The IRS treats taxpayers who owe more than $100,000 very differently than it does those who owe less than $100,000. If you owe more, the IRS expects immediate payment. It Read more »
IRS
Beware of Slick Promises to Get IRS Penalties Waived
A client ran a landscape maintenance company in LA for 30 years. His crew showed up at clients’ houses to mow, blow, and go. My client called his crew “contractors,” Read more »
Military Contractors Working Abroad Taxed Unfairly
Americans who work overseas are entitled to exclude $80,000 of annual income from their tax return. It’s called the “foreign earned income exclusion.” It’s found at Section 911 of the Read more »
The Idiocy of Privatizing IRS Tax Debt Collection
The private collectors are not as well trained as IRS employees, and generally violate taxpayer rights much more often than the federal employees.
Could I Go to Jail For Lying On My Taxes?
My client’s shaking, horrified. She lied on her tax return and worries the IRS will find out when they open the audit. She thinks she’ll end up in handcuffs if she Read more »
IRS Tax Debt Ten-Year Clock
Most people don’t know that the IRS stops trying to collect on tax debt after 10 years. This 10-year statute of limitations can be valuable to people who owe back Read more »
IRS Private Letter Rulings
Sometimes a taxpayer makes a seemingly minor technical mistake on his return that ends up with large consequences down the line. Shocking, yes, but it’s been known to occur. Read more >>
Fewer Tax Audits by IRS
I attended the USC Tax Institute , a gathering of tax geeks in downtown Los Angeles, last month. Among the more accessible topics was a presentation on tax audits given by Ted Meyer, Read more »
Ministers, “Love Gifts” & Income Taxation
Churches and ministers receive many tax breaks: churches do not need to withhold social security taxes from their ministers’ pay; churches receive income tax-free; and ministers do not pay tax Read more »
Tax Season is Phishing & Scam Season
I recently received an email — purportedly from the IRS — claiming I have a refund coming and asking me to follow a link to file my return and process Read more »