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IRS Hints at Revenue Procedure 94-69 Update

At a recent Tax Executives Institute conference in New York, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) spokesperson stated that guidance and a new final form will be issued when the IRS and the US Department of the Treasury replace the disclosure procedures laid out in Revenue Procedure 94-69 1994-2 C.B. 804. The updated guidance will define the scope of the required disclosures and detail how to create them.

As we previously discussed, the IRS published a new draft form (Form 15307, Post-Filing Disclosure for Specified Large Business Taxpayers) in February 2022 and requested comments on the new form. A significant amount of useful comments was received from taxpayers and tax professionals on Form 15307 and the IRS is in the process of finalizing the form based upon said comments, which will be released to aid in the implementation of the new guidance replacing Revenue Procedure 94-69. No timing was provided on when the new form and guidance will be issued.

Practice Point: We are happy to hear that the disclosure procedures in Revenue Procedure 94-69 is here to stay, albeit in some form or fashion. Numerous large business taxpayers rely on this mechanism to clean up errors made on the return without having to file a formal amended return.




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Weekly IRS Roundup September 19 – September 23, 2022

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of September 19, 2022 – September 23, 2022.

September 19, 2022: The IRS updated information on the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), including information on the pre-screening and certification process. The WOTC is available to employers who hire designated categories of workers facing significant barriers to employment. Form 8850, Pre-Screening Notice and Certification Request for the Work Opportunity Credit, must be completed by the job applicant and the employer on or before the day of the job offer to satisfy the pre-screen requirement.

September 19, 2022: The IRS released Tax Tip 2022-143, reminding people that every taxpayer has the right to retain representation when they work with the IRS, including the right to seek assistance from the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic.

September 20, 2022: The IRS announced that it has selected eight new members for the Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee. The committee’s main goal is to promote paperless filing of tax and information returns. The following individuals have been appointed for three-year terms on the committee, starting in September:

  • Austin Emeagwai, CPA, Ph.D.; Collierville, Tennessee
  • Jerry Gaddis, EA, MBA; Winter Haven, Florida
  • Nikia Gainey; Orlando, Florida
  • Robert Gettemy;Marion, Iowa
  • Argi O’Leary; Voorheesville, New York
  • Hallie Parchman; Austin, Texas
  • RaeAnn Pilarski; Tucson, Arizona
  • Keith Richardson; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

September 20, 2022: The IRS announced that Hurricane Fiona victims in Puerto Rico now have until February 15, 2023, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. The relief is available in all 78 Puerto Rican municipalities, which are designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

September 20, 2022: The IRS released Notice 2022-40, which provides updates on the corporate bond monthly yield curve and corresponding spot segment rates and the 24-month average segment rates for September 2022. The notice also provides guidance as to interest rates on 30-year Treasury securities and the 30-year Treasury weighted average rates.

September 20, 2022: The IRS released Tax Tip 2022-144, recommending that people use caution when choosing a tax preparer since tax preparers have different levels of skill, education and expertise.

September 21, 2022: The IRS released Tax Tip 2022-145, describing the different types of authorizations for third-party representatives. The options include:

  • Power of Attorney: This allows someone to represent a taxpayer in tax matters before the IRS. The representative must be an individual authorized to practice before the IRS.
  • Tax Information Authorization: This allows a taxpayer to appoint anyone to review or receive a taxpayer’s confidential tax information for a specified type of tax for a specified period.
  • Third-Party Designee: This designates a person on a taxpayer’s tax form to discuss that specific tax return and year with the IRS.
  • Oral Disclosure: This authorizes the [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup September 12 – September 16, 2022

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of September 12, 2022 – September 16, 2022.

September 12, 2022: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2022-37, which highlights the following:

  • Treasury Decision 9965: These regulations establish certain requirements regarding the implementation of protections against balance billing provided under the No Surprise Act.
  • Notice 2022-37: This guidance assists taxpayers in complying with the final regulations under Section 871(m). The US Department of the Treasury (Treasury) and the IRS intend to amend Section 871(m) regulations, which will delay the effective date of certain rules in the final regulations and extend the phase-in period provided in Notice 2020-2 for two years.

September 12, 2022: The IRS released COVID Tax Tip 2022-139, reminding taxpayers of recently issued Notice 2022-36, which provides penalty relief from certain failure to file penalties in taxable years 2019 and 2020. The relevant penalties will be waived, abated, refunded or credited. The relief is designed to help struggling taxpayers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and to allow the IRS to focus resources on processing backlogged tax returns and taxpayer correspondence.

September 12, 2022: The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) released the Fiscal Year 2022 Statutory Review of Compliance With Notice of Federal Tax Lien Filing Due Process Procedures. TIGTA is required to determine annually whether lien notices issued by the IRS comply with the legal requirements set forth in the Internal Revenue Code. TIGTA recommended that the Director of Collection Policy for the Small Business/Self-Employed Division (1) reinforce Internal Revenue Manual (IRM) guidance to ensure that taxpayers’ representatives are notified of Notice of Federal Tax Lien filings and (2) correct an IRM reference on Written Communication to a Taxpayer’s Authorized Representative. The IRS agreed.

September 12, 2022: TIGTA released its report entitled, Reliance on Self-Certifications Resulted in Federal Agencies Awarding Contracts and Grants to Entities With Delinquent Federal Taxes; However, the IRS Is Making Progress on Establishing the Federal Contractor Tax Check System. TIGTA performed this audit because in Calendar Years 2015 and 2016, federal contracts were awarded to thousands of contractors with unpaid taxes that were most likely delinquent. Between October 2018 and December 2019, the federal government awarded 2.1 million federal contracts to more than 83,000 awardees. More than 3,000 contractors that received contracts owned $621.8 million in delinquent federal taxes, and 938 grantees received $22.7 billion in federal grants while owning $269.2 million in delinquent federal taxes.

September 12, 2022: The IRS issued minor corrections to Treasury Decision 9964, originally published August 16, 2022. The regulations define guidance for states regarding the process by which they may obtain or inspect certain returns and return information for the purpose of administering state laws governing certain tax-exempt organizations and their activities.

September [...]

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An Overview of IRS Organization and Operations

McDermott’s Federal Tax Controversy Practice Group focuses on representing taxpayers in tax disputes with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in IRS examinations and IRS administrative appeals as well as litigation in federal trial and appellate courts. In resolving such disputes, it is helpful for taxpayers (and tax practitioners) to understand how the IRS operates as an organization in addition to its chain of command. To that end, below, we set forth some basic information regarding the organization and operations of the IRS.

Many of our clients are audited by the IRS’s Large Business & International (LB&I) division. On our Resources page, we added an LB&I Resources document that details its organization, including the roles and responsibilities of an LB&I examination team.

OVERVIEW OF THE IRS’S ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS

The IRS is organized to carry out the responsibilities of the US Secretary of the Treasury under Internal Revenue Code Section 7801. The Secretary has the authority to administer and enforce the internal revenue laws and the power to create an agency to enforce said laws. The IRS was created based on this grant of authority. The IRS Commissioner administers and supervises the execution and application of the internal revenue laws.

The IRS is organized into two primary organizations—the Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement (DCSE) and the Deputy Commissioner for Operations Support (DCOS).

DCSE oversees the following operating divisions:

  • Wage and Investment (W&I)
  • Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE)
  • Large Business and International (LB&I)
  • Tax Exempt and Government Entities (TE/GE)
  • Criminal Investigation (CI)
  • Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR)
  • Whistleblower Office
  • Return Preparer Office (RPO)
  • Online Services

DCOS oversees the following integrated support functions:

  • Information Technology (IT)
  • Chief Financial Office (CFO)
  • Facilities Management and Security Services (FMSS)
  • Human Capital Office (HCO)
  • Private, Government Liaison and Disclosure (PGLD)
  • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
  • Office of the Chief Risk Office (CRO)
  • Procurement
  • Research Applied Analytics and Statistics (RAAS)

Certain key functions report directly to the IRS Commissioner. Those include:

  • Chief Counsel (Counsel)
  • Communications and Liaison (C&L)
  • IRS Independent Office of Appeals (Appeals)
  • National Taxpayer Advocate

Practice Point: IRS examinations are a fact of life, especially for large corporate taxpayers. The above overview and the LB&I Resources guide provide more information on how the IRS is organized and operated. The more taxpayers and tax practitioners know, the better the odds of a smooth and efficient examination process.




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Weekly IRS Roundup November 1 – November 5, 2021

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of November 1, 2021 – November 5, 2021. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.

November 1, 2021: The IRS released a memorandum, providing guidance on the refund recoupment process for employees of Specialty Collection Offer in Compromise. Beginning with offers accepted on or after November 1, 2021, the offer in the compromise refund recoupment process will no longer be applicable for offsetting tax periods included on Form 656.

November 1, 2021: The IRS released a memorandum, extending certain temporary guidance related to taxpayer contact, initial contact and asset evaluations with respect to Internal Revenue Manual SBSE-05-0321-0019, Extension of Temporary Guidance for Field Collection and Specialty Collection Offers in Compromise Procedures During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Resumption of NFTL Procedures. The memorandum also extends the waiver that requires a field call prior to acceptance of certain Offers in Compromise in accordance with IRM 5.8.4.8(10) until January 31, 2022. The temporary guidance regarding Notice of Federal Tax Lien (NFTL) determinations and filings was not extended.

November 2, 2021: The IRS released the IRS Chief Counsel code and subject matter directory for November 2021.

November 3, 2021: The IRS published a news release, reminding taxpayers that a special tax provision will allow more Americans to easily deduct up to $600 in donations to qualifying charities on their 2021 federal income tax return. A temporary law change now permits them to claim a limited deduction on their 2021 federal income tax returns for cash contributions made to qualifying charitable organizations.

November 3, 2021: The IRS published FAQs concerning carried interest reporting details for partnerships. The purpose of the FAQs is to provide guidance relating to both pass-through entity filing and reporting requirements and owner taxpayer filing requirements in accordance with US Department of the Treasury (Treasury) regulations revised in T.D. 9945 (concerning guidance under Section 1061, which recharacterizes certain net long-term capital gains of a partner that holds one or more applicable partnership interests as short-term capital gains).

November 3, 2021: The IRS published a news release, announcing that victims of Hurricane Ida in parts of Connecticut now have until January 3, 2022, to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.

November 3, 2021: The IRS and Treasury published a notice and request for comments concerning third-party disclosure requirements in IRS regulations. Written comments are due on or before January 3, 2022.

November 5, 2021: The IRS published a practice unit concerning expense allocation and apportionment when calculating a foreign tax credit under Section 904. The practice unit was revised to correct an error and supersedes the August 29, 2016, practice unit with the same title.

November 5, 2021: The IRS and Treasury
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Weekly IRS Roundup October 25 – October 29, 2021

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of October 25, 2021 – October 29, 2021. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.

October 25, 2021: The IRS released a memorandum implementing the Large Partnership Compliance (LPC) Pilot Program, including the identification, selection and delivery of large partnership tax returns, exam procedures and feedback.

October 25, 2021: The IRS released a memorandum providing emergency guidance on emails with personal accounts in exigent circumstances to IRS employees responsible for protecting sensitive but unclassified data, including tax information and personally identifiable information.

October 26, 2021: The IRS and US Department of the Treasury (Treasury) published a notice and request for comments concerning the foreign tax credit used by individuals, estates or trusts. Comments are requested on Form 1116, Foreign Tax Credit (Individual, Estate or Trust), and Schedules B and C, which are used by individuals (including nonresident aliens), estates or trusts who paid foreign income taxes on US taxable income to compute the foreign tax credit. Written comments are due on or before December 27, 2021.

October 26, 2021: The IRS published a practice unit examining education expenses claimed by Nonresident Alien Individual (NRA) employees. The unit focuses on examining the education expenses claimed by NRAs engaged in a US trade or business as employees and discusses the issues and audit steps that examiners will need to consider for these taxpayers.

October 27, 2021: The IRS published a new release announcing that victims of Hurricane Ida in parts of Mississippi now have additional time—until January 3, 2022—to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. The deadline remains November 1, 2021, for affected taxpayers in other parts of Mississippi.

October 28, 2021: The IRS and Treasury published a notice and request for comments concerning Form 3468 (Investment Credit). The form is used to compute taxpayers’ credit against their income tax for certain expenses incurred for their trades or businesses. Written comments are due on or before December 27, 2021.

October 29, 2021: The IRS and Treasury published a notice and request for comments concerning Form SS-4 (Application for Employer Identification Number). The form is used by taxpayers who are required to have an identification number for use on any return, statement or other document to obtain such number. Written comments are due on or before December 28, 2021.

October 29, 2021: The IRS and Treasury published a notice and request for comments concerning rules relating to the manner and method of reporting and paying the nondeductible 50% excise tax imposed by Section 5881 with respect to the receipt of greenmail. Written comments are due on or before December 28, 2021.

October 29, 2021: The IRS released a memorandum [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup October 18 – October 22, 2021

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of October 18, 2021 – October 22, 2021. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.

October 18, 2021: The IRS announced that beginning October 18, its Large Business and International (LB&I) Division will accept all taxpayer requests to meet with IRS employees using secure video conferencing.

October 20, 2021: The IRS published an announcement, reminding employers that the next quarterly payroll tax return is due November 1, 2021. The IRS urged employers to use the speed and convenience of filing the returns electronically.

October 21, 2021: The IRS and US Department of the Treasury (Treasury) published a notice and request for comments concerning Form 4810 (Request for Prompt Assessment Under Internal Revenue Code Section 6501(d)). The form is used to help locate a return and expedite the processing of a taxpayer’s request. Written comments are due on or before December 20, 2021.

October 21, 2021: The IRS published an announcement, reminding the more than 759,000 federal tax return preparers that they must renew their Preparer Tax Identification Numbers (PTINs) now for 2022. All current PTINs will expire December 31, 2021.

October 21, 2021: The IRS published a notice, setting forth current standards that a limited liability company (LLC) must satisfy in order to receive a determination letter recognizing it as tax exempt under Section 501(a) and described in Section 501(c)(3). The notice also requests comments on these standards, as well as specific issues relating to tax exempt status for LLCs, to assist the Treasury and the IRS in determining whether additional guidance is needed concerning the standards that an LLC must satisfy in order to be exempt from taxation by reason of being described in Section 501(c). Written comments should be submitted by February 6, 2022.

October 22, 2021: The IRS published an announcement, reminding employers that they generally will not jeopardize the tax status of their pension plans if they rehire retirees or permit distributions of retirement benefits to current employees who have reached age 59 and a half or the plan’s normal retirement age. The IRS posted FAQs to help employers impacted by COVID-19, which resulted in labor shortages.

October 22, 2021: The IRS published Revenue Procedure 2021-42, providing guidelines and general requirements for the development, printing and approval of the 2021 substitute tax forms. The IRS accepts quality substitute tax forms that are consistent with the official forms and have no adverse impact on processing.

October 22, 2021: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).

Special thanks to Robbie Alipour in our Chicago office for this week’s roundup.




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