Your client just called and left the following message: “I answered the door at my home today, and an agent who said he was from the IRS Criminal Investigation Division wanted to ask me some questions. What should I do?” While you may never get a call from a client
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TOPICS / TAX
IRS practice & procedure
Managing an IRS Correspondence Audit
The IRS has expanded its use of correspondence examinations in lieu of field examinations of individual income tax returns. While this trend has allowed the Service to collect additional revenue more efficiently, it has also caused difficulties for some taxpayers and CPAs representing them. The IRS has had problems in
Fourth Circuit Joins Others Upholding Two-Year Innocent Spouse Limit; Tax Court Again Rejects It
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals joined the Third and Seventh circuits in validating Treasury regulations limiting to two years the period in which taxpayers may apply for innocent spouse equitable relief under IRC § 6015(f). The decision overruled the Tax Court, which has consistently reached an opposite conclusion, including
Practitioners, Policymakers Welcome IRS Change on Innocent Spouse Relief
Tax practitioners, legislators and taxpayer advocates said the IRS’ announcement that it would no longer require taxpayer requests for innocent spouse equitable relief under IRC § 6015(f) to be made within two years of the beginning of collection activity was a long overdue change. “It’s not surprising at all; the
FinCEN Creates FBAR E-Filing System
The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) on Monday said it has developed an electronic filing system for Form TD F 90-22.1, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR). The reports can now be filed via FinCEN’s BSA E-Filing System. A United States person who has a financial
Comments Sought on IRS Continuing Education Provider Standards and Process
The IRS on Monday invited public comments on its process for approving continuing education providers and on the standards that should apply to such providers (Notice 2011-61). Under final Circular 230 regulations issued in May, registered tax return preparers will be required to meet continuing education requirements by completing courses
Phased Implementation of FATCA Requirements Announced
On Thursday, the IRS announced plans to phase in the requirements of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) (Notice 2011-53). The IRS has received numerous comments about the difficulty of implementing aspects of the FATCA requirements. The notice’s phased implementation is designed to give both foreign financial institutions and
Final Regulations Issued on Determining Amount of Tax Paid for Foreign Tax Credit Purposes
Final regulations issued on Wednesday provide guidance on determining the amount of taxes paid for purposes of determining the foreign tax credit (TD 9535). The regulations are designed to curb certain transactions that, the IRS says, “produce inappropriate foreign tax credit results.” The final regulations adopt proposed regulations issued in
100,000 Preparers Did Not Comply With PTIN Rules
The IRS announced on Tuesday that it has identified approximately 100,000 tax return preparers who did not comply with the new rules for preparer tax identification numbers (PTINs), and it is sending them letters informing them of the problem (IR-2011-74). All tax return preparers (including CPAs, attorneys and enrolled agents)
Section 179 Expensing for Noncorporate Lessors
While 100% bonus depreciation may be the “flavor of the month” when it comes to accelerated depreciation, it is limited to original-use property and is currently scheduled to sunset for most property at the end of 2011. IRC § 179 expensing therefore remains a prime option for small businesses, especially
State Income Tax Credit Is a Capital Asset
The Tax Court held that a taxpayer’s sale of a state income tax credit resulted in a capital gain, not ordinary income, since the payments received from the sale were not a substitute for ordinary income. Capital assets consist of all assets except those listed in eight categories in IRC
Loan Loss Held Not Personal
The Tax Court ruled that a taxpayer’s loan to a business associate was made in connection with the taxpayer’s trade or business, and therefore, the forgiveness of that loan was a bad-debt loss under IRC § 166(a). The IRS had argued that the loan was personal and therefore subject to
“Associated-Property” Regs Survive “Strong” Challenge
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims upheld regulations requiring imputed interest on the basis of business property temporarily removed from service to be included in capitalized costs of property improvements. Virginia electric and natural gas utility Dominion Resources Inc. replaced coal burners in two of its electric generating plants, which
IRS Addresses Accounting Software Audit Concerns
In a March 29 letter from Patricia Thompson, chair of the AICPA’s Tax Executive Committee, to Chris Wagner, commissioner of the IRS’ Small Business/Self-Employed Division, the AICPA communicated its concerns regarding the Service’s program to request the accounting software files of certain small business taxpayers under examination; the letter cites
IRS Finalizes Automatic Five-Month Extension for Partnership, Trust and Estate Returns
Final regulations set the time for automatic extensions of partnership, trust and estate income tax returns at five months (TD 9531). Under this rule, the extended returns and Schedules K-1 for partners and beneficiaries will generally be due Sept. 15. The regulations also provide for an automatic six-month extension for
IRS Publishes Interim Guidance on Stock Basis Reporting
On Wednesday, the IRS issued interim guidance on issues relating to the basis of stock subject to broker reporting (Notice 2011-56). The guidance responds to stakeholder comments received in response to final regulations on the topic issued last year (TD 9504). The IRS says it plans to issue proposed regulations
IRS Suspends Foreign Asset, Passive Foreign Investment Company Information Reporting Rules
The IRS announced on Tuesday that it is suspending the information reporting requirements for certain individuals with foreign assets and shareholders of passive foreign investment companies (PFICs) under IRC §§ 6038D and 1298(f) (Notice 2011-55). The requirement will be suspended until the IRS releases Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign
FinCEN Grants Another FBAR Extension for Some Individuals
The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) on Friday released Notice 2011-2, which gives another small subset of individuals with only signature authority over certain foreign financial accounts who are required to file Form TD F 90-22.1, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), with respect to those
IRS Further Extends Deadline for Certain 2009 and Earlier FBARs
The IRS has further extended the deadline for certain persons to file Form TD F 90-22.1, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), for 2009 and earlier years (IRS Notice 2011-54). The new filing deadline is Nov. 1, 2011. The extension applies to persons with signature authority over a
Fourth Circuit Upholds Two-Year Innocent Spouse Limitation Period
The United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a Tax Court decision and upheld a Treasury regulation that sets a two-year statute of limitation on claims for innocent spouse relief (Jones v. Commissioner, docket no. 10-1985 (4th Cir. 6/13/11)). This marks the third time the Tax Court has been
Features
SPONSORED REPORT
Preparing clients for new provisions next tax season
As the 2025 filing season approaches, H.R. 1 introduces significant tax reforms that CPAs must be prepared to navigate. These legislative changes represent some of the most comprehensive tax updates in recent years, affecting both individual and corporate taxpayers. This report provides in-depth analysis and guidance on H.R. 1.
From The Tax Adviser
November 30, 2025
Digital asset transactions: Broker reporting, amount realized, and basis
October 31, 2025
Recent developments in estate planning
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