Category Archives: IRS

Mandatory efiling of FBARs Effective July 1st

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Russ

Effective July 1st, all FBARs–Form TD F 90-22.1, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts–must be efiled. You must use the BSA efile system to efile FBARs. This includes amended FBARs. (One exception would appear to be individuals coming into … Continue reading →

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DOMA Done, But Don’t File that Joint Return Just Yet

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Russ

The US Supreme Court ruled today that the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was unconstitutional. That makes it appear that same-sex couples should be able to file joint tax returns. There’s only one problem: The IRS computers likely would … Continue reading →

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Loving Appeal to be Heard on September 24th

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Russ

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia set oral arguments for September 24th in the IRS’s appeal of Loving v. IRS. This is the case that stopped the IRS’s scheme to regulate unenrolled tax professionals. While the … Continue reading →

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FBAR Deadline Is Now

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Russ

Almost every tax form uses a postmark deadline. For example, if you mail your tax return on April 15th (using certified mail, return receipt requested, of course), and the post office sends your return to Fresno via Fargo so it … Continue reading →

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Onwards and Upwards into the 20th Century!

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Russ

Not to sound like a broken record, but if today is a vision of the future, boy, do I want the past. I have another new client and needed to order transcripts. I called the IRS Practitioner Priority Service (PPS) … Continue reading →

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When 68 Minutes of Hold Time Is an Improvement

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Russ

So after the debacle on Tuesday I called back yesterday afternoon. The hold time was far better: 68 minutes. That’s almost a 7% improvement! On the other hand, the representative I spoke with was quite helpful. Indeed, most of the … Continue reading →

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Today’s Example on Why Removing Disclosure Authorization from IRS eServices Is a Miserable Idea

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Russ

Today I needed to order a transcript for a client. I had a signed Form 8821 (Tax Information Authorization). I couldn’t enter the form electronically using Disclosure Authorization as I didn’t have past information for the taxpayer. So I faxed … Continue reading →

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IRS Scandal Update for June 16th

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Russ

Quite a bit of news on the IRS scandal this week: Eliana Johnson of National Review Online debunks the idea of “rogue agents in Cincinnati.” I never thought it was rogue agents. If you’re a religious organization, are you allowed … Continue reading →

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IRS Scandal Update for June 9th

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Russ

Another week has gone by, and some Democrats want the world to believe that the IRS scandal is resolved. It’s not. Here’s the news I’ve seen over the last week. Peggy Noonan has an excellent op-ed in the Wall Street … Continue reading →

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IRS Makes It Official: Disclosure Authorization Gone from eServices on August 11th

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Russ

Buried in this week’s “e-News for Tax Professionals” was the following story: E-Services: Disclosure Authorization and Electronic Account Resolution Applications Retire in August ________________________________________ Due largely to low usage, the IRS will retire and remove the Disclosure Authorization (DA) and … Continue reading →

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