The IRS Wants to Interview Me. What Are My Rights?... [ read ]
It can be intimidating for any taxpayer to be contacted by the IRS, much less be interviewed by the IRS. Although I have never asked how they came to the conclusion, some of my clients have said the IRS is more intimidating than the police or FBI. Any taxpayer who is contacted by the IRS for an interview has a right to representation and although the IRS has done a poor job in letting taxpayers know this right, a recent report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) says that the IRS is getting better.
IRS Announces Automatic Penalty Relief for Certain Tax Year 2019 and 2020 Returns... [ read ]
A kinder and gentler IRS? Who knows. One can only hope that the IRS' latest move – granting sweeping, automatic penalty relief for a multitude of tax year 2019 and 2020 return filings – is trend-setting.
Cash Nana and Papa's Checks Before They Die So the Gift is Completed... [ read ]
Fans of "Seinfeld" will recall that Jerry's grandmother, who everyone referred to as Nana, gave Jerry a $10 check every year for his birthday, which he never cashed. Years later Jerry's "financial advisor", Kramer, convinces Jerry to cash Nana's checks, however because Nana had closed the bank account, the checks bounce. Nana gets lost while trying to make the checks good.
The IRS Wants to Know About Your Crypto: More John Doe Summonses Sought... [ read ]
Although Forms 1099-B are not yet required to be issued by cryptocurrency exchanges (like Coinbase, Crypto.com, and FTX), the IRS is not waiting to get information about cryptocurrency transactions. One of the weapons the IRS has used quite successfully in this arena are "John Doe" summonses.
Treasury Secretary to IRS: Use Extra Money to Only Audit the Wealthy... [ read ]
With the IRS poised to receive a legislative windfall of $80 billion over the next 10 years, the IRS' directive is clear: audit higher-income taxpayers only. In an August 10, 2022 letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, U.S. Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen did not mince words in issuing her mandate.
An IRS Problem that Money May Not Solve... [ read ]
IRS Checklist: Increased 2022-2023 fiscal year funding? Check. $80 billion bonus over 10 years? Check. Lose potentially two-thirds of your workforce over the next six years? Umm... Check.
IRS Expands Form 1040 Reporting of Digital Assets for Tax Year 2022... [ read ]
The IRS has seemingly endless curiosity when it comes to cryptocurrency and other digital assets. For tax year 2022, the IRS seeks to expand Form 1040 reporting to require disclosure of all inward and outward transfers of digital assets – whether tradeable or not, whether taxable or not.
AICPA Makes Recommendations to the IRS About Transparency, Communications and Backlog... [ read ]
On July 11th, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) wrote a letter to the IRS commissioner and Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy, making recommendations and requests for how the IRS could do a better job while it is recovering. The AICPA makes some very good suggestions to which the IRS may or may not agree. It is a quick read for anyone who is interested.
Want a Charitable Contribution Deduction? Make Sure You Dot the I's and Cross the T's... [ read ]
A recent Tax Court decision, Albrecht v. Commissioner, was a reminder that the IRS requirements for substantiating a charitable contribution are strictly enforced by both the IRS and the Tax Court. In Albrecht, a widow lost a $464,000 deduction for failing to comply with the IRS requirements, although many of us would consider it nitpicking by the IRS and the Tax Court.
Certain Estates Now Have Five Years to Make a Portability Election... [ read ]
On Friday, July 8, 2022, the IRS released Revenue Procedure 2022-32, which supersedes Revenue Procedure 2017-34 and extends the period of time certain estates have to make a "portability" election under IRC § 2010(c)(5)(A). A portability election allows for a surviving spouse to utilize the deceased spouse's unused exclusion amount (DSUE). The portability election may only be made on a timely filed federal estate tax return (Form 706).
