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Calls will go unanswered and mail will get no response under the IRS contingency plan for the first five days of a federal government shutdown. The plan, released Thursday, calls for furloughs of two-thirds of IRS staff if the government shuts down, resulting in "significant harmful impacts" on millions of taxpayers, Treasury said. The fiscal 2024 Lapsed Appropriations Contingency Plan will go into effect when the IRS is notified that government appropriations have lapsed and that a shutdown is to be initiated. All furloughed IRS employees will be able to return to work, and the Service will resume normal operations, when funds are appropriated. To avoid a shutdown, Congress must approve a budget for fiscal 2024 or a continuing resolution that keeps the government operating temporarily by Saturday, Sept. 30. If a government shutdown lasts for more than five business days, the IRS human capital officer will coordinate a Service-wide reassessment of the excepted activities. With the Oct. 16 deadline looming for some 10.5 million individual tax returns on extension, here is a look at IRS operations that would stop and those that would continue under the plan.

To protect taxpayers from scams, IRS orders immediate stop to new Employee Retention Credit processing amid surge of questionable claims; concerns from tax pros, aggressive marketing to ineligible applicants highlights unacceptable risk to businesses and the tax system. Moratorium on processing of new claims through year’s end will allow IRS to add more safeguards to prevent future abuse, protect businesses from predatory tactics; IRS working with Justice Department to pursue fraud fueled by aggressive marketin

After Successful Filing Season, IRS Reports Progress in Service and Modernization Efforts

An updated Federal Trade Commission rule takes effect on June 9, 2023, and it affects many members, including tax practitioners. A Written Information Security Plan (WISP) is required by the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Safeguards Rule of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) whereby financial institutions, including tax preparers, must develop, implement and maintain a comprehensive security plan to protect customer and client information.

Arkansas storm victims now have until July 31, 2023, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. The Internal Revenue Service announced this news on April 3, 2023. The IRS is offering relief to any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a result of tornadoes and severe storms that occurred on March 31. This means that individuals and households that reside or have a business in Cross, Lonoke and Pulaski counties qualify for tax relief. Other areas added later to the disaster area will also qualify for the same relief. The current list of eligible localities is always available on the disaster relief page on IRS.gov. The tax relief postpones various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurred starting on March 31, 2023. As a result, affected individuals and businesses will have until July 31, 2023, to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due during this period.

Notice 2023-21, the IRS lengthened the lookback period for refund claims for returns with due dates that were deferred by Notice 2021-21 or Notice 2020-23, which postponed the due dates for filing certain tax returns and making certain tax payments during the COVID-19 pandemic.

IR-2023-23, Feb. 10, 2023 WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service provided details today clarifying the federal tax status involving special payments made by 21 states in 2022.

The Internal Revenue Service today announced Monday, January 23, 2023, as the beginning of the nation's 2023 tax season when the agency will begin accepting and processing 2022 tax year returns. More than 168 million individual tax returns are expected to be filed, with the vast majority of those coming before the April 18 tax deadline. People have three extra days to file this year due to the calendar. With the three previous tax seasons dramatically impacted by the pandemic, the IRS has taken additional steps for 2023 to improve service for taxpayers. As part of the August passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the IRS has hired more than 5,000 new telephone assistors and added more in-person staff to help support taxpayers.

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced a delay in reporting thresholds for third-party settlement organizations set to take effect for the upcoming tax filing season. As a result of this delay, third-party settlement organizations will not be required to report tax year 2022 transactions on a Form 1099-K to the IRS or the payee for the lower, $600 threshold amount enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan of 2021.