The IRS Office of Professional Responsibility issued a bulletin that reviews the Circular 230 professional responsibilities that apply to claims for the employee retention credit.
COVID-19 tax news and resources
In-person IRS tax forums scheduled for first time since pandemic start
The three-day forums, last held in person in 2019, are designed specifically for CPAs and other tax professionals.
Lookback period extended for refunds related to pandemic postponements
In determining the beginning of the lookback period for refund claims for returns with due dates postponed by Notice 2021-21 or Notice 2020-23, the IRS will disregard the periods from April 15, 2020, to July 15, 2020, and from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021. This change will align the lookback periods with the postponed return filing due dates.
Continued challenges involving teleworking employees: The new normal
Complications of teleworking continue to arise, with each state making its own tax rules.
Congressional report criticizes contractor used by IRS during pandemic
The statement says ID.me inflated the amount of work it could provide and the amount of federal dollars lost to pandemic fraud, the latter in an effort to increase demand for its services. In his response, the CEO says he would not use such a crisis to help his company.
One deadline approaches for over 9 million eligible for pandemic-era benefits
In October, the IRS said it would leave Free File open for an extra month, until Thursday, so eligible taxpayers can claim their share of several benefits including the 2021 recovery rebate credit, the child tax credit, and the earned income tax credit.
IRS relieves penalties for 2019 and 2020
As part of COVID-19 pandemic relief, the IRS will automatically abate failure-to-file penalties for certain tax and information returns and refund those penalties already paid.
Foreign earned income exclusion: Pandemic-related relief
The IRS provides relief for taxpayers who would have qualified for the foreign earned income exclusion in 2019 and 2020 but for COVID-19.
R&D credit’s interplay with the employee retention credit
Much confusion surrounds the rules governing which wages can be used to claim the ERC and R&D tax credits.
Documenting COVID-19 employment tax credits
This item discusses the extensive documentation requirements for the ERC and the FFCRA paid leave credits.
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
2026 tax software survey
CPAs rate their return preparation software’s performance during this year’s tax season.
