Minimum Standards for Return Preparers
Ten years ago this December, IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman announced the creation of a program to regulate paid tax return preparers. After years of pushing and advocating, IRS had finally picked up the ball and scored a touchdown. Rebecca Hawes
NAEA Advocacy
NAEA Government Relations Chair, Jennifer MacMillan, EA, gave a presentation during the 2019 National Conference in Las Vegas about some of NAEA’s recent successes on the advocacy front. It was well-received and we had numerous requests from members for a copy of the slide deck for var... Jennifer MacMillan, EA
Citizen Advocacy – NAEA Style
For the eleventh year, NAEA members traveled to Washington, DC, to meet with their congressional representatives and senators to advocate on tax issues important to enrolled agents. The Congressional Fly-In, held this year on May 14, is a foundational event for NAEA’s advocacy program an... Rebecca Hawes
Practice Management Tips for the Modern Accountant
A productive firm requires a stable foundation for its internal procedures, employee development, and work tools. Having a well-developed plan will enable your practice to achieve its goals, now and in the future. Respect Your Time (or No One Else Will) The ... Thomas J. Williams, EA
Championing Taxpayer Rights
NAEA continues its advocacy and relationship- building efforts with tax writers and other key policymakers through the remainder of the 115th Congress. IRS National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson keynoted the July 30 plenary session at the NAEA National Conference, facilitating a Q&A session on IRS reform and tax administration issues. During her most recent annual report to Congress, she debuted a new publication, Te Purple... Justin Edwards
Is IRS Ready to Implement Tax Reform?
While some of us are still recovering from our sunburns at the beach, many of us are looking at the shorter days and are beginning to worry if IRS has enough time to fully implement the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in time for the 2019 filing season. Guidance, in the form of proposed regulations, notices, and forms and instructions, has certainly been helpful and much appreciated, but not having finalized these items is getting danger... Jeffery S. Trinca, JD
The Sweet Smell of Victory
NAEA held its tenth annual Fly-In Day on May 15. One hundred enrolled agents proudly marched forth to Capitol Hill to meet with their elected representatives to discuss three major issues of importance to the EA profession: IRS budget reform, minimum standards for return preparers, and the Electronic Signature Standards Act. This year, IRS reform has gained bipartisan traction on Capitol Hill, something that has been a ra... Justin Edwards
Tax Reform Implementation Recommendations to IRS
Tax Reform Implementation Recommendations to IRS By Justin Edwards After nearly a year of continued efforts, and at the urging of the White House, House and Senate Republicans shepherded the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) through both chambers, and the president signed the measure into law days before the Christmas holiday. Obviously, the Internal Revenue Code has... Justin Edwards
Setting the Stage for 2018
While 2017 was quite the roadshow spectacle in terms of the smattering of challenges and events enrolled agents encountered and should remember for years to come, NAEA continues to stand tall on behalf of the EA profession while powering its members. As you navigate the maze of a busy fling season, Congress is ramping up its efforts to reform the Service with a newly appointed commissioner (NAEA believes a successor will b... Justin Edwards
Last Call: EA License Renewals
You’ve had an amazing year and your business is growing. Everything is going grEAt for you in 2018. You’ve just finished up the first part of the filing season, you’ve taken care of a swarm of your last-minute filers, you’ve attended the NAEA Fly-in in May to advocate on behalf of the EA profession in Washington, and you’re making the ultimate summer plans for June. EA License Renewals Due January 31 Where will y... Justin Edwards
Tis the Season
We each have our own sign that the holiday season has officially begun. For some, it is going to the mall and battling the crowds on Black Friday or seeing the decorations popping up like mushrooms. For others, it ’s the sound of holiday music piped into public spaces. On Capitol Hill, the season to be jolly officially began on October 1: the start of the new fiscal year for the federal government. Why October 1? Because ever... Jeffery S. Trinca, JD
Ask Congress to Support the Electronic Signature Standards Act
NAEA had an action-packed summer, advocating on behalf of more than 53,000 enrolled agents across the country. The following are some of the efforts we took part in. PTINs Are Back In the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia’s June 1 decision in Adam Steele et al. v. the United States of America, the IRS lost the ability to charge user fees for the issuance and renewal of preparer tax identification num... Justin Edwards
Building Opportunities During a Critical Time for Reform
With tax reform being one of the hottest topics in the new 115th Congress and with the new presidential administration, NAEA was thrilled to have a seat at the table by hosting NAEA’s ninth annual Fly-in in Washington, DC, on May 17. Nearly 90 enrolled agents traveled far and wide to attend the most important advocacy event of the year, when EAs from 33 states made it to Capitol Hill to meet with their elected representatives and thei... Justin Edwards
NAEA Joins Forces with the CPAs and Lawyers to Outline Reforms for the IRS
It is not often that there is consensus among the associations representing tax practitioners regulated under Circular 230. In fact, it might be unprecedented. The National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) has joined forces with the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) with support from the Tax Section of the American Bar Association (ABA), along with groups representing both Circular 230 practitioners and the unenrolled. The produ... Jeffery S. Trinca, JD
Your Brand
We talk frequently about what it means to be a tax professional in general, and more specifically, what it means to be an enrolled agent, which this organization has rather cleverly branded as “America’s tax expert.” Jeff Bezos (of Amazon CEO fame) once famously quipped, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” True for a multibillion-dollar, game-changing from and true for us, too. ... Robert Kerr
Embalm, Cremate, Bury at Sea
In this column, we return to the topics we’ve discussed before. This is not because I’m suffering from writer’s block (heaven forbid!). It is because the topics are critical for the enrolled agent profession, and members need to be adequately focused Let’s start with security. I recently had the pleasure of sitting on a panel at a tax industry meeting here in DC. The Council for Electronic Revenue Communications Advancem... Robert Kerr
Bad Company Ruins Good Morals
As 2016 draws to a close, I’m going to wrap up with a laundry list of items that trouble me (and I’ll omit my thinning hair and expanding waistline—though those also trouble me): security; user fees; Circular 230; and, unavoidably, the election. Let’s take these one at a time. While the Magic 8 Ball has been in the shop for more months than I can count, I’m going out on a limb to prognosticate that the most significant E... Robert Kerr
The Courage to Change the Things We Can
As I write this, we are fresh off of our eighth annual Fly-In Day. The promised rain never came to dampen our spirits, and nearly 100 EA advocates were trained and primed. The enrolled agent message was clear and consistent. I am amazed—and humbled—every year by the dedication and enthusiasm of our EA advocates (please see photographs on pages 8 and 9, as well as on NAEA’s Facebook page), all of whom made their way to D.C.... Robert Kerr
The Conditions are Always Impossible
The trouble with filing season is that it becomes difficult to communicate with our members, many of whom are busier than a one-armed paper hanger. That said— and I get it, of course—lots of tax policy and tax administration news comes to the fore during the eleven or so weeks enrolled agents are preparing their clients’ returns. We’ll touch on just a few items you may have missed… Let’s lead with good news. Because of the... Robert Kerr
Our Lobbyists, Who Art in DC
2015 was an interesting year in many respects: the Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX and we all learned the numbers of pounds per square inch in a fully inflated football; Queen Elizabeth II became England’s longest reigning monarch; and the broad market bounced all over the place only to land where it began and to consign all of us consulting our 401(k) balances to yet another year at our desks. At the same time, 2015 was an i... Robert Kerr
Do What You Can
Two thousand sixteen. We are another year older and (I hope) another year wiser. We are also on the cusp of yet another filing season. If all played out in DC as we forecasted, Congress at the tail end of 2015 punted on the entire tax extender package. Unfortunately, EAs are used to this maneuver because this will be the third year out of the last four in which Congress has not seen fit to provide untold numbers of individ... Robert Kerr