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.

IRS

Unauthorized access of tax returns on the rise at IRS

In 2023, 125 violation cases of unauthorized access of tax return data were reported, the highest since 2018 —but instances of disclosure violations remains low.

By Paige Hagy
Reporter

August 20
AT Think In the blogs: They're off

A useful AMT; refunds of the dead; core-satellite portfolios; and other highlights from our favorite tax bloggers.

August 20

Jeff Stimpson
Student loans

Guidance issued on matching contributions for student loan payments

The guidance in Notice 2024-63 is for employers that want to employees' student loan payments.

By Jeff Stimpson
Freelance writer

August 20
IRS

North Carolina joins IRS Direct File

The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service announced that North Carolina will be the latest state to join the IRS Direct File free tax program in filing season 2025.

By Michael Cohn
Editor-in-chief, AccountingToday.com

August 19
Politics and policy

Tax deadline next year looms large as Democrats rally in Chicago

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have laid out widely divergent plans for handling the sunset date for many parts of the TCJA.

By Tobias Salinger
Chief Correspondent

August 19
IRS

The IRS teams up to fight scams

A new coalition of tax authorities, industry groups and others is combining to stop tax-related schemes.

By Jeff Stimpson
Freelance writer

August 19
IRS

IRS reopens voluntary disclosure to fix $1B in ERC claims

For a limited time, businesses can fix incorrect Employee Retention Credit claims without penalties or interest.

By Paige Hagy
Reporter

August 16

Resources

The latest Accounting Today research and discussion:

Web Seminar Tax season postmortem: What to fix for 2027

Join us for a transparent look at the challenges facing firms this year and how to overcome them for 2027.

Partner Insights from Canopy
On-Demand Web Seminar Rethinking busy season: A modern operating model for K-1s

Busy season is over—but the bruises are still fresh. Many firms expected smoother K-1 workflows, yet encountered the same familiar bottlenecks, last-minute delays, and staff burnout. Instead of tweaking around the edges, we'll explore a modern operating model for managing K-1s at scale – from intake through exchange – designed to reduce rework, cycle time, and eliminate seasonal chaos.

Partner Insights from K1X
Tariffs and your clients

Dean Peterson and Blair Robbins of Eisner Advisory Group discuss the tax and business ramifications of the Trump administration's tariff policies that accountants should be advising clients about.

Sponsored by Intuit Quickbooks

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.