Calling for Backup: When Do You (or Your Clients) Need to Bring in Counsel?
Tax controversy practitioners include various professionals with diverse experience and expertise. From tax return preparers to certified public accountants (CPAs) and enrolled agents (EAs) to tax attorneys, a client has many options in see... Caroline D. Ciraolo
Flying the EA Flag
My enrolled agent (EA) journey is probably different from many others. My journey began in 1991, about 15 years into my 22-year United States Air Force career. My squadron commander asked me to take on an additional duty as the unit’s tax advisor. And by “additional ... Brian D. Prucey, EA
Code Section 1341 to the Rescue!
How many times over the last few tax seasons have you found yourself having to tell your client: “Sorry, the 2017 tax cut doubled the amount of the standard deduction so your deductions are not enough to make a difference?” Or “The 201... Keith A. Espinoza, EA
Tax Needs Digital-Age Toolsets for Digital-Age Problems
The tide turned during the pandemic. Flood gates are buckling as it becomes clear that the need for action around technology and digitalization is now urgent and imperative. We see it happening across our contacts and network, and the big service providers, speciali... Geoff Peck
Do Not Sell Yourself Short in Representing Clients
From my interactions with the tax professional community, I believe a lot of you sell yourself short with how you price your services. Low prices mean more work to meet revenue goals and more work interferes with your ability to have appropriate work/life balance. Over... Thomas Gorczynski, EA, USTCP
Perseverance Within the Tax System
I have been thinking about perseverance within the tax system. There seems to be relentless waves of challenges requiring us to cope, adapt, and, ultimately, accept. Legislators have acquired a penchant for making retroactive tax law changes. Retroactive changes affect... David Tolleth, EA
Payroll Taxes in 2021: The Dos and Don’ts
Filing payroll taxes accurately takes work, especially when keeping track of changing tax regulations. The following payroll tax tips will help your clients stay compliant. The subject of payroll taxes can be a prickly one for human resources p... Justworks
Can a Taxpayer Deduct Payments if no Form 1099 Is Issued?
The United States Tax Court recently took up an interesting case which, on its surface, seems a run-of-the-mill case (it is a memorandum decision). However, it has some interesting perspectives related to documentation of payments to contract... Thomas Gorczynski, EA, USTCP
Recent Court Cases of Interest
Gambling Loss Not Deductible as Casualty Loss The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the taxpayer’s gambling losses did not qualify as deductible casualty losses. The taxpayer gambled occasionally, but only small amounts, and... TheTaxBook
Assessable Penalties and Abating Them
The United States federal tax system operates on a system of somewhat voluntary compliance. However, human nature being what it is, a voluntary system without a means of enforcement lends itself to fraud, ignorance, and disregard. I... David Woods, EA
NAEA Members Win Big in Vegas
More than 150 National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) members and guests braved the Las Vegas heat in July to attend the Special Topics Workshop, our first live event in 19 months. Some came for the content, some came for the location, but almost everyone came for th... Megan Killian
Practicing Patience
Patience. That is the word that comes to mind when working to resolve a collections case with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. With continuous budget constraints and lack of manpower, the IRS faced new challenges with sh... Clarice Landreth, EA
Why Your Marketing Message Needs to Be Updated This Year
When was the last time you updated your marketing message? You may not know how or what to craft into a compelling message. You are a tax professional not a marketer. But you are also a business owner running a business… i... Janel Sykora