Kwong v. United States Archives | TAX CONTROVERSY 360

Latest tax updates: Section 7508A refund claims, whistleblower award eligibility, and court restrictions on IRS collection

by Kai M. Fenty and Edward L. Froelich | Jul 14, 2026 | Appellate Courts, Court Procedure Matters, IRS Appeals, IRS Guidance, Penalties, Significant Court Decision, Tax Reform, Tax Refunds

This roundup covers key Internal Revenue Service (IRS) developments from June 23 to July 2, 2026, including a notable executive nomination, new electronic filing procedures for COVID-19 disaster relief refund claims, and three significant court decisions shaping tax controversy.

June 23, 2026: US President Donald Trump nominated Jim Gadwood, a tax controversy partner at Miller & Chevalier, to serve as IRS chief counsel. The agency’s top legal official, the chief counsel is responsible for advising IRS leadership, issuing legal guidance, and overseeing the development of US Department of the Treasury regulations, including implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Gadwood has focused his practice on federal tax controversies; transfer pricing; tax accounting; and representing large corporations, partnerships, and high-net-worth individuals before the IRS.

June 26, 2026: The IRS issued PLR 202626001, granting a limited liability company 120 days of § 9100 relief to file a late Form 8832 for electing to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation under the entity classification regulations. The IRS concluded that the taxpayer acted reasonably and in good faith and that granting relief would not prejudice the interests of the government after the taxpayer inadvertently failed to timely file its entity classification election despite intending corporate tax treatment from the desired effective date.

The taxpayer must file Form 8832 within 120 days and file all required federal income tax and information returns, including amended returns, consistent with the requested classification. The IRS emphasized that its ruling does not address the taxpayer’s eligibility to make the election or provide relief from any interest or penalties that may otherwise apply, and, as with all private letter rulings, the decision may not be cited as precedent.

July 2, 2026: The IRS announced an electronic filing option for taxpayers seeking to preserve potential claims for COVID-19 disaster relief refunds pending the government’s appeal in Kwong v. United States. Taxpayers with an IRS online account may electronically submit Form 843 before the July 10, 2026, deadline by identifying the claim as relating to Kwong. The IRS stated that it will process the claims only if the government is ultimately unsuccessful in its appeal. The Kwong decision held that the COVID-19 pandemic automatically postponed certain federal tax deadlines until July 10, 2023, potentially entitling taxpayers to refunds of penalties and interest previously assessed for late filing or payment. The IRS continues to challenge that ruling, but the new filing procedure allows taxpayers to preserve potential refund claims while the appeal remains pending.

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

Recent court developments

June 29, 2026: In White v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2026-56, the US Tax Court held that the IRS abused its discretion by sustaining a proposed levy to collect restitution-based assessments (RBAs) under § 6201(a)(4) because the collection action conflicted with a prior US Department of Justice [...]

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IRS roundup: November 25 – December 10, 2025

by Evan Walters, Samuel F. Hamer, Edward L. Froelich, Michael J. Scarduzio, Matthew J. Blaney and Suzanne Golshanara | Dec 16, 2025 | Court Procedure Matters, IRS Guidance, Significant Court Decision, Tax Reform

Check out our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for November 25, 2025 – December 10, 2025.

November 25, 2025: The IRS released Notice 2025-70, requesting comments on the implementation of a new individual tax credit under the newly enacted Section 25F under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Beginning in 2027, taxpayers may claim up to $1,700 under Section 25F for contributions to Scholarship Granting Organizations that provide scholarships for elementary and secondary school students from low- and middle-income families. Comments are due by December 26, 2025.

November 25, 2025: The IRS released Notice 2025-72, providing guidance on the OBBBA’s repeal of the one-month deferral election under Section 898(c)(2) for specified foreign corporations (SFCs), effective for taxable years beginning after November 30, 2025. For SFCs that previously elected a one-month deferral, the first required tax year will be a short period ending on the same date as their majority US shareholder’s tax year. The notice addresses administrability concerns and provides a method for allocating foreign income taxes between this short year and the next year for subpart F, global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI), and foreign tax credit purposes. The notice also previews proposed Section 987 regulations that would modify the 10-year transition election for recognizing pre-transition gain or loss, allowing ratable recognition over 120 months. Comments are requested by January 24, 2026, particularly on the allocation rule and other multiyear provisions affected by short tax years.

December 2, 2025: The IRS released Notice 2025-68, which addresses the new Trump Accounts. Created by the OBBBA, Trump Accounts are a type of traditional individual retirement account for individuals under 18 years of age who have a social security number issued before the date of the election. The notice provides initial guidance on the potential benefits of these accounts and outlines details of the pilot program under Section 6364. Comments on the guidance are due by February 20, 2026, though the IRS notes that proposed regulations governing the election to open a Trump Account and the pilot program contribution election under Section 6434 may be issued before the comment period closes.

December 3, 2025: The IRS released Announcement 2025-22 and Announcement 2025-23, identifying taxpayers and the amounts of Section 48C credits allocated for projects that received certifications under the Section 48C(e) advanced energy project program. Section 48C(e)(1) directs the secretary of the treasury to establish a program to award certifications for qualified investments eligible for Section 48C credits. The US Department of the Treasury and the IRS provided two allocation rounds. Announcement 2025-22 lists Round One taxpayers and allocations, and Announcement 2025-23 lists Round Two taxpayers and allocations.

December 4, 2025: The IRS released Notice 2025-75, which provided a transition rule and proposed regulations that modify the application of Section 951(a)(2)(B) following the OBBBA changes for certain controlled foreign corporation (CFC) taxable years beginning [...]

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Major update: Potential refund opportunity for interest and penalty amounts accrued during COVID-19 federally declared disaster

by Shawn O’Brien and Samuel F. Hamer | Dec 8, 2025 | Court Procedure Matters, IRS Appeals, IRS Audits, Penalties, Settlements, Significant Court Decision, Tax Refunds

The US Court of Federal Claims’ (CFC) recent decision in Kwong v. United States, No. 23-267 (Fed. Cl. Nov. 25, 2025), provides significant support for the potential refund opportunity we identified in a previous blog post titled, “Refund opportunity for interest and penalty amounts accrued during COVID-19 federally declared disaster.” The refund opportunity applies to taxpayers who made payments to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that included underpayment interest and/or failure-to-file/failure-to-pay penalties that accrued during all or part of the period from January 20, 2020, through July 10, 2023.

Although the CFC’s holding in Kwong addressed whether Internal Revenue Code (IRC) § 7508A provided the taxpayer an extension of the two-year statute of limitations deadline for filing a refund suit (in IRC § 6532(a)) that fell after the COVID-19 disaster was declared, Kwong answered important questions for those taxpayers pursuing refunds for underpayment interest and/or failure-to-file/failure-to-pay penalties that accrued during COVID-19. The CFC held that the 2019 version of IRC § 7508A applies to the COVID-19 federally declared disaster. This is a significant holding because Congress amended IRC § 7508A in 2021 to significantly limit the IRC § 7508A(d) mandatory extension period. The CFC also held that the IRC § 7508A(d) mandatory extension period, as applied to the COVID-19 disaster, commenced on January 20, 2020, and ended on July 10, 2023.

Kwong has potentially sweeping implications for taxpayers who faced federal tax filing and/or payment deadlines that fell between January 20, 2020, and July 10, 2023. Under the CFC’s Kwong analysis, the deadline for payment of any federal tax falling between these two dates was extended to July 11, 2023. Since the IRS computes underpayment interest and/or failure-to-file/pay penalties from the payment due date, penalties should not accrue from January 20, 2020, through July 10, 2023, and any taxpayers who already paid these amounts may be entitled to a refund. The CFC’s analysis also does not rule out the possibility that taxpayers with payment due dates preceding January 20, 2020, may be entitled to relief to the extent the underpayment interest and/or failure-to-file/failure-to-pay penalties accrued during the COVID-19 disaster period.

As noted in our previous post, taxpayers considering this refund opportunity should be aware that the statute of limitations to file a refund claim expires three years from the filing deadline of the original tax return or two years from the date on which payment was made, whichever is later (unless the statute of limitations period was otherwise extended). This refund opportunity may apply to underpayment interest and/or penalties paid with respect to federal income, estate, gift, employment, or excise taxes.

Latest tax updates: Section 7508A refund claims, whistleblower award eligibility, and court restrictions on IRS collection

IRS roundup: November 25 – December 10, 2025

Major update: Potential refund opportunity for interest and penalty amounts accrued during COVID-19 federally declared disaster

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