Compliance & Audits

  • IRS Shifting Audit Focus Toward More High-Income Taxpayers

    The Internal Revenue Service says it’s about to move its main audit spotlight from the everyday working-class individual taxpayer to those engaged in high-income activities. Now on the audit radar: high-income earners, partnerships and large corporations, and promoters pushing schemes that abuse the tax laws.   This turn of focus comes after a comprehensive review of…

  • IRS Warns Tax Pros About Spear-Phishing Scams

    Phishing emails are a common threat found in your inbox. While these scams range from too-good-to-be-true business opportunities to aggressive threats from “government agencies,” one specific type—spear-phishing scams—can be more challenging to identify at a glance because they are custom-built for each target.   The Internal Revenue Service shared a Security Summit warning about a…

  • Don’t Fall for Fake Charities

    With the passage of Thanksgiving, Americans are shifting into gifting mode. For many, that means giving a holiday monetary gift to a well-deserving charity of one sort or another. Unfortunately, scammers can use this noble intention to enrich themselves through fake charities. While the scammers’ main prize is money, they also can use the fake…

  • TAS Warns of Ban for Improperly Claiming Some Credits

    The nation’s Taxpayer Advocate wants taxpayers to know there’s a downside to having too much of a good thing. In this case, it refers to making excessive or improper claims to qualify for a number of tax credits. The downside is that the IRS has the ability to ban a taxpayer from claiming any of…

  • IRS Issues Another Abusive Micro-Captive Arrangement Warning

    The Internal Revenue Service is once again warning taxpayers who are involved in abusive micro-captive insurance schemes that they need to get out of those arrangements—and quickly. A new U.S. Tax Court victory has added steam to the latest round of IRS examinations of these arrangements, finding they “are not eligible for the tax benefits…

  • IRS Warns About Preparers Who Don’t Sign Their Works

    The Internal Revenue Service is reminding taxpayers that the best tax professionals are those who always sign the returns they’ve prepared. These so-called “ghost preparers” refuse to sign the returns they prepare—whether physically or digitally—getting the taxpayer to sign the return while the preparer remains anonymous. The IRS notes that, regardless of who prepares the…

  • Identity Thieves Targeting Unemployment Benefits, Warns IRS

    The nation has been weathering nearly one million weekly initial unemployment claims since the beginning of the pandemic. For many qualifying Americans, unemployment insurance benefits are the only thing preventing food insecurity and homelessness while trying to find a new job. Unfortunately, some still have not received their benefits. The Internal Revenue Service warns that…

  • IRS Announces New Identity Theft Affidavit

    Businesses are a favorite target of identity thieves. Reports often cover the theft of customer financial information, like credit cards, debit cards, and bank accounts. Perhaps less well known are scams that routinely use stolen business information—whether the business owner’s personal information or their Employer Identification Number—to file tax returns and Forms W-2. The Internal…

  • IRS Says It’s Time to Settle Syndicated Conservation Easement Cases

    The Internal Revenue Service says taxpayers with docketed abusive syndicated conservation easement transaction Tax Court cases should seriously consider settling. The warning comes less than a week after a U.S. Tax Court decision striking down four types of these transactions. Oh, and time is running out to accept the government’s settlement offer. What is an…

  • IRS Explains the Coronavirus Stimulus Scam

    Last Saturday, Taxing Subjects spotlighted a phishing scam that emerged after legislators passed the CARES Act, which distributes economic impact payments to help recover from financial hardships caused by COVID-19. Today, the IRS outlined common tactics used by these scammers, as well as briefly explaining the economic impact payment process. What is the ‘coronavirus stimulus…