William Byrnes' Tax, Wealth, and Risk Intelligence

The Texas A&M graduate program for tax, wealth, and risk management is accepting applications from financial professionals with at least five years of industry experience for the summer. Even though our graduate program has grown to over 750 enrollment, the enrollment for a course section is between 20 and the maximum of 30 so that each student receives meaningful feedback throughout the course from the full-time academic faculty and renowned professional case study leaders, and each other via teamwork and peer review. Learn more about how we educate and position the industry’s leaders: https://law.tamu.edu/distance-education

Prof. William H. Byrnes

Robert Bloink, J.D., LL.M.

The IRS deadline for 2021 tax returns is today–and, for this year, the IRS is reminding taxpayers about recent changes that will make this year’s filing season a bit different than past years.  Similarly, the DOL has recently introduced changes to Form 5500 that will impact MEPs, PEPs and other small business retirement plans for 2022.  We also have coverage this week on how business owners should proceed now that the Supreme Court has weighed in on OSHA’s “vaccinate-or-test” mandate.

IRS: Tax Tips for a Smooth 2022 Tax Filing Today The IRS’ last day to accept 2021 1040s as filed by the deadline is today – electronically, or by postmark. Because of the Emancipation Day holiday in Washington, D.C., the 2022 tax filing deadline moved this year from April 15 Friday to today April 18 (April 19 for taxpayers who live in Maine or Massachusetts).  The IRS encourages taxpayers to file electronically today to ensure fast processing–and notes that the average refund will be received within 21 days if the taxpayer files electronically, signs up for direct deposit and has no issues with their return.  Taxpayers may need the information from the IRS’ Letter 6419 that provides information about advance child tax credit payments, and the IRS’ Letter 6475 that provides information about the third economic impact payment – these were received by taxpayers in January and February.  Taxpayers who received these funds will need these letters to complete their tax returns today – otherwise, request the automatic extension today (if must be requested today, it cannot be requested afterward).  Taxpayers who received advance child tax credits can also obtain information about those payments using the online portal at irs.gov. Taxpayers who received the child tax credit or earned income tax credit should also remember that the IRS cannot issue their refund before mid-February.  For more information on federal tax filing information, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

U.S. Supreme Court Reinstates Stay of Enforcement on OSHA ETS Near the end of 2021, the Sixth Circuit ruled to dissolve an existing stay of OSHA’s emergency temporary standard (ETS) that would have required employers with at least 100 employees to require employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or submit to weekly testing.  In response, the Supreme Court considered the issue and opted to reinstate the enforcement stay—so that OSHA cannot enforce its ETS until further notice.   The Court reasoned that the ETS was overly broad and failed to consider the risks associated with different industries.  The ETS will now be sent back to the Sixth Circuit for a decision—and, if the Sixth Circuit rules in favor of enforcing the ETS, the Supreme Court may again be asked to review that decision.  For now, employers should begin to comply with state laws on the issue.  If the state requires vaccination-or-testing, employers should comply with that law.  Employers can now also safely comply with state laws that prohibit employers from imposing vaccine mandates–but should stay tuned for the Sixth Circuit’s next ruling.  For more information on the tax credit for employers who offer paid time off for employee vaccination, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

DOL Introduces Form 5500 Changes for PEPs The SECURE Act created a new kind of multiple employer plan (MEP), called a pooled employer plan (PEP) for employers that didn’t qualify to participate in a MEP under pre-existing rules.  PEPs allow unrelated employers to pool together to offer retirement benefits to employees.  PEPs are required to report their aggregate account balances for every employer-participant starting with the 2021 plan year and must also report certain information about the plan provider.  MEPs are also now subject to new reporting requirements, which they will file in an attachment to Form 5500 for the 2021 plan year.  The MEP must report year-end account balances for each employer-participant, but the DOL has clarified that this requirement doesn’t apply to MEPs that function as defined benefit plans.  The revised Form 5500 provides information on these reporting requirements, and is also updated for post-SECURE Act retirement plans that were adopted retroactively.  For more information on MEPs, visit Tax Facts Online. Read More

Look in your Tax Facts Online app for our continuing analysis of 2022 legislative and regulatory updates, weekly intelligence, and the impact on planning for a client’s wealth preservation and growth.

Wealth & Risk Management Degree for Industry Professionals – learn about the graduate degree here: https://law.tamu.edu/distance-education

Texas A&M, operating budget of $9.6 billion (FY2022) and capital budget of $1.9 billion, is #1 for U.S. public universities, one of only 60 accredited U.S. universities of the American Association of Universities (R1: Doctoral Universities – Highest Research Activity) and one of only 17 U.S. universities that hold the triple U.S. federal grant of Land, Sea, and Space! The law school, ranked in the 1st tier, has the #1 bar passage in Texas, and #1 for employment in Texas (and top 10 in U.S.)

• Ranked in top 20 public universities by Wall Street Journal / Times Higher Education (2020)
• #2 endowment for U.S. public universities, #8 overall
• #1 of U.S. public universities for a superior education at an affordable cost
• #1 for most CEOs employed by Fortune 500
• #1 employment outcome for law schools in Texas and in top 10 in the USA
• #1 bar passage in Texas
• Rank #11 by Money Best Colleges Report, 2021 and #5 in U.S. among public universities (Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Peterson’s, PayScale.com, Money/College Measures calculations)
• Texas A&M ranks #1 in Texas, #1 in the SEC, and #12 in the U.S. in Washington Monthly’s 2020 overall college rankings based on the quality of education, accessibility, graduation rates, student involvement, and research: see tx.ag/WashMonth20
• The School of Law enrollment for the Spring 2022 semester is 700+ degree-seeking Master/LL.M. students, and 450+ J.D.s. The university enrollment is 68,000+ degree seekers.