Practice management

An ongoing pilot program from the IRS is offering an Identify Protection Personal ID Number to taxpayers who filed federal returns last year in certain states.

The IRS has announced the new members of its Advisory Council and its Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee.

The Affordable Care Act will have almost no effect on most taxpayers’ tax preparation and filing experience, according to federal officials.

Reznick Capital Markets Securities has officially changed its name to CohnReznick Capital Markets Securities and is now an affiliated company of the accounting, tax and advisory firm CohnReznick.

NetJets Inc., the private-plane company owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., defeated a U.S. Internal Revenue Service effort to collect more than $366 million in taxes and penalties the agency said were past due.

A common mistake among retailers is selling based on price rather than on value, a retail industry consultant wrote recently. When retailers focus on price, it results in customers “cherry-picking the best item while avoiding the profit-filled add-ons,” said The Retail Doctor founder Bob Phibbs. “It’s like they go to the bargain matinee but never visit the concession stand.”

It’s often a challenge to get clients to open up when they come in for their annual appointment during busy season. Maureen Schwartz, executive director of the global public accounting firm association BKR International, offers these 10 conversation starters to ask your clients.

The Internal Revenue Service has issued a notice that provides some relief this tax season from tax penalties for taxpayers who find out when they file their taxes that they received an overpayment of premium tax credits for buying health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

Yahoo! Inc. on Tuesday is expected to reveal something most companies usually try to keep secret: how it plans to avoid a multibillion-dollar tax bill.

I just finished reading John Grisham’s novel Gray Mountain, about a young attorney working in a legal aid clinic. At one point she is asked to prepare a will for a woman with property worth about $200,000. This reminded me of some pro bono work I have been asked to do for people who could clearly afford it, and that caused resentment by me.

No states changed their sales tax rates in the fourth quarter of last year, but a number of cities and counties did, according to a new report.

The American Institute of CPAs has written to some of the top tax lawmakers in Congress asking them to grant relief to taxpayers in appropriate situations when they miss a statutory deadline or make an error in choosing an election.

Congressional Republicans who rewrote the rules on measuring the economic effects of legislation may be disappointed at some of the results.

Some of our favorite recent tax fraud cases.

Highlights of some of our favorite tax-related blogs from the past week.

The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department have issued a notice saying they anticipate issuing proposed regulations that would permit a state or local retirement system that is a governmental plan to cover public charter school employees if certain requirements are satisfied.

Real estate partnerships pool funds from various investor groups, family offices and public entities to invest in property platforms seeking high cap rates and strong yields. Even though the investors within each fund have different tax structures and tax needs, the goal of enhancing each investor’s rate of return can be accomplished through sophisticated tax planning strategies.

John Hewitt, the president, CEO and chairman of Liberty Tax Service, is anticipating increased business for preparers this tax season thanks to the Affordable Care Act and the boost in employment from the increasingly robust jobs market.

The Tax Court has held that an egg donor must include in income the compensation she received from an egg donation agency that matches egg donors with women and couples struggling to conceive on their own.

The owner of a New Jersey tax practice who primarily serviced expatriate clients has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for willfully preparing false tax returns for clients.