William Byrnes' Tax, Wealth, and Risk Intelligence

In a recent reversal of practice, in the early weeks of August the IRS began issuing Notice 972CG to employers informing them that they owe substantial penalties for failing to strictly comply with the ACA employer mandate. Generally, the Notice is sent to inform employers who have made late or incorrect filings of Forms 1094-C and 1095-C that penalties now apply (the current notices generally apply for mistakes made in 2017). The penalty that applied in 2017 was $260 per return ($50 per return if the filing was made within 30 days of the original due date). Employers must respond to the Notice 972CG within 45 days (from the date listed on the notice) or the IRS will bill the employer for the penalty amount listed. If the employer disagrees in whole or part with the proposed penalty, box B or box C of the notice should be checked and the employer must submit a signed statement detailing the disagreement, including supporting documentation if applicable. Generally, the employer will be required to explain that the late or incorrect filing was due to reasonable cause. For more information on responding to this notice and other correspondence that the employer may receive with respect to the employer mandate, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

Nearly every taxpayer has heard warnings about phone-based IRS scams, assuming they have not experienced the calls themselves. However, because the general advice to avoid falling prey to these scams is often accompanied by the advice “the IRS will only contact you via U.S. mail” to initiate a dispute, scammers have now begun sending fake IRS letters–at the exact point in the year when legitimate IRS mail correspondence is at its highest. To avoid falling prey to letter-based scams, keep in mind that IRS letters arrive in government envelopes and provide a notice or letter number in the top right corner, along with a truncated version of your tax ID number. The tax year in question will also appear in the top right corner. A contact telephone number–usually a “1-800” number will appear. If the letter contains what appears to be a personal phone number, you can verify by visiting irs.gov, where legitimate contact information will be posted. Also keep in mind that the IRS will not send threats, such as threats of arrest or deportation. For more information on federal income tax filing requirements, visit Tax Facts Online.Read More

For many clients, making the election to be taxed as an S corporation can have substantial benefits–but also carries the burden of risking disqualification if the business fails to meet the requirements governing S corporations. Selling shares to an impermissible shareholder (such as a partnership), violating the “one class of stock” rule can result in automatic revocation of the S status. To prevent this, the business must show the IRS that the violation was inadvertent, which can be accomplished by submitting a ruling request explaining how the violation occurred. Generally, the S corporation should seek to demonstrate to the IRS that it took remedial action as soon as it learned of the violation, explain the circumstances involved and how the S corporation discovered the violation, in which case the IRS may grant retroactive relief–so that it is treated as though no violation occurred at all. For more information on the specific requirements that an S corporation must satisfy, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More