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Weekly IRS Roundup April 8 – April 12, 2024

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of April 8, 2024 – April 12, 2024.

April 8, 2024: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2024-15, which includes the following:

  • Announcement 2024-15, which revokes the § 501(c)(3) determination for specified organizations and stipulates that contributions made to said organizations by individual donors are no longer deductible under § 170(b)(1)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code (Code).
  • Notice 2024-31, which provides adjustments to the limitation on housing expenses for purposes of Code Section 911 for specific locations for 2024.
  • Revenue Procedure 2024-17, which provides a waiver under Code Section 911(d)(4) concerning time requirements for individuals who must leave a foreign country because of war, civil unrest or similar adverse conditions and are electing to exclude their foreign earned income. The revenue procedure also adds Ukraine, Belarus, Sudan, Haiti, Niger and Iraq to the list of waiver countries for tax year 2023 for which the minimum time requirements are waived.
  • Revenue Procedure 2024-18, which supplements Revenue Procedure 2023-32 by publishing amounts of unused housing credit carryovers allocated to qualified states under Code Section 42(h)(3)(D) for calendar year 2023 (in addition to those amounts published in Revenue Procedure 2023-32).
  • Final regulations, which describe rules for the elective payment of Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 tax credit amounts in a taxable year, including definitions and special rules applicable to partnerships and S corporations and regarding repayment of excessive payments. The regulations also describe rules related to a required IRS pre-filing registration process.
  • Final regulations, which describe rules for the elective payment of the advanced manufacturing investment credit under the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors Act of 2022, including special rules applicable to partnerships and S corporations, repayment of excessive payments, and basis reduction and recapture. The regulations also describe rules related to a required IRS pre-filing registration process.

April 8, 2024: The IRS warned taxpayers about bad tax information on social media that can potentially lead to identity theft and tax problems.

April 9, 2024: The IRS warned tax professionals and businesses to remain vigilant and protect themselves against a continuing barrage of email spearfishing attempts, especially one particular type known as “new client” scams where identity thieves pose as potential clients using fake emails in hopes of stealing valuable information.

April 9, 2024: The IRS reminded taxpayers that its Direct File pilot is open to eligible taxpayers in 12 pilot states and allows the filing of 2023 federal tax returns online for free and directly with the IRS.

April 9, 2024: The IRS released proposed regulations that would implement the statutory netting rule, which reduces the aggregate fair market value of stock repurchased by a taxpayer during a certain taxable year. Additionally, [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup February 19 – February 23, 2024

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of February 19, 2024 – February 23, 2024.

February 20, 2024: The IRS published Announcement 2024-12, which revokes tax-exempt status for the Chicago Cannabis Alliance and Keeping My Kids Inc.

February 20, 2024: The IRS reminded farmers and fishers who chose to forgo making estimated tax payments by January that they must generally file their 2023 federal income tax return and pay all taxes by March 1, 2024, to avoid estimated tax penalties.

February 20, 2024: The IRS reminded businesses to review their Employee Retention Credit eligibility because there’s limited time to voluntarily resolve incorrect claims and avoid issues, such as penalties and interest.

February 21, 2024: The IRS announced plans to begin dozens of audits on business aircraft involving personal use, focusing specifically on aircraft usage by large corporations, large partnerships and high-income taxpayers.

February 21, 2024: The IRS announced that interest rates for overpayments and underpayments will remain the same for the calendar quarter beginning April 1, 2024. Interest rates are provided in Revenue Ruling 2024-6.

February 21, 2024: The IRS reminded military personnel that they have several options to file their federal tax returns for free, including the US Department of Defense’s MilTax and the IRS Free File program.

February 21, 2024: The IRS announced the beginning of its 2024 Tax Time Guide series, which provides new and updated resources to help taxpayers file an accurate tax return.

February 22, 2024: The IRS warned tax professionals about a recurring scheme in which scammers pose as tax software providers and email tax professionals with requests to provide Electronic Filing Identification Number information via fax.

February 22, 2024: The IRS announced that applications for the 2025 Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) are now being accepted to fill vacancies in 29 states and territories. TAP submits recommendations to the IRS to help improve satisfaction with IRS services, products and procedures.

February 23, 2024: The IRS announced that the replacement of lead service lines under various governmental programs do not result in income to the residential property owners under Internal Revenue Code § 61.

February 23, 2024: The IRS issued frequently asked questions related to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, which provides financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners who experienced discrimination by the USDA in farm lending prior to 2021.

February 23, 2024: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).




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Weekly IRS Roundup February 12 – February 16, 2024

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of February 12, 2024 – February 16, 2024.

February 12, 2024: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2024-7, which includes the following:

  • Revenue Ruling 2024-5, which provides that if one or more of a state’s allocations of housing credit dollar amounts under § 305 of the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 to qualified disaster zones in 2021 or 2022 are returned after 2022, then the returned housing credit dollar amounts are not restricted to projects located in qualified disaster zones.
  • Announcement 2024-7, which corrects Revenue Procedure 2024-5 by providing initially omitted effective dates for changes to the user fees that apply to certain requests for advance approvals.
  • Announcement 2024-8, which revokes tax-exempt status for the Altruistic United Humanity Association.
  • Announcement 2024-9, which revokes tax-exempt status for the West Los Angeles Obedience Training Club Inc.
  • Notice 2024-20, which advises that forthcoming proposed regulations will set forth (i) requirements for qualifying as an eligible census tract for purposes of the alternative fuel vehicle refueling property credit under § 30C of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) and (ii) guidance as to how taxpayers can verify that property satisfies the geographic requirements of Code § 30C.
  • Notice 2024-23, which provides special relief under Code § 529 for certain rollovers to or from Maryland Prepaid College Trust (MPCT) accounts. Due to accounting discrepancies and administrative issues, access to MPCT interest earnings was frozen in April 2022 and restored July 2023. Due to the freeze, many taxpayers executed a qualified rollover out of MPCT accounts. Notice 2024-23 permits taxpayers to transfer funds back into an MPCT account in a qualified rollover even though the transfer of funds out of the MPCT account may have occurred within the past 12 months.

February 12, 2024: The IRS announced that Jim Lee, chief of IRS Criminal Investigation, will retire effective April 6, 2024.

February 12, 2024: The IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2024-14, which provides indexing adjustments for applicable dollar amounts used to calculate the employer shared responsibility payments under § 4980H(a) and (b)(1) of the Code.

February 12, 2024: The IRS reminded senior taxpayers of free tax filing options, including the programs Tax Counseling for the Elderly, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and IRS Free File.

February 13, 2024: The IRS highlighted seven suspicious signs that an Employee Retention Credit claim may be questionable and could signal future IRS problems to help small businesses that may need to resolve incorrect claims.

February 13, 2024: The IRS alerted tax professionals to watch out for a “new client” scam, which is an email scheme (in which cybercriminals pose as potential clients) that peaks during the busy tax filing season.

[...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup January 22 – January 26, 2024

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of January 22, 2024 – January 26, 2024.

January 22, 2024: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2024-4, which includes Revenue Procedure 2024-8. This revenue procedure lists qualified census tracts used to determine income limits for targeted area residences for purposes of Internal Revenue Code (Code) § 143(a), dealing with qualified mortgage bonds, and Code § 25(c), dealing with mortgage credit certificates.

January 22, 2024: The IRS announced that individuals and businesses in parts of Connecticut affected by severe storms, flooding and a potential dam breach that began on January 10 now have until June 17, 2024, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.

January 22, 2024: The IRS reminded taxpayers that they must disclose whether they received or disposed of digital assets, such as cryptocurrency, on their 2023 personal income tax returns.

January 22, 2024: The IRS announced that IRS Free File is now available for the 2024 filing season. IRS Free File is generally available to taxpayers with adjusted gross income of $79,000 or less. Additional information can be accessed here.

January 23, 2024: The IRS announced that work is underway on the Simple Notice Initiative, which will review and redesign various IRS notices. The IRS intends to focus first on the notices that are most commonly sent to individual taxpayers.

January 23, 2024: The IRS published a Request for Information from the US Department of the Treasury, Employee Benefits Security Administration, US Department of Labor, and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation following the directive provided under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 to review the existing reporting and disclosure requirements for retirement plans. Comments are due by April 22, 2024, and each agency will be required to report to US Congress on December 29, 2025. Reports will offer recommendations for simplifying, standardizing and improving reporting and disclosure requirements.

January 25, 2024: The IRS issued Notice 2024-23, which provides special relief under Code § 529 for certain rollovers to or from Maryland Prepaid College Trust (MPCT) accounts. Due to accounting discrepancies and administrative issues, access to MPCT interest earnings was frozen in April 2022 and restored in July 2023. As a result of the freeze, many taxpayers executed a qualified rollover out of MPCT accounts. Notice 2024-23 permits taxpayers to transfer funds back into an MPCT account in a qualified rollover even though the transfer of funds out of the MPCT account may have occurred within 12 months of the transfer back into an MPCT account.

January 26, 2024: In the spirit of the IRS’s annual Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day outreach campaign, the IRS posted information on the Earned Income Tax Credit to help educate low- to middle-income taxpayers who may be eligible to [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup July 24 – July 28, 2023

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of July 24, 2023 – July 28, 2023.

July 24, 2023: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2023-30, which includes proposed regulations that specify the methodology for constructing the corporate bond yield curve used to calculate present value under a defined benefit plan. The Internal Revenue Bulletin also highlights the following:

  • Announcement 2023-18 relieves taxpayers from reporting the new stock repurchase excise tax under § 4501.
  • Announcements 2023-19 and 2023-20 revoke the tax-exempt status of certain organizations.
  • Notice 2023-37 modifies prior guidance regarding benefits related to testing and treating COVID-19.
  • Notice 2023-50 announces that the applicable percentage for purposes of determining percentage depletion on marginal properties for 2023 is 15%.
  • Notice 2023-51 publishes the inflation adjustment factor and the reference price for 2023 for the renewable electricity production credit under § 45.
  • T.D. 9976 provides final regulations that facilitate the transition from the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) to other interbank offered rates (IBORs).

July 24, 2023: The IRS released Tax Tip 2023-93, warning businesses and tax-exempt organizations about misleading employee retention credit claims. Scammers and unscrupulous promoters have been running aggressive broadcast advertising, direct mail solicitations and online promotions for the credit, many of which misrepresent and exaggerate who can qualify for the credit.

July 24, 2023: The IRS announced that revenue officers will no longer make unannounced visits to taxpayers’ residences in all but a few narrow circumstances. Instead, they will schedule visits via mailed letters.

July 25, 2023: The IRS released Tax Tip 2023-94, advising that applicable entities, including tax-exempt and governmental entities that would otherwise be unable to claim certain credits because they do not owe federal income tax, can benefit from some clean energy tax credits. If an entity opts to receive an elective payment, the amount of such credits is treated as a payment of tax, and overpayments will result in a refund.

July 25, 2023: The IRS released Notice 2023-53, which provides guidance on the corporate bond monthly yield curve, spot segment rates used under § 417(e)(3) and the 12-month average segment rates under § 430(h)(2).

July 25, 2023: The IRS published a special summer series discussing the Identity Protection PIN Opt-In Program, which can provide an extra layer of security for taxpayers filing their tax returns.

July 26, 2023: The IRS released Tax Tip 2023-95, reminding taxpayers that IRS Free File remains available until October 16 for those who still need to file a 2022 tax return.

July 26, 2023: The IRS released Revenue Procedure 2023-26, which provides a program for the fast-track processing of private letter ruling requests, replacing the pilot program described in
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Weekly IRS Roundup July 17 – July 21, 2023

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of July 17, 2023 – July 21, 2023.

July 17, 2023: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2023-29, which includes Notices 2023-29, 2023-45 and 2023-47. These notices provide guidance to taxpayers seeking to qualify for the energy community bonus credit under §§ 45, 45Y, 48 and 48E.

July 17, 2023: The IRS released Revenue Ruling 2023-13, providing the applicable federal rates for federal income tax purposes for August 2023. The short-term federal interest rate is 5.07%, the mid-term rate is 4.09% and the long-term rate is 4.03%.

July 17, 2023: The IRS released Tax Tip 2023-90, identifying summer activities that can affect individuals’ tax returns. For example, the cost of sending a child to summer camp may count toward the Child and Dependent Care Credit.

July 19, 2023: The IRS released Tax Tip 2023-91, reminding newlywed couples to report any name or address changes to the Social Security Administration, the US Postal Service and the IRS to update their withholding allowances. The Tax Tip also clarifies that a couple married as of December 31 is treated as married for the whole year for tax purposes.

July 20, 2023: The IRS released Tax Tip 2023-92, providing guidance to taxpayers filing returns on extension and reminding them that they may be eligible to use IRS Free File. Taxpayers getting a refund can expect to receive it faster by requesting that the refund be paid electronically via direct deposit.

July 21, 2023: The IRS released Notice 2023-55, which provides relief for taxpayers in determining which foreign taxes are creditable for tax years beginning on or after December 28, 2021, and ending on or before December 31, 2023.

July 21, 2023: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).

Upcoming Events: Registration for the 2023 IRS Nationwide Tax Forums is now open, and the events are returning to an in-person format for the first time since 2019. The IRS Nationwide Tax Forums are designed specifically for tax professionals (e.g., enrolled agents, certified public accountants, certified financial planners and Annual Filing Season Program participants) as well as uncredentialed tax professionals. The dates and locations are as follows:

  • July 25-27: Atlanta, GA
  • August 8-10: National Harbor, MD (Washington, DC area)
  • August 22-24: San Diego, CA
  • August 29-31: Orlando, FL



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Weekly IRS Roundup April 17 – April 21, 2023

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of April 17, 2023 – April 21, 2023.

April 17, 2023: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2023-16, which highlights the following:

  • Announcement 2023-10: This announcement was issued pursuant to the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, which requires the US Secretary of the Treasury to annually report advance pricing agreements and the Advance Pricing and Mutual Agreement Program (APMA Program). This year’s report describes the experience, structure and activities of the APMA Program during 2022.
  • REG-105954-22: This notice provides guidance related to Sections 4661, 4662, 4671 and 4672, collectively referred to as the Superfund chemical taxes. Section 4661(a) imposes an excise tax on the sale or use of “taxable chemicals” by manufacturers, producers or importers. Section 4671(a) imposes an excise tax on the sale or use of “taxable substances” by importers. The Superfund chemical taxes previously expired on December 31, 1995, but were reinstated with certain modifications, effective July 1, 2022, by Section 80201 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
  • Notice 2023-31: This notice announces that when proposed regulations under Section 903 (REG-112096-22) are finalized, the US Department of the Treasury and the IRS intend to extend the transition period for the single-country exception’s documentation requirement from May 17, 2023, to 180 days after the final regulations are filed. The single-country exception provides relief from the source-based attribution requirement under Section 903 for foreign withholding taxes on royalties paid for the use of intellectual property within the withholding jurisdiction.
  • REG-120080-22: This document contains proposed regulations regarding the clean vehicles credit under Section 30D. These proposed regulations will affect persons seeking to claim the credit and qualified manufacturers of clean vehicles. The IRS also issued a reminder that the proposed regulations went into effect on April 18.
  • Revenue Ruling 2023-2: This revenue ruling confirms that the basis adjustment under Section 1014 generally does not apply to the assets of an irrevocable grantor trust not included in the deceased grantor’s gross estate for federal estate tax purposes.

April 17, 2023: The IRS released Revenue Ruling 2023-9, which provides the applicable federal rates for federal income tax purposes for May 2023. The short-term federal interest rate is 4.30%, the mid-term rate will drop to 3.57% and the long-term rate will fall to 3.72%.

April 17, 2023: The IRS reminded taxpayers who need additional time to file their taxes that they can get an extension via IRS Free File.

April 17, 2023: The IRS released Tax Tip 2023-51, providing information to taxpayers regarding how to file a final federal tax return for someone who has died.

April 17, 2023: The IRS reminded last-minute tax [...]

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Weekly IRS Roundup February 13 – February 17, 2023

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of February 13, 2023 – February 17, 2023.

February 13, 2023: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2023-7, which highlights the following:

  • Revenue Procedure 2023-9: This procedure provides new rules and conditions for implementing the optional safe harbor method of accounting for real estate developers to determine when common improvement costs may be included in the basis of individual units of real property in a real property development project held for sale to determine the gain or loss from sales of those units (the Alternative Cost Method).

February 13, 2023: The IRS announced that interest rates will remain the same for the second quarter of 2023. As of April 1, 2023, the rates will be as follows:

  • Overpayments: 7%
  • Overpayments for corporations: 6%
  • Corporate overpayments for portion exceeding $10,000: 4.5%
  • Underpayments: 7%
  • Large corporate underpayments: 9%

Revenue Ruling 2023-4 contains the complete explanation of the calculations.

February 13, 2023: The IRS announced a new pilot phase for the Compliance Assurance Process (CAP) program called “Bridge Plus.” CAP is a cooperative pre-filing program for large corporate taxpayers. Taxpayers will be required to provide book-to-tax reconciliations, credit utilization and other supporting documentation shortly after their audited financial statement is finalized. An IRS team will then risk-assess the documents to determine if the taxpayer is suitable for the “Bridge Plus” phase.

February 13, 2023: The US Department of the Treasury (Treasury) and the IRS announced guidance to establish a program that would provide solar and wind power to certain low-income areas under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Notice 2023-17 establishes the Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program and provides initial guidance for potential applicants for allocations of calendar year 2023 capacity limitation.

February 13, 2023: The IRS and the Treasury announced guidance on the Qualifying Advanced Energy Product Credit. Notice 2023-18 establishes the Section 48C(e) program to allocate $10 billion in credits ($4 billion of which may only be allocated to projects located in certain energy communities census tracts). The notice also provides initial program guidance. The goal of the program is to expand US manufacturing capacity and quality jobs for clean energy technologies (including production and recycling), reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the US industrial sector and secure domestic supply chains for critical materials (including specified critical minerals) that serve as inputs for clean energy technology production.

February 13, 2023: The IRS released Tax Tip 2023-18, reminding people that the Earned Income Tax Credit is a major tax benefit for millions of low- and moderate-income workers. Taxpayers can check their eligibility and how much they qualify for here.

February 14, 2023: The IRS released Tax Tip 2023-19, providing resources and suggestions for choosing [...]

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