Navigating Contractor vs. Employee Classification
Insider Transaction Traps for the Unwary
Multijurisdictional Employers, Part 1: Independent Contractors vs. Employees
The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Episode 60 - Enforcement Priorities of the Second Trump Administration: Employee Retention Tax Credit
REFRESH Steps for Launching a New Charitable Corporation
The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Episode 58 - Enforcement Priorities of the Second Trump Administration: IRS Investigations
Are Overtime Wages and Tips Exempt From Income Tax? What Employers Need to Know to Prepare
Nonprofit Basics: IRS 10-Course Charity Workshop
Nonprofit Basics: Unrelated Business Income Tax: Debt Financed Income - Part 3
The Demystification of Employee Retention Credits for Private Equity Deals — PE Pathways Podcast
Nonprofit Basics: Unrelated Business Income Tax: Modifications and Exceptions - Part 2
Navigating the Inflation Reduction Act: Insights on Brownfield Energy Community Credits - Energy Law Insights
4 Key Takeaways | Analyzing the Top Income Tax Cases in 2024
REFRESH Nonprofit Basics: Year-End Thoughts and New Year To-Do List
What's the Best Transaction Structure for My Sale?
Year-End and Trending Tax Considerations for Health Care Practices
Nonprofit Basics: International Grantmaking – Part 2 Income Tax Withholding Rules
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Tax Relief and Possible Retirement Plan Resources for Hurricane Victims
The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Episode 44 - A Recipe for Litigation: The Simmering Conflict Surrounding ERC Claims
REFRESH Nonprofit Basics: Navigating the Complex Rules That Describe a Public Charity
On Friday, April 11, 2025, the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2025-24 (the “Notice”), which waives applicable penalties under the Internal Revenue Code to participants in, and material advisors to, reportable...more
In its recent decision in United States v. Leeds, the United States District Court for the District of Idaho upheld the application of willful penalties against a deceased husband for failing to report certain foreign bank...more
Every parent remembers when their child learns the meaning of the word “no.” That moment often comes as a shock because, up until that moment, most children are models of obedience and unconditional trust. When children learn...more
On 10/24/24, the National Taxpayer Advocate shared on its NTA Blog that the IRS has discontinued its policy of automatically imposing penalties for late submissions of Form 3520, which pertains to foreign gifts and...more
There are two recent taxpayer-friendly updates of note in the international tax filing arena. First, Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Commissioner Danny Werfel recently announced that the IRS is ending its automatic...more
You may recall that earlier this year the IRS launched an initiative to pursue 125,000 “high-income, high-wealth” taxpayers who have not filed taxes since 2017. These were cases where the IRS received third party information...more
Last April, in Farhy v. Commissioner, the Tax Court held that the IRS did not actually have authority to assess penalties under IRC § 6038. The result was devastating for the IRS, as it meant it did not have authority to...more
On April 15, the IRS released Notice 2024-33 (the “Notice”), offering limited relief from tax penalties for underpaying estimated income taxes arising from a corporation’s alternative minimum tax (“AMT”). The AMT imposes a...more
Over the years, I have observed there is only one thing that a taxpayer fears more than being notified by the IRS that their income tax return for a particular taxable year has been selected for audit, and that is being...more
We once again want to bring to your attention the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) new favorite penalty provision: Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 6676. We have reported on this provision several times before, but this...more
As part of the routine administration of employee benefit plans, shortly after the end of a calendar year, many transactions must be reported to the federal government (“information returns”) and participants (“payee...more
United States citizens and residents are often not aware of the myriad of foreign information return filing obligations that exist under federal tax laws. For example, buried within the Code are reporting obligations...more
A hearing is scheduled for September 11, 2023 for interested persons and organizations to provide testimony on proposed regulations on the timing and approval process for penalties. Section 6751(b) provides that...more
On August 30, 2023, the federal government formally acknowledged the medical use and low potential of abuse for cannabis, with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommending that cannabis be rescheduled to...more
On April 3, 2023, the US Tax Court issued its opinion in Farhy v. Commissioner, holding that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) lacked the statutory authority to both assess tax penalties under Internal Revenue Code (Code)...more
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has proposed regulations to clarify the rules regarding supervisory approval of federal civil tax penalties under IRC Section 6751(b). Since Chai v. Commissioner, there has been a...more
On April 3, 2023, the Tax Court ruled in Farhy v. Commissioner1 that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) lacks the authority to assess penalties under Section 6038(b) of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) and may not proceed...more
The recent Tax Court decision in Farhy demonstrates that clever and novel arguments can carry the day in complex tax litigation matters. In that case, the taxpayer stipulated that he: (1) had Form 5471 filing obligations...more
When is Written Managerial Approval Required? In 1998, Congress sought to provide additional protections to taxpayers through passage of the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act (the “Act”). Buried within...more
In a prior post, I discussed the dangers of playing Battleship with the IRS. Recently, taxpayers made a move and scored a hit with the Tax Court’s recently issued decision in Alon Farhy v. Commissioner, 160 T.C. No. 6 (April...more
On April 3, 2023, the US Tax Court issued its opinion in Farhy v. Commissioner, ruling that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) could neither assess tax penalties under Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 6038(b) against Alon...more
Harrington v. Commissioner - In Harrington v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, George S. Harrington (Harrington) challenged tax deficiencies and fraud penalties assessed for tax years 2005 through 2010. Originally...more
In this bulletin, we highlight two recent federal court cases in which U.S. taxpayers won major victories against the United States with respect to their obligations to report non-U.S. accounts on FinCEN Form 114 – Report of...more
Taxpayers recently won a significant victory at the Supreme Court in a penalty case involving a non-willful failure to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (“FBAR”) under the Bank Secrecy Act (the “BSA”)....more
After years of litigation, the United States Supreme Court, in Bittner v. United States, 598 U.S. ____ (2023), determined that the penalty for a non-willful failure to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts...more