IRS practice & procedure

TOPICS / TAX

September 1, 2015

Whistleblowers’ claims not untimely, Tax Court holds

The IRS Whistleblower Office does not have exclusive authority to investigate, the court says.

August 12, 2015

Temporary regulations end automatic extension for Forms W-2

In a move designed to fight taxpayer identity theft and tax fraud, the IRS will eliminate automatic extensions of time to file forms in the W-2 series, starting in 2017.

August 1, 2015

FBAR penalty amount guidelines set

Maximum penalties for willful failure to report foreign bank accounts on FinCEN Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), for multiple years are limited under new IRS procedures.

July 31, 2015

Return due dates changed in highway funding bill

The federal highway funding extension bill passed by Congress contains several tax provisions, including changing the due dates for partnership, S corporation, and corporate tax returns, a provision the AICPA has long advocated.

July 23, 2015

Regulations provide guidance on proper place to file refund claims

The new rules generally require taxpayers filing claims for refund or credit to file their claim with the IRS service center at which the taxpayers currently would be required to file a tax return for the type of tax to which the claims relate.

July 15, 2015

National taxpayer advocate: IRS falling down on the job of helping identity theft victims

Fewer than 10% of callers to the IRS’s phone line for victims of identity theft got through to an IRS assistor during some of the busiest weeks of tax season.

July 13, 2015

Emerging tax issues cause due-diligence problems

Speaking at an IRS Nationwide Forum in Fort Washington, Md., the deputy director of the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility warned practitioners that they should exercise due diligence when advising clients on emerging tax issues.

July 1, 2015

Managing IRS authorizations

These tools are essential to interact with the IRS on clients’ behalf.

July 1, 2015

Criminal investigations down in staffing and investigations

The number of new IRS criminal investigations fell markedly in fiscal 2014 from the year before, the Service’s Criminal Investigation Division reported.

July 1, 2015

Final regs. provide rules for assessment limitation period for undisclosed listed transactions

Coordination with the general limitation period for assessment and the effect of information furnished by a material adviser are among the points addressed.

July 1, 2015

Filing within 60 days before the assessment period ends

A special rule gives the IRS an extra 60 days to assess tax.

June 1, 2015

Taxes and the rescission doctrine

This doctrine allows taxpayers to “unwind” a tax transaction.

April 30, 2015

“Be on the lookout” lists gone from IRS reviews of Sec. 501(c)(4) applications

Two years after finding the IRS used inappropriate criteria when reviewing applications for tax-exempt status under Sec. 501(c)(4) and delayed the processing of some applications, the TIGTA issued a follow-up report to check on the IRS’s progress in eliminating the controversial practices.

March 30, 2015

Final regs. provide rules for assessment limitation period for undisclosed listed transactions

Generally, the IRS has three years from the later of the date the return was filed or the original due date of the return to assess tax.

February 1, 2015

Gross income omissions and the 6-year tax assessment period

How taxpayers can guard against doubling the statute-of-limitation period for the IRS to assess tax.

February 1, 2015

What to do when your client receives a summons

This column addresses summonses when issued in taxpayer examinations and is not designed or intended to be a full articulation of the significant legal implications of a summons or its enforcement.

February 1, 2015

IRS realigns compliance operations

The IRS in November completed reorganization of its compliance operations serving individual and small business taxpayers.

January 16, 2015

IRS updates accounting method change procedures

The new rules apply to automatic and nonautomatic accounting method changes and include a list of automatic changes that do not require IRS consent.

January 13, 2015

Budget cuts may force IRS furlough days again

The IRS warned its employees that budget cuts may require it to furlough employees for two days sometime during this fiscal year.

January 12, 2015

AICPA provides feedback on tax reform proposals

The AICPA urged Rep. Paul Ryan, the new chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, to follow the AICPA’s principles of good tax policy to guide tax reform.

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.