Tag Archive for John Dundon

Navigating The Shoals Of IRS Penalties

For those of us inclined to the proverbial ‘head-bury’ strategy with Big Brother, it is best to understand the civil penalties assessed when IRS systems catch up – as measured in tangible $$ out the pocket. For the brave of heart, navigating the shoals of IRS Penalties can be intimidating to comprehend but it is far from rocket science.

Understanding IRS civil penalties starts with picking up Part 20.1 of the Internal Revenue Manual (IRM).  Here you will find guidance on all areas of civil penalties imposed by the Internal Revenue Code (IRC).

Criminal penalty provisions are contained in IRM 9.1.3 and beyond the scope of this post. Read More

Written by | Posted in IRS

5 IRS Penalties Changed Under The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act Of 2018

This post contains cocktail party killer one liners about how 5 IRS Penalties Changed Under the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2018.

My editor also quipped that reading this post helps with insomnia as well. So if you are looking to either kill a party and/or fall asleep faster please continue reading.

If you are a tax practitioner however, you better know this stuff and with all due respect – most do NOT.

The 5 big changes are summarized as follows: Read More

Written by | Posted in Tax Cuts Jobs Act

What You Should Know About Your Form W-2

It’s tax time, and you need your Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement from your employer(s) to file an accurate federal tax return. You should have received this form by January 31.

If you did not get it by now check with your employer to make sure they have your correct address.

If the employer(s) in question have your correct address and the W-2’s have not arrived by the end of February you must still file your income tax forms and pay any income taxes due on time. Not to worry. Read More

Written by | Posted in Form W-2

Reporting Casualties Under The New US Personal Income Tax Regimen- Thefts Not So Much

The new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) amends Internal Revenue Code Section 165further restricting our ability as individual taxpayers to write off CASUALTY LOSSES going forward solely to ‘disaster areas’ as declared by the POTUS.

Say whaaaat ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Effective immediately this new restriction detailed in the US Tax Code WILL HARM ANYONE who falls victim to any tragedy that does not rise to a less than fully clear standard set by our beloved Twitter-In-Chief, aka #StableGenius (presently ‘trending’). Read More

Written by | Posted in Personal Income Tax

20 Sound Bites On Tax Reform

Like a good tax nerd I spent a beautiful Saturday reviewing the US House Tax Cuts and Jobs Act H.R. 1 Section-by-Section Summary. For your impending confrontation with Drunk Uncle (or Aunt) over the holiday season, the following is what I’ve been able to distill down to sound bites.

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Written by | Posted in Tax Cuts and Jobs Act • Tax Reform

“Corporations Are People Too ….. My Friend.” – Tax Law

Giving a speech on tax reform whilst stumping for president in what is now seemingly a woebegone era of politics, Mitt Romney quipped this now seemingly famous sound bite personifying the greed of purported capitalism. According to US tax law, unfortunately he is right. Corporations are ‘treated’ like people.

Since this is how we live, when it comes to writing tax laws it seems a reasonable expectation that corporations behave as moral agents of society just like the rest of us. After all, they have their own decision structures and choices to make between rightness and wrongness, goodness and badness that are justified with reasons just like us. Read More

Written by | Posted in Corporate

Rollover Of Retirement Plans Self Certification For More Time

John Dundon

Normally you have 60 days to rollover retirement plan distributions in order to avoid current taxation and possible penalty. If you have special circumstances challenging your ability to complete the rollover within this 60-day time frame, please be advised that there are several circumstances in which the IRS has repeatedly given taxpayers additional time to complete the rollovers.

In an attempt to help taxpayers avoid costs and time, the IRS released Revenue Procedure 2016-47. This ‘Rev Proc’ in tax geek speak has a self-certification statement which should be completed and given to the financial institution receiving the rollover. Be sure to keep a copy of the statement in question along with the Rev Proc in case audited. Read More

Written by | Posted in Retirement

Foreign Bank Account Reporting (FBAR)—FinCEN Form 114

John Dundon

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is a bureau of the Treasury Department. Authorized under the Bank Secrecy Act, foreign bank account reporting, commonly referred to as “FBAR”, is electronically reported to the IRS via FinCen Form 114, separate and distinct from filing a U.S. income tax return.

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Written by | Posted in FATCA • FinCEN • Tax Forms

Lessons Learned Preparing & Defending IRS Form 8938

John Dundon

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, better known as FATCA, was enacted March 18, 2010 and requires filing IRS Form 8938. It is important to note that this foreign financial asset reporting requirement does not replace or otherwise affect a taxpayer’s obligation to file a FinCEN Form 114. Basically, if you are a US taxpayer holding foreign financial assets you must file IRS Form 8938 if you have an obligation to file IRS Form 1040 reporting income.

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Written by | Posted in FATCA • Tax Filing • Tax Forms

How Professional Athletes Attribute “Rest Days” for State Income Tax Purposes: A Major Controversy Brews

Many young professional athletes and their less than experienced managers are learning for the very first time that the money “earned” PLAYING or competing is subject to income tax both at the federal level AS WELL AS AT THE STATE LEVEL WHERE THEY ARE PERFORMING or rendering service on behalf of their employer.

Basically for example if you earn money in Colorado you pay Colorado income tax as well as federal income tax on those same earnings. Professional athletes compete or perform (aka earn money) in many different states, the majority of which have a state income tax obligation, some higher than others and all pretty nasty.

A few months ago a select group of professional athletes shared concerns about Read More

Written by | Posted in Income Tax • Individual • State Tax • Tax Controversy

Tax Bloggers Gaining Authority At TaxConnections

Our members blogs are read by visitors from 210 countries and territories around the world.  We are amazed as we watch our members gain better visibility for their tax expertise and more authority in the marketplace. TaxConnections Bloggers have a unique style that resonates with our readers. We love the way our Tax Bloggers make the stories relatable to our readers. When you are marketing for new clients the secret is to make it less technical and more relatable. This week I want to give you all examples of our Tax Bloggers who had some of the most read blog posts over the past year:  Michael DeBlis, John Dundon, Barry Fowler, Jeffrey Kahn, Manasa Nadig, Peter Scalise, John Stancil, Hugo van Zyl and so many more.

If you are interested in enjoying a wider distribution of your tax blogs and reputation to our hundreds of thousands of readers, please join us today!

Join TaxConnections Today!

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Written by | Posted in TaxConnections

Releasing A Federal Tax Lien From The IRS – A Step by Step Guide

Fortunately I graduated from providing this service for hire preferring to refer all tax collection work to a handful of trusted friends and advisers consciously choosing (bless their hearts) to focus solely on Section 6325(a) of the Internal Revenue Code that directs the release of a Tax Lien after a liability becomes fully paid or legally unenforceable. Contact me directly for a referral to my A team!

My preference though is to empower you to try this yourself first!

Where the real margins are made in this line of work I am told is in the fact that the IRS must release a lien when they accept a bond for payment of the tax. That’s where Guido and Luigi come along making offers too good to resist, so tread lightly. Read More

Written by | Posted in IRS
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