I’ve been fielding a lot of Ask The Taxgirl questions lately, so it seems like a good time to explain how this works. Yes, I’m still answering questions. Yes, it’s free to submit a question. And yes, it’s free to read the answer (each week, questions and answers appear in our free tax newsletter—here’s an…
Dealing with the IRS is rarely anyone’s idea of a good time, but having an IRS Online Account can make at least some of it easier. You can use your account to check payment activity, view tax records, download transcripts, review certain notices, see balances, and access other information without having to call the IRS…
The Supreme Court’s recent refusal to hear Murrin v. Commissioner left in place a Third Circuit ruling with serious consequences for taxpayers. It also raised a broader question that often comes up when federal courts make news: how far does one circuit court’s ruling actually reach? In Murrin, a tax preparer included false or fraudulent…
It’s May the 4th… so, it’s a fitting day to kick off the most recent edition of Taxgirl Goes To The Movies with “Star Wars.” “Star Wars” (later “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope”) is the first film released in the Star Wars franchise. From smuggling to bartering for droids, here’s a look…
The latest edition of our free Forbes newsletter, Tax Breaks, is out! This week, it’s National Small Business Week! Plus: State and local tax refunds, credit card swipe fees, taxing legal awards, college endowments and the IRS, nonprofits, tax trivia and more. While I can’t post the entire article newsletter (sorry), you can easily click…
My son was recently stunned to learn that I had, years ago, written about the tax consequences of one of his favorite movies, “Ratatouille.” It was part of a series where I evaluated the tax consequences of movies referred by readers—those included “Trading Places,” “Blow,” and “Casablanca.” For each film, I focused on the tax…
If you following me on social, you know that I returned to Forbes as of January 2023. You can find my latest articles on Forbes.com here. Some—but not all—of the articles are behind a paywall. If you want to be able to click through whenever you’d like, there are annual monthly and annual subscription offers from Forbes (it’s…
The latest edition of our free Forbes newsletter, Tax Breaks, is out! This week, scams and gas prices take a front seat. Plus: SCOTUS agrees to hear another tax case, arrest in $350 million tax evasion case, judge lifts non-compete ban (sort of), IRS issues proposed and final regulations, Panama Papers verdict, industry updates, and…
The IRS Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC) has released its 2024 annual report with a total of 12 recommendations – three to Congress and nine to the IRS. The recommendations to Congress included a request for authority for IRS to regulate non-credentialed tax return preparers, support for effective tax administration through consistent, reliable funding of the…
I was thrilled to be a source for a story earlier this month about tax planning. The article, written by Jack Flemming, focused on wealthy residents in California who scrambled to avoid paying the new “mansion tax.” Flemming asked me to comment on various ways that wealthy taxpayers might structure their tax planning to avoid…
