etrent17/irs-articles huggingface dataset:
IR-2017-129, Aug. 10, 2017
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded truckers and other owners of heavy highway vehicles that, in most cases, their next federal highway use tax return is due Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017.
The deadline generally applies to Form 2290 and the accompanying tax payment for the tax year that begins July 1, 2017, and ends June 30, 2018. Returns must be filed and tax payments made by Aug. 31 for vehicles used on the road during July. For vehicles first used after July, the deadline is the last day of the month following the month of first use.
Though some taxpayers have the option of filing Form 2290 on paper, the IRS encourages all taxpayers to take advantage of the speed and convenience of filing this form electronically  and paying any tax due electronically. Taxpayers reporting 25 or more taxed vehicles must e-file. Tax-suspended vehicles don’t count toward the 25-or-more taxed vehicle threshold. Visit IRS.gov for a list of IRS-approved e-file providers.
The highway use tax applies to highway motor vehicles with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more. This generally includes trucks, truck tractors and buses. Ordinarily, vans, pickups and panel trucks are not taxable because they fall below the 55,000-pound threshold. The tax of up to $550 per vehicle is based on weight, and a variety of special rules apply, explained in the instructions to Form 2290.
Truckers do not need to visit an IRS office to e-file Form 2290 . The form can be filed online and any required tax payment can also be made online. Find an approved provider for Form 2290 on the 2290 e-file partner’s page.
Generally, e-filers receive their IRS-stamped Schedule 1 electronically minutes after filing. They can then print the Schedule 1 and provide it to their state department of motor vehicles, without visiting an IRS office. For those who choose to visit, note that the agency’s taxpayer assistance centers now operate on a “by-appointment” basis. See the Taxpayer Assistance Center Office Locator  on IRS.gov for details.
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IR-2017-126, August 4, 2017
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service, state tax agencies and the tax industry today warned tax professionals to be alert to a new phishing email scam impersonating tax software providers and attempting to steal usernames and passwords.
This sophisticated scam yet again displays cybercriminals’ tax savvy and underscores the need for tax professionals to take strong security measures to protect their clients and protect their business. This is the time of year when many software providers issue software upgrades and when tax professionals are working to meet the Oct. 15 deadline for extension filers.
These types of phishing scams are why the IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry, acting as the Security Summit, launched the 10-week Don’t Take the Bait campaign currently underway. This awareness effort highlights the many tactics of cybercriminals as well as the steps tax professionals can take to protect their clients and themselves.
This latest scam email variation comes with a subject line of “Software Support Update” and highlights an “Important Software System Upgrade.” It thanks recipients for continuing to trust the software provider to serve their tax preparation needs and mimics the software providers’ email templates.
The e-mail informs the recipients that due to a recent software upgrade, the preparer must revalidate their login credentials. It provides a link to a fictitious website that mirrors the software provider’s actual login page.
Instead of upgrading software, the tax professionals are providing their information to cybercriminals who use the stolen credentials to access the preparers’ accounts and to steal client information.
The Security Summit reminds tax professionals that software providers do not embed links into emails asking them to validate passwords. Also, tax professionals and taxpayers should never open a link or an attachment from a suspicious email.
Tax professionals can review additional tips to protect clients and themselves at Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself on IRS.gov.
Tax professionals who receive emails purportedly from their tax software providers seeking login credentials should send those scam emails to their tax software provider. 
For Windows users, follow this process to help the investigation of these scam emails:
Use “Save As” to save the scam. Under “save as type” in the drop-down menu, select “plain text” and save to the desktop. Do not click on any links.
Open a new email and attach this saved email as a file.
Send a new email containing the attachment to the tax software provider, as well as a copy to Phishing@IRS.gov.
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IR-2017-165, Sept. 28, 2017
WASHINGTON ― The Internal Revenue Service has provided temporary relief from certain requirements of the Internal Revenue Code to allow owners and operators of low-income housing projects located anywhere in the United States and its possessions to provide temporary emergency housing to individuals who are displaced by a major disaster from their principal residences, regardless of income.
This special relief detailed in Revenue Procedure 2014-49 and Revenue Procedure 2014-50 authorizes owners and operators, in conjunction with agencies and issuers, to disregard the income limits, transience rules and certain other restrictions that normally apply to low-income housing units when providing temporary emergency housing to displaced individuals. As a result, owners and operators can offer temporary emergency housing to displaced individuals who lived in a county or other local jurisdiction designated for individual assistance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Currently, this includes parts of Texas, Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, though FEMA may add other locations in the future. Upon approval, emergency housing can be provided for up to a year after the close of the month in which the major disaster was declared by the President. 
This relief automatically applies as soon as the President declares a major disaster and FEMA designates any locality for individual or public assistance. For that reason, individuals affected by some other recent major disasters, including those affecting parts of Michigan, West Virginia and other localities, may also qualify for emergency housing relief. For a list of recent disasters, see the disaster relief page on IRS.gov.
Although owners and operators of low-income housing projects are allowed to offer temporary housing to qualified disaster victims, they are not required to do so. For those who do, special rules apply, detailed in Revenue Procedure 2014-49PDF and Revenue Procedure 2014-50PDF, available on IRS.gov. Details on other hurricane-related tax relief are available at www.irs.gov/hurricaneharvey and www.irs.gov/hurricaneirma.  For information on government-wide relief efforts, visit www.usa.gov/hurricane-harvey or www.usa.gov/hurricane-irma.
 
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IR-2017-164, Sept. 27, 2017
WASHINGTON – Farmers and ranchers who previously were forced to sell livestock due to drought in an applicable region now have an additional year to replace the livestock and defer tax on any gains from the forced sales, according to the Internal Revenue Service. An applicable region is a county designated as eligible for federal assistance plus counties contiguous to that county.
This relief generally applies to capital gains realized by eligible farmers and ranchers on sales of livestock held for draft, dairy or breeding purposes. Sales of other livestock, such as those raised for slaughter or held for sporting purposes, or poultry are not eligible.
To qualify, the sales must be solely due to drought, flooding or other severe weather causing the region to be designated as eligible for federal assistance.
Under these circumstances, livestock generally must be replaced within a four-year period, instead of the usual two-year period. But in addition, the IRS is authorized to further extend this replacement period if the drought continues.
The one-year extension, announced today, gives eligible farmers and ranchers until the end of the tax year after the first drought-free year to replace the sold livestock. Details, including an example of how this provision works, can be found in Notice 2006-82PDF, available on IRS.gov.
The IRS provides this extension to farmers and ranchers located in the applicable region that qualified for the four-year replacement period if any county, parish, city, or district, that is included in the applicable region is listed as suffering exceptional, extreme or severe drought conditions by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), during any weekly period between Sept. 1, 2016, and Aug. 31, 2017. All or part of 42 states, plus the District of Columbia, are listed.
As a result, farmers and ranchers in the applicable region whose drought sale replacement period was scheduled to expire at the end of this tax year, Dec. 31, 2017, 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 2013. But because of previous drought-related extensions affecting some of these localities, the replacement periods for some drought sales before 2013 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 in Notice 2017-53PDF, posted today on IRS.gov. More information 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 web site.
See also the IRS Hurricane Irma Information Center
IR-2017-159, IR-2017-159, Sept. 25, 2017
WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), in response to continued shortages of undyed diesel fuel caused by Hurricane Irma, will extend its waiver of penalties for dyed diesel fuel, first announced in IR-2017-149, when such fuel is sold for use or used on the highway in the state of Florida. 
This extension comes at the request of the state of Florida. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted a waiver for the state of Florida regarding use of Non-Road Diesel Locomotive and Marine Fuel, which was effective from Sept. 6 through Sept. 22, 2017.  The EPA has extended that waiver through Oct. 6, 2017. Consistent with the EPA extension, this extension is effective from Sept. 6, through Oct. 6, 2017. Any dyed diesel fuel that is stored for distribution to retailers, wholesale purchasers, and consumers in the state of Florida prior to Oct. 6, 2017, may continue to be distributed and sold until the supply is exhausted.
Also, consistent with the EPA extension, this extension does not apply to use of adulterated fuels that do not comply with EPA regulations. Consequently, diesel fuel with sulfur content higher than 15 parts-per-million may not be used in highway vehicles.
This relief is only available provided the operator or the person selling the dyed diesel fuel pays the tax of 24.4 cents per gallon on any such fuel used on the highway. The IRS will not impose penalties for failure to make semimonthly deposits of this tax. IRS Publication 510, Excise Taxes, has information on the proper method for reporting and paying the tax.
 
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IR-2017-158, Sept. 22, 2017
WASHINGTON--The Internal Revenue Service has issued guidance to Large Business & International (LB&I) Division examiners regarding the examination of the credit for increasing research activities under IRC Section 41 (“Research Credit”) claimed by LB&I taxpayers.
Independently determining the correct amount of Research Credit claimed by LB&I taxpayers can be resource intensive for those taxpayers and LB&I examiners. The directive is intended to provide an efficient approach for determining the amount of qualified research expenses (“QREs”) for LB&I taxpayers while, at the same time, reducing the burden of doing so on LB&I taxpayers and examiners.
LB&I taxpayers may choose to follow the terms of the directive on original returns timely filed (including extensions) on or after the date of the directive. At the beginning of an examination that includes the Research Credit, the audit team will verify whether the taxpayer followed or plans to follow the directive. For taxpayers choosing to follow the directive, the audit team will ensure the taxpayer complies with the eligibility requirements provided in the directive.
The directive instructs LB&I examiners to accept the Adjusted Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 730 Financial Statement R&D for the credit year as the amount of QREs for that year. Adjusted ASC 730 Financial Statement R&D is made up of the research and development costs currently expensed on a taxpayer’s Certified Audited Financial Statement pursuant to ASC 730 for U.S. GAAP purposes and includes certain specified adjustments made to ASC 730 Financial Statement R&D.
The directive only applies to LB&I taxpayers (i.e. assets equal to or greater than $10 million) that follow U.S. GAAP to prepare their Certified Audited Financial Statements, which show as a separate line item on the income statement the amount of the currently expensed ASC 730 Financial Statement R&D included in their Certified Audited Financial Statements or show separately stated in a note to their Certified Audited Financial Statements.
The directive is not an official pronouncement of law, and cannot be used, cited, or relied on as such. In addition, nothing in the directive should be construed as affecting the operation of any other provision of the Internal Revenue Code, Treasury Regulations or guidance thereunder.
See also the IRS Hurricane Irma Information Center
IR-2017-157, Sept. 19, 2017
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced it will not impose a penalty on certain uses of certain adulterated fuels that do not comply with applicable Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, in response to shortages of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) fuel caused by Hurricane Irma.
On Sept. 13, the EPA issued a “No Action Assurance (NAA) for the Use of Non-Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel in Limited Diesel-Powered Highway and Nonroad Vehicles and Equipment” letter to the State of Florida.
According to the letter, the EPA will not pursue action for the use of certain diesel reserves of approximately 4 million gallons of dyed diesel fuel that has a sulfur content that is over 15 but no greater than 20 parts per million (ppm). The NAAPDF imposes several conditions on the use of such fuel.
Both the EPA and Florida have requested that, consistent with the EPA NAA, the IRS waive its penalties for the use of non ULSD fuel that has a sulfur content of 20 ppm or less under these circumstances. Consequently, the IRS will not impose the adulterated fuel penalty on any uses that fully comply with the EPA’s NAA.
This relief is effective from Sept. 13, through Sept. 22, 2017, or until such dyed diesel reserves are exhausted, whichever is earlier. Because the reserves to which this relief applies are of dyed diesel fuel, the relief issued in IR-2017-149 is also available, provided the operator or the person selling the fuel pays the tax of 24.4 cents per gallon for any such fuel used on the highway.
 
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See also the IRS Hurricane Irma Information Center
IR-2017-154, Sept. 14, 2017
WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service today announced special relief designed to support leave-based donation programs to aid victims of Hurricane and Tropical Storm Irma. This parallels relief granted to Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey victims.
Under these programs, employees may forgo their vacation, sick or personal leave in exchange for cash payments the employer makes, before Jan. 1, 2019, to charitable organizations providing relief for the victims of this disaster.
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 cash payments as business expenses.
This relief is similar to that provided following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014, and last year following Hurricane Matthew and severe flooding in Louisiana. Details of this relief are in Notice 2017-52PDF, posted today on IRS.gov.
Information on other tax relief available to victims of Hurricane Irma can be found at www.irs.gov/hurricaneirma.
 
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See also the IRS Hurricane Irma Information Center
IR-2017-151, Sept. 12, 2017
WASHINGTON —The Internal Revenue Service today announced that 401(k)s and similar employer-sponsored retirement plans can make loans and hardship distributions to victims of Hurricane Irma and members of their families. This is similar to relief provided last month to victims of Hurricane Harvey.
Participants in 401(k) plans, employees of public schools and tax-exempt organizations with 403(b) tax-sheltered annuities, as well as state and local government employees with 457(b) deferred-compensation plans may be eligible to take advantage of these streamlined loan procedures and liberalized hardship distribution rules. Though IRA participants are barred from taking out loans, they may be eligible to receive distributions under liberalized procedures.
Retirement plans can provide this relief to employees and certain members of their families who live or work in disaster areas affected by Hurricane Irma and designated for individual assistance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). For a complete list of eligible localities, visit https://www.fema.gov/disasters. To qualify for this relief, hardship withdrawals must be made by Jan. 31, 2018.
The IRS is also relaxing procedural and administrative rules that normally apply to retirement plan loans and hardship distributions. As a result, eligible retirement plan participants will be able to access their money more quickly with a minimum of red tape. In addition, the six-month ban on 401(k) and 403(b) contributions that normally affects employees who take hardship distributions will not apply.
This broad-based relief means that a retirement plan can allow a victim of Hurricane Irma to take a hardship distribution or borrow up to the specified statutory limits from the victim’s retirement plan. It also means that a person who lives outside the disaster area can take out a retirement plan loan or hardship distribution and use it to assist a son, daughter, parent, grandparent or other dependent who lived or worked in the disaster area.
Plans will be allowed to make loans or hardship distributions before the plan is formally amended to provide for such features. In addition, the plan can ignore the reasons that normally apply to hardship distributions, thus allowing them, for example, to be used for food and shelter. If a plan requires certain documentation before a distribution is made, the plan can relax this requirement as described in Announcement 2017-13PDF.
The IRS emphasized that the tax treatment of loans and distributions remains unchanged. Ordinarily, retirement plan loan proceeds are tax-free if they are repaid over a period of five years or less. Under current law, hardship distributions are generally taxable and subject to a 10-percent early-withdrawal tax.
Further details are in Announcement 2017-13PDF, posted today on IRS.gov. More information about other tax relief related to Hurricane Irma can be found on the IRS disaster relief page. For information on government-wide relief efforts, visit www.USA.gov/hurricane-irma.
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See also the IRS Hurricane Irma Information Center.
IR-2017-149, Sept. 11, 2017
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), in response to shortages of undyed diesel fuel caused by Hurricane Irma, will not impose a penalty when dyed diesel fuel is sold for use or used on the highway in the state of Florida. 
This relief is effective as of Sept. 6, 2017.  Consistent with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waiver for Florida regarding use of Non-Road Diesel Locomotive and Marine Fuel, this relief will remain in effect through Sept. 22, 2017.  
This penalty relief is available to any person that sells or uses dyed fuel for highway use. In the case of the operator of the vehicle in which the dyed fuel is used, the relief is available only if the operator or the person selling the fuel pays the tax of 24.4 cents per gallon that is normally applied to diesel fuel for highway use. The IRS will not impose penalties for failure to make semimonthly deposits of this tax. IRS Publication 510, Excise Taxes, has information on the proper method for reporting and paying the tax.
Ordinarily, dyed diesel fuel is not taxed, because it is sold for uses exempt from excise tax, such as to farmers for farming purposes, for home heating use and to local governments for buses.
Also, consistent with the EPA waiver, this waiver does not apply to the Internal Revenue Code penalty for using adulterated fuels that do not comply with applicable EPA regulations.  Consequently, diesel fuel with sulfur content higher than 15 parts-per-million may not be used in highway vehicles.
The IRS is closely monitoring the situation and will provide additional relief as needed.
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See also the IRS Hurricane Harvey Information Center
IR-2017-148, Sept. 8, 2017
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service continues to monitor Hurricane Irma, but reminds calendar-year partnerships that the due date for filing a return after receiving an extension remains Sept. 15 following a recent change in the tax law.
The Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015 changed the date by which a partnership must file its annual return, Form 1065 or Form 1065-B. For calendar year partnerships, the due date for filing the annual return or request for an extension changed from April 15 (April 18 in 2017) to March 15. The due date for filing the return after receiving an extension of time to file was Sept. 15 when the due date was April 15, because the duration of the extension was five months. Under the new law, the due date for filing the return after receiving an extension of time to file is still Sept. 15, because the duration of the extension of time to file is now six months. 
The IRS issued guidance, Notice 2017-47PDF, providing penalty relief for certain partnerships that did not file the required returns by the new due date for their tax year that began in 2016, but filed their returns or their extension requests for that year by the15th day of the fourth month after the end of their taxable year (April 18 for calendar-year filers). If not for the Surface Transportation Act, these returns and requests for extension of time to file would have been on time.
The new deadlines are included in the instructions for Form 7004, instructions for Form 1065PDF and the instructions for Form 1065-BPDF.
The IRS provided tax relief to taxpayers affected by Hurricane Harvey, including partnerships; affected taxpayers (as defined in the news release providing relief) have until Jan. 31, 2018, to file their returns. Calendar-year partnerships that are affected taxpayers that also receive relief from penalties under Notice 2017-47 if they file a return on or before Sept. 15, 2017, will receive relief from the failure-to-file penalty if they file the return by Jan. 31, 2018.
As Hurricane Irma approaches, the IRS is closely monitoring the storm and will be assessing next steps that will be needed for areas declared a federal disaster area.
The IRS projected that corporations and partnerships would file almost 6.9 million extension requests during 2017. The IRS expects to receive more than 4 million partnership returns during 2017. 
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See also the IRS Hurricane Harvey Information Center
IR-2017-143, Sept. 5, 2017
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced special relief designed to support leave-based donation programs to aid victims of Hurricane Harvey.
Under these programs, employees may forgo their vacation, sick or personal leave in exchange for cash payments the employer makes, before Jan. 1, 2019, to charitable organizations providing relief for the victims of this disaster.
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 cash payments as business expenses.
This relief is similar to that provided following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014, and last year following Hurricane Matthew and severe flooding in Louisiana. Details of this relief are in Notice 2017-48, posted today on IRS.gov.
Information on other tax relief available to victims of Hurricane Harvey can be found at www.irs.gov/hurricaneharvey. For information on government-wide relief efforts, visit www.USA.gov/hurricane-harvey. 
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See also the IRS Hurricane Harvey Information Center
IR-2017-142, Sept. 3, 2017
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), in response to shortages of undyed diesel fuel caused by Hurricane Harvey, will not impose a penalty when dyed diesel fuel is sold for use or used on the highway. This expanded waiver area now covers the entire state of Texas.
This relief applies beginning Aug. 25, 2017, in the areas and counties for which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued waivers for Texas Low Emission Diesel Fuel. Those areas and counties now include the entire state of Texas, an expansion of the original areas announced earlier.
This penalty relief is available to any person that sells or uses dyed fuel for highway use. In the case of the operator of the vehicle in which the dyed fuel is used, the relief is available only if the operator or the person selling the fuel pays the tax of 24.4 cents per gallon that is normally applied to diesel fuel for highway use. The IRS will not impose penalties for failure to make semi-monthly deposits of this tax. IRS Publication 510, Excise Taxes, has information on the proper method for reporting and paying the tax.
Ordinarily, dyed diesel fuel is not taxed, because it is sold for uses exempt from excise tax, such as to farmers for farming purposes, for home heating use and to local governments for buses.
Finally, consistent with the EPA waivers, this penalty waiver for dyed diesel is effective through Sept. 15, 2017. Also, consistent with the EPA waiver, this waiver does not apply to the Internal Revenue Code penalty for using adulterated fuels that do not comply with applicable EPA regulations. Consequently, diesel fuel with sulfur content higher than 15 parts-per-million may not be used in highway vehicles.
The IRS is closely monitoring the situation and will provide additional relief as needed.
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IR-2017-141, Sept. 1, 2017
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued guidance providing penalty relief for certain partnerships that did not file the required returns by the new due date for tax years beginning in 2016.  Partnerships file Form 1065 PDFor Form 1065-BPDF or request an automatic extension by filing Form 7004PDF.
The Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015 changed the date by which a partnership must file its annual return.  For calendar year partnerships, the due date for filing the annual return or request for an extension changed from April 15 (April 18 in 2017) to March 15.  
Many partnerships filed their returns or their extension requests for tax year 2016 by the April deadline, and if not for the Surface Transportation Act, these returns and requests for extension of time to file would have been on time.
Notice 2017-47PDF provides penalty abatement for these partnerships, provided:
the partnership filed the returns with the IRS and furnished copies to the recipients (as appropriate) by the date that would have been timely, or
the partnership filed Form 7004 to request an extension of time to file by the date that would have been timely.
Taxpayers who qualify for relief under Notice 2017-47 will not be treated as having received a first-time abatement under the IRS’s administrative penalty waiver program.  Additional details are available in Notice 2017-47.
The new deadlines were provided in the instructions for Form 1065PDF and the instructions for Form 1065-BPDF.
For calendar year partnerships, the due date for filing a return after receiving an extension is Sept 15. The IRS projected that corporations and partnerships will file almost 6.9 million extension requests during 2017 The IRS expects to receive more than 4 million partnership returns during 2017. 
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IR-2017-140, Sept. 1, 2017
WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service today announced that the Summer 2017 Statistics of Income Bulletin is available on IRS.gov. The Statistics of Income (SOI) Division produces the online Bulletin quarterly, providing the most recent data available from various tax and information returns filed by U.S. taxpayers. This issue includes articles on the following topics:
High-Income Tax Returns, Tax Year 2014 – For tax year 2014, there were almost 6.3 million individual income tax returns with incomes of $200,000 or more, accounting for 4.2 percent of all returns for the year, up from 5.6 million returns for tax year 2013. 
Corporate Foreign Tax Credit Study, Tax Year 2013 – For tax year 2013, some 6,542 corporations filing corporation income tax returns reported more than $118 billion in foreign tax credits. Firms in manufacturing industries accounted for 58 percent of all foreign tax credits. European countries accounted for 39.3 percent of taxable foreign-source income and 46 percent of current year foreign taxes.
Individual Noncash Contributions, Tax Year 2014 – The number of individuals filing Form 8283 to claim a noncash charitable contribution rose to 8 million for tax year 2014, an increase of 3.9 percent over tax year 2013. Total donations reported increased 30.1 percent for 2014 to $60.4 billion. Of this total, more than half went to foundations ($18.9 billion) and large charitable organizations ($12.2 billion).
SOI Bulletin articles are available for download at IRS.gov/taxstats.
Related Items:
SOI Bulletin: Summer 2017 
Historical Tables and Appendix
Tax Statistics
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IR-2017-183, Oct. 31, 2017
WASHINGTON —The Internal Revenue Service today reminded people, including those in disaster areas, who want to file a 2016 tax return electronically to do so by Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017. Filing of paper tax returns will remain available after that date.
IRS Modernized e-file, the system that processes electronically-filed individual returns, will shut down after Nov. 18 so the agency can perform annual maintenance and to enable the IRS to reprogram the system for the upcoming 2018 tax-filing season.
As a result, any taxpayer needing to file after Nov. 18 will need to do so on paper.
While most individuals have already filed their 2016 federal tax returns, certain taxpayers may qualify for an extension until Jan. 31, 2018. This includes taxpayers who live in a federally declared disaster area, have a U.S. tax filing obligation, and had previously obtained a valid 6-month extension of time to file their federal tax return. The federally declared disaster areas include hurricane and tropical storm victims in Georgia, Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and parts of Texas, Louisiana and South Carolina, as well as wildfire victims in parts of California.
See the IRS disaster relief page and e-file page for more information.
IR-2017-179, Oct. 25, 2017
WASHINGTON — The Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee (IRPAC) today issued its annual report for 2017, including numerous recommendations to the Internal Revenue Service on new and continuing issues in tax administration.
The report includes a discussion on how to improve some processes, such as for penalties, abatement requests and levies as well as business master file entity addresses.
The report also recommended enhancements to Form W-9 and the truncation of Social Security numbers on Form W2, IRC § 6050S and Form 1098-T reporting.
 
During 2017, the committee continued its dialogue with IRS officials regarding reporting requirements under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act and the Affordable Care Act and made extensive recommendations regarding both programs.
IRS Commissioner John Koskinen congratulated and thanked six members of the committee who are ending their terms this year:
Keith King, IRPAC Chair –  senior vice-president and tax executive of Bank of America.
Darrell Granahan – senior director of implementation and customer success management of tax information reporting technology for the tax & accounting business of Thomson Reuters.
Robert Limerick – managing director for the global information reporting group at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Marcia Miller – president & CEO of Financial Horizons, Inc.
Emily Rook – consultant with Circle Financial Services and past president of the American Payroll Association.
Nina Tross – executive director for the National Society of Tax Professionals.
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 and securities and payroll firms.
The full 2017 IRPAC Public Report is available on IRS.gov.
IR-2017-175, Oct. 16, 2017
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded tax professionals that they can earn continuing education credits online through seminars filmed at the 2017 IRS Nationwide Tax Forums.
The 17 self-study seminars are now available on the IRS Nationwide Tax Forums Online (NTFO). Self-study seminars provide information to participants using interactive videos, PowerPoint slides and transcripts.
The 2017 online forum seminars cover many topics of interest to tax professionals including business use of the home (for such things as the shared economy), advanced rental real estate issues, Office of Professional Responsibility discipline, and Individual Tax Identification Number program changes.
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 education. For a fee, CPAs, Enrolled Agents and Annual Filing Season Program participants taking NTFO seminars can earn continuing education credits. To earn credit, 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. Individuals 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. For more information, please visit www.irstaxforumsonline.com.
IR-2017-174, Oct. 13, 2017
WASHINGTON — Internal Revenue Service officials today urged foreign financial institutions to quickly renew their Foreign Financial Institution (FFI) agreements if required. If an FFI is required to renew its agreement and fails to do so by Oct. 24, 2017, the group will be removed from the November FFI list and will be subject to a 30 percent withholding tax on certain U.S. source payments.
An FFI must determine whether it is required to renew its FFI agreement. The table below is provided to assist FFIs with the determination. If an FFI has determined that it is required to renew, the FFI should log into the FATCA FFI Registration system and click on the link to “Renew FFI Agreement.” The FFI will need to verify, update (if needed), and submit their registration to renew their FFI agreement.
Renewal of FFI Agreement

Financial Institution’s FATCA Classification in its Country/ Jurisdiction of Tax Residence


Type of Entity


FFI Agreement Renewal Required?


Participating Financial Institution not covered by an IGA; or a Reporting Financial Institution under a Model 2 IGA


Participating FFI not covered by an IGA


Yes


Reporting Model 2 FFI


Yes


Registered Deemed-Compliant Financial Institution (including a Reporting Financial Institution under a Model 1 IGA)


Reporting Model 1 FFI operating branches outside of Model 1 jurisdictions


Yes, on behalf of branches operating outside of Model 1 jurisdictions (other than related branches)


Reporting Model 1 FFI that is not operating branches outside of Model 1 jurisdictions;


No


Registered deemed-compliant FFI (regardless of location)


No


None of the above


Sponsoring entity


No


Direct reporting NFFE


No


Trustee of Trustee-Documented Trust


No

 
The system instructions and online help text have been updated to include instructions for the Renewal of FFI Agreement. The FATCA Registration User GuidePDF has also been updated to include steps for FFIs to renew their FFI agreement.
IR-2017-171, Oct. 12, 2017
WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service today alerted tax professionals and their clients to a fake insurance tax form scam that is being used to access annuity and life insurance accounts.
Cybercriminals currently are combining several tactics to create a complex scheme through which both tax professionals and taxpayers have been victimized.
There may be variations but here’s how one scam works: The cybercriminal, impersonating a legitimate cloud-based storage provider, entices a tax professional with a phishing email. The tax professional, thinking they are interacting with the legitimate cloud-based storage provider, provides their email credentials including username and password.
With access to the tax professional’s account, the cybercriminal steals client email addresses. The cybercriminal then impersonates the tax professional and sends emails to their clients, attaching a fake IRS insurance form and requesting that the form be completed and returned. The cybercriminal receives replies by fax and/or by an email very similar to the tax professional’s email – using a different email service provider or a slight variation to the tax pro’s address.  
The subject line varies but may be “urgent information” or a similar request. The awkwardly worded text of the email states:
Dear Life Insurance Policy Owner,
Kindly fill the form attached for your Life insurance or Annuity contract details and fax back to us for processing in order to avoid multiple (sic) tax bill (sic).
The cybercriminal, using data from the completed form, impersonates the client and contacts the individual’s insurance company. The cybercriminal then attempts to obtain a loan or make a withdrawal from those accounts.
The IRS reminds tax professionals to be aware of phishing emails, free offers and other common tricks by scammers. Those tax professionals who have data breaches should contact the IRS immediately through their Stakeholder Liaison. See Data Theft Information for Tax Professionals.
Individuals who receive the insurance tax form scam email should forward it to phishing@irs.gov and then delete it. Individuals who completed and returned the fake tax form should contact their insurance carrier for assistance.
IR-2017-170, Oct. 11, 2017
WASHINGTON — The IRS today warned all e-Services users to beware of a new phishing scam that tries to trick tax professionals into “signing” a new e-Services user agreement. The phishing scam seeks to steal passwords and data.
The scam email claims to be from “e-Services Registration” and uses “Important Update about Your e-Services Account” in the subject line. It states, in part, “We are rolling out a new user agreement and all registered users must accept its revised terms to have access to e-Services and its products.” It asks the individual to review and accept the agreement but takes them to a fake site instead.
All tax professionals should be aware that as e-Services begins its move later this month to Secure Access authentication and its two-factor protections, cybercriminals likely will make last-ditch efforts to steal passwords and data prior to the transition. As the IRS has warned over the past few years, these sophisticated schemes are adaptive in nature and everyone should be cautious before clicking on a link or entering sensitive personal information.
For those who may have clicked onto this link, perform a deep scan with security software, contact IT/cybersecurity personnel and the IRS e-Help Desk.
To read more about what the IRS is doing to protect accounts with Secure Access authentication, go directly to the main e-Services landing page on IRS.gov.
See also the IRS Hurricanes Irma and Maria Information Center
IR-2017-168, Oct. 04, 2017
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued guidance to provide relief to residents of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands who evacuated or couldn’t return because of Hurricane Irma or Hurricane Maria.  The relief extends the usual 14-day absence period to 117 days (beginning September 6, 2017 and ending December 31, 2017) for the presence test for residency under the tax rules.  Further, an individual who is absent from either U.S. territory on any day during this 117-day period will be treated as leaving or being unable to return to the relevant U.S. territory as a result of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria on such day.
There are several exceptions to the general 183-day presence test that require an individual to be in the location where he or she claims residence for 183 days during the tax year.  Usually, residents could include up to 14 days in the 183-day period because of a declared disaster.
However, because of the unprecedented and catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has issued Notices of a Presidential declaration of a major disaster for both territories and the IRS in Notice 2017-56PDF has extended the 14-day period to 117 days.
Publication 570 contain an explanation of the presence test for residents of territories such as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Update 10/13/17 - IRS has extended relief for this tax deadline to taxpayers affected by California wildfires in certain counties.
IR-2017-167, Oct. 3, 2017
WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service has an important reminder for taxpayers who filed for an extension and face an Oct. 16 filing deadline: The adjusted gross income (AGI) amount from their 2015 return may be needed to electronically file their 2016 tax return.
For those taxpayers who have a valid extension and are in or affected by a federally declared disaster area may be allowed more time to file. Currently, taxpayers impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria as well as people in parts of Michigan and West Virginia qualify for this relief. See the disaster relief page on IRS.gov for details.
As a reminder, taxpayers should keep a copy of their tax returns and supporting documents for a minimum of three years. Prior year tax returns are even more important as the IRS makes changes to protect taxpayers and authenticate their identity.
Extension filers should plan ahead if they are using a software product for the first time. They should have kept a copy of their 2015 tax return or if not, will need to order a tax transcript, a process that may take five to 10 calendar days. The AGI is clearly labeled on both the tax return and the transcript.
Taxpayers who prepare their own electronic tax returns are required to electronically sign and validate their return. Using an electronic filing PIN is no longer an option. To authenticate their identities, taxpayers will also need to enter either of two items: their prior-year AGI or their prior-year self-select PIN and their date of birth. If married filing jointly, both taxpayers must authenticate their identities with this information.
Generally, tax-preparation software automatically generates the prior-year AGI and/or self-select PIN for returning customers. However, taxpayers who are new to a software product must enter the prior-year AGI or prior-year self-select PIN themselves.
How to Find AGI; Plan Ahead if a Mailed Transcript Needed
The adjusted gross income is gross income minus certain adjustments. On 2015 tax returns, the AGI is found on line 37 of Form 1040; line 21 on Form 1040A and line 4 on Form 1040EZ. Taxpayers who e-filed and did not keep a copy of their original 2015 tax return may be able to return to their prior-year software provider or tax preparer to obtain a copy.
Those who lack access to their prior-year tax returns also may go to irs.gov/transcript and use Get Transcript Online or Get Transcript by Mail. A transcript is a summary of the tax return or tax account. There are various types of transcripts, but the Tax Return Transcript works best. Look for the “Adjusted Gross Income” amount on the transcript.
Taxpayers must pass Secure Access authentication in order to access Get Transcript Online and immediately access their transcripts. Those who cannot pass Secure Access authentication should use Get Transcript by Mail or call 800-908-9946, and a transcript will be delivered to their home address within five to 10 calendar days.