Taxes

WASHINGTON, DC- Nov 18: Sen. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., and Barbara Kennelly, of the National Committee … [+] to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, talk to media after a meeting on progressive alternatives to proposals made by the deficit commission. (Photo by Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images) CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images The Democrats probably

Don Fort, criminal investigation chief at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), speaks during an IRS … [+] Criminal Investigation 100th year anniversary event at the IRS headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, July 1, 2019. On July 1, 1919, the IRS commissioner crated the Intelligence Unit to investigate widespread allegations of tax fraud. Photographer:

Benjamin M. Willis, contributing editor with Tax Notes Federal, and William D. Alexander, of counsel of tax at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, discuss tax guidance and step transaction. Here are a few highlights . . . On the IRS’s private letter ruling program William Alexander: [PLRs are] not as efficient as writing regulations or

Getty The tax filing deadline for individual taxpayers is just a week away. If you’ve been pushing off filing, you may want to consider filing for an extension. It only takes a few minutes, there are no special hoops to jump through, and there’s no fee payable to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). And contrary

A letter from the Internal Revenue Service, signed by President Trump, notifies a family via U.S. … [+] Mail of an economic impact payment direct deposit made to their account in East Derry, N.H., Monday, April 27, 2020. The funds were provided as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. (AP

WUHAN, CHINA – JULY 31: South Korean singer IU Lee Ji-eun performs onstage during her concert on … [+] July 31, 2016 in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. (Photo by Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images) Visual China Group via Getty Images In the week of May 16, the hit

Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses questions about the ability to receive spousal benefits after filing early for Social Security retirement benefits, taking Social Security survivor benefits before retirement benefits and whether a survivor’s benefit from a non-covered pension would affect Social Security retirement benefits. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 05: U.S. President Donald Trump shushes journalists before signing the … [+] Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act in the Rose Garden at the White House June 05, 2020 in Washington, DC. In the midst of nationwide protests against the death of George Floyd, the U.S. Labor Department announced the unemployment rate

On the surface, it looked like corporate professional services functions like accounting, finance and legal fared pretty well during the Covid-19 crisis. The vast majority of these roles were already set up for some level of work-from-home operations and – unlike other areas of the economy such as travel, hospitality and retail – they were

IRS privacy coin crackdown Shehan Chandrasekera 2020 has been a year with a lot of turmoil but regulators’ attempt to crackdown on cryptocurrency has not slowed down whatsoever (350,000 Aussie Crypto Users Are Receiving Tax Warning Letters, The IRS Is Hiring Consultants To Crack Down On Cryptocurrency Tax Evasion). A new listing posted on the

Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses questions about how and when delayed retirement credits (DRCs) are applies, how divorced spousal benefits are calculated, how survivor benefits are calculated, filing online and whether a deceased person’s application can be withdrawn. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and president

One of the most exciting features of the Paycheck Protection Program was that it appeared that borrowers were going to be getting deductions funded with loans that did not have to be paid back. And there was an explicit statement that the discharge of indebtedness would not be taxable income. Taxability.—For purposes of the Internal

Getty In an already complex year, taxpayers got a slight reprieve when the IRS extended the federal income tax filing deadline to July 15, 2020. (Most states followed suit, although not all.) With Tax Day 2020 quickly approaching, taxpayers have just under two weeks remaining to organize their information and to file their 2019 federal

Joe Biden AFP via Getty Images Joe Biden’s ambitions seem to be rising with his poll numbers. Victory is anything but certain in far-off November, but Biden isn’t waiting until the game is in the bag. “Biden’s camp is in the disorienting position of scaling up its laundry list of proposals to match the ambition, and the

TOPLINE Although House Democrats passed a massive $1.5 trillion infrastructure proposal earlier this week, the Senate didn’t take it up before the weekend—and the bill is now facing near certain death as both top Republicans and the White House have said they will oppose the legislation. Republicans ridiculed the bill and vowed it would die

Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses questions about when to file for spousal benefits, marrying a working spouse, when the earnings test will no longer reduce benefits and whether filing and suspending might be a good strategy for a particular case. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder

Getty As we head into the July Fourth weekend, the Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act is on its way to President Trump’s desk for signature. This Act will extend the time small businesses and self-employed individuals have to file an application for a PPP loan to August 8, 2020.  However, while Congress congratulates itself on this

Getty The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may have your money. The tax agency has announced that more than $1.5 billion in outstanding refunds remain unclaimed from 2016. Yes, billion. That represents well over one million taxpayers who might have qualified for a refund but did not file a federal income tax return for 2016. If you are

Getty On Tuesday, the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Charles Rettig, testified before the Senate Finance Committee.  His message was a clear one: He is an enforcement-minded commissioner and “the IRS is committed to pursuing those who . . . intentionally evade their tax obligations.”  Mr. Rettig did not mince words. His IRS will “aggressively pursue

TOPLINE In a Wednesday interview with Fox Business, President Trump said he supports a second round of direct payments to individuals—it’s the first time he has publicly declared his support for the idea, which has been the subject of vehement debate among lawmakers in Washington in recent weeks. US President Donald Trump speaks following a