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TOPICS / TAX

Identity protection PIN program expands

The IRS announced that it is expanding its identity protection personal identification number (IP PIN) program to taxpayers in seven additional states.

Snipes’s collection alternative refused

The IRS did not abuse its discretion in rejecting a proposal by the film actor and producer to settle a tax debt for less than 4 cents on the dollar, the Tax Court holds.

IRS issues updates on post-shutdown activities

The IRS posted guidance for the public explaining how it will be operating now that the shutdown has ended, to catch up on its backlog in audits, collections, tax return processing, and Tax Court cases.

IRS announces Free File launch

The IRS announced that its Free File program, which provides free electronic filing options to moderate-income taxpayers, opened Jan. 11 and will operate through Oct. 15.

The IRS’s private debt collection program

Taxpayers who have been contacted by an IRS-contracted private debt collection agency may need professional representation to preserve their full array of repayment options.

IRS issues guidance on withholding for 2019

The IRS issued a notice providing interim guidance for the 2019 calendar year on income tax
withholding from wages and from retirement and annuity distributions.

Tax preparer due diligence rules are finalized

The IRS issued final regulations on the penalty that applies to tax return preparers who fail to exercise due diligence in preparing returns for taxpayers who are claiming head-of-household filing status, the earned income tax credit, the child tax credit, the additional child tax credit, or the American opportunity tax credit.

Qualified joint ventures for spouses

A married couple can avoid the partnership filing requirements for a business they co-own by electing to be treated as a qualified joint venture.

D.C. Circuit upholds IRS unenrolled tax preparer program

The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit held that the AICPA had standing to challenge the IRS’s Annual Filing Season Program for unenrolled tax preparers but further held that the program did not violate the Administrative Procedure Act.

FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Flip out with the latest Tech Q&A

The September Technology Q&A column shows how to create dynamic to-do lists with Excel's checkboxes and also how to set up multifactor authentication texts that don't rely on phones. Flip through both items and view a video walkthrough in our digital format.