This article describes a few key aspects of virtual currency phenomena, their tax ramifications, and what tax practitioners need to know about them.
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TOPICS
Individuals
Benefiting from shared-equity financing arrangements
Shared-equity financing arrangements can help
individuals acquire homes they might not otherwise be able to afford, but care should be taken with the tax planning aspects.
Form 1040 to be shorter but with more schedules
The IRS is working on a draft version of the 2018 Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, that reduces the size of the form to two half-pages in length and eliminates more than 50 lines.
Draft 2019 Form W-4 and instructions posted
The IRS released a draft Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate, and its instructions, for individual taxpayers to use to determine their income tax withholding for 2019.
Tax treatment of individual owners of bitcoin and other virtual currencies held for personal use or investment
Tax preparers will need to be proactive in helping their clients identify and report any potentially taxable transactions.
Does an early retirement distribution qualify for the medical expense exemption?
This article examines three Tax Court cases where the petitioners attempted to use medical hardship to avoid rules on early withdrawals.
IRS issues HSA contribution limits for 2019
The IRS issued the inflation-adjusted contribution limits for 2019 for health savings accounts.
Revenue procedure contains tax rate tables and inflation adjustments under new tax law
The IRS announced new lower tax brackets for 2018 and a number of other new items affected by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Qualified equity grants: A welcome alternative for startup companies
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provides an alternative designed to help ease the burden on employees receiving stock.
Gravel mined on Seneca land is not exempt from tax
Income from selling gravel mined on Seneca Nation land was not exempt from tax under two treaties between the United States and the Seneca Nation.
Using big data to identify tax risk
This column provides background on usable data readily available from the IRS and a case study in
which students can use the IRS data to assess audit risk.
Counterintuitive tax planning: Increasing taxable scholarship income to reduce taxes
This article discusses the potential benefit of choosing to include scholarships or grants in income.
Casualty losses and expenditures under Sec. 162 or 165
Two Code provisions, Sec. 162 and Sec. 165, offer a potential deduction for a taxpayer who has property that has been damaged by a casualty.
IRS gives taxpayers relief from erroneous HSA contributions
The IRS announced it will allow taxpayers to treat $6,900 as the 2018 limit for deductible contributions to HSAs for individuals with family coverage.
Bunching charitable donations after the new tax law
A potential side effect of fewer taxpayers itemizing their deductions is that these taxpayers may choose to reduce or eliminate charitable contributions.
New withholding rules necessitated by new tax law
The IRS issued Notice 2018-14 to provide more guidance on the withholding rules that were changed by P.L. 115-97, known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Exiting the U.S. tax system
An exit strategy can help mitigate unexpected and potentially costly tax consequences upon departure from the United States.
Congress extends expired provisions
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 has many tax provisions, including retroactive extensions of a number of tax credits.
Current U.S. tax incentives for higher education expenses
This article examines the requirements and limitations taxpayers face when seeking benefits of significant education-related income tax provisions.
The Sec. 199A qualified business income deduction and fiscal years
Taxpayers who receive income from fiscal-year passthrough entities need guidance on when to claim the new Sec. 199A deduction for qualified business income.
INDIVIDUALS
Current Developments in Taxation of Individuals: Part 1
This update surveys recent federal tax developments involving individuals, including court cases, rulings, and guidance issued during the six months ending October 2025.
