Tax planning

H&R Block is debuting a new program to encourage consumer savings at tax time, working with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the U.S. government agency charged with making financial markets work for American consumers, to encourage consumers to use tax refunds to build savings.

A tax attorney is sounding a warning about some unfavorable estate tax consequences for surviving spouses in many states across the country from the use of so-called “QTIP trusts.”

The Internal Revenue Service has released proposed regulations to address the tax treatment of distributions from designated Roth IRA accounts under tax-favored retirement plans.

Despite their high payouts, international stocks and funds can come with big tax bills, but there are ways to offset those hefty levies.

The Fifth Circuit rejected both the Internal Revenue Service and the Tax Court’s valuation of art contained in an estate, finding an estate’s valuation to be supported by the evidence.

Maintaining healthy client relationships is important for CPAs, particularly when their tax clients need some help with their tax planning that may require outside expertise.

Thomson Reuters has released a tax-planning treatise for estate planners, Tax Planning for Family Wealth Transfers at Death: Analysis with Forms.

Taxpayers are expected to receive a modest amount of tax relief in 2015, thanks to the annual inflation adjustments provided under the Tax Code.

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., has introduced a bill that would help low-income married couples deduct twice as much of the interest charged on their student loan debts.

About 9,000 U.S. taxpayers have each accumulated at least $5 million in individual retirement accounts, said the Government Accountability Office, raising questions about some investors’ tax-advantaged returns.

As we approach the November elections, the end of the year and the beginning of a new tax season, we’re not much clearer on the fate of the provisions that expired at the end of 2013, aka the extenders, that haven’t yet been renewed.

Tax practitioners start preparing their year-end planning strategies

Regulations open availability of longevity annuity contracts

Bank of America Corp. must set aside $490 million of its $16.7 billion settlement to cover taxes that borrowers face on forgiven mortgage debt.

The Tax Court sided with the plaintiff in a recent case involving the rules surrounding the home office deduction.

Libra Services has released LibraTax, a new software solution that lets individuals and businesses that have transacted business in Bitcoin and other digital currencies to calculate their tax obligations.

In case you haven’t heard, National Grandparents Day is just around the corner, on September 7.

This year's tax planning is going to be heavily focused on accelerating deductions and maximizing tax credits, according to Evan Stephens, a tax manager at the business consulting and accounting firm Sensiba San Filippo.

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services has partnered with Broadridge Tax Services on combining their cost basis and tax reporting compliance systems.

Taking advantage of low AFRs before they're gone