Attorneys and a former IRS commissioner say the employment retention credit started as a benefit for small business in the pandemic but has morphed into one that allows ERC mills to take advantage of taxpayers.
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Remembering the mentorship and impact of Sidney Kess
Kess, who died at age 97, was “a friend to everybody” – and a strong proponent of sharing knowledge with others.
Moratorium imposed on new ERC claim processing to curb abuse
The IRS issues a moratorium on new ERC claims processing through at least the end of the year and allows taxpayers to withdraw claims that have been filed but not processed.
Guidance issued on applicability and calculation of new corporate AMT
In advance of proposed regulations, the IRS provided interim guidance to help corporations determine whether they are subject to the new corporate alternative minimum tax and how to calculate the tax, including how to determine financial statement income and applicable financial statement income.
Long-awaited guidance provided for amortization of R&E expenditures
The IRS says taxpayers and tax professionals can rely on interim guidance under Sec. 174 for the amortization of research and experimental expenditures released on Friday in Notice 2023-63 until it issues proposed regulations based on the guidance, effective for tax years beginning in 2022.
IRS vows new enforcement efforts aided by AI
Commissioner Danny Werfel describes an IRS that focuses on the wealthy and uses artificial intelligence to find discrepancies in large partnership filings.
Guidance issued on consequences of certain state payments after 2022
The IRS issued guidance on the treatment of refunds of state or local taxes and certain other payments made by states made to individuals in 2023 and future years, including spillover payments made in 2023 under 2022 programs covered by IRS News Release IR-2023-23.
Businesses must e-file Form 8300 for $10,000+ cash payments in 2024
The new e-filing requirement, beginning in 2024, applies to businesses mandated to e-file certain other information returns, such as Forms 1099 series and Forms W-2.
Prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements guidance issued
The IRS issued proposed regulations related to the increased tax credit or deduction amounts for clean energy facilities and projects if taxpayers satisfy certain prevailing wage and registered apprenticeship requirements.
Two-year reprieve granted from Roth catch-up requirement
Employees who participate in a Sec. 401(k) or similar retirement plan and whose prior-year Social Security wages were over $145,000 have been given a two-year reprieve from the new requirement that any catch-up contributions they make to the plan must be designated as after-tax Roth IRA contributions.
Prop. regs. require brokers to report digital asset sales and exchanges
Long-awaited proposed regulations, part of a broader effort by Treasury to close the tax gap and address tax evasion risks posed by digital assets, require brokers to report sales and exchanges of digital assets by customers.
Tax pros give mixed reviews to wait times, service on PPS line
Wait times increased about the same time as the IRS ended program that thwarted line-jumping services, say tax practitioners, who also questioned the training of new hires.
Guidance provided for electronic filing exemptions and waivers
In a notice issued Friday, the IRS provided guidance to persons filing certain returns on how to seek religious exemptions, hardship waivers, and other administrative exemptions provided by the IRS, from electronic filing requirements.
Location of millions of tax records uncertain, TIGTA says in IRS critique
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said the IRS is uncertain of the location of microfilm cartridges with tax information of both individuals and businesses.
Update on states moving ahead with PTETs
States continue to move ahead with implementing new passthrough entity taxes as a workaround to the $10,000 cap on the federal deduction of state and local taxes.
Proposed regulations update, revise consolidated return regulations
New proposed regulations would update the regulations to reflect 50-plus years of statutory changes, remove regulations and certain transition rules that no longer have practical application, and eliminate obsolete or incorrect terms and cross-references.
IRS issues guidance on requirements for home energy audits
The IRS provides requirements for home energy audits for taxpayers that want to claim the energy efficient home improvement credit, which taxpayers can rely on until proposed regulations are issued.
Prop. regs. identify monetized installment sales as listed transactions
The IRS disagrees with court decisions requiring notice-and-comment rulemaking to identify listed transactions, but said it is identifying monetized installment sales transactions as listed transactions in proposed regulations “to avoid confusion and ensure consistent enforcement of the tax laws throughout the nation to prevent disruption of the IRS’s ongoing efforts to identify and examine abusive tax shelters.”
2024 filing season could be paperless, IRS says
Treasury and the IRS announced Wednesday that by filing season 2024, taxpayers will be able to go paperless if they choose to do so. And by filing season 2025, the IRS will digitize all paper-filed returns when they are received.
Proof-of-stake validation rewards are income in tax year received
The IRS ruled Monday that cash-method taxpayers who stake cryptocurrency native to a proof-of-stake blockchain and receive cryptocurrency validation rewards must include the fair market value of the rewards in gross income in the year they are received.
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
2026 tax software survey
CPAs rate their return preparation software’s performance during this year’s tax season.
