Every state has felt the job losses, which came via terminations or Internal Revenue Service workers who left under deferred resignation terms. Photo by Ron Lach When 2025 began, around 103,000 people worked at the Internal Revenue Service nationwide. Then the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) arrived. Now, according to a new report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the IRS ranks have been reduced by more than 11,400 workers. That’s an 11 percent cut in the tax agency’s workforce. The job losses, which TIGTA collectively refers to as separations, come from... Read more →
Tax evasion
Spoiler: Tax cheating is not going away, and likely will increase thanks to recent Trump administration/DOGE actions. Roman portraiture fresco of a young man with a papyrus scroll, from Herculaneum, 1st century AD (Image by Olivierw/own work, Public Domain/Wikimedia) Tax cheating is a big topic every filing season. This year it got added attention. Many in the tax world are worried that cuts to the Internal Revenue Service by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), championed by the Trump administration, will hamper the agency’s ability to effectively enforce tax laws. But tax cheating is not new. It’s been around as... Read more →
Has your tax filing frustration got you thinking about getting, shall we say, creative when you fill in your return? Don't. Even with the current chaos, the Internal Revenue Service still has ways to track down tax cheats. (Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich) Tax Day is almost here, and millions of Americans are working on their 1040s. Generally, late filers tend to owe taxes. They want to put off the inevitable for as long as possible. Some of these still-to-file owing taxpayers are still searching for ways to trim this year’s tax bill. There are a few options available, such as... Read more →
Photo by Philipp Deus Every taxpayer and tax circumstance is unique. However, there are some things that trigger trained Internal Revenue Service examiners. As you’re finishing up your 2024 tax return, take another look to see if any of the 10 situations items show up on your Form 1040. They don’t guarantee that your return will be pulled for further attention and possibly a full-blown audit. But they could cause the IRS to conduct a correspondence audit, which is sending you a notice asking for clarification about a questionable item on your return. 1. You have income other than basic... Read more →
Department of Government Efficiency and Congressional efforts appear to be putting a stop signal for many of the IRS' goals. (Photo by Kari Bluff Nesler via Flickr) The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the quasi-governmental group created by billionaire Elon Musk, contends it has so far found $100 billion in fraud and waste across multiple federal agencies. Even if that’s true, which scrutiny from other organizations questions, the way DOGE, with the White House's approval, is slashing Uncle Sam’s operations could end up costing more than the purported savings. “Just one move — the plan to shrink the Internal Revenue... Read more →
Some taxpayers got a new earnings statement this year, a 1099-K form. The tax statement arrived because they sold more than $5,000 in products or services through apps and marketplaces. The 1099-K, officially titled Payment Card and Third Party Network Transactions, finally was issued this year on a widespread basis. It was supposed to go out years earlier to sellers who made $600 or more. That was a change made in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 from the $20,000 in sales and 200 transactions trigger to issue the form. All income you make, even if you don’t... Read more →
This Bruce the Shark diamond pendant is just one of Tekashi 6ix9ine's pieces of jewelry that's on the tax auction block next month. (Photo courtesy Market Auctions) Music plays a big role in my life, from the tunes of my youth to many of today’s artists. In fact, I just ordered another CD last night. Yes, I am old when it comes to my playing (and owning) preference, even when it comes to newer music. And it’s easy to download select tunes to add to digital playlists, a modern version of my old cassette mixtapes. But I’ve got to admit... Read more →
A federal court this week granted the Internal Revenue Service a John Doe summons to get information on individuals who answered client questions via a digital platform. (Photo by Olha Ruskykh) Some individuals who worked for an online site providing answers as experts in various fields soon could be hearing from the Internal Revenue Service. On Monday, Dec. 23, a federal court in California authorized the IRS to serve a John Doe summons on JustAnswer LLC. The federal tax agency is seeking information about U.S. taxpayers who were paid for answering questions during the years 2017-2020 on the Covina, California-based... Read more →
Photo by cottonbro studio Last week, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation unit released its fiscal year 2024 annual report that touted the success the agency’s law enforcement branch had in taking down tax criminals. Yes, Al Capone’s name was mentioned. This week it’s the overall IRS’ turn to brag. In its quarterly update on Dec. 12 to its Strategic Operating Plan, the IRS detailed accomplishments that have, among other things, allowed the IRS to recovered $4.7 billion in taxpayer dollars. More than $1.3 billion of that total comes from wealthy, high-income individuals who have not filed taxes or paid... Read more →
If you sold more than $5,000 in products or services through apps and/or marketplaces, get ready to receive a tax form next year alerting you, and the Internal Revenue Service, of the potentially taxable income. The amount will be reported on IRS Form 1099-K. Changing 1099-K amounts: The fluid nature of the amount of earnings that trigger issuance of the reporting form has been a hassle for both taxpayers and the IRS since changes were made in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. Before ARPA’s enactment, third-party settlement organizations, or TPSOs, — think PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, eBay, Etsy,... Read more →
iStock Texas’ unofficial motto has always been go big or go home. Or, in the case of one former tax professional, go out of business. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on Nov. 1 entered permanent injunctions against Charles Dombek and The Optimal Financial Group LLC barring both from promoting any tax plan that involves creating or using sham management companies, deducting personal non-deductible expenses as business expenses, or assisting in the creation of “captive” insurance companies. The injunctions also prohibit Dombek from preparing any federal tax returns for anyone other than himself and Optimal from... Read more →
Since the Supreme Court in 2018 let states allow betting on college sports, sportsbook activity, like this in a Las Vegas casino, has pick up substantially. (Photo by Kay Bell) College and professional sports dominate screens right now. And sports wagering has increased annually since the Supreme Court of the United States in 2018 opened the door for states to allow sports betting on collegiate competitions. The high court’s move also made it possible for the Internal Revenue Service to collect on winning bets placed at legal sportsbooks. For the most part, those operations report the amounts that went into... Read more →
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash One of the Internal Revenue Service key jobs, collecting taxes, is continually stymied by those who don’t pay what they owe. The IRS calls this difference between projected true tax liability and the amount of tax that is actually paid on time the Tax Gap. And the agency says it’s growing. An analysis of owed vs. payment projections for tax year 2022 shows an expected gross Tax Gap of $696 billion. The 2022 projection, released last week, is an increase of $200 billion over tax years 2014-2016. This latest tax gap amount reflects an... Read more →
Sometimes, shelters don't work out as hoped. That's also the case with tax shelters set up to take, rather than save, your money. (Photo by Min An) Looking for a way to save tax dollars is not a crime. But setting up a bogus tax shelter is. That's what federal investigators accuse a Florida man of doing, along with a few other things, in a grand jury indictment. The document was unsealed by the U.S. Department of Justice on Sept. 26 in Gulfport, Mississippi. It charges the Sunshine State financial advisor, securities broker, and insurance salesman (whose name I’m not... Read more →
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen speaking at the Austin, Texas, Internal Revenue Service campus Friday, Sept. 6. The Secretary's remarks included news of progress collecting unpaid taxes from rich nonfilers. (Screen capture from Treasury YouTube video) The U.S. Treasury’s balance has grown recently, thanks to Internal Revenue Service’s success in collecting from high-wealth individuals who neglected to file tax returns. Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen and IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel this morning announced that to date $1.3 billion has been recovered from wealthy nonfilers. The new collection effort, kicked off in 2023 and led by dozens of senior employees, focused... Read more →
Photo by Alesia Kozik The 2024 election features a lot of firsts. We’ve seen the first sitting president to withdraw from the race after securing enough delegates to win his party’s nomination. The first woman of color seeking the presidency. The first person convicted of (and facing more) felony charges running against her. It’s also the first presidential race in which crypto currency could play a major role. Blockchain companies have supplied 48 percent of the $248 million of corporate money donated to influence federal elections this cycle, according to research by the nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen. To be... Read more →
Yes, alligators, like this one enjoying an open water area of the everglades, are as much a cliché as Florida man escapades. But a gator seemed a good emblem for the IRS' persistence in going after a Florida man who evaded millions in taxes for around two decades. (Photo by Kay Bell) This Florida man story is much more serious that the Sunshine State memes you tend to see online. Aug. 13, Roger Whitman pleaded guilty to evading more than $2.4 million in taxes on income he earned from his business. The 76-year-old Ormond Beach, Florida, man’s business was manufacturing... Read more →
Photo by Lance Reis on Unsplash In March, the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department announced they were going after non-filing millionaires. Today, they reported that the IRS has collected more than $1 billion from high-wealth taxpayers with past-due taxes. With resources bolstered by added Inflation Reduction Act funds, the IRS said it stepped up compliance activity specifically on 1,600 individuals whose incomes were more than $1 million per year and who each owed the IRS more than $250,000 in recognized tax debt. The IRS assigned 1,500 to revenue officers to the cases. They got payments from more than 1,200... Read more →
Photo by cottonbro studio The Internal Revenue Service's whistleblower program helped the agency collect $338 million in fiscal year 2023. The IRS Whistleblower Office also noted in its 2023 report, issued on June 24, that it paid whistleblowers 121 awards, totaling $88.8 million, for the revenue-increasing information. That awards total was more than double the $37.8 million the office paid in fiscal 2022. But the total number of whistleblower awards for FY23 dropped, going from 132 in 2022 to 121 the following fiscal year. And to keep the Whistleblower Office on pace to help with tax compliance, the latest report... Read more →
A good working relationship can make a boss and employee a great team. But sometimes, greed gets the better of one of them. (Photo by SEO Galaxy on Unsplash) One of my previous jobs was assistant to an executive in a multinational corporation. Among my duties was helping my boss draft our department’s annual budget. I also was her surrogate in reviewing and processing expenses for our area’s employees, as well as making payments for other expenditures. My boss and I worked closely on these and other projects, and over the years we also became good friends. We shared years... Read more →