There are quite a few avenues available to resolve tax disputes with the IRS. We have previously considered these options for resolving tax cases in a prior article. The number of avenues available can make it difficult to navigate the IRS bureaucracy. This plus the slow pace at which the IRS works makes it very…
Category: IRS Audits
IRS Audits
An IRS examination of a taxpayer’s return or financial records to verify their accuracy and compliance with tax laws. Give us a call to see how we can help, (713) 909-4906.
Are Funds Advanced to Third Party Subject to Tax?
With a cash basis taxpayer, the general rule is that the taxpayer recognizes gross income when money is received. But what if the taxpayer holds money on account for others? This is a common practice. These transfers may include deposits, advances, etc. It can even include funds held in trust for the benefit of a…
Can the IRS Waive Compliance With Tax Rules?
What happens if you make a technical foot fault while working with the IRS? Say you miss a deadline or a filing requirement. Can the IRS waive compliance with the deadline or requirement? IRS personnel will often say that they cannot. But in reality, the IRS can waive most procedural requirements. The authority for this…
Does an IRS Audit Waive a Defect in Tax Return?
When it comes to technicalities in the tax law, the failure to comply with some technicalities can be overcome. Others cannot. As a general rule, the courts evaluate tax disputes involving technicalities based on the policy underlying the technicality versus fairness for requiring strict compliance. If the policy for the technicality is important, the court…
Electing Out of the Partnership Audit Regime
When it comes to income taxes and IRS audits, there are a lot of procedural rules that are counter-intuitive. Even if one thinks they are half-baked, the rules are the rules. They can have serious consequences. The centralized partnership audit regime is an example. Tax advisors often instruct their clients to elect out of the…
Can You Rely on IRS Statements?
If you ask someone a direct question and the person responds with incorrect information, is the person bound by their misrepresentation? This raises questions of “estoppel,” which apply to most litigants. But does it apply to IRS employees who make a misrepresentation? Put another way, can you rely on statements by IRS representatives? The court…
When an IRS Agent Makes a Misrepresentation
IRS agents interact with taxpayers. In doing so, they make misrepresentations as any other human does. Some are unintentional and some are intentional. But what is a taxpayer to do if the IRS agent makes a misstatement and it negatively impacts the taxpayer? The McRae v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2019-163, case touches on this issue.…
Travel Expenses Allowed for Repetitive Pattern of Travel
The IRS frequently challenges travel expenses. These expenses have a higher substantiation requirement, which the IRS uses to disallow every expense no matter how reasonable or how certain it is that the expense was incurred. But what if it was exceedingly certain that the expense was incurred and there is a method for computing the…
Voluntary Disclosure to IRS of Privileged Communication
The attorney-client privilege projects confidential communications with attorneys. It allows the attorney to avoid disclosing protected communications. But what if the attorney voluntarily discloses information and the disclosure is to the IRS about a tax matter? The court addresses this in Gaetano v. United States, No. 19-1122 (6th Cir. 2019). Facts & Procedural History This…
Can IRS Rely on Third Party Reports to Identify Taxable Income?
If a third party collects monies for you and send you a report reflecting the monies but the reports show too much income, should you be taxed on the higher income or what you actually received? The Ghadiri-Asli v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2019-142, case addresses this. Facts & Procedural History The taxpayer is a physician.…