Tax

Tax News & IRS Insights for Accounting Professionals

Accounting Today delivers news and analysis for accounting and tax professionals on federal and state tax developments, IRS guidance,information reporting, and operational implications for practices and clients. Our coverage focuses on legislative and procedural shifts that tax practitioners must monitor in planning, compliance, and advisory contexts.

  • A new report from the Treasury provides a detailed analysis of what effects proposals to permanently extend the tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 might have on the country's economy.

    July 26
  • States and cities could lose billions annually under a congressional bill that would require businesses to have employed at least one employee in a state for 21 days, or have leased or bought property, before having to pay the state's business taxes.

    July 25
  • Former California gubernatorial candidate George "Nick" Jesson has pleaded guilty to state tax evasion charges and will begin serving a 27-month term in prison concurrently with his sentence for federal tax evasion charges.

    July 25
  • Australia's Tax Office is investigating Paul Hogan, star of the "Crocodile Dundee" films, on suspicion of funneling millions in royalties from his films into illegal tax havens.

    July 25
  • Reading about former California gubernatorial candidate George "Nick" Jesson, who recently finished pleading guilty to state and federal tax evasion charges, reminded me of conversation I'd had with a friend a couple of weeks back.

    July 25
  • Reality television victor Richard Hatch has been sent to an Oklahoma federal prison to serve a 51-month sentence for failing to pay taxes on the more than $1 million he took away from the first season of CBS's "Survivor."

    July 24
  • While most taxpayers and their accountants complain about the increasingly complex Tax Code, some of the nation's biggest corporations welcome complexity as an opportunity to "game the system."At least that's the latest grumbling from Capitol Hill, where members of the Senate Finance Committee are voicing fresh concerns over the widening "corporate tax gap."

    July 23
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Tax: Key Questions & Analysis:

What IRS guidance on forms and information reporting should practitioners prioritize?

The IRS continues to update thresholds and instructions for critical tax forms. This includes changes to information reporting requirements and guidance on evolving reporting standards, affecting 1099, W-2 and similar reporting obligations.

What procedural developments affect IRS automatic change consent for method changes?

Tax professionals must understand which accounting method changes qualify for automatic consent versus advance consent. This determines whether a Form 3115 must be filed with IRS National Office or via automatic procedures.

How are tip-related tax provisions evolving under current policy?

New tax provisions related to tip income will impact how service industry clients and payroll units handle tax reporting and compliance. This includes draft schedules and withholding considerations.

What IRS guidance will shape compliance for the 2026 filing season?

Practitioners will need to understand procedural updates, forms changes, and reporting shifts that will affect compliance workflows and client expectations for the 2026 filing season. This includes the implementation timeline for new schedules and reporting requirements as well as for emerging areas such as crypto broker reporting.