The IRS aims to improve service on the tax practitioner phone line and build a better online account for tax professionals, Commissioner Danny Werfel said Thursday.
News
Automatic accounting method changes list updated by IRS
The IRS on Tuesday provided a comprehensive list of changes in tax accounting methods to which the automatic change procedures in Rev. Proc. 2015-13 apply. The list includes 21 changes described as significant.
Final regs. issued for clean energy credit transfers
The IRS issued final regulations regarding the election to transfer certain clean energy tax credits. The regulations include specific rules for partnerships and S corporations as eligible taxpayers and transferee taxpayers.
Draft of Form 1099-DA for reporting digital asset transactions released
The draft form, which when finalized will be used by brokers to report digital asset transactions, reflects the language of the proposed regulations, including a broad definition of “broker.”
IRS has mixed results from ‘ghost employer’ enforcement efforts
The IRS had mixed success in its first efforts to find employers who evade taxes, doing better in its criminal pursuit than on the civil side, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said in a recent report.
Updated FAQs provide details on phase-in timing of BOI access
The FAQs from Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said access to beneficial ownership information will be phased in, beginning this spring with a pilot program for some federal agency users and concluding in spring 2025, when financial institutions with customer due-diligence requirements will be able to review BOI.
Despite moratorium, IRS gets 20,000 ERC claims weekly, Werfel says
IRS commissioner Danny Werfel told the Senate Finance Committee that a tax bill passed by the House in January would help the IRS combat fraud in employee retention credit claims.
IRS grants limited waiver for underpayment of estimated corporate AMT
In light of the continuing challenges taxpayers are facing with the corporate alternative minimum tax, the IRS granted a waiver of the addition to tax for failure to pay estimated corporate AMT “in the interest of sound tax administration.”
Dirty Dozen list ends with easements, digital assets, and more
The IRS winds up its annual list of 12 scams and schemes by covering two broad categories: bogus tax-avoidance strategies and schemes with an international element.
Proposed regs. issued for 1% excise tax on corporate stock repurchases
Two sets of proposed regulations issued by the IRS provide guidance on the implementation of the new excise tax and on rules for the procedure and administration applicable to the reporting and payment of the tax.
Two home energy rebates not includible in gross income, IRS says
The IRS said it will not include the rebates provided under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 in individual purchasers’ gross income or in the cost basis of the property purchased.
AICPA: BOI ruling confuses businesses; enforcement should be delayed
In a letter to the Treasury secretary and the FinCEN director, the AICPA called for enforcement of beneficial ownership information reporting regulations to be suspended until after lawsuits are settled.
Supreme Court to decide estate tax impact of life insurance in closely held businesses
This term, the Supreme Court will answer the questions regarding the estate tax treatment of life insurance proceeds received by a closely held business and its shareholder redemption obligations. It heard oral arguments last week.
Dirty Dozen list from IRS opens with phishing, smishing scams
The IRS opened its annual Dirty Dozen list with scams that trick recipients into clicking a suspicious link, filling out personal and financial information, or downloading malware onto their computer.
Latest federal budget includes $20 billion rescission for IRS
The appropriations act enacted over the weekend that kept the federal government from shutting down included $12.3 billion for the IRS, but also codified an agreed-upon $20 billion cut in money allocated by the Inflation Reduction Act.
Enforcement, voluntary programs yield over $1 billion from ERC claims
On the deadline for businesses to offer to repay erroneous employee retention credit claims under the voluntary disclosure program (VDP), the IRS said assessments account for $572 million of the revenue, with the VDP and the claim withdrawal process accounting for the rest.
Taxpayer notice of third-party contact shortened under proposed regs.
The IRS would reduce the notice of third-party contact with respect to the determination or collection of the taxpayer’s tax liability to 10 days from 45 days in several circumstances involving statutory periods for assessments and collections that expire in one year or less.
Werfel says digital initiatives can transform ‘iconically unpopular’ IRS
Allowing taxpayers to communicate with the IRS almost entirely online will free the agency’s workers to handle other tasks, Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a speech Monday.
Decision holding Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutional appealed
The U.S. Justice Department filed an appeal Monday challenging the district court’s decision that the law, which requires businesses to report beneficial ownership information, is unconstitutional.
Plaintiffs: FinCEN should pause all CTA enforcement
The plaintiffs who won a summary judgment that bars enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act against them said the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network should pause beneficial ownership information reporting requirements for all businesses.
TAX PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
2025 tax software survey
AICPA members in tax practice assess how their return preparation software performed during tax season and offer insights into their procedures.
