IRS practice & procedure

TOPICS / TAX

October 7, 2015

IRS gives South Carolina flood victims tax relief

The IRS announced that taxpayers who live or have a business in the South Carolina counties that have been declared disaster areas will have extra time to file their returns and pay any taxes owed.

October 5, 2015

The IRS digital-first future needs to start now

The IRS is struggling with how to become more efficient and serve taxpayers with lower levels of staffing and an outdated, manual service model.

October 1, 2015

Return due dates changed

Tax provisions in the highway funding act also overturn the Supreme Court’s Home Concrete holding that an overstatement of basis does not cause a substantial omission of gross income triggering the extended six-year statute of limitation for assessment.

September 15, 2015

AICPA expresses concerns about tax return preparer legislation

The proposed grant of authority to the IRS to regulate all aspects of tax practice is overly broad, the AICPA said in a letter to the Senate Finance Committee.

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