The IRS recently announced it was expanding aid to taxpayers indebted to federal or private student loans for attendance at both non-profit and for-profit schools. Rev Proc 2020-11 issued January 15, 2020, and it provides safe harbor relief against income recognition after loan discharge for the following three specific situations. Any taxpayer whose private student […]
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Final QOZ Regs Provide Guidance to Taxpayers
By: Rachel Parsia, CPA and Nick Spoltore, Esq. It is that dreaded time of the year. The holidays are over. No longer is it socially acceptable to wake up and eat a plate of candy and cookies for breakfast. Even worse, busy season is looming just around the corner. But fear not, there is one […]
SECURE Act Included in Year-End Spending Package
After months of stalled progress in the Senate, Congress passed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (“SECURE” Act). This bill was attached to H.R. 1865, the “Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020,” a $1.4 trillion year-end spending bill that funds the Federal Government through September 30, 2020. President Trump signed the bill into […]
SALT-y High-Tax States File Appeal
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”) was the most comprehensive overhaul of the Tax Code in over 30 years, but one of the most controversial changes was the limitation of the State and Local Tax (“SALT”) deduction. Prior to tax reform, taxpayers who itemized their deductions were eligible to deduct 100% of […]
Do Yourself and Your Clients a Favor – Attend Surgent’s Virtual Tax Conference 2019
It’s that time of year again. No, we’re not talking candy canes, presents under the tree, and the subsequent cherub in a top hat, sash, and diaper as Baby New Year in January, 2020. We are talking about our annual Virtual Tax Conference. This year’s offering should not be missed by any CPA or tax […]
Random Musings on the Wealth Tax
By Nick Spoltore What image comes to your mind when you think about Robin Hood? Is it the incredibly charismatic Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood from 1938? Perhaps you envision the 12th century English folk tale adventurer as depicted by Kevin Costner or Russell Crowe. My favorite would undoubtedly be Robin Hood […]
The 2019 Elimination of the Federal Individual Mandate: What You Need to Know for Tax Season
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act brought about quite a few changes that went into effect in 2018, but several tax law updates weren’t slated to go into effect until the 2019 tax year. One of the biggest changes in 2019 is the federal level elimination of the individual mandate penalty, also called the Shared […]
Filing Relief for 2018 Partnership Returns
On July 25, 2019, the announcement of Rev. Proc. 2019-32 provided welcomed relief for Form 1065 filers. Under Section 6031(b), partnerships under the centralized audit regime are prohibited from amending, after the return’s due date, K-1 information required to be provided to partners. For 2018 returns, the K-1s show for the first time Line 20 […]
President Signs Taxpayer First Act of 2019
The Taxpayer First Act of 2019 was signed into law on July 1, 2019. The Act contains numerous provisions largely dealing with customer service to taxpayers and IRS organization. As such, there is little for professionals to digest in terms of substantive planning or practice. Two points, though, are noteworthy. The Act established the IRS […]
Safe Harbor for SALT Credit
IRS issued final regs (T.D. 9864) reiterating if a taxpayer receives or expects to receive a state or local tax deduction exceeding the amount of the payment or fair market value of the property, the federal charitable contribution deduction faces mandatory reduction. The final regs largely mirror the proposed regs of August 2018 with little […]