Category Archives: IRS

Dear Mr. IRS

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Russ

I must commend CPA Tony Nitti on his “Request for Urgent Business Relationship.” It’s hilarious…but horribly sad. Why? TIGTA–the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration–came out with what is (for me) a scathing report on identity theft and phony tax … Continue reading →

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IRS Scandal Update

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Russ

The political news has been dominated as of late by the ObamaCare follies. However, the IRS scandal continues to percolate. There has been some news this past week: The National Organization for Marriage sued the IRS over the leak of … Continue reading →

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PTIN Follies, Year 4

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Russ

This is the fourth year I’ve had to pay for my PTIN (my third year to renew it). A PTIN is a Preparer Tax Identification Number–it’s a number I use when I prepare a tax return. It’s a means for … Continue reading →

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Coming Attractions: When the IRS Writes New Law When They’re Not Allowed To

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Russ

The IRS is part of the Executive Branch of government. The Executive Branch can’t write law–they can issue regulations based on laws passed by the legislative branch (Congress) and then only when Congress authorizes it. There’s an issue percolating in … Continue reading →

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Sigh: 2014 Tax Season to be Delayed up to Two Weeks

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Russ

Just the news that every tax professional wants to hear: The 2014 tax season (2013 tax returns filed next year) will be delayed one to two weeks. It appears the start date for processing will be sometime between January 28th … Continue reading →

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44 Days

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Russ

44 days isn’t much time. It’s about a month and a half. Yet in the bizarre world of the Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare), it’s a big deal. Over the coming weeks I’m going to be looking at various provisions … Continue reading →

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It’s One Minute Before Midnight…

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Russ

…for most of us who file tax returns. The deadline is Tuesday, October 15th at midnight for those on extension. That’s it–there’s no tomorrow (well, there is…but not for filing) with three exceptions (noted below). So what should you do? … Continue reading →

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Some Things Still Work; Others Don’t (IRS Shutdown)

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Russ

With the IRS being basically closed, some services are still available. Tonight I was able to log into e-services and print a transcript for a client–a client I already had a Power of Attorney for. Yesterday, a new client came … Continue reading →

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The Government Shutdown and Taxes

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Russ

Apparently the Republicans and Democrats couldn’t get their heads together yesterday, and the government has partially shut down. What does that mean for taxes? Your tax returns on extension are still due on October 15th. That deadline is statutory, so … Continue reading →

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It’s Only $67 Million that We Can’t Find…

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Russ

Have you ever lost something? Of course you have–we all have had experiences where we can’t find that paper we need. Of course, just after we get the second copy of the paper we find the original (Murphy’s Law at … Continue reading →

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