NTA Blog: The Second Circuit in Borenstein Helped to Close the Gap in the Tax Court's Refund Jurisdiction, but Only for Taxpayers in that Circuit

Subscribe to the NTA’s Blog and receive updates on the latest blog posts from National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson. Additional blogs from the National Taxpayer Advocate can be found at www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/blog In 2017, the U.S. Tax Court decided the case of Borenstein v. Commissioner by applying a technical reading of a statutory rule that produced a gap in its refund juris...

TAS Tax Tip: Updates to Estimated Tax Penalty Waiver

The April 15th tax deadline has passed, however the IRS announced on March 22, 2019 that it is expanding the waiver of the Estimated Tax Penalty to include relief for taxpayers whose total withholding and estimated tax payments equal or exceed 80 percent of the tax shown on the return for the 2018 taxable year. This threshold was reduced from the 85 percent threshold in Notice 2019-11, Relief f...

Tax Notes podcast features an interview with the National Taxpayer Advocate

On April 11, National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Nina Olson sat down with a senior reporter from Tax Notes, an online publication for tax professionals, to record an interview about the filing season and other tax issues. In part one of this two-part podcast, the NTA brings her unique perspective to bear on the status of the filing season and how the government shutdown affected not only the proce...

NTA Blog: The Adoption of a Withholding Code and the Improvement of Free File Fillable Forms Would Streamline Tax Withholding and Reporting

Subscribe to the NTA’s Blog and receive updates on the latest blog posts from National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson. Additional blogs from the National Taxpayer Advocate can be found at www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/blog In last week’s blog, I discussed the potential benefits arising from an expansion of the pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) tax system to incorporate additional income item...

TAS Tax Tips for Tax Pros: Earned Income Credit Tools and Information

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) rules are complex and helping clients claim this and other refundable credits is sometimes a challenge. That is especially true while performing the Due Diligence steps needed for returns you prepare and advising clients under audit circumstances. Here are a few EITC quick reference tips, along with information on a new tool for assistance during EITC audit situa...

TAS Tax Tip: Payment and Penalty Relief Options

Tax time can be especially tough if taxes are owed with your tax return and even harder if penalties and interest are charged. Our website’s Get Help pages have a wealth of information about various payment options and will guide you through why penalties are charged and, when appropriate, how to request a reversal of those charges, along with steps you can take to avoid the same issues n...

NTA Blog: Expanding Pay-As-You-Earn Tax Collection Could Bring Significant Benefits

Subscribe to the NTA’s Blog and receive updates on the latest blog posts from National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson. Additional blogs from the National Taxpayer Advocate can be found at www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/blog Imagine it’s tax filing season. You’re dreading figuring out your tax liability this year, because in the last few years you’ve been earning sporadi...

TAS Tax Tip: Correcting tax returns, if you made a mistake or forgot to file

If you make a mistake on your taxes, do you know what to do and how to correct the mistake? There are many options on how to fix a mistake on your tax return, depending on whether you received a notice and the kind of mistake you made. If you simply forgot to file, and have a filing requirement, you should file right away as there are consequences. No IRS Notice Received Yet If you need to make...

NTA Blog: The IRS Should Redesign Its Notices Using Psychological, Cognitive, and Behavioral Science Insights to Protect Taxpayer Rights, Enhance Taxpayer Understanding, and Reduce Taxpayer Burden

Subscribe to the NTA’s Blog and receive updates on the latest blog posts from National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson. Additional blogs from the National Taxpayer Advocate can be found at www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/blog With the filing season in full operation, many taxpayers are receiving correspondence from the IRS that convey significant taxpayer rights and require taxpayers to ta...

TAS Tax Tip: Filing, Requesting an Extension of Time to File and Payment Options

The tax return filing deadline is almost here. Have you filed yet? The filing deadline to submit 2018 tax returns is Monday, April 15, 2019 for most taxpayers. Because of the Patriots’ Day holiday on April 15 in Maine and Massachusetts and the Emancipation Day holiday on April 16 in the District of Columbia, taxpayers who live in Maine or Massachusetts have until April 17, 2019 to file th...