Keeping CPAs Up to Date on Tax Matters

A site devoted to articles on current developments in federal taxes geared toward CPAs in tax practice.

2023-03-26 ERC Scams Lead the Dirty Dozen

March 26, 2023 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

IRS begins 2023’s Dirty Dozen Tax Scams with problematical ERC refund claims
IRS announces position on evaluating when a non-fungible token is a collectible
C corporation not allowed to take home office expenses for owner-employee’s home
IRS email reminder that BBA opt-outs must be made on original returns

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

The slides and links for this week’s broadcast can be downloaded below:

2023-03-27 Current Federal Tax Developments

2023-03-20 Taxes and Medical Expenses

March 19, 2023 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

Trust that was meant to be a CRAT found not to be one and attempted fix was too late and not undertaken correctly
PLR looked at whether item for consumption by infant to reduce risk of developing a condition was all or partially a medical expense
IRS produces FAQ on whether different types of health expenses qualify as medical expenses

The slides and links to the documents can be downloaded here:

2023-03-20 Current Federal Tax Developments

2023-03-13 Seaview Trading Reversed in Ninth Circuit

March 12, 2023 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

IRS and OPR issue separate warnings on ERC claims
Ninth Circuit reverses Seaview Holdings LLC decision after en banc hearing, partnership return not forwarded to Ogden was never filed
IRS gives financial institutions RMD notice relief
S corporation accidentally ended its status by revising its LLC operating agreement

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

You can download a copy of the slides with links to documents.

2023-03-13 Current Federal Tax Developments

2023-03-06 Non-Willful FBAR Penalty is on a Per-Form Basis

March 04, 2023 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

Deposit and use by sheriff of jail meal money not found to be a mere misunderstanding
Amounts taxpayer expected to repay with future earnings found not to be loans, taxable upon receipt
SCOTUS rules non-willful FBAR failure is a per-form not per-account penalty
CPA fails to provide substantiation for deductions for practice

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

A copy of this week’s slides and links to source materials can be downloaded below:

2023-03-06 Current Federal Tax Developments

2023-02-27 More Information Returns Required to be E-Filed

February 26, 2023 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

Proposed regulations issued for retirement plan forfeitures
OIRA completes review of crypto broker proposed regulations, expected to be issued shortly
IRS extends relief for taxpayers impacted by disasters in California, Alabama and Georgia
IRS issues final business electronic filing mandate regulations

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

The slides and links to the documents discussed can be downloaded below:

2023-02-27 Current Federal Tax Developments

2023-02-20 IRS Starts Allow Some Online Uploads of Documents for Notices

February 19, 2023 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at

IRS announces program to accept upload of documents in response to some, but not all, notices to taxpayers
SECURE 2.0 Section 603 drafting glitch puts catch-up contributions at risk for 2024 as various parties push to get a fix
IRS will not automatically challenge §199A deduction for cannabis businesses-but W-2 wage problems may get in the way

A copy of the slides and links to related material can be downloaded below:

2023-02-20 Current Federal Tax Developments

2023-02-13 State Payment Relief for Taxpayers

February 11, 2023 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

IRS relents to pressure, releases guidance on state payment programs’ taxability (generally it’s good news)
IRS begins offering direct deposit for Form 1040-X electronic filers - but it will still take a long time to process
No substantive §174 guidance likely before initial tax deadlines (March & April)
Form 4868 didn’t qualify as informal claim for refund

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

A copy of the slides with links to source materials can be downloaded below:

2023-02-13 Current Federal Tax Developments

2023-02-06 Reconsidering EV SUVs

February 05, 2023 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

IRS revises classification of clean vehicles for purposes of determining vehicles subject to $80,000 MSRP limit
Proposed revenue procedure published to establish new voluntary tip reporting procedure
Taxpayer’s log of every mile of vehicle use had issues that prevented Tax Court from accepting it for meeting burden under IRC §274(d)

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

A PDF of the slides for this week’s update can be downloaded below;

2023-02-06 Current Federal Tax Developments

2023-01-30 Welcome to IRIS

January 29, 2023 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

IRS begins accepting 2022 income tax returns
IRS opens up IRIS portal for electronic filing of information returns
Corporation forced to get private letter ruling on S election due to failure to obtain all required consents

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

The slides for this week’s session can be downloaded as a PDF below:

2023-01-30 Current Federal Tax Developments

2023-01-23 IRS Says Phones Are Improving

January 22, 2023 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

IRS provides an extended due date for some in Alabama and Georgia impacted by storms
IRS announces 10 minute response time on Practitioner Priority Line
Taxpayer’s §401(k) distribution not excluded from income based on diabetes diagnosis
IRS releases auto depreciation limits under §280F for 2023

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

Articles for this week’s update can be downloaded as a PDF below:

2023-01-23 Current Federal Tax Developments

2023-01-16 The IRS Memos on Cryptocurrency

January 15, 2023 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

IRS begins accepting returns on January 23
California taxpayers get due dates delayed until May 15
Amended return research credit additional information requirements added to draft Form 6765 instructions
Employer provided housing not excluded from income under §119
No loss allowed on not quite worthless not really stablecoin
Appraisals required for donation of cryptocurrency

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

A PDF with this week’s articles can be downloaded below:

2023-01-16 Current Federal Tax Developments

2023-01-09 S Corporation Warts Review

January 08, 2023 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at issues that arise with S corporations.

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

You can download the write-up of the Twitter thread that drove this week’s program here:

Why Aren’t S Corporations Perfect for All Clients and Situations?

SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022: A Quick Summary

January 02, 2023 by Ed Zollars, CPA

Congress passed the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 that was signed into law on December 29, 2022. This program gives a brief overview of the provisions of this Act that will help tax professionals advise their clients about the impacts and opportunities found in this law.

A summary of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 can be downloaded below:

SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 Summary

2023-01-03 Vehicle Credit Guidance End of Year Extravaganza

January 02, 2023 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

IRS to issue regulations for definitions for new clean vehicle credit
List published on IRS website to assist in determining if a vehicle could qualify for new clean vehicle credit
Incremental cost safe harbors for §45W commercial clean vehicle credit issued by IRS
2023 mileage rates release
Final 2022 Schedule K-2 and K-3 Form 1065 instructions released

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

A PDF with articles for this week’s updates can be dowloaded below:

2023-01-03 Current Federal Tax Developments

2022-12-27 IRS Delays Expanded Form 1099 K Reporting Requirements

December 26, 2022 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

Congress passes spending bill which included SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022
Final Schedules K-2 and K-3 instructions issued for Form 1120S
IRS delays digital asset reporting until regulations are issued
Expanded Form 1099-K reporting delayed for one year by the IRS

An audio only version of this week’s update can be streamed or downloaded via the links below:

Articles on this week’s update can be downloaded as a PDF below:

2022-12-27 Current Federal Tax Developments

2022-12-19 IRS Looks at Plan That Claims to Defer Recognition of Legal Fee Income

December 18, 2022 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

IRS memorandum looks at marketed program to defer recognition of legal fees
Automatic change of accounting method procedure released by the IRS
IRS publishes news release on upcoming FICA/SE tax 2020 deferral payment due date

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

A PDF with this week’s update articles can be downloaded below:

2022-12-19 Current Federal Tax Developments

2022-12-12 Try Two on K-2 and K-3 Instructions

December 11, 2022 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

IRS releases second draft of instructions for preparing 2022 Schedules K-2 and K-3 for partnerships and S corporations
IRS begins issuing proposed regulations to deal with court losses on method used to add listed transactions not following the Administrative Procedures Act

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

A PDF with this week’s articles can be downloaded below:

2022-12-12 Current Federal Tax Developments

2022-12-05 So Many Ways to Entirely Lose a Loss Deduction

December 04, 2022 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

IRA 2022 prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirement guidance issued by the IRS
Taxpayers denied partnership loss due to a large number of issues, many of which were enough standing alone to deny the loss entirely

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

A PDF with articles for this week’s developments can be downloaded below:

2022-12-05 Current Federal Tax Developments

2022-11-28 Difficulties Using LLC as Legal Entity for S Corporation

November 27, 2022 by Ed Zollars, CPA

This week we look at:

Damage award found to not be for physical injuries, entire amount taxable
Partnership language in LLC operating agreement revision terminated S corporation status (creating a C corporation)
Taxpayer failed to wait required 6 months for IRS to act on refund claim before filing suit

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