The IRS puts taxpayers on notice by mailing letters and notices. It is common for these letters and notices to not be delivered or to be delivered late. This can present a serious problem for taxpayers, particularly when the letter or notice is one that proposes to increase the about of tax that is due.…
Tax Articles
Extend Time for an IRS Audit
Contents1 Agreeing to Extend the Time for an IRS Audit or Not?2 The Assessment Statute3 Extending the Assessment Statute4 Why Taxpayers Agree to Extend the Statute5 Consequences of Not Extending the Statute Agreeing to Extend the Time for an IRS Audit or Not? Congress provided a limited time for the IRS to audit tax returns.…
How to Prove Refund Claim Timely Filed
The Tax Code imposes several artificial deadlines and consequences for not meeting those deadlines. Many tax deadlines are strict. The result in tax cases often come down to whether a taxpayer can prove that he met these deadlines. In Chan v. United States, No. 2:15-cv-739-DN-BCW (D. Utah 2016), the court considered whether an Adobe PDF…
IRS Agents Contact Third Parties During IRS Audit
We often get questions as to whether IRS agents can contact various third parties during the course of an IRS audit. The general rule is that IRS agents can in fact contact third parties. And they sometimes do. The ability to do this is limited and it does not exempt IRS agents from the confidentiality…
Can U.S. Tax Court Order IRS to Make Refunds?
There are a number of forums for litigating tax disputes, such as the U.S. Tax Court. There are pros and cons associated with bringing suit in each forum. Taxpayers often pass on litigating cases in the U.S. Tax Court in cases when they are seeking a refund of an amount in excess of the amount…
Evidence for Excluding Settlement Award from Income
Settlement payments paid to compensate a taxpayer for his physical sickness or injury are not taxable. Can you prove physical sickness or injury by showing that the payments were not for an economic harm? The court addressed this in George v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2016-156. Contents1 Facts & Procedural History2 The Exclusion for Physical Injuries or…
Grouping Nonpassive Activities Under the PAL Rules
Taxpayers are often surprised to learn that some losses may not be netted against gains in the current tax year. This is often due to the passive activity loss and material participation rules. The IRS National Office addressed these rules in TAM 201634022, in the context of whether two businesses should be grouped together and…
IRS Audit Adjustments That Change Accounting Methods
Given the potential for the adjustments to trigger extremely large tax liabilities, accounting method changes made by the IRS on audit can be doomsday scenarios for unwary taxpayers. In Nebeker v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2016-155, the court addressed a common situation where the IRS makes an adjustment on audit that is an accounting method, but…
Duty Applied to IRS Lawsuit to Collect Unpaid Taxes
Contents1 Duty of Consistency in Suit to Collect Unpaid Taxes2 Facts & Procedural History 3 The Duty Of Consistency 4 The CDP Request – Valid? Duty of Consistency in Suit to Collect Unpaid Taxes Many tax cases are won or lost based on tax procedure issues. The U.S. v. Holmes, Civil Action No. 4:15-cv-00626 (S.D. Texas 2016),…
What Facts are Needed to Abate Penalties?
The IRS is authorized to abate penalties for reasonable cause. There is no set of standard facts or factors that show reasonable cause. Taxpayers have made various arguments, with the IRS and courts rejecting most of them. How bad does life have to be for there to be reasonable cause? The court addresses this in…