New process announced for reporting ERC refunds

In updated FAQs, the IRS has announced a new procedure for taxpayers who receive an ERC refund related to wages paid in prior tax years, but have not filed an amended return to reduce their wage expenses for the year the wages were paid (2020 and/or 2021). (www.irs.gov/coronavirus/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-employee-retention-credit#incometax)

ERC refunds issued

For situations where the prior-year return is a closed year, taxpayers must include the overstated wage expense amount as gross income on their income tax return for the tax year the ERC refund was received. This means that if a taxpayer receives an ERC refund in 2024 related to 2021 wage expenses, they must include the 2021 overstated wage expenses as gross income on their 2024 tax return. The IRS also reiterates that taxpayers in this situation remain eligible for penalty relief. (IR-2022-89)

For open tax years, taxpayers may file an amended return, administrative adjustment request (AAR), or protective claim for refund to deduct their wage expense for the year in which the ERC was claimed. Alternatively, these taxpayers could elect to report the refund as income in the year it is received.

Many taxpayers were filing amended returns and paying associated taxes due for the closed tax year only to have the IRS return the tax payments because the tax year was closed. These taxpayers now know that they can cash these refund checks without repercussion and use these payments to pay the resultant taxes due when the wages are reported on the tax return for the year the ERC refund was received.

ERC credits disallowed

The IRS also provided guidance for taxpayers whose ERC was disallowed, who had previously reduced the wage expense on their return for the year the ERC was claimed. These taxpayers may, in the year the ERC claim disallowance is final, increase their wage expense on their income tax return by the same amount that it was reduced when they made their original ERC claim.


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2025-18: New process announced for reporting ERC refunds

In updated FAQs, the IRS has announced a new procedure for taxpayers who receive an ERC refund related to wages paid in prior tax years, but have not filed an amended return to reduce their wage expenses for the year the wages were paid (2020 and/or 2021). (www.irs.gov/coronavirus/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-employee-retention-credit#incometax)

ERC refunds issued

For situations where the prior-year return is a closed year, taxpayers must include the overstated wage expense amount as gross income on their income tax return for the tax year the ERC refund was received. This means that if a taxpayer receives an ERC refund in 2024 related to 2021 wage expenses, they must include the 2021 overstated wage expenses as gross income on their 2024 tax return. The IRS also reiterates that taxpayers in this situation remain eligible for penalty relief. (IR-2022-89)

For open tax years, taxpayers may file an amended return, administrative adjustment request (AAR), or protective claim for refund to deduct their wage expense for the year in which the ERC was claimed. Alternatively, these taxpayers could elect to report the refund as income in the year it is received.

Many taxpayers were filing amended returns and paying associated taxes due for the closed tax year only to have the IRS return the tax payments because the tax year was closed. These taxpayers now know that they can cash these refund checks without repercussion and use these payments to pay the resultant taxes due when the wages are reported on the tax return for the year the ERC refund was received.

ERC credits disallowed

The IRS also provided guidance for taxpayers whose ERC was disallowed, who had previously reduced the wage expense on their return for the year the ERC was claimed. These taxpayers may, in the year the ERC claim disallowance is final, increase their wage expense on their income tax return by the same amount that it was reduced when they made their original ERC claim.


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2025-17: FTB sending out corrected 1099-Gs

The FTB began sending out corrected 1099-Gs on March 19, 2025.

As we previously reported, due to a calculation oversight, some of the Forms 1099-G, Certain Government Payments, issued by the FTB for the 2024 tax year contained incorrect information. According to the FTB, this issue was limited to taxpayers who itemized their deductions and transferred estimates from the 2023 tax year to the 2024 tax year. The transferred amount may not have been included in the 1099-G amount.

The FTB estimates that this impacted about 3% of the 1099-Gs, which according to our calculations comes to about 100,000 forms.

Tax professionals should verify that the information reported on previously received 1099-Gs is correct. If not, they should hold off filing until they receive the corrected 1099-Gs. Tax professionals can also check their client’s MyFTB account to see if the corrected 1099-G has been posted.


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FTB sending out corrected 1099-Gs

The FTB began sending out corrected 1099-Gs on March 19, 2025.

As we previously reported, due to a calculation oversight, some of the Forms 1099-G, Certain Government Payments, issued by the FTB for the 2024 tax year contained incorrect information. According to the FTB, this issue was limited to taxpayers who itemized their deductions and transferred estimates from the 2023 tax year to the 2024 tax year. The transferred amount may not have been included in the 1099-G amount.

The FTB estimates that this impacted about 3% of the 1099-Gs, which according to our calculations comes to about 100,000 forms.

Tax professionals should verify that the information reported on previously received 1099-Gs is correct. If not, they should hold off filing until they receive the corrected 1099-Gs. Tax professionals can also check their client’s MyFTB account to see if the corrected 1099-G has been posted.


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Deadline extended for Los Angeles County fire victims to apply for federal assistance

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has extended the deadline for survivors of the Los Angeles County fires to register for federal aid. (Governor’s Press Release (March 7, 2025), available at: www.gov.ca.gov/2025/03/07/governor-newsom-announces-deadline-extension-to-apply-for-federal-assistance-for-los-angeles-fires) The deadline to apply for Disaster Unemployment Insurance with the EDD has also been extended.

FEMA assistance

Homeowners and renters who have incurred damage or losses from the Los Angeles County wildfires now have until Monday, March 31, 2025, to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance and Small Business Administration assistance. The previous deadline for registration for disaster aid was March 10, 2025.

Affected taxpayers can apply at:

www.disasterassistance.gov

EDD Disaster Unemployment Insurance

The deadline to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance has also been extended until March 31, 2025. Taxpayers can apply at:

www.edd.ca.gov/en/unemployment/Disaster_Unemployment_Assistance


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2025-16: Deadline extended for Los Angeles County fire victims to apply for federal assistance

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has extended the deadline for survivors of the Los Angeles County fires to register for federal aid. (Governor’s Press Release (March 7, 2025), available at: www.gov.ca.gov/2025/03/07/governor-newsom-announces-deadline-extension-to-apply-for-federal-assistance-for-los-angeles-fires) The deadline to apply for Disaster Unemployment Insurance with the EDD has also been extended.

FEMA assistance

Homeowners and renters who have incurred damage or losses from the Los Angeles County wildfires now have until Monday, March 31, 2025, to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance and Small Business Administration assistance. The previous deadline for registration for disaster aid was March 10, 2025.

Affected taxpayers can apply at:

www.disasterassistance.gov

EDD Disaster Unemployment Insurance

The deadline to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance has also been extended until March 31, 2025. Taxpayers can apply at:

www.edd.ca.gov/en/unemployment/Disaster_Unemployment_Assistance


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2025-15: BOI reporting requirement canceled for most businesses

On Sunday, March 2, 2025, FinCEN continued with its rollercoaster guidance by announcing that it will not enforce any penalties or fines associated with the beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting rules under existing regulations. Additionally, FinCEN will not enforce any penalties or fines against U.S. citizens or domestic reporting companies, or their beneficial owners.

The reason for the relief is that the Department of the Treasury will propose new rulemaking that will narrow the scope of the beneficial owner reporting rules to apply to foreign reporting companies only. This means that domestic entities will not be required to file any BOI reports.

At this time there is no information on what, if anything, will need to be done for domestic entities that have already filed. We will continue to update you as information is released on this issue.

The full text of the Treasury press release is available at:

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0038

As a result of this development, Spidell’s BOI Reporting Update webinar has been canceled. Customers who were registered for the March 25, 2025, webinar will receive an e-mail from us today with options to transfer to another webinar or request a refund.


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BOI reporting requirement canceled for most businesses

On Sunday, March 2, 2025, FinCEN continued with its rollercoaster guidance by announcing that it will not enforce any penalties or fines associated with the beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting rules under existing regulations. Additionally, FinCEN will not enforce any penalties or fines against U.S. citizens or domestic reporting companies, or their beneficial owners.

The reason for the relief is that the Department of the Treasury will propose new rulemaking that will narrow the scope of the beneficial owner reporting rules to apply to foreign reporting companies only. This means that domestic entities will not be required to file any BOI reports.

At this time there is no information on what, if anything, will need to be done for domestic entities that have already filed. We will continue to update you as information is released on this issue.

The full text of the Treasury press release is available at:

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0038

As a result of this development, Spidell’s BOI Reporting Update webinar has been canceled. Customers who were registered for the March 25, 2025, webinar will receive an e-mail from us today with options to transfer to another webinar or request a refund.


Sign up for Spidell’s 2025 Post-Tax Season Update and Review and prepare yourself to tackle extensions with confidence. Click here for details.

2025-14: FinCEN to issue new BOI guidance; filing on hold for now

On February 27, 2025, FinCEN announced that it will not issue any fines or penalties or take any other enforcement actions against any companies based on any failure to file or update beneficial ownership information (BOI) reports until a new interim BOI reporting final rule becomes effective, and the new relevant due dates in the interim final rule have passed.

FinCEN stated that it intends to issue an interim final rule no later than March 21, 2025, which will extend the BOI reporting deadlines.

FinCEN’s announcement is available here.

In light of this latest development, to ensure that our customers have the most current information, Spidell will postpone our BOI Reporting Update webinar originally scheduled for March 4, 2024, until March 25, 2025. Sign up for the webinar here.


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FinCEN to issue new BOI guidance; filing on hold for now

On February 27, 2025, FinCEN announced that it will not issue any fines or penalties or take any other enforcement actions against any companies based on any failure to file or update beneficial ownership information (BOI) reports until a new interim BOI reporting final rule becomes effective, and the new relevant due dates in the interim final rule have passed.

FinCEN stated that it intends to issue an interim final rule no later than March 21, 2025, which will extend the BOI reporting deadlines.

FinCEN’s announcement is available here.

In light of this latest development, to ensure that our customers have the most current information, Spidell will postpone our BOI Reporting Update webinar originally scheduled for March 4, 2024, until March 25, 2025. Sign up for the webinar here.


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2025-13: Los Angeles City adopts Business Tax Relief Program for wildfire victims

The Los Angeles City Council approved a business tax relief program for taxpayers with a business location that was destroyed by the wildfires, including home-based businesses. Under the program, a business destroyed by the wildfires is deemed to have terminated the business as of December 31, 2024. This means the taxpayer will not be required to renew their business license or pay the business license tax for the 2025 tax year. When the taxpayer reopens, they will need to reregister as if they were a newly established business.

Businesses whose property was not physically destroyed but that experienced severe economic disruption for at least 45 days can also qualify.

All eligible taxpayers must apply for relief by April 14, 2025, at:

http://finance.lacity.gov

Additional information is available at:

http://finance.lacity.gov/blog/business-tax-relief-people-and-businesses-directly-impacted-wildfires-faq

In addition, all business locations within ZIP codes 90049, 90272, and 90402 will automatically be granted an extension of the annual business tax renewal filing deadline to April 14, 2025. A taxpayer with a business located outside of these ZIP codes, but whose business was interrupted as a direct result of the fires, may be granted an extension as well. To qualify, the taxpayer must submit a written request, including reasonable proof of the interruption, to the Office of Finance before the February 28, 2025, renewal deadline at:

http://finance.lacity.gov/blog/wildfire-business-tax-filing-extension


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Los Angeles City adopts Business Tax Relief Program for wildfire victims

The Los Angeles City Council approved a business tax relief program for taxpayers with a business location that was destroyed by the wildfires, including home-based businesses. Under the program, a business destroyed by the wildfires is deemed to have terminated the business as of December 31, 2024. This means the taxpayer will not be required to renew their business license or pay the business license tax for the 2025 tax year. When the taxpayer reopens, they will need to reregister as if they were a newly established business.

Businesses whose property was not physically destroyed but that experienced severe economic disruption for at least 45 days can also qualify.

All eligible taxpayers must apply for relief by April 14, 2025, at:

http://finance.lacity.gov

Additional information is available at:

http://finance.lacity.gov/blog/business-tax-relief-people-and-businesses-directly-impacted-wildfires-faq

In addition, all business locations within ZIP codes 90049, 90272, and 90402 will automatically be granted an extension of the annual business tax renewal filing deadline to April 14, 2025. A taxpayer with a business located outside of these ZIP codes, but whose business was interrupted as a direct result of the fires, may be granted an extension as well. To qualify, the taxpayer must submit a written request, including reasonable proof of the interruption, to the Office of Finance before the February 28, 2025, renewal deadline at:

http://finance.lacity.gov/blog/wildfire-business-tax-filing-extension


Sign up for Spidell’s 2025 Post-Tax Season Update and Review and prepare yourself to tackle extensions with confidence. Click here for details.

Is the FTB issuing incorrect 1099-Gs?

We have heard from numerous tax professionals that the Forms 1099-G being sent by the FTB contain incorrect amounts. We reached out to the FTB, and they confirmed that there are some Forms 1099-G that need to be corrected. They are working on making these corrections and hope to release additional information shortly. In the interim, tax professionals should verify that the amounts reported on Form 1099-G are correct and, if not, should hold off preparing those returns until we receive guidance from the FTB.

We will send a follow-up Flash E-mail once we have additional information from the FTB.


Sign up for Spidell’s 2025 Post-Tax Season Update and Review and prepare yourself to tackle extensions with confidence. Click here for details.

2025-12: Is the FTB issuing incorrect 1099-Gs?

We have heard from numerous tax professionals that the Forms 1099-G being sent by the FTB contain incorrect amounts. We reached out to the FTB, and they confirmed that there are some Forms 1099-G that need to be corrected. They are working on making these corrections and hope to release additional information shortly. In the interim, tax professionals should verify that the amounts reported on Form 1099-G are correct and, if not, should hold off preparing those returns until we receive guidance from the FTB.

We will send a follow-up Flash E-mail once we have additional information from the FTB.


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2025-11: Beneficial ownership information reporting mandate back on

FinCEN announced that the beneficial ownership information (BOI) filing mandate is now back on, with a new filing due date of March 21, 2025. (FinCEN Notice FIN-2025-CTA1 (February 18, 2025)) The reinstatement was triggered by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas’s February 18, 2025, decision to lift the preliminary injunction that it had issued in the Smith case. (Smith, et al. v. U.S. Department of the Treasury, et al.(February 18, 2025) U.S. Dist. Ct., E.D. Tex., Case No. 6:24-cv-00336)

The new March 21, 2025, due date applies to the vast majority of reporting companies to file an initial, updated, or corrected BOI report, including those entities formed prior to January 1, 2024. Entities formed in 2025 must file by the later of March 21, 2025, or 30 days from the date of formation.

FinCEN indicated that during the next 30 days it will “assess its options to further modify deadlines, while prioritizing reporting for those entities that pose the most significant national security risks. FinCEN also intends to initiate a process this year to revise the BOI reporting rule to reduce the burden for lower-risk entities, including many U.S. small businesses.”

Additional information is available at:

www.fincen.gov/sites/default/files/shared/FinCEN-BOI-Notice-Deadline-Extension-508FINAL.pdf

Spidell is offering a one-hour webinar to provide all the information you will need to meet this new March 21, 2025, deadline. To register, go to:

www.caltax.com/shop/webinars/live-upcoming-webinars/boi-reporting-update-webinar


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Beneficial ownership information reporting mandate back on

FinCEN announced that the beneficial ownership information (BOI) filing mandate is now back on, with a new filing due date of March 21, 2025. (FinCEN Notice FIN-2025-CTA1 (February 18, 2025)) The reinstatement was triggered by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas’s February 18, 2025, decision to lift the preliminary injunction that it had issued in the Smith case. (Smith, et al. v. U.S. Department of the Treasury, et al.(February 18, 2025) U.S. Dist. Ct., E.D. Tex., Case No. 6:24-cv-00336)

The new March 21, 2025, due date applies to the vast majority of reporting companies to file an initial, updated, or corrected BOI report, including those entities formed prior to January 1, 2024. Entities formed in 2025 must file by the later of March 21, 2025, or 30 days from the date of formation.

FinCEN indicated that during the next 30 days it will “assess its options to further modify deadlines, while prioritizing reporting for those entities that pose the most significant national security risks. FinCEN also intends to initiate a process this year to revise the BOI reporting rule to reduce the burden for lower-risk entities, including many U.S. small businesses.”

Additional information is available at:

www.fincen.gov/sites/default/files/shared/FinCEN-BOI-Notice-Deadline-Extension-508FINAL.pdf

Spidell is offering a one-hour webinar to provide all the information you will need to meet this new March 21, 2025, deadline. To register, go to:

www.caltax.com/shop/webinars/live-upcoming-webinars/boi-reporting-update-webinar


Sign up for Spidell’s 2025 Post-Tax Season Update and Review and prepare yourself to tackle extensions with confidence. Click here for details.

House passes bill to delay BOI reporting mandate

The House has unanimously passed the Protect Small Businesses From Excessive Paperwork Act of 2025 (H.R. 736), which would delay the beneficial ownership information (BOI) mandatory reporting requirement due date to January 1, 2026, for entities formed prior to January 1, 2024. The bill has now been sent to the Senate.

The bill would not impact the reporting requirement for entities formed after 2023, which means that if the preliminary injunction issued in the Smith case is stayed, entities formed after 2023 would still be required to file their initial reports and any updates or corrections to these reports. (Smith vs. U.S. Treasury (January 7, 2025) U.S. Dist. Ct., E. Dist. of Texas, Case No. 6:24-cv-0036) However, it is important to note that FinCEN has indicated that if the injunction is lifted, it will postpone the filing deadline for 30 days, during which time period it will revise which entities may be required to file the reports. See our Flash E-mail from February 6, 2025, “Mandatory beneficial ownership reporting may soon be back in play,” for more details.


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2025-10: House passes bill to delay BOI reporting mandate

The House has unanimously passed the Protect Small Businesses From Excessive Paperwork Act of 2025 (H.R. 736), which would delay the beneficial ownership information (BOI) mandatory reporting requirement due date to January 1, 2026, for entities formed prior to January 1, 2024. The bill has now been sent to the Senate.

The bill would not impact the reporting requirement for entities formed after 2023, which means that if the preliminary injunction issued in the Smith case is stayed, entities formed after 2023 would still be required to file their initial reports and any updates or corrections to these reports. (Smith vs. U.S. Treasury (January 7, 2025) U.S. Dist. Ct., E. Dist. of Texas, Case No. 6:24-cv-0036) However, it is important to note that FinCEN has indicated that if the injunction is lifted, it will postpone the filing deadline for 30 days, during which time period it will revise which entities may be required to file the reports. See our Flash E-mail from February 6, 2025, “Mandatory beneficial ownership reporting may soon be back in play,” for more details.


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Mandatory beneficial ownership reporting may soon be back in play

On February 5, 2026, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an appeal with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals of the U.S. district court’s preliminary injunction in Smith v. U.S. Department of the Treasury, which blocked the enforcement of the beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirement. (Smith et. al. v. U.S. Department of Treasury, et al. (January 7, 2025) U.S. Dist. Ct., E. Dist. of Texas, Case No. 6:24-cv-0036)

The DOJ asked that the injunction be put on hold while the appeal proceeds. Although it is not guaranteed, given that the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the Fifth Circuit’s reinstatement of the preliminary injunction in the Texas Top Cop Shop decision (McHenry v. Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc. (January 23, 2025) U.S. Supreme Court, Case No. 24A653), it is likely that the Fifth Circuit will grant the DOJ’s request for a stay of the injunction. This means the beneficial ownership reporting mandate may be reinstated shortly.

In an alert posted today, FinCEN stated that if the injunction is lifted by the Fifth Circuit, it will extend the filing deadlines for all reporting companies by 30 days. FinCEN also stated that during this 30-day period it “will assess its options to modify further deadlines or reporting requirements for lower-risk entities, including many U.S. small businesses, while prioritizing reporting for those entities that pose the most significant national security risks.”

However, while the Smith court’s injunction remains in place, businesses are not currently required to file any initial reports or any updates or corrections, although they may do so voluntarily.


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2025-9: Mandatory beneficial ownership reporting may soon be back in play

On February 5, 2026, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an appeal with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals of the U.S. district court’s preliminary injunction in Smith v. U.S. Department of the Treasury, which blocked the enforcement of the beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirement. (Smith et. al. v. U.S. Department of Treasury, et al. (January 7, 2025) U.S. Dist. Ct., E. Dist. of Texas, Case No. 6:24-cv-0036)

The DOJ asked that the injunction be put on hold while the appeal proceeds. Although it is not guaranteed, given that the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the Fifth Circuit’s reinstatement of the preliminary injunction in the Texas Top Cop Shop decision (McHenry v. Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc. (January 23, 2025) U.S. Supreme Court, Case No. 24A653), it is likely that the Fifth Circuit will grant the DOJ’s request for a stay of the injunction. This means the beneficial ownership reporting mandate may be reinstated shortly.

In an alert posted today, FinCEN stated that if the injunction is lifted by the Fifth Circuit, it will extend the filing deadlines for all reporting companies by 30 days. FinCEN also stated that during this 30-day period it “will assess its options to modify further deadlines or reporting requirements for lower-risk entities, including many U.S. small businesses, while prioritizing reporting for those entities that pose the most significant national security risks.”

However, while the Smith court’s injunction remains in place, businesses are not currently required to file any initial reports or any updates or corrections, although they may do so voluntarily.


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2025-8: BOI reporting remains “voluntary” for time being

According to an alert posted on FinCEN’s beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting webpage, BOI reporting is still voluntary for now despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s stay of the preliminary injunction issued by a federal district court in Texas Top Cop Shop Inc. v. McHenry. ((January 23, 2025) U.S. Supreme Court, Case No. 24A653)

This is because another judge in a separate case has also issued a nationwide injunction against the BOI reporting requirements. (Smith v. U.S. Department of Treasury (January 7, 2025) U.S. Dist. Court, Eastern Dist. of Texas, Case No. 6:24-CV-336)) To date, the Department of Justice has not filed an appeal in Smith. It is not known whether the new administration will appeal the case.

This means that, for now, businesses are not required to file BOI reports and cannot be penalized for failing to do so.

It is also important to note that two bills (HR 425 and S 100) have been introduced in Congress to repeal the Corporate Transparency Act, which created the BOI reporting mandate.

We will keep you apprised of any further developments as they occur.


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BOI reporting remains “voluntary” for time being

According to an alert posted on FinCEN’s beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting webpage, BOI reporting is still voluntary for now despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s stay of the preliminary injunction issued by a federal district court in Texas Top Cop Shop Inc. v. McHenry. ((January 23, 2025) U.S. Supreme Court, Case No. 24A653)

This is because another judge in a separate case has also issued a nationwide injunction against the BOI reporting requirements. (Smith v. U.S. Department of Treasury (January 7, 2025) U.S. Dist. Court, Eastern Dist. of Texas, Case No. 6:24-CV-336)) To date, the Department of Justice has not filed an appeal in Smith. It is not known whether the new administration will appeal the case.

This means that, for now, businesses are not required to file BOI reports and cannot be penalized for failing to do so.

It is also important to note that two bills (HR 425 and S 100) have been introduced in Congress to repeal the Corporate Transparency Act, which created the BOI reporting mandate.

We will keep you apprised of any further developments as they occur.


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2025-7: U.S. Supreme Court lifts BOI mandate injunction

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed the order from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that reinstated the lower court’s nationwide injunction against the beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirement. (McHenry v. Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc. (January 23, 2025) U.S. Supreme Court, Case No. 24A653)

FinCEN has yet to issue any additional guidance after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, so it is unclear at this point whether businesses will be required to comply with the BOI reporting mandate. We anticipate we will hear more from FinCEN and/or Congress shortly and will keep you apprised of any further developments.


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U.S. Supreme Court lifts BOI mandate injunction

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed the order from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that reinstated the lower court’s nationwide injunction against the beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirement. (McHenry v. Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc. (January 23, 2025) U.S. Supreme Court, Case No. 24A653)

FinCEN has yet to issue any additional guidance after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, so it is unclear at this point whether businesses will be required to comply with the BOI reporting mandate. We anticipate we will hear more from FinCEN and/or Congress shortly and will keep you apprised of any further developments.


Sign up for Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update and stay on top of late-breaking news. Click here for details.

Property tax deadlines postponed for Los Angeles County wildfire victims

As a result of an executive order issued by Governor Newsom today, taxpayers in the following zip codes may postpone their property tax payments until April 10, 2026, and business personal property tax statement filings until April 1, 2026, without being subject to penalties and interest:

90019 90265 91001 91107
90041 90272 91040 93535
90049 90290 91104 93536
90066 90402 91106

However, the postponement relief does not apply to payments made through an impound account nor to any taxes on the property that were delinquent as of January 6, 2025.

In addition to the relief provided in the executive order, taxpayers may also seek relief from the Los Angeles County Assessor’s office to have damaged or destroyed property reassessed. Taxpayers may also seek further suspension of penalties and interest for up to four years by submitting a penalty cancellation request form with the Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector.


Sign up for Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update and stay on top of late-breaking news. Click here for details.

2025-6: Property tax deadlines postponed for Los Angeles County wildfire victims

As a result of an executive order issued by Governor Newsom today, taxpayers in the following zip codes may postpone their property tax payments until April 10, 2026, and business personal property tax statement filings until April 1, 2026, without being subject to penalties and interest:

90019 90265 91001 91107
90041 90272 91040 93535
90049 90290 91104 93536
90066 90402 91106

However, the postponement relief does not apply to payments made through an impound account nor to any taxes on the property that were delinquent as of January 6, 2025.

In addition to the relief provided in the executive order, taxpayers may also seek relief from the Los Angeles County Assessor’s office to have damaged or destroyed property reassessed. Taxpayers may also seek further suspension of penalties and interest for up to four years by submitting a penalty cancellation request form with the Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector.


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2025-4: Additional Los Angeles County wildfire postponement relief for taxes due to FTB, CDTFA

For taxpayers affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, the Governor’s office announced that California will provide postponed income and franchise tax filing and payment deadlines in alignment with the filing postponement provided by the IRS. This means taxpayers in Los Angeles County will be granted a postponement to October 15, 2025, to file California tax returns on 2024 income and make any tax payments that would have been due January 7, 2025, through October 15, 2025. This applies to all taxpayers located in Los Angeles County, even if they were not directly impacted by the fires.

According to the Governor’s announcement, this includes relief from the following deadlines:

  • Quarterly estimated tax payments normally due on January 15, April 15, June 15, and September 15, 2025;
  • Passthrough entity elective tax payments normally due on March 15 and June 15, 2025;
  • Business entity corporate or passthrough entity tax returns normally due on March 15 and April 15, 2025;
  • Individual tax returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2025; and
  • Tax-exempt organization returns normally due on May 15, 2025.

We confirmed that similar to the relief granted by the IRS, this relief will also apply to taxpayers outside Los Angeles County whose tax professionals are located in Los Angeles County.

In addition, the Governor’s office has announced that the CDTFA will provide an automatic three-month extension for tax filing deadlines for taxpayers within Los Angeles County for those Los Angeles County taxpayers whose 2024 third quarter return was for less than $1 million in tax. This means that the January 30 returns are now due April 30, 2025. The CDTFA will also provide Los Angeles County taxpayers relief from interest and penalties and create flexible payment plans for businesses.

The Governor’s announcements are available here and here.


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Additional Los Angeles County wildfire postponement relief for taxes due to FTB, CDTFA

For taxpayers affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, the Governor’s office announced that California will provide postponed income and franchise tax filing and payment deadlines in alignment with the filing postponement provided by the IRS. This means taxpayers in Los Angeles County will be granted a postponement to October 15, 2025, to file California tax returns on 2024 income and make any tax payments that would have been due January 7, 2025, through October 15, 2025. This applies to all taxpayers located in Los Angeles County, even if they were not directly impacted by the fires.

According to the Governor’s announcement, this includes relief from the following deadlines:

  • Quarterly estimated tax payments normally due on January 15, April 15, June 15, and September 15, 2025;
  • Passthrough entity elective tax payments normally due on March 15 and June 15, 2025;
  • Business entity corporate or passthrough entity tax returns normally due on March 15 and April 15, 2025;
  • Individual tax returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2025; and
  • Tax-exempt organization returns normally due on May 15, 2025.

We confirmed that similar to the relief granted by the IRS, this relief will also apply to taxpayers outside Los Angeles County whose tax professionals are located in Los Angeles County.

In addition, the Governor’s office has announced that the CDTFA will provide an automatic three-month extension for tax filing deadlines for taxpayers within Los Angeles County for those Los Angeles County taxpayers whose 2024 third quarter return was for less than $1 million in tax. This means that the January 30 returns are now due April 30, 2025. The CDTFA will also provide Los Angeles County taxpayers relief from interest and penalties and create flexible payment plans for businesses.

The Governor’s announcements are available here and here.


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IRS grants disaster filing and payment postponements to Los Angeles County wildfire victims

Taxpayers located in Los Angeles County have until October 15, 2025, to meet filing and payment deadlines that normally fall within the January 7, 2025, through October 15, 2025, time period. (IR-2025-10) This includes, but is not limited to:

  • 2024 quarterly estimated income tax payments normally due on January 15, 2025, and estimated tax payments normally due on April 15, June 16, and September 15, 2025;
  • Quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due on January 31, April 30, and July 31, 2025;
  • Individual income tax returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2025;
  • 2024 contributions to IRAs and health savings accounts for eligible taxpayers;
  • Calendar-year partnership and S corporation returns normally due on March 17, 2025;
  • Calendar-year corporation and fiduciary returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2025; and
  • Calendar-year tax-exempt organization returns normally due on May 15, 2025.

In addition, penalties for failing to make payroll and excise tax deposits due on or after January 7, 2025, and before January 22, 2025, will be abated as long as the deposits are made by January 22, 2025.

Ventura County is not currently listed in the FEMA disaster declaration, so the IRS cannot currently grant automatic postponement relief to taxpayers located in Ventura County. The IRS has indicated that the same relief will be provided to any other counties added later to the disaster area.

Taxpayers who have an address of record in Los Angeles County will automatically qualify for relief. Taxpayers who live outside of Los Angeles County whose records are located in Los Angeles County, such as taxpayers with tax preparers in Los Angeles County or who own businesses located in Los Angeles County, also qualify for relief, but must contact the IRS disaster hotline at (866) 562-5227 to obtain relief.

Disaster area tax preparers with clients located outside the disaster area can choose to file bulk requests. Information about bulk requests is available at:

www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/bulk-requests-from-practitioners-for-disaster-relief

To date, the California Department of Finance has not announced whether they will be providing similar relief for California income and franchise tax returns. We will continue to update you as news develops on this issue.


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2025-3: IRS grants disaster filing and payment postponements to Los Angeles County wildfire victims

Taxpayers located in Los Angeles County have until October 15, 2025, to meet filing and payment deadlines that normally fall within the January 7, 2025, through October 15, 2025, time period. (IR-2025-10) This includes, but is not limited to:

  • 2024 quarterly estimated income tax payments normally due on January 15, 2025, and estimated tax payments normally due on April 15, June 16, and September 15, 2025;
  • Quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due on January 31, April 30, and July 31, 2025;
  • Individual income tax returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2025;
  • 2024 contributions to IRAs and health savings accounts for eligible taxpayers;
  • Calendar-year partnership and S corporation returns normally due on March 17, 2025;
  • Calendar-year corporation and fiduciary returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2025; and
  • Calendar-year tax-exempt organization returns normally due on May 15, 2025.

In addition, penalties for failing to make payroll and excise tax deposits due on or after January 7, 2025, and before January 22, 2025, will be abated as long as the deposits are made by January 22, 2025.

Ventura County is not currently listed in the FEMA disaster declaration, so the IRS cannot currently grant automatic postponement relief to taxpayers located in Ventura County. The IRS has indicated that the same relief will be provided to any other counties added later to the disaster area.

Taxpayers who have an address of record in Los Angeles County will automatically qualify for relief. Taxpayers who live outside of Los Angeles County whose records are located in Los Angeles County, such as taxpayers with tax preparers in Los Angeles County or who own businesses located in Los Angeles County, also qualify for relief, but must contact the IRS disaster hotline at (866) 562-5227 to obtain relief.

Disaster area tax preparers with clients located outside the disaster area can choose to file bulk requests. Information about bulk requests is available at:

www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/bulk-requests-from-practitioners-for-disaster-relief

To date, the California Department of Finance has not announced whether they will be providing similar relief for California income and franchise tax returns. We will continue to update you as news develops on this issue.


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2025-2: Payroll tax and sales and use tax relief for wildfire victims

Taxpayers directly affected by the Los Angeles and Ventura county wildfires qualify for relief for the upcoming sales and use tax and payroll tax deadlines, as follows:

  • A 60-day extension to file with the EDD state payroll reports or deposit payroll taxes without penalties and interest. To qualify, taxpayers must make a written request within two months of an original payment or return due date; and
  • An extension of up to three months to file and pay sales and use taxes or fees with the CDTFA.

We have confirmed with the EDD and CDTFA that a taxpayer will be considered “directly affected” if their tax preparer is directly affected by the wildfires (e.g., due to power outages, evacuation orders, or worse).

This relief is not automatic. Taxpayers must submit requests for relief. Details about how to apply are available from the EDD here and the CDTFA here.

We anticipate that the IRS and FTB will also be granting filing and payment deadline postponements for income and franchise taxes. We will send another Flash E-mail once they have announced the available relief.


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Payroll tax and sales and use tax relief for wildfire victims

Taxpayers directly affected by the Los Angeles and Ventura county wildfires qualify for relief for the upcoming sales and use tax and payroll tax deadlines, as follows:

  • A 60-day extension to file with the EDD state payroll reports or deposit payroll taxes without penalties and interest. To qualify, taxpayers must make a written request within two months of an original payment or return due date; and
  • An extension of up to three months to file and pay sales and use taxes or fees with the CDTFA.

We have confirmed with the EDD and CDTFA that a taxpayer will be considered “directly affected” if their tax preparer is directly affected by the wildfires (e.g., due to power outages, evacuation orders, or worse).

This relief is not automatic. Taxpayers must submit requests for relief. Details about how to apply are available from the EDD here and the CDTFA here.

We anticipate that the IRS and FTB will also be granting filing and payment deadline postponements for income and franchise taxes. We will send another Flash E-mail once they have announced the available relief.


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Major disaster declaration issued for Los Angeles County wildfires

Today President Biden signed a major disaster declaration for the wildfires impacting various communities in Los Angeles County. This will enable affected individuals and businesses to access individual program assistance from FEMA to cover expenses such as temporary accommodations and financial assistance for destroyed property.

The IRS has not issued any announcements yet, but we anticipate that with a disaster this size they will soon be providing tax filing and payment postponement relief. We will send another Flash E-mail when this occurs.


Sign up for Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update and stay on top of late-breaking news. Click here for details.

2025-1: Major disaster declaration issued for Los Angeles County wildfires

Today President Biden signed a major disaster declaration for the wildfires impacting various communities in Los Angeles County. This will enable affected individuals and businesses to access individual program assistance from FEMA to cover expenses such as temporary accommodations and financial assistance for destroyed property.

The IRS has not issued any announcements yet, but we anticipate that with a disaster this size they will soon be providing tax filing and payment postponement relief. We will send another Flash E-mail when this occurs.


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2024-66: BOI reporting requirements put on hold again

The BOI reporting mandate roller coaster ride continues.

A new panel of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is reviewing the lower court’s decision to enjoin the enforcement of the beneficial ownership information reporting requirement. (Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc. et al. v. Garland (December 26, 2024) U.S. Ct. of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, Case No. 24-40792) The review will be expedited, but in the interim the new panel reversed the previous panel’s decision to allow the BOI reporting mandate to continue pending the court of appeal’s review.

As the law stands today, penalties cannot be imposed against businesses who fail to file BOI reports with FinCEN.

However, as we have seen over this last month, this can change at any point. We recommend that you keep your clients informed of the latest developments, as the ultimate decision as to whether to file lies with them. FinCEN has not yet issued any updates on this latest development, but we assume that they will continue to allow businesses to voluntarily file.

Should your clients choose not to file until they are required to do so, we recommend that they continue to gather all necessary information to be ready to file should the reporting requirement be reinstated. As we saw this past week when the BOI reporting requirement was temporarily reinstated, FinCEN only gave businesses a short extension of the reporting deadlines.

The Court of Appeal’s latest order is available at:

www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/unpub/24/24-40792..pdf


Attendees of Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update will receive an updated client letter regarding these changes. Click here for details.

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BOI reporting requirements put on hold again

The BOI reporting mandate roller coaster ride continues.

A new panel of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is reviewing the lower court’s decision to enjoin the enforcement of the beneficial ownership information reporting requirement. (Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc. et al. v. Garland (December 26, 2024) U.S. Ct. of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, Case No. 24-40792) The review will be expedited, but in the interim the new panel reversed the previous panel’s decision to allow the BOI reporting mandate to continue pending the court of appeal’s review.

As the law stands today, penalties cannot be imposed against businesses who fail to file BOI reports with FinCEN.

However, as we have seen over this last month, this can change at any point. We recommend that you keep your clients informed of the latest developments, as the ultimate decision as to whether to file lies with them. FinCEN has not yet issued any updates on this latest development, but we assume that they will continue to allow businesses to voluntarily file.

Should your clients choose not to file until they are required to do so, we recommend that they continue to gather all necessary information to be ready to file should the reporting requirement be reinstated. As we saw this past week when the BOI reporting requirement was temporarily reinstated, FinCEN only gave businesses a short extension of the reporting deadlines.

The Court of Appeal’s latest order is available at:

www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/unpub/24/24-40792..pdf


Attendees of Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update will receive an updated client letter regarding these changes. Click here for details.

Beneficial ownership reporting requirements reinstated

On December 23, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the lower court’s preliminary injunction against the beneficial ownership information reporting mandate. (FinCEN Alert) This means that the BOI reporting mandate will remain in effect while the lower court trial proceeds. However, FinCEN has announced a short delay in the deadlines for most businesses. The extended reporting deadlines are now as follows:

  • Reporting companies that were created or registered prior to January 1, 2024, have until January 13, 2025, to file their initial beneficial ownership information reports with FinCEN. (These companies would otherwise have been required to report by January 1, 2025);
  • Reporting companies created or registered on or after September 4, 2024, that had a filing deadline between December 3, 2024, and December 23, 2024, have until January 13, 2025, to file their initial beneficial ownership information reports with FinCEN; and
  • Reporting companies created or registered in the United States on or after December 3, 2024, and on or before December 23, 2024, have an additional 21 days from their original filing deadline to file their initial beneficial ownership information reports with FinCEN.

The deadline for those businesses formed after 2024 remains 30 days from the time of formation.


Attendees of Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update will receive an updated client letter regarding these changes. Click here for details.

2024-65: Beneficial ownership reporting requirements reinstated

On December 23, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the lower court’s preliminary injunction against the beneficial ownership information reporting mandate. (FinCEN Alert) This means that the BOI reporting mandate will remain in effect while the lower court trial proceeds. However, FinCEN has announced a short delay in the deadlines for most businesses. The extended reporting deadlines are now as follows:

  • Reporting companies that were created or registered prior to January 1, 2024, have until January 13, 2025, to file their initial beneficial ownership information reports with FinCEN. (These companies would otherwise have been required to report by January 1, 2025);
  • Reporting companies created or registered on or after September 4, 2024, that had a filing deadline between December 3, 2024, and December 23, 2024, have until January 13, 2025, to file their initial beneficial ownership information reports with FinCEN; and
  • Reporting companies created or registered in the United States on or after December 3, 2024, and on or before December 23, 2024, have an additional 21 days from their original filing deadline to file their initial beneficial ownership information reports with FinCEN.

The deadline for those businesses formed after 2024 remains 30 days from the time of formation.


Attendees of Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update will receive an updated client letter regarding these changes. Click here for details.

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Update on major developments including BOI reporting, Social Security benefits, and more

Beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting: The continuing resolution that was enacted this weekend did not defer the January 1, 2025, BOI reports for reporting companies formed prior to 2024. However, the temporary restraining order issued by the U.S. District Court in East Texas remains in place, meaning that all BOI reporting deadlines are currently on hold. (Texas Top Cop Shop v. Garland (December 3, 2024) U.S. Dist. Ct., Eastern Dist. of Texas, Case No. 4:24-CV-478)

Social Security Fairness Act sent to the president: Congress passed H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, which will retroactively increase the Social Security benefits paid to millions of individuals by eliminating the windfall elimination provision and government pension offset. This means these individuals will qualify for increased Social Security benefits, retroactive to January 1, 2024. President Biden is expected to sign the bill.

2021 Recovery Rebate Credits being sent out: The IRS announced that it will be issuing over one million 2021 Recovery Rebate Credits to eligible taxpayers who failed to claim the credit on their 2021 tax returns. (IR-2024-314) Eligible taxpayers should begin receiving these payments of up to $1,400 by late January.


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2024-64: Update on major developments including BOI reporting, Social Security benefits, and more

Beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting: The continuing resolution that was enacted this weekend did not defer the January 1, 2025, BOI reports for reporting companies formed prior to 2024. However, the temporary restraining order issued by the U.S. District Court in East Texas remains in place, meaning that all BOI reporting deadlines are currently on hold. (Texas Top Cop Shop v. Garland (December 3, 2024) U.S. Dist. Ct., Eastern Dist. of Texas, Case No. 4:24-CV-478)

Social Security Fairness Act sent to the president: Congress passed H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, which will retroactively increase the Social Security benefits paid to millions of individuals by eliminating the windfall elimination provision and government pension offset. This means these individuals will qualify for increased Social Security benefits, retroactive to January 1, 2024. President Biden is expected to sign the bill.

2021 Recovery Rebate Credits being sent out: The IRS announced that it will be issuing over one million 2021 Recovery Rebate Credits to eligible taxpayers who failed to claim the credit on their 2021 tax returns. (IR-2024-314) Eligible taxpayers should begin receiving these payments of up to $1,400 by late January.


Sign up for Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update and stay on top of late-breaking news. Click here for details.

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IRS releases 2025 optional standard mileage rates

Beginning January 1, 2025, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car, van, pickup truck, or panel truck will be:

  • 70 cents per mile driven for business use, up three cents from 2024;
  • 21 cents per mile driven for medical purposes, unchanged from 2024;
  • 21 cents per mile for moving purposes for qualified active-duty members of the Armed Forces, unchanged from 2024; and
  • 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations, unchanged from 2024.
    (IRS Notice 2020-5)

The rates apply to fully electric and hybrid automobiles, as well as gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.


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2024-63: IRS releases 2025 optional standard mileage rates

Beginning January 1, 2025, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car, van, pickup truck, or panel truck will be:

  • 70 cents per mile driven for business use, up three cents from 2024;
  • 21 cents per mile driven for medical purposes, unchanged from 2024;
  • 21 cents per mile for moving purposes for qualified active-duty members of the Armed Forces, unchanged from 2024; and
  • 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations, unchanged from 2024.
    (IRS Notice 2025-5)

The rates apply to fully electric and hybrid automobiles, as well as gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.


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Congress proposes one-year delay in BOI reporting requirements for most businesses

Tucked away in the proposed 1,500-page continuing resolution (CR) that Congress is hoping to pass this week is a one-year delay in the January 1, 2025, beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting deadline for those entities subject to the BOI reporting mandate that were in existence prior to January 1, 2024. (CR Title V, Subtitle C, §122) It is unclear at this stage whether the CR will pass in its current form.

If this provision is enacted as currently proposed, it would not impact the requirement that entities subject to the mandate that are formed in 2024 file their initial report within 90 days of formation and those entities formed after 2024 file their reports within 30 days of formation. However, the preliminary injunction put in place by the U.S. District Court in East Texas has put these requirements on hold, at least for now. (Texas Top Cop Shop v. Garland (December 3, 2024) U.S. Dist. Ct., Eastern Dist. of Texas, Case No. 4:24-CV-478)

We will send another Flash E-mail with any further developments.

The text of the proposed continuing resolution is available at:

https://go.spidell.com/e/837113/billsthisweek-20241216-CR-pdf/5ywwz8/2361706954/h/NipYP-gAC36lbHc-j29GKOo-YzOsQkWr-0JzCz7kH2Q


Sign up for Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update and stay on top of late-breaking news. Click here for details.

2024-62: Congress proposes one-year delay in BOI reporting requirements for most businesses

Tucked away in the proposed 1,500-page continuing resolution (CR) that Congress is hoping to pass this week is a one-year delay in the January 1, 2025, beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting deadline for those entities subject to the BOI reporting mandate that were in existence prior to January 1, 2024. (CR Title V, Subtitle C, §122) It is unclear at this stage whether the CR will pass in its current form.

If this provision is enacted as currently proposed, it would not impact the requirement that entities subject to the mandate that are formed in 2024 file their initial report within 90 days of formation and those entities formed after 2024 file their reports within 30 days of formation. However, the preliminary injunction put in place by the U.S. District Court in East Texas has put these requirements on hold, at least for now. (Texas Top Cop Shop v. Garland (December 3, 2024) U.S. Dist. Ct., Eastern Dist. of Texas, Case No. 4:24-CV-478)

We will send another Flash E-mail with any further developments.

The text of the proposed continuing resolution is available at:

https://go.spidell.com/e/837113/billsthisweek-20241216-CR-pdf/5ywwz8/2361706954/h/NipYP-gAC36lbHc-j29GKOo-YzOsQkWr-0JzCz7kH2Q


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Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act enacted

President Biden has signed the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act (H.R. 5863; P.L. 118-148). As we previously reported, the bill:

  • Retroactively excludes from gross income qualified wildfire relief payments paid to individuals as compensation (other than insurance payments) for losses, expenses, or damages for any wildfire declared a federal disaster after December 31, 2014 (§3, H.R. 5863);
  • Treats disaster relief payments to victims of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment as excludable IRC §139(b) payments (§3, H.R. 5863); and
  • Allows individual victims with a net disaster loss from any taxable year to claim an enhanced personal casualty loss under IRC §165(h) for certain federally declared disasters that occurred after February 24, 2021. (§2, H.R. 5863)

We anticipate that the IRS will issue additional guidance shortly, and we will keep you posted as updates become available.


Sign up for Spidell’s 2024/25 Federal and California Tax Update and stay on top of late-breaking news. Click here for details.

2024-61: Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act enacted

President Biden has signed the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act (H.R. 5863; P.L. 118-148). As we previously reported, the bill:

  • Retroactively excludes from gross income qualified wildfire relief payments paid to individuals as compensation (other than insurance payments) for losses, expenses, or damages for any wildfire declared a federal disaster after December 31, 2014 (§3, H.R. 5863);
  • Treats disaster relief payments to victims of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment as excludable IRC §139(b) payments (§3, H.R. 5863); and
  • Allows individual victims with a net disaster loss from any taxable year to claim an enhanced personal casualty loss under IRC §165(h) for certain federally declared disasters that occurred after February 24, 2021. (§2, H.R. 5863)

We anticipate that the IRS will issue additional guidance shortly, and we will keep you posted as updates become available.


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2024-60: IRS grants partial penalty relief for partnerships

Each transferor and transferee that is a party to a sale or exchange of an interest in a partnership (or portion thereof) involving unrealized receivables and inventory (§751 property) must receive IRS Form 8308, Report of a Sale or Exchange of Certain Partnership Interests, from the partnership by the later of:

  • January 31 of the year following the calendar year in which the transaction occurred; or
  • 30 days after the partnership has received notice of the exchange.

Partnerships that fail to timely furnish Form 8308 to parties involved in the sale are subject to penalties under IRC §6722 for failure to furnish correct payee statements (up to $250 per statement).

Recent changes made to Form 8308 have raised concerns that partnerships may not be able to acquire all information necessary to properly report Form 8308 by January 31, 2025, for transactions occurring in 2024.

Due to these concerns, the IRS has announced that it will not charge penalties under IRC §6722 to partnerships that are required to furnish Form 8308 for transactions occurring in 2024 as long as the partnerships:

  • File Form 8308 with Parts I, II, and III completed by the later of:
    • January 31, 2025; or
    • 30 days after the partnership has received notice of the exchange; and
  • File Form 8308 with Part IV completed by the later of:
    • The due date of the partnership’s 2024 Form 1065 (including extensions); or
    • 30 days after the partnership has received notice of the exchange.
      ​​​​(IRS Notice 2025-2)

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IRS grants partial penalty relief for partnerships

Each transferor and transferee that is a party to a sale or exchange of an interest in a partnership (or portion thereof) involving unrealized receivables and inventory (§751 property) must receive IRS Form 8308, Report of a Sale or Exchange of Certain Partnership Interests, from the partnership by the later of:

  • January 31 of the year following the calendar year in which the transaction occurred; or
  • 30 days after the partnership has received notice of the exchange.

Partnerships that fail to timely furnish Form 8308 to parties involved in the sale are subject to penalties under IRC §6722 for failure to furnish correct payee statements (up to $250 per statement).

Recent changes made to Form 8308 have raised concerns that partnerships may not be able to acquire all information necessary to properly report Form 8308 by January 31, 2025, for transactions occurring in 2024.

Due to these concerns, the IRS has announced that it will not charge penalties under IRC §6722 to partnerships that are required to furnish Form 8308 for transactions occurring in 2024 as long as the partnerships:

  • File Form 8308 with Parts I, II, and III completed by the later of:
    • January 31, 2025; or
    • 30 days after the partnership has received notice of the exchange; and
  • File Form 8308 with Part IV completed by the later of:
    • The due date of the partnership’s 2024 Form 1065 (including extensions); or
    • 30 days after the partnership has received notice of the exchange.
      ​​​​(IRS Notice 2025-2)

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2024-59: Senate sends disaster relief and wildfire settlement exclusion bill to President

The Senate has passed the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023 (H.R. 5863).

If enacted, the bill would:

  • Exclude from gross income qualified wildfire relief payments paid to individuals as compensation (other than insurance payments) for losses, expenses, or damages for any wildfire declared a federal disaster after December 31, 2014 (§3, H.R. 5863);
  • Treat disaster relief payments to victims of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment as excludable IRC §139(b) payments (§3, H.R. 5863); and
  • Allow individual victims with a net disaster loss from any taxable year to claim an enhanced personal casualty loss under IRC §165(h) for certain federally declared disasters that occurred after February 24, 2021. (§2, H.R. 5863)

The bill previously passed the House and will now be sent to the President. It is expected that President Biden will sign the bill.

The text of the bill is available at:

www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5863/text


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Senate sends disaster relief and wildfire settlement exclusion bill to President

The Senate has passed the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023 (H.R. 5863).

If enacted, the bill would:

  • Exclude from gross income qualified wildfire relief payments paid to individuals as compensation (other than insurance payments) for losses, expenses, or damages for any wildfire declared a federal disaster after December 31, 2014 (§3, H.R. 5863);
  • Treat disaster relief payments to victims of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment as excludable IRC §139(b) payments (§3, H.R. 5863); and
  • Allow individual victims with a net disaster loss from any taxable year to claim an enhanced personal casualty loss under IRC §165(h) for certain federally declared disasters that occurred after February 24, 2021. (§2, H.R. 5863)

The bill previously passed the House and will now be sent to the President. It is expected that President Biden will sign the bill.

The text of the bill is available at:

www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5863/text


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2024-58: Court puts BOI reporting on hold for all businesses

A federal district court in Texas issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against enforcing the beneficial ownership reporting requirements mandated by the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). (Texas Top Cop Shop v. Garland (December 3, 2024) U.S. Dist. Ct., Eastern Dist. of Texas, Case No. 4:24-CV-478)

The court ruled that Congress exceeded its authority in enacting the CTA, resulting in an unconstitutional infringement on states’ rights to regulate businesses. The court granted a nationwide injunction prohibiting FinCEN from enforcing the January 1, 2025, reporting deadline for all reporting companies.

The opinion was issued on December 3, 2024, and will likely be appealed. However, for now, businesses do not have to file beneficial ownership information reports with FinCEN.

We will continue to update you as news develops on this issue.

The opinion is available at:

www.caltax.com/files/2024/ttcsvgarland.pdf


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Court puts BOI reporting on hold for all businesses

A federal district court in Texas issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against enforcing the beneficial ownership reporting requirements mandated by the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). (Texas Top Cop Shop v. Garland (December 3, 2024) U.S. Dist. Ct., Eastern Dist. Of Texas, Case No. 4:24-CV-478)

The court ruled that Congress exceeded its authority in enacting the CTA, resulting in an unconstitutional infringement on states’ rights to regulate businesses. The court granted a nationwide injunction prohibiting FinCEN from enforcing the January 1, 2025, reporting deadline for all reporting companies.

The opinion was issued on December 3, 2024, and will likely be appealed. However, for now, businesses do not have to file beneficial ownership information reports with FinCEN.

We will continue to update you as news develops on this issue.

The opinion is available at:

www.caltax.com/files/2024/ttcsvgarland.pdf


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IRS extends due date for enhanced Research Credit refund claim requirements

The IRS is extending the Research Credit claim transition period through January 10, 2026. (www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-sets-forth-required-information-for-a-valid-research-credit-claim-for-refund) This means that for refund claims filed on or before January 10, 2026, taxpayers will be given a 45-day period to provide the required information for previously submitted claims.

In October 2021, the IRS initially set forth the additional information that taxpayers are now required to include for a Research Credit refund claim. (Chief Counsel Memorandum 2021401F) Taxpayers were given a transition period, during which taxpayers were given up to 45 days to perfect a previously submitted return. Since that time, the IRS has extended the transition period three times.

Pursuant to CCM 2021401F, as modified in subsequent guidance, taxpayers must provide the following information when claiming a Research Credit refund:

  • Identify all the business components to which the IRC §41 Research Credit claim relates for that year;
  • For each business component, identify all research activities performed; and
  • Provide the total qualified employee wage expenses, total qualified supply expenses, and total qualified contract research expenses for the claim year.

This may be done using Form 6765, Credit for Increasing Research Activities.


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2024-57: IRS extends due date for enhanced Research Credit refund claim requirements

The IRS is extending the Research Credit claim transition period through January 10, 2026. (www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-sets-forth-required-information-for-a-valid-research-credit-claim-for-refund) This means that for refund claims filed on or before January 10, 2026, taxpayers will be given a 45-day period to provide the required information for previously submitted claims.

In October 2021, the IRS initially set forth the additional information that taxpayers are now required to include for a Research Credit refund claim. (Chief Counsel Memorandum 2021401F) Taxpayers were given a transition period, during which taxpayers were given up to 45 days to perfect a previously submitted return. Since that time, the IRS has extended the transition period three times.

Pursuant to CCM 2021401F, as modified in subsequent guidance, taxpayers must provide the following information when claiming a Research Credit refund:

  • Identify all the business components to which the IRC §41 Research Credit claim relates for that year;
  • For each business component, identify all research activities performed; and
  • Provide the total qualified employee wage expenses, total qualified supply expenses, and total qualified contract research expenses for the claim year.

This may be done using Form 6765, Credit for Increasing Research Activities.


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2024-56: IRS announces additional 1099-K filing relief for third-party settlement organizations

The IRS is providing transition relief for third-party settlement organizations (TPSOs), also known as payment apps and online marketplaces (e.g., Venmo, Amazon, etc.), regarding transactions during calendar years 2024 and 2025. (IRS Notice 2024-85) Although the American Rescue Plan Act required that TPSOs file 1099-Ks for all amounts paid to a payee if they exceed $600 in aggregate beginning with the 2022 calendar year, the IRS has previously delayed implementation.

According to the IRS’s latest guidance, TPSOs must file 1099-Ks to report transactions when the amount of total payments for those transactions is more than:

  • $5,000 in 2024;
  • $2,500 in 2025; and
  • $600 in calendar year 2026 and after.

In addition, the IRS will not assert penalties under IRC §6651 or §6656 for a TPSO’s failure to withhold and pay backup withholding tax during the 2024 calendar year.

TPSOs that have performed backup withholding for a payee during calendar year 2024 must file a Form 945 and a Form 1099-K with the IRS and furnish a copy to the payee.

For calendar year 2025 and after, the IRS will assert penalties under §6651 or §6656 for a TPSO’s failure to withhold and pay backup withholding tax.


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IRS announces additional 1099-K filing relief for third-party settlement organizations

The IRS is providing transition relief for third-party settlement organizations (TPSOs), also known as payment apps and online marketplaces (e.g., Venmo, Amazon, etc.), regarding transactions during calendar years 2024 and 2025. (IRS Notice 2024-85) Although the American Rescue Plan Act required that TPSOs file 1099-Ks for all amounts paid to a payee if they exceed $600 in aggregate beginning with the 2022 calendar year, the IRS has previously delayed implementation.

According to the IRS’s latest guidance, TPSOs must file 1099-Ks to report transactions when the amount of total payments for those transactions is more than:

  • $5,000 in 2024;
  • $2,500 in 2025; and
  • $600 in calendar year 2026 and after.

In addition, the IRS will not assert penalties under IRC §6651 or §6656 for a TPSO’s failure to withhold and pay backup withholding tax during the 2024 calendar year.

TPSOs that have performed backup withholding for a payee during calendar year 2024 must file a Form 945 and a Form 1099-K with the IRS and furnish a copy to the payee.

For calendar year 2025 and after, the IRS will assert penalties under §6651 or §6656 for a TPSO’s failure to withhold and pay backup withholding tax.


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Deadline extended for third-party payers to file corrected ERC claims

The IRS announced that it is extending the deadline for third-party payers to file corrected ERC claims from November 22, 2024, to December 31, 2024. (e-News for Tax Professionals 2024-47) As we reported previously, this consolidated claim process allows third-party payers who filed ERC claims for multiple clients on a consolidated basis to withdraw the ERC claims for some, but not all, of the prior claims.

Details about who is eligible and how third-party payers can apply are available in our September 26, 2024, Flash E-mail.


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2024-55: Deadline extended for third-party payers to file corrected ERC claims

The IRS announced that it is extending the deadline for third-party payers to file corrected ERC claims from November 22, 2024, to December 31, 2024. (e-News for Tax Professionals 2024-47) As we reported previously, this consolidated claim process allows third-party payers who filed ERC claims for multiple clients on a consolidated basis to withdraw the ERC claims for some, but not all, of the prior claims.

Details about who is eligible and how third-party payers can apply are available in our September 26, 2024, Flash E-mail.


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2024-54: California conforms to more disaster postponement relief, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton relief

The FTB has stated that California will conform to additional federal disaster-related postponement relief related to disasters that occurred outside California (see our October 15 Flash E-mail for earlier announced relief). This additional relief includes, but is not limited to, relief provided to victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

For taxpayers filing California returns, California conforms to the postponement relief provided to affected taxpayers related to the disasters listed below.

Taxpayers should write the name of the disaster (for example, “Florida Hurricane Milton relief per FL- 2024-10”) in blue or black ink at the top of their tax return to alert the FTB. If taxpayers are filing electronically, they should follow the software instructions to enter disaster information.

Disaster-Related Postponement Relief
Disaster Relief period begins IRS Notice
Filing and payments postponed to February 3, 2025
Arizona Watch Fire July 10, 2024 IR-2024-268
Illinois severe storms, etc. July 13, 2024 IL-2024-01;
IR-2024-250
Washington wildfires June 22, 2024 IR-2024-256;
WA-2024-09
Filing and payments postponed to May 1, 2025
Alaska flooding August 5, 2024 AK-2024-08;
IR-2024-279
Hurricanes Helene and Milton (IR-2024-266):
Alabama (entire state) September 22, 2024 AL-2024-05
Florida (entire state) August 1, 2024 (when combined with relief provided for Hurricane Debby) FL-2024-10; IR-2024-264
Georgia (entire state) September 24, 2024 GA-2024-08
North Carolina (entire state) September 25, 2024 NC-2024-08
South Carolina (entire state) September 25, 2024 SC-2024-08
Tennessee (Tropical Storm Helene) September 26, 2024 TN-2024-01
Virginia (Post-tropical Cyclone Helene) September 25, 2024 VA-2024-01
Filing and payments postponed to September 30, 2025
State of Israel, West Bank, and Gaza October 7, 2023 IR-2024-252

See the following FTB webpage for additional information:

www.ftb.ca.gov/file/when-to-file/disasters-outside-california.html


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California conforms to more disaster postponement relief, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton relief

The FTB has stated that California will conform to additional federal disaster-related postponement relief related to disasters that occurred outside California (see our October 15 Flash E-mail for earlier announced relief). This additional relief includes, but is not limited to, relief provided to victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

For taxpayers filing California returns, California conforms to the postponement relief provided to affected taxpayers related to the disasters listed below.

Taxpayers should write the name of the disaster (for example, “Florida Hurricane Milton relief per FL- 2024-10”) in blue or black ink at the top of their tax return to alert the FTB. If taxpayers are filing electronically, they should follow the software instructions to enter disaster information.

Disaster-Related Postponement Relief
Disaster Relief period begins IRS Notice
Filing and payments postponed to February 3, 2025
Arizona Watch Fire July 10, 2024 IR-2024-268
Illinois severe storms, etc. July 13, 2024 IL-2024-01;
IR-2024-250
Washington wildfires June 22, 2024 IR-2024-256;
WA-2024-09
Filing and payments postponed to May 1, 2025
Alaska flooding August 5, 2024 AK-2024-08;
IR-2024-279
Hurricanes Helene and Milton (IR-2024-266):
Alabama (entire state) September 22, 2024 AL-2024-05
Florida (entire state) August 1, 2024 (when combined with relief provided for Hurricane Debby) FL-2024-10; IR-2024-264
Georgia (entire state) September 24, 2024 GA-2024-08
North Carolina (entire state) September 25, 2024 NC-2024-08
South Carolina (entire state) September 25, 2024 SC-2024-08
Tennessee (Tropical Storm Helene) September 26, 2024 TN-2024-01
Virginia (Post-tropical Cyclone Helene) September 25, 2024 VA-2024-01
Filing and payments postponed to September 30, 2025
State of Israel, West Bank, and Gaza October 7, 2023 IR-2024-252

See the following FTB webpage for additional information:

www.ftb.ca.gov/file/when-to-file/disasters-outside-california.html


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2024-53: IRS releases 2025 tax year inflation-adjusted retirement figures

In IRS Notice 2024-80, the IRS announced the inflation-adjusted retirement figures for 2025. Key adjustments contained in the notice include, but are not limited to:

  • The IRA contribution limit and catch-up contribution limit will remain at $7,000 and $1,000, respectively. Also included in the Notice are the increased income phase-out ranges;
  • The SIMPLE contribution limit for businesses with 25 or more employees is increased from $16,000 to $16,500, while the catch-up contribution amount for most employees age 50 and older remains at $3,500 ($5,250 for employees aged 60, 61, 62, or 63). For businesses with fewer than 26 employees, the contribution limit is $17,600 and the general catch-up contribution limit remains at $3,850;
  • The annual contribution limit for IRC §§401(k), 403(b), 457 governmental plans, and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan is increased from $23,000 to $23,500, while the catch-up contribution for most employees 50 and older remains at $7,500. However, employees aged 60, 61, 62, and 63 can make a catch-up contribution of up to $11,250; and
  • The qualified charitable distribution limit is increased from $105,000 to $108,000.

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IRS releases 2025 tax year inflation-adjusted retirement figures

In IRS Notice 2024-80, the IRS announced the inflation-adjusted retirement figures for 2025. Key adjustments contained in the notice include, but are not limited to:

  • The IRA contribution limit and catch-up contribution limit will remain at $7,000 and $1,000, respectively. Also included in the Notice are the increased income phase-out ranges;
  • The SIMPLE contribution limit for businesses with 25 or more employees is increased from $16,000 to $16,500, while the catch-up contribution amount for most employees age 50 and older remains at $3,500 ($5,250 for employees aged 60, 61, 62, or 63). For businesses with fewer than 26 employees, the contribution limit is $17,600 and the general catch-up contribution limit remains at $3,850;
  • The annual contribution limit for IRC §§401(k), 403(b), 457 governmental plans, and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan is increased from $23,000 to $23,500, while the catch-up contribution for most employees 50 and older remains at $7,500. However, employees aged 60, 61, 62, and 63 can make a catch-up contribution of up to $11,250; and
  • The qualified charitable distribution limit is increased from $105,000 to $108,000.

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2024-52: FTB changing Secure E-mail system, requiring tax professionals to save old e-mails

Effective November 23, 2024, FTB Secure E-mail users will no longer be required to register with the FTB or log in with a password to open an encrypted e-mail. (FTB Tax News, November 2024) Instead, to view a Secure E-mail message from the FTB, users will be told to click on a button to view the e-mail and then will be given the option to either:

  • Re-sign in to their e-mail account; or
  • Sign in with a one-time passcode that will be sent to their e-mail account (the one-time passcode will expire after 15 minutes).

Any existing e-mail messages received from, and replied to, the FTB through FTB Secure E-mail before the November 23, 2024, update will only be retrievable through December 8, 2024. After December 8, 2024, e-mail messages received and sent to the FTB before the update will be purged and will not be retrievable.

Tax professionals should ensure they print out or otherwise memorialize these e-mails prior to December 9, 2024.

Any encrypted e-mail messages received from, and replied to, the FTB on or after the November 23, 2024, update will be subject to a 90-day retention period unless deleted earlier by the user.


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FTB changing Secure E-mail system, requiring tax professionals to save old e-mails

Effective November 23, 2024, FTB Secure E-mail users will no longer be required to register with the FTB or log in with a password to open an encrypted e-mail. (FTB Tax News, November 2024) Instead, to view a Secure E-mail message from the FTB, users will be told to click on a button to view the e-mail and then will be given the option to either:

  • Re-sign in to their e-mail account; or
  • Sign in with a one-time passcode that will be sent to their e-mail account (the one-time passcode will expire after 15 minutes).

Any existing e-mail messages received from, and replied to, the FTB through FTB Secure E-mail before the November 23, 2024, update will only be retrievable through December 8, 2024. After December 8, 2024, e-mail messages received and sent to the FTB before the update will be purged and will not be retrievable.

Tax professionals should ensure they print out or otherwise memorialize these e-mails prior to December 9, 2024.

Any encrypted e-mail messages received from, and replied to, the FTB on or after the November 23, 2024, update will be subject to a 90-day retention period unless deleted earlier by the user.


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Beneficial ownership reporting extensions granted to victims of various hurricanes

FinCEN has announced filing postponement relief of up to six months for victims of five recent hurricanes. However, as noted below, the deadlines postponed vary depending on which hurricane is involved. Only victims of Hurricane Milton qualify for relief from the original filing deadline of January 1, 2025, for businesses that formed prior to January 1, 2024.

For all hurricanes listed below, to qualify for the postponement relief the reporting company must have its principal place of business in an area designated both by:

In addition, FinCEN will work with any reporting company whose principal place of business is outside the disaster areas but that must consult records located in the affected areas to meet the deadline. Reporting companies with a principal place of business outside the affected areas and that are seeking assistance in meeting their filing obligations should contact FinCEN at www.fincen.gov/boi.

The six-month postponement relief only applies to reporting companies with an initial or updated BOI filing deadline that falls within the periods listed below based on the hurricane involved:

  • Hurricane Milton: Between October 4, 2024, and January 2, 2025 (see FIN-2024-NTC11);
  • Hurricane Helene: Between September 22, 2024, and December 21, 2024 (see FIN-2024-NTC10);
  • Hurricane Francine: Between September 8, 2024, and December 7, 2024 (see FIN-2024-NTC9);
  • Hurricane Debby: Between July 31, 2024, and October 29, 2024 (see FIN-2024-NTC8); and
  • Hurricane Beryl: Between July 4, 2024, and October 2, 2024 (see FIN-2024-NTC7).

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2024-51: Beneficial ownership reporting extensions granted to victims of various hurricanes

FinCEN has announced filing postponement relief of up to six months for victims of five recent hurricanes. However, as noted below, the deadlines postponed vary depending on which hurricane is involved. Only victims of Hurricane Milton qualify for relief from the original filing deadline of January 1, 2025, for businesses that formed prior to January 1, 2024.

For all hurricanes listed below, to qualify for the postponement relief the reporting company must have its principal place of business in an area designated both by:

In addition, FinCEN will work with any reporting company whose principal place of business is outside the disaster areas but that must consult records located in the affected areas to meet the deadline. Reporting companies with a principal place of business outside the affected areas and that are seeking assistance in meeting their filing obligations should contact FinCEN at www.fincen.gov/boi.

The six-month postponement relief only applies to reporting companies with an initial or updated BOI filing deadline that falls within the periods listed below based on the hurricane involved:

  • Hurricane Milton: Between October 4, 2024, and January 2, 2025 (see FIN-2024-NTC11);
  • Hurricane Helene: Between September 22, 2024, and December 21, 2024 (see FIN-2024-NTC10);
  • Hurricane Francine: Between September 8, 2024, and December 7, 2024 (see FIN-2024-NTC9);
  • Hurricane Debby: Between July 31, 2024, and October 29, 2024 (see FIN-2024-NTC8); and
  • Hurricane Beryl: Between July 4, 2024, and October 2, 2024 (see FIN-2024-NTC7).

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IRS releases several inflation figures for 2025 tax year

The IRS has released inflation adjustment figures for over 60 tax provisions, including the 2025 tax rate tables. (Rev. Proc. 2024-40) Other key adjustment figures include:

  • Standard deduction: Increased to $30,000 for married filing joint (MFJ); $22,500 HOH, and $15,000 for single and married filing separate taxpayers;
  • Estate tax basic exclusion amount: Increased to $13,990,000;
  • Annual gift tax exclusion: Increased to $19,000;
  • IRC §179 current expense limitations: The dollar limit is increased to $1,250,000 ($31,300 for sports utility vehicles) and the investment limit is increased to $3,130,000;
  • IRC §199A threshold and phase-in range amounts: The threshold is increased to $197,300 ($394,600 MFJ). The phase-in range amount is also increased to $247,300 ($494,600 MFJ); and
  • Excess business loss threshold: The threshold is increased to $313,000 ($626,000 MFJ).

The retirement-related inflation adjustment figures are not included in Rev. Proc. 2024-40. These are announced separately, usually in November.


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2024-50: IRS releases several inflation figures for 2025 tax year

The IRS has released inflation adjustment figures for over 60 tax provisions, including the 2025 tax rate tables. (Rev. Proc. 2024-40) Other key adjustment figures include:

  • Standard deduction: Increased to $30,000 for married filing joint (MFJ); $22,500 HOH, and $15,000 for single and married filing separate taxpayers;
  • Estate tax basic exclusion amount: Increased to $13,990,000;
  • Annual gift tax exclusion: Increased to $19,000;
  • IRC §179 current expense limitations: The dollar limit is increased to $1,250,000 ($31,300 for sports utility vehicles) and the investment limit is increased to $3,130,000;
  • IRC §199A threshold and phase-in range amounts: The threshold is increased to $197,300 ($394,600 MFJ). The phase-in range amount is also increased to $247,300 ($494,600 MFJ); and
  • Excess business loss threshold: The threshold is increased to $313,000 ($626,000 MFJ).

The retirement-related inflation adjustment figures are not included in Rev. Proc. 2024-40. These are announced separately, usually in November.


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California conforms to postponement relief related to certain non-California disasters

The FTB has confirmed that California will conform to 29 instances of federal disaster-related postponement relief related to disasters that occurred outside California. However, to date, the California Department of Finance has not determined whether California will conform to relief granted to taxpayers affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton; the Washington wildfires; the recent storms, tornadoes, and flooding in Illinois; or the September 25, 2025, deadline for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Israel.

As we’ve previously reported, due to legislative changes made by SB 167 (Ch. 24-34), the Department of Finance is now responsible for determining whether, and to what extent, California will conform to federal disaster postponements.

For taxpayers filing California returns, California is conforming to the postponement relief provided to affected taxpayers related to the disasters listed below.

Taxpayers should write the name of the disaster (for example, Iowa storms per IA-2024-04) in blue or black ink at the top of their tax return to alert the FTB. If taxpayers are filing electronically, they should follow the software instructions to enter disaster information.

Disaster-Related Postponement Relief
Disaster Relief period begins IRS Notice
Filing and payments postponed to October 7, 2024
Terrorist attacks in Israel October 7, 2023 IR-2023-188
Filing and payments postponed to October 15, 2024
Iowa storms April 26, 2024 IA-2024-03
Filing and payments postponed to November 1, 2024
Arkansas storms May 24, 2024 AR-2024-01
Florida storms May 10, 2024 FL-2024-06
Iowa storms May 20, 2024, and
June 16, 2024
IA-2024-04; IA-2024-08
Kentucky storms April 2, 2024 IR-2024-159;
KY-2024-02
Mississippi storms April 8, 2024 IRS-2024-176;
MS-2024-11
New Mexico fire and flooding June 17, 2024 NM-2024-05
Oklahoma storms May 19, 2024 OK-2024-02
Texas storms April 26, 2024 TX-2024-13
West Virginia storms April 2, 2024, and April 11, 2024 IR-2024-160; WV-2024-03; WV-2024-04
Filing and payments postponed to February 3, 2025
Hurricane Debby in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Vermont August 1, 2024, for Florida; August 4, 2024, for Georgia; August 5, 2024, for North Carolina, August 8, 2024, for Vermont; August 9, 2024, for Pennsylvania IR-2024-205;
IR-2024-209;
FL-2024-07;
GA-2024-07;
NC-2024-07; PA-2024-02; SC-2024-07; VT-2024-01
Connecticut and New York storms August 18, 2024 IR-2024-234; CT-2024-11; NY-2024-08
Kentucky storms May 21, 2024 KY-2024-03
Minnesota storms June 16, 2024 IR-2024-207; MN-2024-01
Missouri storms May 19, 2024 MO-2024-14
South Dakota storms June 16, 2024 IR-2024-222; SD-2024-13
Texas Hurricane Beryl July 5, 2024 IR-2024-191; TX-2024-08
Tropical Storm Ernesto in Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands August 13, 2024 IR-2024-221; PR-2024-05; IR-2024-226; VI-2024-01
Tropical Storm Francine in Louisiana September 10, 2024 IR-2024-236

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2024-49: California conforms to postponement relief related to certain non-California disasters

The FTB has confirmed that California will conform to 29 instances of federal disaster-related postponement relief related to disasters that occurred outside California. However, to date, the California Department of Finance has not determined whether California will conform to relief granted to taxpayers affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton; the Washington wildfires; the recent storms, tornadoes, and flooding in Illinois; or the September 25, 2025, deadline for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Israel.

As we’ve previously reported, due to legislative changes made by SB 167 (Ch. 24-34), the Department of Finance is now responsible for determining whether, and to what extent, California will conform to federal disaster postponements.

For taxpayers filing California returns, California is conforming to the postponement relief provided to affected taxpayers related to the disasters listed below.

Taxpayers should write the name of the disaster (for example, Iowa storms per IA-2024-04) in blue or black ink at the top of their tax return to alert the FTB. If taxpayers are filing electronically, they should follow the software instructions to enter disaster information.

Disaster-Related Postponement Relief
Disaster Relief period begins IRS Notice
Filing and payments postponed to October 7, 2024
Terrorist attacks in Israel October 7, 2023 IR-2023-188
Filing and payments postponed to October 15, 2024
Iowa storms April 26, 2024 IA-2024-03
Filing and payments postponed to November 1, 2024
Arkansas storms May 24, 2024 AR-2024-01
Florida storms May 10, 2024 FL-2024-06
Iowa storms May 20, 2024, and
June 16, 2024
IA-2024-04; IA-2024-08
Kentucky storms April 2, 2024 IR-2024-159;
KY-2024-02
Mississippi storms April 8, 2024 IR-2024-176;
MS-2024-11
New Mexico fire and flooding June 17, 2024 NM-2024-05
Oklahoma storms May 19, 2024 OK-2024-02
Texas storms April 26, 2024 TX-2024-13
West Virginia storms April 2, 2024, and April 11, 2024 IR-2024-160; WV-2024-03; WV-2024-04
Filing and payments postponed to February 3, 2025
Hurricane Debby in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Vermont August 1, 2024, for Florida; August 4, 2024, for Georgia; August 5, 2024, for North Carolina, August 8, 2024, for Vermont; August 9, 2024, for Pennsylvania IR-2024-205;
IR-2024-209;
FL-2024-07;
GA-2024-07;
NC-2024-07; PA-2024-02; SC-2024-07; VT-2024-01
Connecticut and New York storms August 18, 2024 IR-2024-234; CT-2024-11; NY-2024-08
Kentucky storms May 21, 2024 KY-2024-03
Minnesota storms June 16, 2024 IR-2024-207; MN-2024-01
Missouri storms May 19, 2024 MO-2024-14
South Dakota storms June 16, 2024 IR-2024-222; SD-2024-13
Texas Hurricane Beryl July 5, 2024 IR-2024-191; TX-2024-08
Tropical Storm Ernesto in Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands August 13, 2024 IR-2024-221; PR-2024-05; IR-2024-226; VI-2024-01
Tropical Storm Francine in Louisiana September 10, 2024 IR-2024-236

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Fraud Friday: Garbage to gold

Lucent Polymers, Inc. discovered a way to turn “garbage to gold” by using recycled and scrap materials to create high-quality plastics that were flame-resistant and extremely strong. Unfortunately, the business model was a total sham. The flame-resistant products routinely caught fire and impact-resistant materials were too brittle and shattered. But the company’s founders hid this from potential buyers by providing them with falsified lab tests that shows the products performed as claimed. After the company sold twice in quick succession, the SEC caught wind and the founders have been convicted of securities fraud and money laundering.

(https://resource-recycling.com/plastics/2021/03/31/lucent-execs-sentenced-for-federal-crimes/)

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Fraud Friday: Fancy colored diamonds

The founder of Argyle Coin, a virtual currency that was allegedly backed by “fancy colored diamonds” received a seven-year sentence and will pay $23 million in restitution for defrauding investors. Argyle Coin, LLC was created when the founder’s prior diamond-selling scam had started to unravel, and he used money from investors in his new “high return, no risk” digital currency to pay off existing investors. He also managed to siphon away $10 million for himself to spend on a house, shopping at Gucci, purchasing horses, and riding lessons for his adult son.

(https://coingeek.com/argyle-coin-founder-involved-in-25m-scam-gets-7-years-in-jail/)

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Fraud Friday: 300 B.C.

One of the earliest recorded instances of fraud took place in 300 B.C. Two Greek merchants, Hegestratos and Zenosthemis, took out an insurance policy and borrowed money on a cargo ship that was allegedly going to be filled with corn, but their plan was to sink the boat, keep the money, and sell the corn elsewhere. As Hegestratos was attempting to chop a hole in the hull of the boat with an axe, one of the crew members discovered him. Hegestratos attempted to escape by jumping off the boat and trying to swim to shore, but he drown at sea; Zenosthemis was tried in an Athenian court.

(www.investopedia.com/articles/financial-theory/09/history-of-fraud.asp)

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Fraud Friday: Celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti

Celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti was sentenced to 168 months in prison for wire fraud and endeavoring to obstruct the administration of the Internal Revenue Code. He was also ordered to pay $10 million in restitution to four clients and the IRS. Avenatti received funds for his clients and placed them into client trust accounts, but then misappropriated the funds to finance an extravagant lifestyle. He then lied to clients about the terms of their settlement or whether he had received their funds. In one case, Avenatti drained a client’s trust account to fund his own coffee business; in another case, he used the bulk of a client’s settlement to purchase a private jet. Regarding the obstruction charge, Avenatti lied to IRS agents, and changed his company’s name, EIN, and bank information to avoid IRS levies.

(www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/lawyer-michael-avenatti-sentenced-14-years-federal-prison-stealing-millions-dollars)

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Fraud Friday: CAR-HIT-U

A Detroit-area personal injury attorney known for his 855-CAR-HIT-U billboards has been convicted for tax fraud for failing to report over $2.6 million in income. He concealed the funds by placing them in undisclosed Interest on Lawyer’s Trust Accounts, which are used to hold funds on behalf of clients. He failed to disclose these accounts to the Michigan State Bar Foundation and his tax return preparer. He’s facing prison time plus penalties for each count.

(www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/11/19/metro-detroit-personal-injury-attorney-convicted-of-tax-fraud/69662737007/)

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Fraud Friday: Tax (fraud) preparation manual

A Texas tax preparer and his two children were convicted for defrauding the U.S. after filing false tax returns to inflate their clients’ refunds. They fabricated clients’ Schedule A, itemized deductions, and Schedule C, sole proprietorship profit and loss statements, claiming the taxpayer owned a business when no such business existed, claiming unreimbursed employee expenses such as travel and per diem, and claiming business expenses that were never incurred. The company also had a “tax preparation manual,” which was a handbook that outlined exactly how to commit fraud. The manual advised tax preparers to manipulate income to maximize refunds rather than referring to the law to determine whether an activity was a business for income tax purposes and whether expenses properly qualified as a business deduction.

(www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/san-angelo-tax-preparer-sentenced-14-years-tax-fraud)

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Fraud Friday: 13,000 lottery “wins”

A man who has “won” the Massachusetts lottery in excess of 13,000 times has pleaded guilty to charges of tax fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and filing false tax returns. The man and family members operated a lottery ticket cashing scheme that brought in $21 million between 2011 and 2019. In Massachusetts, money owed in federal taxes or child support can be deducted from lottery wins over $600. To avoid this deduction, winners often use underground ticket cashing businesses, which take a cut of the winnings. The family members reported fraudulent gambling losses and understated their income, resulting in large refunds. 

(www.casino.org/news/mass-lottery-frequent-winner-pleads-guilty-to-tax-fraud-conspiracy/)

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Fraud Friday: The Nigerian Prince e-mail scam

The Nigerian Prince e-mail scam is a modern interpretation of the Spanish Prisoner scam that dates back to the late 18th century. Originally, businessmen were contacted by an individual allegedly trying to smuggle someone connected to a wealthy family out of a prison in Spain. The scammer promised to share money with the victim in exchange for a small amount of money up front to bribe prison guards. The scam has persisted, shifting to requests for assistance purportedly coming from a Nigerian prince. While Nigeria is most often the nation referred to in these scams, they originate in other nations as well. The scam is also known as the “419 scam”; 419 refers to the article of the Nigerian Criminal Code dealing with fraud (in Chapter 38: “Obtaining property by false pretenses; Cheating”).

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam)

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Fraud Friday: Rap duo

Two female Detroit rappers (known on stage as Deuces Wild) are charged with identity theft and conspiracy for a scheme going back to 2013 that involved filing fraudulent estate and trust tax returns claiming $13.6 million, of which they had already received more than $5 million. The duo filed 122 returns, opened 29 bank accounts, and roped friends and acquaintances into the scheme by promising them a cut of the money in exchange for receiving checks. One of the women used stolen identification to open accounts, rent apartments, open a UPS Box, and purchase expensive items, including jewelry and watches. Both women are facing ten years in prison if convicted.

(www.fox2detroit.com/news/metro-detroit-rappers-charged-with-stealing-over-5-million-from-irs)

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Fraud Friday: Julia Butterfly

“Tax redirection” is a form of tax rebellion where the individual pays their tax directly to another source rather than the IRS as a form of protest. Julia “Butterfly” Hill, an environmentalist turned proponent of tax redirection, sent about $150,000 in federal taxes directly to schools, arts and culture programs, community gardens, and other recipients, stating in a letter to the IRS, “I’m not refusing to pay my taxes. I’m actually paying them but I’m paying them where they belong because you refuse to do so.” Hill is best known for her tree sit in the late 1990s, when she lived in a 180-foot tall Redwood tree named Luna for 738 days to protect it from being cut down by the Pacific Lumber Company.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Butterfly_Hill)

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Fraud Friday: The Whiskey Rebellion

In 1791, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton proposed the first U.S. tax, an excise on distilled spirits, to pay down the debt incurred from the American Revolution. Large whiskey producers paid the tax annually at a rate of six cents per gallon, with further tax breaks the more they produced. But small producers were charged nine cents per gallon in taxes. Farmers in western Pennsylvania who used whiskey for trade objected to the tax and protested by tarring and feathering the tax collectors. The rebellion lasted from 1791 to 1794, ending with a confrontation that caused President George Washington to send 13,000 troops to contain what some feared would become another revolution. (www.history.com/topics/early-us/whiskey-rebellion)

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Fraud Friday: “Illegal tax protestors”

Tax protestors rely on various arguments, such as the Sixteenth Amendment not being properly ratified, income is not defined in the Internal Revenue Code or the Constitution, or that the Internal Revenue Code actually doesn’t require anyone to pay tax. Prior to 1998, the IRS would label such individuals as “illegal tax protestors” in their system to flag them for enforcement actions and alert IRS employees to be cautious in dealing with them. But in 1998, Congress passed the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-206) prohibiting the IRS from continuing this practice because it stigmatized these individuals and biased IRS employees against them, even if they had ultimately paid their tax.

(www.washingtonpost.com/news/federal-eye/wp/2014/09/11/what-is-an-illegal-tax-protester-and-why-cant-the-irs-use-that-term-any-more/)

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Fraud Friday: In the doghouse

A Minnesota dog breeder is in the doghouse after an investigation discovered that they were reporting income on their tax returns from fewer sales of puppies than they actually made in the years at issue. The Facebook page for BrookeMarie’s Goldendoodle Love clearly showed the number of litters and how many total puppies were for sale, which did not match up with the amounts reported. The puppies were going for between $2,500 and $3,500 each, plus there should have been charged 7% Minnesota sales tax, which the breeder also failed to pay. The owner has been charged with three felony counts of filing fraudulent income and sales tax returns and failing to pay or collect income and sales tax.

(www.southernminnesotanews.com/dog-breeder-accused-of-tax-fraud/)

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Fraud Friday: $62 million in Paycheck Protection Program fraud

A California tax preparer was sentenced to ten years in prison for orchestrating a scheme that defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program out of $62 million. At the time he engaged in the fraud, he was on supervised release for a previous fraud scheme in which he filed false income tax returns on behalf of more than nine professional athletes. In the PPP scam, he filed false applications for PPP loans on behalf of small businesses and shell companies in exchange for 30% of the loan proceeds. He also filed fraudulent supporting tax returns that the small business owners never saw or approved. To hide the funds he received from the scam, he asked the businesses to pay the fee with cashier’s checks and to write “payroll” in the memo line.

(www.wric.com/news/crime/man-sentenced-for-tax-fraud-schemes-resulting-in-more-than-62-million-loss-for-us-government/)

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Fraud Friday: Distributing false resale certificates

Sotheby’s auction house is under investigation in New York for allegedly distributing false resale certificates to around a dozen clients, allowing them to pose as art dealers and avoid paying tax on revenue from their sales. The scheme is related to a lawsuit in which a Sotheby’s client purchased $27 million in art for his personal collection in transactions that avoided tax. Initially, it seemed this was an isolated incident, but further investigation revealed multiple fraudulent resale certificates, indicating that staff at Sotheby’s had “willfully turned a blind eye to the fraudulent distribution of resale certificates.” Sotheby’s argues it shouldn’t be held responsible for the actions of low-level employees. (www.artnews.com/art-news/news/sothebys-tax-fraud-investigation-expands-1234637480/)

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Fraud Friday: AI pool-finding

France is using AI to find undeclared swimming pools, which so far has generated 10 million in tax. In France, a swimming pool can affect tax because housing taxes are calculated based on a property’s rental value. Since the beginning of the pandemic, and with recent heat waves affecting Europe, the number of pools in France has greatly increased. The AI pool-finding project so far has only covered nine of France’s 96 metropolitan areas, but it has already discovered 20,356 undeclared swimming pools. The French tax office DGFiP (a.k.a., Le Fisc) estimates it can bring in an additional €40 million in tax once it’s finished using AI to analyze the rest of metropolitan France. (www.theverge.com/2022/8/30/23328442/france-ai-swimming-pool-tax-aerial-photos)

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Fraud Friday: Romanian taxes on imported diesel fuel

The U.S. will return $1.2 million in forfeited funds to Romania, stemming from a tax fraud scheme involving diesel fuel. A Romanian couple avoided Romanian taxes on imported diesel fuel by claiming the fuel was a lower grade of industrial and maritime fuel. The untaxed income from the sale of the higher value diesel was laundered through a number of bank accounts and shell companies controlled by the couple, and resulted in an overall $58.677 million tax loss to Romania. Before they could be arrested, the couple fled to Washington state, but eventually were extradited, leaving behind a large piece of property and assets that were sold. The funds from the sale will be returned to the government of Romania. 

(www.justice.gov/opa/pr/12-million-be-returned-romanian-government-victim-international-tax-fraud-and-money, www.justice.gov/opa/pr/12-million-be-returned-romanian-government-victim-international-tax-fraud-and-money)

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Fraud Friday: Paid public restrooms

A German woman who owns a cleaning company that earns revenue from paid public restrooms is on trial for failing to report around €1.2 million. The restrooms have voluntary contribution plates where visitors can leave change, which generated the income that she failed to report. But the case is complicated in that some of the charges date back more than 14 years, the German statute of limitations for tax fraud. Also, some of the restrooms were near the Austrian border and present a jurisdictional problem. And because income from the restrooms is based on voluntary donations, it’s difficult to nail down an exact amount of revenue; even the judge in the case suggested that an amount of €600,000 may be more appropriate than €1.2 million. 

(www.taxbuzz.com/blog/germany-toilet-tax-evasion-trial-begins)

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Fraud Friday: Yoga studio stacking parties

Owners of a NYC yoga studio are facing 30 years in prison for conspiracy and tax evasion for failing to file returns while the yoga studio raked in millions. The chain of studios closed in 2020 following allegations of questionable business practices such as pressuring instructors to work for free. Yoga session fees were donation-based and collected in tissue boxes that were passed around, but instructors were not allowed to count the money collected. Instead, the cash was brought to one studio owner’s home for “stacking parties” where the bills were counted and stacked. The owners spent the funds on personal items such as $270,000 on airfare, $76,000 on hotels, $40,000 on Denver Broncos season tickets, $39,000 at restaurants, and more than $60,000 spent at country clubs and on event tickets. 

(www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/nyregion/tax-fraud-yoga-to-the-people.html)

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Fraud Friday: Imprecise IQ scores

A Court of Appeals upheld a ruling against a taxpayer for filing false tax returns connected to his wife’s embezzlement of millions of dollars from her employer. The taxpayer argued he thought the funds were his wife’s gambling winnings, which he used to buy a yacht, a snowmobile, and other luxury items. At the appeal trial, the taxpayer argued the district court erred in not allowing evidence of his cognitive deficiencies, consisting of expert testimony and his high school transcript that contained numerous “E” grades. However, the expert could not rule out that the taxpayer’s performance during his cognitive exam was the result of malingering, and the high school transcript contained “an unexplained grading system and imprecise IQ scores.” Based on these and the taxpayer’s own testimony, the court agreed he was aware the couple was spending more than they reported and was found to have not disclosed all income to his accountants. (U.S. v. Mills (July 22, 2022) U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, Case No. 21-2423)

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Fraud Friday: 76 fraudulent charities

The House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee has contacted the IRS looking for answers regarding the streamlined process for applications for tax-exempt status, which allowed one fraudster to have 76 fraudulent charities approved. The fake nonprofits all had names that sounded similar to legitimate nonprofits, such as “American Cancer Society of Michigan.” The actual American Cancer Society had even gotten wind of its fraudulent namesake and contacted the IRS. The IRS is now under fire for not noticing that this particular group of fraudulent charities all used the same Staten Island address. It also highlights the IRS’s own statistics that only one in 2,400 of these streamlined applications gets denied. (www.wealthmanagement.com/philanthropy/irs-hot-water-over-fraudulent-charities)

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Fraud Friday: A vexatious litigant

After being disbarred for bringing numerous unmeritorious litigations and being declared a vexatious litigant (one trial judge wrote in a statement of decision that the taxpayer is “a relentless bully” who displays “terrifying arrogance”), a former attorney found himself in Tax Court regarding disallowed Schedule C expenses. The claimed Schedule C business activities did not generate a profit and mostly stemmed from litigation relating to challenging the taxpayer’s disbarment and lawsuits that would otherwise personally benefit him. He deducted court filing fees, life insurance policy expenses, and various utility expenses, none of which were allowable expenses because the taxpayer failed to show that he engaged in any business activities for the year at issue. (Kinney v. Comm., TCM 2022-81)

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Fraud Friday: A sovereign citizen

A Michigan man is facing felony charges and prison time for bouncing three checks he wrote to pay his taxes. The man, who also claims to be a sovereign citizen, sent the State of Michigan three checks for $1 million each, which bounced because they had routing numbers for TCF Bank. That in and of itself is not a crime, except he did not actually have an account at TCF Bank. Under Michigan law, no-account checks/writing checks on closed account is a class H felony that carries up to 2 years in prison. (www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2022/02/10/self-proclaimed-sovereign-citizen-charged-with-writing-fake-checks)

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Fraud Friday: Shakira, Shakira

After being accused by the Spanish government of failing to pay €14 million in tax on income earned between 2012 and 2014, pop star Shakira has rejected a plea deal with Spanish authorities and is moving forward with a trial that she says will prove she has already paid the tax in question and owes no tax debt. For the tax years at issue, Shakira’s official residence was the Bahamas, but she also lived with footballer Gerard Pique in Barcelona. If found guilty, she could face fines and a prison term. (www.euronews.com/2022/07/27/shakira-opts-to-go-to-trial-in-spain-over-alleged-145m-tax-fraud)

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Fraud Friday: Nine professional athletes

A Los Angeles tax preparer has pleaded guilty to engaging in two separate fraud schemes. The first involved filing fraudulent income tax returns for at least nine professional athletes, reporting fabricated business and personal losses. The tax pro and his associates claimed they had specialized knowledge that the athletes’ prior tax professionals lacked and convinced the athletes to amend past returns to generate large fraudulent refunds. They then charged the athletes a fee of 30% of the resulting refund and directed the athletes to send the fee to shell entities. Second, the tax pro and his associates applied for PPP loans on behalf of a number of small businesses, shell entities with few or no employees that they controlled, and business entities controlled by others. They inflated the number of employees and monthly payroll costs claimed on the PPP loan applications and submitted fabricated tax returns in support of the applications. Some of the business owners never saw their loan applications before they were filed. The tax pro charged a fee of 30% of the loan amounts. He’s facing up to 25 years in prison. (https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/second-defendant-pleads-guilty-multimillion-dollar-tax-fraud-scheme-involving-professional)

CPAs, get four hours of fraud CPE with our Fraud Essentials for CPAs WebinarClick here for more information.

Fraud Friday: Capital with a K

A North Carolina tax preparation business owner has been sentenced to almost four years in prison for a tax fraud scheme that involved hundreds of tax returns and that netted him $700,000. Kapital Financial Services had two locations in Charlotte, and the business owner directed employees to falsify clients’ tax returns, including claiming false deductions, business losses, American Opportunity credits, education credits and earned income tax credits. He also trained his employees on how to create the fraudulent returns to avoid IRS detection and provided them with scripts and cheat sheets. Employees were not allowed to provide clients with copies of their returns, they were only allowed to give clients their refund amount because the fees Kapital charged were taken from the inflated refunds. (https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/charlotte-tax-preparer-sentenced-prison)

CPAs, get four hours of fraud CPE with our Fraud Essentials for CPAs WebinarClick here for more information.

Fraud Friday: $1 billion in crypto scams

Crypto scams have reached the $1 billion mark for the period between January 2021 and March 2022. Almost 40% of the scams originated on social media. In terms of type of fraud, most scams relate to fake investments that promise large returns, with second place going to “romance scams” that involve gaining trust using a fake online identity and then manipulating funds out of the victim. Most of the scams involve Bitcoin (70%), followed by tether (10%) and Ethereum (9%). (www.forbes.com/sites/rosemariemiller/2022/06/06/bitcoin-leads-crypto-fraud-as-ftc-confirms-1-billion-milestone)

CPAs, get four hours of fraud CPE with our Fraud Essentials for CPAs WebinarClick here for more information.

Fraud Friday: A seized show jumping horse

After busting a tax shelter promoter, the U.S. government seized many of the assets he purchased with the proceeds, including a $750,000 show jumping horse. However, after realizing that it was going to cost at least $50,000 to feed and care for the horse, the government agreed to sell the horse back to the tax shelter promoter’s daughter for $25,000. The daughter had been planning to ride the horse down the aisle on her wedding day. The government has seized horses before; in 2012 they sold 150 horses for $4.8 million, which were seized from a comptroller who had been misappropriating city funds. But maintaining assets before they’re sold can be expensive, as the government has found regarding the maintenance of superyachts seized from Russian oligarchs. (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/horse-seized-tax-fraud-case-133413396.html)

CPAs, get four hours of fraud CPE with our Fraud Essentials for CPAs WebinarClick here for more information.

Fraud Friday: Counterfeit chocolate

A bust of U.S.-themed candy stores on Oxford Street in London raked in £22,000 worth of counterfeit Wonka bars and over £100,000 of counterfeit goods such as vapes, Apple and Samsung products, hookah products, and watches. All counterfeit vapes recovered contained excessive levels of nicotine and had not been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. The Food Standard Agency also warned anyone who purchased the counterfeit Wonka bars not to eat them, as there is no way of knowing what ingredients were used or whether food hygiene practices were followed. The stores are being investigated for millions of pounds in tax evasion as well.

CPAs, get four hours of fraud CPE with our Fraud Essentials for CPAs WebinarClick here for more information.

Fraud Friday: That’s a lot of Happy Meals

McDonald’s France has agreed to pay a total of €1.25 billion in fines, penalties, and back taxes to settle a tax evasion case after years of negotiations.  McDonalds France was accused of hiding French profits in lower-tax Luxembourg from 2009 through 2020, and reporting lower profits in France. An investigation was started in 2016 after union officials reported the company for tax evasion. The settlement is made up of a €508 million fine and €737 million in back taxes and is the second-biggest tax settlement in French history. (The largest was the €2.1 billion fine paid by aircraft builder Airbus in 2020.) (https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/mcdonalds-pay-france-13-billion-tax-fraud-case-85434599)

CPAs, get four hours of fraud CPE with our Fraud Essentials for CPAs WebinarClick here for more information.