Michael Cohn

The Internal Revenue Service has issued a notice that provides guidance on the Supreme Court’s decision in the Obergefell same-sex marriage case to retirement plans, along with health and welfare plans.

Bergman, Schraier & Co., P.C. has agreed to merge into Brown Smith Wallace in Creve Coeur, Mo., effective Jan. 1, 2016.

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board has issued new guidance on its pension accounting standards to help state and local governments that participate in some private or federally sponsored multiple-employer defined benefit pension plans, such as Taft-Hartley plans and plans with similar characteristics.

Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., has introduced a bill to block a proposed regulation from the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department that would give nonprofits the option of asking donors for their Social Security numbers to substantiate donations of more than $250.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has scheduled a meeting for next Tuesday to vote on new rules that would require auditing firms to disclose the name of the engagement partner and other accounting firms that participated in an audit.

The Internal Revenue Service has selected TaxSlayer as the new tax software provider for the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs, starting with the 2017 tax filing season.

Half the companies in a recent survey are still using some type of manual system to process their expense reports, according to a new survey.

ADP is participating in an Internal Revenue Service pilot program to test verification codes on W-2 forms in an effort to reduce tax refund fraud.

The Securities and Exchange Commission suspended five accountants and two audit firms Thursday from practicing or appearing before the SEC after they violated rules designed to preserve the integrity of the financial reporting system.

Haskell & White acquires Castle & Co.; Goldstein Schechter Koch merges in Ribotsky, Levine & Starman, CPAs; and Blue & Co. adds Fleming, Brockschmidt & Durkin.

BDO said Thursday that worldwide revenue for all BDO network’s member firms (including members of BDO firm alliances) totaled $7.3 billion for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2015, a 12.95 percent increase year over year, at constant exchange rates.

Henry & Horne, LLP has acquired Anderson, Church & Co. PLLC in Arizona, effective December 1.

The Public Company Accounting and Oversight Board is continuing to encounter resistance from Chinese authorities in its efforts to gain access to inspecting audit firms in China.

Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White said the SEC is considering a recommendation from SEC chief accountant James Schnurr that would allow for the supplemental use of International Financial Reporting Standards by U.S. companies in addition to their U.S. GAAP financials.

Forty-eight percent of small and midsize businesses use one technology supplier for accepting payments, processing payroll, issuing invoices and doing their accounting, according to a new survey, while 34 percent use two or more suppliers for their financial technology.

The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board has established a consultative group that will offer advice to the board on setting financial reporting standards for government entities.

The Internal Revenue Service has begun a new program, the Early Interaction Initiative, to more quickly identify employers who are falling behind on their payroll or employment taxes and help them get caught up on their payment and reporting responsibilities.

The Financial Accounting Foundation, the parent organization of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board and the Private Company Council, has elected Charles H. Noski as its new chairman, succeeding Jeffrey J. Diermeier, whose term ends on December 31.

Nonprofits are expressing concern about proposed regulations from the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department that could give charities the option of providing Social Security numbers of donors who contribute more than $250 to their organizations.

The American Institute of CPAs is objecting to a bill that was introduced in the House giving the Internal Revenue Service the statutory authority to regulate tax return preparers.