The IRS announced that it is expanding its identity protection personal identification number (IP PIN) program to taxpayers in seven additional states.
IRS practice & procedure
Tax preparer due-diligence rules are finalized
Preparer penalties now also apply to erroneous head-of-household filing status.
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.
Government shutdown ends in time for tax season
The partial shutdown of the federal government ended just in time to allow the full IRS workforce to return to work for the start of tax season.
Paid preparer’s checklist expands to include head-of-household, other tax credit questions
Practitioners should be aware of changes to the due-diligence requirements for returns that claim the earned income tax credit, the American opportunity tax credit, and/or the child tax credit.
Some individual taxpayers get relief from underpayment penalty
The relief applies to individuals whose tax withheld and estimated tax payments equal at least 85% of the tax shown on their 2018 tax return.
Half of IRS employees to be recalled during tax season
The IRS issued an updated contingency plan outlining how it will function during tax season.
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.
IRS sets start date for tax season, will issue refunds during government shutdown
The IRS announced Monday evening that tax season will start in late January and that it will issue refunds to taxpayers despite the partial shutdown of the federal government.
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.
Government shutdown would halt many IRS operations
A partial government shutdown at midnight on Friday would affect the IRS, which has not been fully funded for fiscal year 2019.
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.
Inflation adjustments and tax tables issued for 2019
The IRS issued the 2019 annual inflation adjustments for many tax provisions as well as the 2019 tax rate tables for individuals and estates and trusts.
New IRS commissioner brings practitioner’s perspective to role
Veteran tax attorney Charles Rettig gives his first public address as new IRS commissioner, speaking to CPAs Tuesday at the AICPA National Tax Conference in Washington.
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.
IRS extends deadlines in N.C. counties affected by Hurricane Florence
The IRS announced that it is extending tax deadlines starting Sept. 7, 2018, until Jan. 31, 2019, for eight counties in North Carolina.
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.
Ninth Circuit withdraws Altera opinion
The order announcing the withdrawal says it is being done “to allow time for the reconstituted panel to confer on this appeal.”
Features
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.