etrent17/irs-articles huggingface dataset:
IR-2014-94, Sept. 30, 2014
WASHINGTON — Farmers and ranchers who previously were forced to sell livestock due to drought, like the drought currently affecting much of the nation, have an extended period of time in which to replace the livestock and defer tax on any gains from the forced sales, the Internal Revenue Service announced today.
Farmers and ranchers who, due to drought, sell more livestock than they normally would may defer tax on the extra gains from those sales. To qualify, the livestock generally must be replaced within a four-year period. The IRS is authorized to extend this period if the drought continues.
The one-year extension of the replacement period announced today generally applies to capital gains realized by eligible farmers and ranchers on sales of livestock held for draft, dairy or breeding purposes due to drought. Sales of other livestock, such as those raised for slaughter or held for sporting purposes, and poultry are not eligible.
The IRS is providing this relief to any farm located in a county, parish, city, borough, census area or district, listed as suffering exceptional, extreme or severe drought conditions by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), during any weekly period between Sept. 1, 2013, and Aug. 31, 2014. All or part of 30 states are listed. Any county contiguous to a county listed by the NDMC also qualifies for this relief.
As a result, farmers and ranchers in these areas whose drought sale replacement period was scheduled to expire at the end of this tax year, Dec. 31, 2014, in most cases, will now have until the end of their next tax year. Because the normal drought sale replacement period is four years, this extension immediately impacts drought sales that occurred during 2010. But because of previous drought-related extensions affecting some of these localities, the replacement periods for some drought sales before 2010 are also affected. Additional extensions will be granted if severe drought conditions persist.
Details on this relief, including a list of NDMC-designated counties, are available in Notice 2014-60PDF, posted today on IRS.gov. Details on reporting drought sales and other farm-related tax issues can be found in Publication 225, Farmer’s Tax Guide, also available on the IRS website.
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IR-2014-92, Sept. 24, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued a fraud alert for international financial institutions complying with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). Scam artists posing as the IRS have fraudulently solicited financial institutions seeking account holder identity and financial account information.
The IRS does not require financial institutions to provide specific account holder identity information or financial account information over the phone or by fax or email. Further, the IRS does not solicit FATCA registration passwords or similar confidential account access information.
“Tax scams using the IRS name can take many forms and they are not limited by national borders,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “People should always be cautious before sending sensitive information to anyone.”
Financial institutions directly registered to comply with FATCA and those in jurisdictions that are treated as having in effect intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) to implement FATCA through intergovernmental cooperation have been approached by persons representing themselves as the IRS. The IRS has reports of incidents from multiple countries and continents. 
These fraudulent solicitations are known as “phishing” scams. These types of scams are typically carried out through the use of unsolicited emails and/or websites that pose as legitimate contacts in order to deceptively obtain personal or financial information.
Financial institutions or their representatives that suspect they are the subject of a “phishing” scam should report the matter to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 800-366-4484, or through TIGTA’s secure website. Any suspicious emails that contain attachments or links in the message should not be opened, and the email should be forwarded to phishing@irs.gov.
More information on prior alerts and scams can be found on IRS.gov.
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IRS YouTube VideoTaxpayer Bill of Rights: English   
IR-2014-91, Sept. 15, 2014
WASHINGTON ― The Internal Revenue Service today released a new YouTube video encouraging taxpayers to learn about the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
The video, featuring IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, provides information to taxpayers about their rights under the nation’s tax laws.
“I’m pleased that we now have a Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which lays out in plain language 10 fundamental rights included in our tax code,” Koskinen tells viewers in the video, now posted on the IRS YouTube channel.
These rights include the right to: be informed, quality service, pay no more than the correct amount of tax, challenge the IRS’s position and be heard, appeal an IRS decision in an independent forum, finality, privacy, confidentiality, retain representation and a fair and just tax system.
“These are important rights for you to understand, and they are important to all of us at the IRS,” Koskinen adds.
The video is part of a longer-term effort by the IRS to help provide information to taxpayers about their rights. The IRS has also created a special section of IRS.gov to highlight the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. The site features recently revised Publication 1, Your Rights as a TaxpayerPDF, which now includes the 10 rights. The website will continue to be updated with information as it becomes available.
The IRS YouTube channel offers taxpayers a unique way to learn more about their rights, benefits and responsibilities under the tax code. Available in English, Spanish and American Sign Language  (ASL), these short informative videos cover a wide range of topics, including such taxpayer rights issues as appealing a tax dispute, filing back returns, offers in compromise, online payment agreements, avoiding identity theft and understanding IRS bills and notices. The channel has received nearly 8 million views since it was launched in 2009.
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IR-2014-89, Sept. 10, 2014
Washington — With more than one million tax payments already processed this year through IRS Direct Pay, the Internal Revenue Service today encouraged anyone facing upcoming tax payment deadlines to consider choosing this free online system to quickly and easily pay what they owe.
 “Direct Pay is the latest addition to our growing array of online tools designed to serve taxpayers better,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “Direct Pay simplifies the payment process, enabling people to quickly and easily make a secure payment from the convenience of a home computer.”
More than one million tax payments totaling over $1.7 billion have been received from individual taxpayers since Direct Pay debuted earlier this year. Available through the Pay Your Tax Bill  icon on IRS.gov, Direct Pay allows individuals to e-pay their tax bills or make quarterly estimated tax payments directly from checking or savings accounts without any fees or pre-registration.
With tax correspondence season now in full swing, many taxpayers recently received notices for unpaid taxes from the IRS. Direct Pay offers these taxpayers an easy way to quickly pay these tax bills without having to write a check, buy a stamp or find a mailbox.
Because Direct Pay allows taxpayers to schedule payments up to 30 days in advance, now is also a good time for those who are making estimated tax payments for 2014 to set up their third quarter payment due Sept. 15. In addition, anyone who received an extension until Oct. 15 to file their 2013 federal return and now finds they owe additional tax can also use Direct Pay to e-pay the additional amount due.
Direct Pay is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Any taxpayer who uses the system receives instant confirmation that their payment was submitted. More information about Direct Pay can be found on IRS.gov.
Direct Pay cannot be used to pay business taxes. Taxpayers who wish to e-pay their federal business taxes should enroll in the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), or click on the Pay Your Tax Bill icon to check out other payment options.
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IR-2014-88, Sept. 8, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service will hold a free webinar this week designed to help individuals, especially owners of home-based businesses,  see if they  qualify for the home office deduction.
The webinar, entitled Business Use of Your Home, will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 10 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern Time.  Topics include the new simplified  and regular methods for claiming the home office deduction, qualification requirements and types of eligible expenses.
This webinar may be particularly helpful for small business owners and their tax preparers who are planning ahead for tax-year 2014. To register or view archived versions of past webinars, visit the Webinars for Small Businesses page on IRS.gov.
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IRS YouTube VideoIRS Commissioner: Individual Shared Responsibility Provision: EnglishIRS Commissioner: Premium Tax Credit-Changes in Circumstances: English
IR-2014-87, Sept. 8, 2014
WASHINGTON ― The Internal Revenue Service announced the availability of several new YouTube videos to help taxpayers get important information about the Affordable Care Act and tax return filing.
The new videos, which are part of a series on the IRS YouTube channel, feature IRS Commissioner John Koskinen discussing the premium tax credit and the individual shared responsibility provision. These provisions of the Affordable Care Act will affect people's tax returns next year when they file their 2014 returns.
In the video about the premium tax credit, the Commissioner talks about how it can help make purchasing health care through the Health Insurance Marketplace more affordable for people with moderate incomes.
“You can get advance payments of the premium tax credit paid directly to the insurance company to lower your monthly premium, or you can apply for the premium tax credit when you file your tax return for 2014,” Koskinen said.
In the video about the individual shared responsibility provision, Koskinen discusses important facts about coverage requirements, coverage exemptions and the individual shared responsibility payment. He covers who must make a payment, who is eligible for exemptions, and what people need to do when filing their tax return.
"For most people, filing their returns in the spring of 2015 is going to be fairly simple – with regard to this issue, and that is they'll simply check a box indicating that they have qualifying insurance or they'll indicate that they're eligible for an exemption. Otherwise, they'll calculate their shared responsibility payment and add it to their tax return," Koskinen explained in one segment of the video.
IRS videos explaining the premium tax credit, the individual shared responsibility provision, and the small business health care tax credit are on the IRS Health Care video playlist. Additional videos about the Affordable Care Act will be available soon. 
Health care videos are among those available on the IRS YouTube channel. Taxpayers have viewed IRS videos nearly 8 million times.
More information on the tax provisions of the Affordable Care Act is available at IRS.gov/aca, where you can also find Health Care Tax Tips. You can also subscribe to IRS Tax Tips to get these easy-to-read tips by e-mail from the IRS.
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IR-2014-86, Sept. 3, 2014 
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced that interest rates will remain the same for the calendar quarter beginning Oct. 1, 2014.  The rates will be: 
three (3) percent for overpayments (two (2) percent in the case of a corporation);
three (3) percent for underpayments;
five (5) percent for large corporate underpayments; and
one-half (0.5) percent for the portion of a corporate overpayment exceeding $10,000.
Under the Internal Revenue Code, the rate of interest is determined on a quarterly basis.  For taxpayers other than corporations, the overpayment and underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points. 
Generally, in the case of a corporation, the underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points and the overpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 2 percentage points. The rate for large corporate underpayments is the federal short-term rate plus 5 percentage points. The rate on the portion of a corporate overpayment of tax exceeding $10,000 for a taxable period is the federal short-term rate plus one-half (0.5) of a percentage point.
The interest rates announced today are computed from the federal short-term rate determined during July 2014 to take effect Aug. 1, 2014, based on daily compounding.
Revenue Ruling 2014-23PDF announcing the rates of interest will appear in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2014-40, dated Sept. 29, 2014.
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IR-2014-85, Sept. 2, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced that the summer 2014 issue of the Statistics of Income Bulletin is available at IRS.gov. The Statistics of Income (SOI) Division produces the online Bulletin on a quarterly basis. Articles provide the most recent data available from various tax and information returns filed by U.S. taxpayers. This issue includes articles on the following topics:
Foreign-Controlled Domestic Corporations, 2011. Foreign-controlled domestic corporations (76,793) accounted for a small share (1.3 percent) of all U.S. corporation income tax returns filed for tax year 2011. Collectively, these corporations produced 16.2 percent ($4.6 trillion) of the total receipts reported by all U.S. corporation income tax returns for the year; however, a small portion of these corporations accounted for most of this amount. FCDCs accounted for 14.4 percent ($11.7 trillion) of the total assets reported by U.S. corporations for 2011.  
Municipal Bonds, 2011. The municipal bond market was still dominated by the more than 21,000 tax-exempt governmental bonds issued in 2011, raising $297.3 billion in proceeds for public projects, such as schools, transportation infrastructure, and utilities. Tax-exempt bond proceeds totaled nearly $384.3 billion, accounting for almost all (98.4 percent) municipal bond proceeds for the year.
SOI Bulletin articles are available for download at IRS.gov/taxstats. For more information about these data, write to the Director, Statistics of Income (SOI) Division, RAS:S, Internal Revenue Service, 1111 Constitution Avenue NW, (K-Room 4112), Washington, DC 20224.
Related Items:
SOI Bulletin: Summer 2014
Historical Tables and Appendix
Tax Statistics
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IRS YouTube Video:
Tax Scams: English (obsolete)
IR-2014-105, Oct. 31, 2014
WASHINGTON — As incidents of an aggressive telephone scam continue across the country, the Internal Revenue Service unveiled a new YouTube video with a renewed warning to taxpayers not to be fooled by imposters posing as tax agency representatives. 
The new Tax Scams video describes some basic tips to help protect taxpayers from tax scams.
These callers may demand money or may say you have a refund due and try to trick you into sharing private information. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They may know a lot about you, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. If you don’t answer, they often leave an “urgent” callback request.
“In recent weeks, we continue to see these telephone scams in every part of the country,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said. “We have formal processes in place for people with tax issues. The IRS respects taxpayer rights, and these angry, shake-down calls are clear warning signs of fraud. This is not how we do business. We urge people to be careful when they get these threatening phone calls.”
The IRS reminds people that they can know pretty easily when a supposed IRS caller is a fake. Here are five things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do. Any one of these five things is a tell-tale sign of a scam. The IRS will never:
Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do:
If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS at 800-829-1040. The IRS workers can help you with a payment issue.
If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 800-366-4484 or at www.tigta.gov.
If you’ve been targeted by this scam, also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at FTC.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments of your complaint.
Remember, too, the IRS does not use email, text messages or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue. For more information on reporting tax scams, go to www.irs.gov and type “scam” in the search box.
Additional information about tax scams is available on IRS social media sites, including YouTube and Tumblr (obsolete), where people can search “scam” to find all the scam-related posts.
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IR-2014-103, Oct. 29, 2014
WASHINGTON ― The Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee (IRPAC) today issued its annual report for 2014, including numerous recommendations to the Internal Revenue Service on new and continuing tax administration issues.
“The IRS values the insight and perspective IRPAC provides,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said. “The committee members have experience working with an incredibly diverse range of individual taxpayers and organizations both large and small. Their feedback helps us improve tax administration for the nation, and we will study their recommendations closely.”
The report includes a discussion of the IRS Taxpayer Identification Number Matching Program and a recommendation that IRS expand the program, permitting financial and other firms to use it to verify taxpayer names and identification numbers on a greater variety of information returns.
During 2014, the committee continued its dialogue with IRS officials regarding reporting requirements under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The report also includes recommendations involving procedures for business taxpayer address changes, third-party sick pay reporting, Form 1099-K, Payment Card and Third Party Network Transactions, and Form1099-B, Proceeds From Broker and Barter Exchange Transactions, among other recommendations.
The full 2014 IRPAC Public Report is available at IRS.gov.
IRPAC is a federal advisory committee that provides an organized public forum for discussion of information reporting issues. It is comprised of a diverse cross-section of individuals drawn from the tax professional community, financial institutions, small and large businesses, universities and colleges, as well as securities and payroll firms.
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IR-2014-102, Oct. 29, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued two items of guidance in response to the need for charitable and other relief due to the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. One provides special relief intended to support leave-based donation programs to aid victims who have suffered from the Ebola outbreak in those countries. The other designates the Ebola outbreak in those countries as a qualified disaster for federal tax purposes.
Under the leave-based donation guidancePDF, employees may donate their vacation, sick or personal leave in exchange for employer cash payments made to qualified tax-exempt organizations providing relief for the victims of the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone. Employees can forgo leave in exchange for employer cash payments made before Jan. 1, 2016. Under this special relief, the donated leave will not be included in the income or wages of the employees. Employers will be permitted to deduct the amount of the cash payment. 
For example, if an American company has such a program and makes a cash donation of the value of an employee’s donated leave before January 1, 2016, to an organization that is providing medical services and supplies for the relief of victims of the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia, or Sierra Leone, the IRS will not consider the amount of that payment as gross income or wages of the employee.  Additionally, the IRS will not assert that the U.S. company can only deduct such cash payments under Internal Revenue Code section 170.
The IRS reminds taxpayers there are some simple steps they can take to ensure that their contributions go to qualified charities, and more information is available at IRS.gov. 
The qualified-disaster guidancePDF allows recipients of qualified relief payments related to the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to exclude those payments from income on their tax returns. Under today’s guidance payments generally include amounts to cover necessary personal, family, living or other qualified expenses that were not covered by insurance. 
For example, if an employee living in Guinea receives reimbursement from an employer-sponsored charitable organization for medical expenses incurred by the employee as a result of the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, such reimbursement will not be included in the employee’s gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Similarly, if an employee of an American company is relocated within Liberia under a quarantine order due to the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, and the American company pays for the employee’s transportation, rent and living expenses related to the quarantine order, such payments will not be included in the employee’s gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Today's announcement of qualified relief follows similar steps taken in other qualified disasters, such as the Japan earthquake and tsunami and the Haiti earthquake. The announcement about leave-based donation programs is similar to programs available in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Katrina.
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IR-2014-101, Oct. 28, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service is announcing several options for Spanish speakers to get information about the tax provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Two recently issued YouTube videos feature IRS Commissioner John Koskinen: Disposición de La Responsabilidad Compartida (Individual Shared Responsibility Provision) (both obsolete) and Crédito Tributario de Prima – Cambios en las Circunstancias (Premium Tax Credit – Changes in Circumstances).
The IRS.gov has information about the Affordable Care Act tax provisions in both English and Spanish to inform and educate the public on how the health care law may affect them. The main Spanish pages include:
Individuals and Families  (in Spanish) — Including the premium tax credit  (in Spanish) and the individual shared responsibility  (in Spanish) provision and exemptions from that provision.
Employers (in Spanish) — The health care law contains many tax and other provisions for Large Employers  (in Spanish) and Small Employers (in Spanish).
Health Care Tax Tips (in Spanish) — Timely, easy-to-read tips covering 21 different topics related to the health care law.
These pages provide information about tax provisions that are now in effect and those that will go into effect in 2015 and beyond. The IRS has also developed a number of publications in Spanish currently available online.
By making its products available in Spanish, the IRS is providing relevant information about the law and its provisions, legal guidance, the latest news, frequently asked questions and links to additional resources to a significant portion of taxpayers with limited English proficiency. As many as 1 in 4 uninsured individuals who are eligible for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace nationwide are Hispanic.
In addition to the Commissioner’s messages, the agency has several other videos and audio files in Spanish on the health care law and a variety of other relevant and useful tax topics.
Spanish speaking taxpayers may also wish to follow and retweet @IRSenEspanol on Twitter.
Taxpayers can also subscribe to receive brief tips in Spanish on a variety of tax issues by email, or visit the IRS Spanish Newsroom for the most up-to-date information from the agency.
For information in Spanish about the health care provisions of the Affordable Care Act, visit CuidadoDeSalud.gov. For more information about a variety of IRS resources in Spanish on the Affordable Care Act and more visit the IRS website, IRS.gov.
Additional Resources
IRS.gov/CuidadoDeSalud
IRS Video: Crédito Tributario de Primas
IRS Video: Crédito Tributario de Primas: Cambio en su Situación
IRS Video: La Responsabilidad Compartida para Individuos (obsolete)
IRS Publication 5120 (SP)PDF, Hechos sobre el Crédito Tributario de Prima
IRS Publication 5156 (SP)PDF, Datos acerca de la Disposición de la Responsabilidad Compartida
IRS Publication 5172 (SP)PDF, Hechos Sobre Exenciones de Cobertura Médica
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IR-2014-98, Oct. 9, 2014
WASHINGTON — Business e-file rose nearly 10 percent this year, continuing the growth that has seen the number of corporate and partnership returns filed electronically double in just four years, the Internal Revenue Service said today. An additional 600,000 corporations and partnerships e-filed their tax returns this year.
As of Sept. 21, more than 7 million corporations and partnerships e-filed, an increase of almost 10 percent over the prior year’s total, and twice the nearly 3.5 million returns e-filed during the 2010 fiscal year. About 70 percent of all corporate and partnership returns have been e-filed during 2014. Many corporations and partnerships operating on a calendar year receive filing extensions. The extended due date is usually Sept. 15.
Most large corporations and partnerships are required to e-file.
Large and mid-size corporations, generally those with $10 million or more in total assets, are required to electronically file their Forms 1120 or 1120S. Partnerships with more than 100 partners (Schedules K-1) are also required to e-file their tax returns. The IRS is seeing growth in e-filing by these businesses and by businesses not required to e-file.
This year, 92,494 large corporations e-filed their returns, an increase of 8.6 percent compared to the same time last year. The greatest rate of growth in e-filing among these businesses is by large partnerships. This year, 122,879 large partnerships e-filed, up more than 14 percent from the same time the year before.
Tax Returns e-filed by Corporations and Partnerships

Category of e-filers


Sept. 22, 2013


Sept. 21,2014


% Change

Large Corporation Tax Returns

85,180


92,494


8.59%

Other Corporate Returns

4,007,895


4,373,597


9.12%

Total Corporate Returns

4,093,075


4,466,091


9.11%

Large Partnership Tax Returns

107,730


122,879


14.06%

Other Partnership Returns

2,388,175


2,640,319


10.56%

Total Partnerships

2,495,905


2,763,198


10.71%

Total Returns

6,588,980


7,229,289


9.72%

Corporations and partnerships can get more information about IRS e-file at IRS.gov.
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IR-2014-97, Oct. 7, 2014
WASHINGTON ― The Internal Revenue Service today made it easier for taxpayers who hold interests in either of two popular Canadian retirement plans to get favorable U.S. tax treatment and took additional steps to simplify procedures for U.S. taxpayers with these plans.
As part of this, the IRS provided retroactive relief to eligible taxpayers who failed to properly choose this benefit in the past. In addition, the IRS is eliminating a special annual reporting requirement that has long applied to taxpayers with these retirement plans.
Under this change, many Americans and Canadians with registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs) and registered retirement income funds (RRIFs) now automatically qualify for tax deferral similar to that available to participants in U.S. individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and 401(k) plans. In general, U.S. citizens and resident aliens qualify for this special treatment as long as they filed and continue to file U.S. returns for any year they held an interest in an RRSP or RRIF and include any distributions as income on their U.S. returns.
The change relates to a longstanding provision in the U.S.-CanadaPDF tax treaty that enables U.S. citizens and resident aliens to defer tax on income accruing in their RRSP or RRIF until it is distributed. Otherwise, U.S. tax is due each year on this income, even if it is not distributed.
In the past, however, taxpayers generally would get tax deferral by attaching Form 8891 to their return and choosing this tax treaty benefit, something many eligible taxpayers failed to do. Before today’s change, a primary way to correct this omission and retroactively obtain the treaty benefit was to request a private letter ruling from the IRS, a costly and often time-consuming process.
Many taxpayers also failed to comply with another requirement; namely that they file Form 8891 each year reporting details about each RRSP and RRIF, including contributions made, income earned and distributions made. This requirement applied regardless of whether they chose the special tax treatment. The IRS is eliminating Form 8891, and taxpayers are no longer required to file this form for any year, past or present.
The revenue procedure does not modify any other U.S. reporting requirements that may apply under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and section 6038D. See FinCEN Form 114 due by June 30 of each year, and Form 8938PDF attached to a U.S. income tax return for more information about the reporting requirements under the BSA and section 6038D. Different reporting thresholds and special rules apply to each of these forms.
Further details on today’s change can be found in Revenue Procedure 2014-55PDF, posted on IRS.gov.
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IR-2014-96, Oct. 2, 2014
WASHINGTON ― The Internal Revenue Service is seeking applications for vacancies on the Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT). The committee provides a venue for public input on relevant areas of tax administration.
Vacancies exist in the following customer segments:
Employee Plans – two vacancies
Exempt Organizations – two vacancies
Indian Tribal Governments – one vacancy
Tax Exempt Bonds – two vacancies
Members are appointed by the Department of the Treasury and serve two-year terms, beginning in June 2015. Applications will be accepted through Nov. 3, 2014.
The ACT is an organized public forum for the IRS and representatives who deal with employee plans, exempt organizations, tax-exempt bonds, and federal, state, local and Indian tribal governments. The ACT allows the IRS to receive regular input on administrative policy and procedures of the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division (TE/GE).
Applications can be made by completing an ACT member application formPDF.  Applications should reflect the proposed member’s qualifications.  Members of the ACT may not be federally registered lobbyists.  A notice published in the Federal Register, dated Oct. 2, contains more details about the ACT and the application process.
Applications should be sent by:         
Email to Mark.F.O’Donnell@irs.gov,
Fax: 877-801-7395, or
U.S. mail to Mark O’Donnell, TE/GE Communications and Liaison Director, Internal Revenue Service, 1111 Constitution Ave., NW, SE:T:CL, NCA 676, Washington, DC 20224.
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IR-2014-95, October 1, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded tax professionals that they can earn continuing professional education credits online through seminars filmed at the 2014 IRS Nationwide Tax Forums.
The 14 self-study seminars are now available on the IRS Nationwide Tax Forums Online (NTFO). Self-study seminars provide information to students using interactive videos, PowerPoint slides and transcripts.
The 2014 online forum seminars cover many topics of interest to tax professionals including:
Highlights of 2014 income tax law changes,
Overview of the premium tax credit and the individual shared responsibility provision,
Updates to and overview of Treasury Circular No. 230, and
Improvements to the process for securing an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.
The online forums are registered with the IRS Return Preparer Office and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a qualified sponsor of continuing professional education (CPE). For a fee, Enrolled Agents and CPAs taking NTFO seminars can earn CPE credits. To earn CPE credits, users must create an account, answer review questions throughout the seminar, and pass short tests at the end of the seminars.
The online forum seminars can also be audited for free. Users who choose to audit seminars will not have access to the review questions or final examination and will not receive credit for the seminar.
In addition to the recently-added seminars, NTFO also offers many seminars from prior-year IRS Nationwide Tax Forums.
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IR-2014-109, Nov. 19, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council held  its annual public meeting today and released its annual report, which includes recommendations on a wide range of tax administration issues.
“We appreciate the hard work that these dedicated, civic-minded volunteers bring to tax administration,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “The members provide both practical and creative advice, providing an important perspective for the IRS as we look for ways to improve our operations. We will study their recommendations closely.”
IRSAC is an advisory group to the entire agency. IRSAC’s primary purpose is to provide an organized public forum of relevant tax administration issues for the Commissioner, senior IRS executives and representatives of the public to discuss relevant tax issues.
IRSAC members convey the public’s perception of professional standards and best practices for tax professionals and IRS activities; offer constructive observations regarding current or proposed IRS policies, programs, and procedures; and suggest improvements to IRS operations.
Based on its findings and discussions, IRSAC made several recommendations on a broad range of issues and concerns including IRS funding, as well as topics identified by subgroups covering the Office of Professional Responsibility and Large Business and International, Small Business/Self-Employed and Wage and Investment operating divisions.
IRSAC is administered by the National Public Liaison Office. IRSAC draws its members from the tax professional community and members of academia.
The 2014 Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council Public Report is available at IRS.gov.
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IR-2014-108, Nov. 17, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced the selection of three new members and a chairman to the Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC).
ETAAC provides an organized forum for discussion of issues in electronic tax administration and supports the goal of increasing electronic transactions between tax professionals and the IRS.
The new members are:
Kevin A. Richards of Springfield, Ill., is the manager of the Electronic Commerce Division at the Illinois Department of Revenue. Richards, who is in his 25th year at the department, has managed the Electronic Commerce Division for the last 16 years. The Electronic Commerce Division is responsible for the development, marketing, implementation and management of the electronic filing and payment programs at the department, including both individual income tax and business tax applications. The Electronic Commerce Division also encompasses the Electronic Funds Transfer Office and all cash management operations at the Illinois Department of Revenue. In fiscal year 2014, the Electronic Commerce Division oversaw the processing of more than 16 million electronic returns and payments totaling over $36 billion in deposits. Richards is also the president of the local chapter of the Association of Government Accountants.
Stephanie Salavejus of Newport News, Va., is vice president with Peninsula Software (PenSoft). Salavejus is responsible for software solutions and product requirements for clients. She has 28 years of experience in electronic filing of tax reports and the development of software and is a member of the American Payroll Association and the National Association of Computer Tax Processors.
Kelli Wooten of Boston is a director with Markit | CTI Tax Solutions and of counsel for Burt, Staples & Maner LLP. She advises clients on information reporting and withholding issues for the Foreign Account Tax Account Compliance Act (FATCA). Wooten also develops processes and procedures for completing and e-filing the new Form 8966 as well as Forms 1042-S and 1099. 
The new chairman is:
Jim Buttonow of Greensboro, N.C., has been elected by the members to serve as the Chairman of ETAAC for 2014-2015. Buttonow currently directs tax practice and procedure services for H&R Block. He is a CPA, author and instructor in tax administration. 
Each June, the ETAAC submits a report to Congress reporting on the progress of the IRS's electronic tax initiatives. ETAAC was created in 1998 by the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 (RRA 98).
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IR-2014-107, Nov. 10, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued guidance clarifying the impact a 2014 individual retirement arrangement (IRA) rollover has on the one-per-year limit imposed by the Internal Revenue Code on tax-free rollovers between IRAs.
The clarification relates to a change, announced earlier this year, in the way the statutory one-per-year limit applies to rollovers between IRAs. The change in the application of the one-per-year limit reflects an interpretation by the U.S. Tax Court in a January 2014 decision applying the limit to preclude an individual from making more than one tax-free rollover in any one-year period, even if the rollovers involve different IRAs. Before 2015, the one-per-year limit applies only on an IRA-by-IRA basis (that is, only to rollovers involving the same IRAs). Beginning in 2015, the limit will apply by aggregating all of an individual’s IRAs, effectively treating them as if they were one IRA for purposes of applying the limit.
To help taxpayers by allowing time for transition to the new interpretation, the IRS announced shortly after the January 2014 Tax Court decision that the new interpretation would not apply before Jan. 1, 2015.
In Announcement 2014-32PDF, posted today on IRS.gov, the IRS made clear that the new interpretation will apply beginning Jan. 1, 2015, and said that a distribution from an IRA received during 2014 and properly rolled over (normally within 60 days) to another IRA, will have no impact on any distributions and rollovers during 2015 involving any other IRAs owned by the same individual. This will give IRA owners a fresh start in 2015 when applying the one-per-year rollover limit to multiple IRAs.
Although an eligible IRA distribution received on or after Jan. 1, 2015 and properly rolled over to another IRA will still get tax-free treatment, subsequent distributions from any of the individual’s IRAs (including traditional and Roth IRAs) received within one year after that distribution will not get tax-free rollover treatment. As today’s guidance makes clear, a rollover between an individual’s Roth IRAs will preclude a separate tax-free rollover within the 1-year period between the individual’s traditional IRAs, and vice versa. 
As before, Roth conversions (rollovers from traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs), rollovers between qualified plans and IRAs, and trustee-to-trustee transfers--direct transfers of assets from one IRA trustee to another--are not subject to the one-per-year limit and are disregarded in applying the limit to other rollovers.
IRA trustees are encouraged to offer IRA owners requesting a distribution for rollover the option of a trustee-to-trustee transfer from one IRA to another IRA. IRA trustees can accomplish a trustee-to-trustee transfer by transferring amounts directly from one IRA to another or by providing the IRA owner with a check made payable to the receiving IRA trustee.
More information on the rule change can be found on IRS.gov. Type “IRA” in the search box.
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IR-2014-119, Dec. 29, 2014
WASHINGTON – Following the passage of the extenders legislation, the Internal Revenue Service announced today it anticipates opening the 2015 filing season as scheduled in January.
The IRS will begin accepting tax returns electronically on Jan. 20. Paper tax returns will begin processing at the same time.
The decision follows Congress renewing a number of "extender" provisions of the tax law that expired at the end of 2013. These provisions were renewed by Congress through the end of 2014. The final legislation was signed into law Dec 19, 2014.
"We have reviewed the late tax law changes and determined there was nothing preventing us from continuing our updating and testing of our systems," said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. "Our employees will continue an aggressive schedule of testing and preparation of our systems during the next month to complete the final stages needed for the 2015 tax season."
The IRS reminds taxpayers that filing electronically is the most accurate way to file a tax return and the fastest way to get a refund. There is no advantage to people filing tax returns on paper in early January instead of waiting for e-file to begin.
More information about IRS Free File and other information about the 2015 filing season will be available in January.
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IR-2014-118, Dec. 23, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department today announced that they have accepted a request for guidance under the IRS’ Industry Issue Resolution (IIR) program regarding the capitalization rules as used by restaurants.
The request seeks guidance on the capitalization rules including:
application of unit of property rules
refresh and remodel expenses
rules for general maintenance and repair expenses
The objective of the IIR program is to resolve business tax issues common to significant numbers of taxpayers through new and improved guidance. In past years, issues have been submitted by associations and others representing both small and large business taxpayers, resulting in tax guidance that has affected thousands of taxpayers.
For each issue selected, an IIR team of IRS and Treasury personnel gather relevant facts from taxpayers or other interested parties affected by the issue. The goal is to recommend guidance to resolve the issue. This benefits both taxpayers and the IRS by saving time and expense that would otherwise be expended on resolving the issue through examinations.
At any time, business associations and taxpayers may submit tax issues that they believe could be resolved through the IIR program to IIR@irs.gov. IIR selection criteria and submission procedures are outlined in Revenue Procedure 2003-36PDF, available at IRS.gov.
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IR-2014-117, Dec. 23, 2014
WASHINGTON — Certain owners of individual retirement arrangements (IRAs) have a limited time to make tax-free transfers to eligible charities and have them count for tax-year 2014, the Internal Revenue Service said today.
IRA owners age 70½ or older have until Wednesday, Dec. 31 to make a direct transfer of part or all of their IRA distributions to an eligible charity.
The Tax Increase Prevention Act, enacted Dec. 19, extended for 2014 the provision authorizing these qualified charitable distributions (QCDs). The provision had expired at the end of 2013. With this retroactive renewal, any eligible IRA distribution during 2014 properly transferred to a qualified charity counts as a QCD.
As a result, older IRA owners once again have a different way to give to charity. An IRA owner, age 70½ or over, can directly transfer, tax-free, up to $100,000 per year to an eligible charity. This option, first available in 2006, can be used for distributions from IRAs, regardless of whether the owners itemize their deductions. Distributions from employer-sponsored retirement plans, including SIMPLE IRA plans and simplified employee pension (SEP) plans, are not eligible.
To qualify, the funds must be transferred directly by the IRA trustee to the eligible charity. Distributed amounts may be excluded from the IRA owner’s income – resulting in lower taxable income for the IRA owner. However, if the IRA owner excludes the distribution from income, no deduction, such as a charitable contribution deduction on Schedule A, may be taken for the distributed amount.
Not all charities are eligible. For example, donor-advised funds and supporting organizations are not eligible recipients.
Amounts transferred to a charity from an IRA are counted in determining whether the owner has met the IRA’s required minimum distribution (RMD).
Where individuals have made nondeductible contributions to their traditional IRAs, a special rule treats amounts distributed to charities as coming first from taxable funds, instead of proportionately from taxable and nontaxable funds, as would be the case with regular distributions.
QCDs are reported on Form 1040 Line 15. The full amount of the QCD is shown on Line 15a. Do not enter any of these amounts on Line 15b but write “QCD” next to that line.
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IR-2014-115, Dec. 12, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service is releasing a revenue procedure today providing rules for the nationwide rollout of post-Appeals mediation for Offer in Compromise (OIC) and Trust Fund Recovery Penalty (TFRP) cases. The IRS Office of Appeals originally launched post-Appeals mediation for OIC and TFRP cases as a pilot program available in certain cities in December 2008.
Post-Appeals mediation is available to help resolve disputes after unsuccessful negotiations with the IRS Office of Appeals and is available for both factual and legal issues. The mediator’s role is to assist the parties in reaching their own agreement collaboratively, but the mediator does not have settlement authority over any issue. Appeals Officers trained in mediation techniques will serve as mediators at no cost to taxpayers. Taxpayers also have the option of paying for a qualified non-IRS co-mediator.
Taxpayers or the IRS Office of Appeals may request nonbinding mediation for eligible cases, but the taxpayer may decline the IRS Office of Appeal’s request for mediation. The goal is to complete the process within 90 days after the mediation request is approved.
Eligibility criteria and complete procedures for initiating a post-Appeals mediation request for both examination and collection issues are in Revenue Procedure 2014-63PDF, which will be published in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2014-53 on Dec. 29, 2014.
For more information on post-Appeals mediation for OIC and TFRP cases, please visit the Appeals Mediation Programs webpage available on IRS.gov.
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