Taxpayers generally have to submit refund claims to recoup taxes paid to the IRS. The law generally says that these claims have to be in writing, but not necessarily on the IRS’s official forms. Taxpayers submit a number of documents to the IRS. Written protests submitted to the IRS are an example. Can such a…
Tax Articles
Did You Update Your Address With the IRS?
Note: the appeals court reversed this case. You can read about the appeals case here. The IRS relies heavily on the U.S. Postal Service to deliver notices to taxpayers. Many of these notices are received by taxpayers. This often comes up when the taxpayer has changed addresses. When the taxpayer does this and the address…
Is IRS Manger Approval Required for Computer Generated Penalties?
The IRS and the courts have invalidated penalties where the IRS fails to obtain IRS manager approval before assessing the penalty. It has done so in cases where the penalties are manually assessed by IRS personnel. But what about penalties that are automatically assessed by the IRS’s computers? The court addresses this in Atl &…
Can Gambling Losses be Deducted as Casualty Losses?
If a taxpayer cannot deduct gambling losses given the restrictions on gambling losses, can they deduct them as casualty losses instead? What if the gambling loss are attributable to prescription medications known to cause compulsive gambling? The court addresses this in Mancini v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2019-16. Contents1 Facts & Procedural History2 Deducting Gambling Losses3…
The IRS’s Math Error Powers
With our tax system, taxpayers are generally required to file returns to tell the IRS how much tax is due. This is no easy task. The tax reporting process can be confusing. Errors happen. Congress has authorized the IRS to correct mathematical and clerical errors made on tax returns. This is one of the exceptions…
The Sec. 179D Government-Owned Building Allocation
Section 179D provides an incentive for building owners to install energy-efficient systems. The IRS released CCA 2018-005, which addresses one of the controversial aspects of Sec. 179D–namely, the ability for government building owners to allocate the deduction to the designer of the energy-efficient property. About Section 179D Section 179D was enacted in 2005, as part…
Use of Accounting Board Order in Criminal Tax Case
If an accountant is disciplined by the accounting board, can the discipline be used to increase his criminal sentence for tax fraud when the accounting board’s discipline did not prohibit or address fraud? The court addressed this in United States v. Iley, No. 17-1269 (10th Cir. 2019). Contents1 Facts & Procedural History2 The Federal Sentencing…
How to Allocate Tax Basis for Real Estate
If you sell real estate, you pay tax on the gain. Gain is the product of the sales price less tax basis. Tax basis in turn is the amount invested in the property. But how do you calculate and then prove tax basis for buildings located on the property when you sell some but keep…
Is Election to Waive NOL Carryback Irrevocable?
You have to be careful when electing to waive the right to carry back a net operating loss. This is particularly true if there are items on your tax returns from earlier years that the IRS may eventually adjust if audited. The Bea v. Commissioner, No. 18-10511 (11th Cir. 2019), case provides an example of…
Research Tax Credit Records Must Be Kept for 40+ Years
A frequent question is how long one has to keep records for tax purposes. The United States v. Quebe, No. 3:15-cv-294 (S.D. Ohio 2019) case provides the answer for research tax credits. The answer is that you have to keep records that pre-date the formation of your business by twenty years and then you have…