2026-08-17 Maybe State Law Limited Partner Isn't the Test for 1402(a)(13)

This week we look at:

  • Unpacking the Saver’s Match: Technical Guidance and Operational Frameworks Under Notice 2026-48

  • Harmonizing Section 3406 Backup Withholding with Section 6050W De Minimis Reporting Thresholds

  • The High Bar for Equitable Tolling in Tax Practice: The Eighth Circuit’s Final Ruling in Boechler, P.C.

  • Employer Contributions to Trump Accounts and Nondiscrimination Rules under REG-101355-26

  • The Perpetual Burden of Carryover Substantiation: AMT Credits and Recordkeeping in Beacom v. Commissioner

  • Equitable Tolling of Tax Court Filing Deadlines: Maniktala v. Commissioner (8th Cir.)

  • Standardizing Retirement Plan Rollovers and Trustee-to-Trustee Transfers under SECURE 2.0: Notice 2026-49

  • Unmasking the $70 Million Dubai Fraud: Section 165 Theft Loss Deductions in Deutsch v. Commissioner

  • Treasury Proposes Substantive Section 987 Relief for Controlled Foreign Corporations (REG-103844-26)

  • Rehearing Reversal: The Fifth Circuit’s Management Test for the Limited Partner Exception (K Alain, L.L.L.P.)

  • The Crucial Role of Highest and Best Use in Conservation Easement Valuations: Evans v. Commissioner

2026-08-17 Maybe State Law Limited Partner Isn't the Test for 1402(a)(13)
Edward K. Zollars, CPA (Arizona)
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2026-08-10 IRS Guidance on Qualifed Overtime for 2026-2028

This week we look at:

  • Transitioning Foreign Tax Allocations and Implementing the Ten Percent Credit Disallowance Under Section 960(d)(4)

  • Trustee-to-Trustee Transfers of Inherited IRAs Through an Estate: Technical Analysis of PLR 202631001

  • Federal Courts Lack APA Jurisdiction Over Foreign Gift Penalty Disputes: The Adequate Alternative Remedy Barrier

  • Sourcing Executive Termination Payments: Analyzing the Bifurcated Sourcing of Severance and RSUs in the Appeal of Otting

  • The Permanent Section 45S Paid Family and Medical Leave Credit: Analyzing the Statutory Wage Method Mechanics and the New Premium Method Under Notice 2026-28

  • The Tax Court Open Door: Why the BBA Partnership Petition Deadline Is Not Jurisdictional

  • Commingled Funds, Unsubstantiated Deductions, and the Binding Form of Transactions: A Technical Tax Analysis of Reed v. Commissioner

  • The Safe Harbor That Wasn’t: Deconstructing the Anti-Abuse Rule in SIH Partners LLLP v. Commissioner

  • The Evolution of Qualified Overtime Compensation Deductions: Analyzing IRS Fact Sheet FS-2026-13 and Its Practical Implications

An audio only version of this week’s broadcast can be streamed or downloaded below:

2026-08-10 IRS Guidance on Qualified Overtime for 2026-2028
Edward K. Zollars, CPA (Arizona)
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2026-08-10 Current Federal Tax Developments

2026-08-03 On Again Off Again On Again PLR

This week we look at:

  • IRS Reinstates Tax Deferral on Variable Annuity Term Certain Options: Reconsideration and Reversal in PLR 202630002

  • Understanding the ERC Pleading Standard: Federal Claims Court Deferral in I Health and Life Insurance Services

  • Predecessor Losses, the Lonely Parent Rule, and the Limits of Economic Reality: Analysis of HBM Holdings Co. v. Commissioner

  • Double Books and Disguised Payees: Corporate Personal Expenses and the Civil Fraud Penalty in Prezioso v. Commissioner

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2026-08-03 On Again Off Again On Again PLR
Edward K. Zollars, CPA (Arizona)
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2026-07-27 AICPA New Interpretation on Indepdendence and Tax Engagements

This week we look at:

  • Valuation of Remainder Interest Gifts Upon Trust Termination: State Law and Net Gift Adjustments in Lewis v. Commissioner

  • Revenue Procedure 2026-26: Technical Overview of 2027 Indexing Adjustments for Premium Tax Credits and Affordability Standards

  • Limitations of Interest Abatement Claims Under I.R.C. § 6404(e)(1) in the Context of ERC-Driven Amendments

  • Section 6015(c) Relief and the Substantiation Trap: An Analysis of Anderson v. Commissioner

  • Navigating the AICPA’s New Tax Services Independence Standards: A Guide for Practitioners

An audio only version of this week’s broadcast can be downloaded or streamed below:

2026-07-27 AICPA New Interpretation on Independence and Tax Engagements
Edward K. Zollars, CPA (Arizona)
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Articles on each update and a copy of the slides for this week can be downloaded as a PDF below:

2026-07-20 IRS Expands Business Tax Accounts

This week we look at:

  • Partnership Recourse Rules: Conditional DROs will not establish EROL under § 1.752-2.

  • Mileage Rate Adjustment: Business standard mileage rate rises to 76 cents on July 1, 2026.

  • Business Tax Account: Modernized self-service portal expands features but requires active annual maintenance.

  • Litigation Legal Fees: FCRA settlements are taxable gross income without above-the-line deduction.

  • Corporate Reorganizations: Tax Court invalidates regulation limiting 100% DRD in post-Loper Bright era.

  • ERC Litigation Realities: Exhaustion loophole rejected; notice pleading standards approved in refund suits.

  • Conservation Easements: Valuation must be grounded in immediate local market demand, not speculation.

An audio only version of this week’s broadcast can be streamed or downloaded below.

2026-07-20 IRS Expands Business Tax Accounts
Edward K. Zollars, CPA (Arizona)
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2026-07-13 A Week of Final Regulations

This week we look at:

  • Transitioning from First Time Abate (FTA) to Automatic Exemption from Penalty (AEP)

  • Strict Enforcement of Tax Refund Statutes of Limitations

  • Employee Retention Credit (ERC) Refund Claims & Pleading Standards

  • Pandemic-Era Persistence of New York's Convenience of the Employer Rule

  • Invalidity of Treasury Regulation Section 1.951A-2(c)(5)

  • Non-Shareholder Capital Contributions vs. Compensation

  • Final Section 1035 Exchange & Corporate Reorganization Regulations

  • Reclassification of Abusive CRAT Structures as Listed Transactions

  • The National Taxpayer Advocate’s Perspective on AEP

An audio only version of this week’s broadcast can be downloaded or streamed below.

2026-07-13 A Week of Final Regulations
Edward K. Zollars, CPA (Arizona)
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2026-06-22 Qualified Opportunity Zone Interim Guidance for OBBBA

This week we look at:

  • Relief from Ineffective S Corporation and QSub Elections

  • Procedural and Jurisdictional Limits in Challenging IRS Guidance

  • Medicaid Gross Receipts, Cohan Estimations, and Professional Reliance

  • Standards and Deceit in Supervised Release

  • Transitional Guidance on Qualified Opportunity Zones

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2026-06-22 Qualified Opportunity Zone Interim Guidance for OBBBA
Edward K. Zollars, CPA (Arizona)
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Articles for this week’s broadcast and copies of slides can be downloaded below:

2026-07-06 ERC Cases Galore Week

This week we look at:

  • Section 7508A(d) and Interest on Pre-COVID-19 Disaster Tax Deficiencies

  • The Soroban Capital Partners SECA Tax Controversy

  • Pleading Requirements for the Employee Retention Credit (Tapestry Senior Housing)

  • ERC Causation and the Essential Business Hurdle (RAAM Construction)

  • The Section 530A Transfer Tax Safe Harbor (Rev. Proc. 2026-25)

  • Penalty Supervisory Approval Verification in CDP (Besicorp Group)

  • Retroactive ERC Deadlines & Constitutional Challenges

An audio only version of this week’s broadcast can be streamed or downloaded below:

2026-07-06 ERC Cases Galore Week
Edward K. Zollars, CPA (Arizona)
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2026-06-29 OPR Releases Guidance On use of Generative AI

This week we look at;

  • Nominal S Corporation Ownership and the Abuse Exception

  • Recapping the ERC via Section 7405 Civil Actions

  • Constructive Dividends, Formalities, and Civil Fraud

  • CDP Hearings, Offer-In-Compromise, and RCP Calculations

  • Professional Responsibility and Responsible AI Use

  • Rigorous Proof for ERC "Partial Suspension" Claims

An audio only version of this week’s broadcast can be downloaded or streamed below.

2026-06-29 OPR Releases Guidance on Use of Generative AI
Edward K. Zollars, CPA (Arizona)
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PDFs with this week’s articles on the updates and the slides used for this week’s presentation can be downloaded below.

2026-06-15 Trusts and the New Section 68

This week we look at:

  • Application of New Section 68 to Trusts and Estates

  • Assessing the Risks of Hindsight in Late § 475(f)(1) Elections

  • The Eradication of the 5% Safe Harbor (Clean Energy)

  • Limits of § 2036(a) and Tax-Motivated Transfers

  • Section 183 Hobby Losses & Penalties

  • New Section 25F Education Freedom Tax Credit

An audio version of this week’s broadcast can be streamed or downloaded below:

2026-06-15 Trusts and the New Section 68
Edward K. Zollars, CPA (Arizona)
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PDFs with copies of this week’s articles on the updates and the slides for this week can be downloaded below:

2026-06-08 An Inconsistent Tale of Two ERC Court Rulings

This week we look at:

  • Proposed Increase to Estate Tax Closing Letter User Fee

  • Divergent Causation Standards for ERC Eligibility

  • Valuation Extremes in Conservation Easements

  • Substantiating Mortgage Interest Deductions

  • Taxation of Cryptocurrency Staking Rewards

  • Section 4960 and "Covered Employees"

  • FBAR Compliance and IRS Agent Authority

An audio only version of this week’s broadcast can be streamed or downloaded below.

2026-06-08 An Inconsistent Tale of Two ERC Court Rulings
Edward K. Zollars, CPA (Arizona)
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Articles related to this week’s updates and slides for the week’s program can be downloaded below.

2026-06-01 More Details on the Activation of Trump Accounts

This week we look at:

  • Procedural Timeliness & Automatic Extensions

  • Spousal IRA Rollovers Through Estates and Trusts

  • Collateral Estoppel and the "Innocent" Spouse

  • Improper Corporate Deductions and Fraud

  • Implementation of "Trump Accounts"

  • 2027 Inflation Adjustments (HSA, HRA, DPCSA)

An audio only version of this week’s update can be streamed or downloaded below.

2026-06-01 More Details on the Activation of Trump Accounts
Edward K. Zollars, CPA (Arizona)
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2026-05-25 IRS Prepares to Challenge Kwong After Limited AOD on Abdo

This week we look at:

  • Equitable Relief for Erroneous Tax Refunds: An Analysis of the Fourth Circuit's Reversal in LaRosa v. Commissioner

  • Final Regulations Modify Information Reporting for Section 751(a) Partnership Interest Exchanges

  • The Impermeable Reach of Section 6672: Joint and Several Trust Fund Liability and the Demise of the Delegation Defense

  • The Taxpayer Due Process Enhancement Act (H.R. 6506): A Crucial Legislative Response to Commissioner v. Zuch

  • Demystifying Notice 2026-33: Comprehensive Guidance on Qualified Long-Term Care Distributions under the SECURE 2.0 Act

  • IRS Action on Decision: Decoding the Service’s Limited Acquiescence on Mandatory COVID-19 Postponements and the Road Ahead in Kwong

You can download or stream an audio version of this week’s broadcast at:

2026-05-25 IRS Prepares to Challenge Kwong After Limited AOD on Abdo
Edward K. Zollars, CPA (Arizona)
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Articles with this week’s developments and slides are available to download at a PDF below:

2026-05-25 Current Federal Tax Developments

Slides for week of May 25, 2026

2026-05-18 If a Client Claims Charitable Contributions You Must Understand the CWA Rules

This week we look at:

  • Technical Analysis of the Proposed Regulations Establishing Excepted Fertility Benefits

  • Analysis of the IRS Time-Limited Settlement Initiative for Conservation Easement Disputes

  • Strict Compliance with Contemporaneous Written Acknowledgment Requirements in Charitable Land Contributions

  • Transferee Tax Liability and the Consequences of Willful Blindness: An Analysis of Dillon Trust Company v. United States

An audio only version of this week’s broadcast can be downloaded or streamed below.

2026-05-18 If a Client Claims Charitable Contributions You Must Understand the CWA Rules
Edward K. Zollars, CPA
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PDF files with copies of the articles for this week’s update and copies of the slides can be downloaded below:

2026-05-18 Current Federal Tax Developments

Slides for May 18, 2026 Current Federal Tax Developments