the Federal Register beginning in May while keeping telephone access as an option.

The IRS Office of Professional Responsibility issued a bulletin that reviews the Circular 230 professional responsibilities that apply to claims for the employee retention credit.

The three-day forums, last held in person in 2019, are designed specifically for CPAs and other tax professionals.

In determining the beginning of the lookback period for refund claims for returns with due dates postponed by Notice 2021-21 or Notice 2020-23, the IRS will disregard the periods from April 15, 2020, to July 15, 2020, and from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021. This change will align the lookback periods with the postponed return filing due dates.