IR-2020-177, August 10, 2020 WASHINGTON — The Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries today provided enrolled actuaries with notice that it is waiving the physical presence requirement for continuing professional education (CPE) credit for any formal programs conducted from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2022. The Joint Board made this decision due to…
IR-2020-176, August 4, 2020 WASHINGTON — As more tax professionals consider teleworking during COVID-19, the Internal Revenue Service and the Security Summit partners today urged practitioners to secure remote locations by using a virtual private network (VPN) to protect against cyber intruders. A VPN provides a secure, encrypted tunnel to transmit data between a remote user via…
IR-2020-172, July 29, 2020 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service provided a reminder today that the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act can help eligible taxpayers in need by providing favorable tax treatment for withdrawals from retirement plans and IRAs and allowing certain retirement plans to offer expanded loan options. Can I get…
IR-2020-170, July 28, 2020 WASHINGTON — With heightened threats during COVID-19, the Internal Revenue Service and Security Summit partners today called on tax professionals to select multi-factor authentication options whenever possible to prevent identity thieves from gaining access to client accounts. Starting in 2021, all tax software providers will be required to offer multi-factor authentication options on…
IR-2020-168, July 22, 2020 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service reminds businesses required to file reports of large cash transactions that e-filing is a fast, easy and secure option for filing their reports. Now, businesses can batch file their reports, which is especially helpful to those required to file many forms. Although businesses have the…
IR-2020-163, July 17, 2020 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service and the Security Summit partners today urged tax professionals this summer to review critical security steps to ensure they are fully protecting client data whether working in the office or a remote location. To help tax practitioners, the IRS, state tax agencies and the nation’s tax industry…
IR-2020-132, June 29, 2020 WASHINGTON ― National Taxpayer Advocate Erin M. Collins today released her first report to Congress, identifying taxpayer challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and the IRS’s implementation of the Taxpayer First Act as priority issues the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) plans to focus…
IR-2020-129, June 24, 2020 WASHINGTON — The Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC) today released its annual report to Congress, featuring recommendations that focus on the prevention of identity theft and refund fraud. The ETAAC is a public forum whose members work closely with the Security Summit, a joint effort of the IRS, state tax…
IR-2020-124, June 19, 2020 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today released Notice 2020-50 (PDF) to help retirement plan participants affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus take advantage of the CARES Act provisions providing enhanced access to plan distributions and plan loans. This includes expanding the categories of individuals eligible for these types of distributions and loans (referred…
IR-2020-122, June 17, 2020 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service has advised that new rules under the CARES Act provide flexibility for health care spending that may be helpful in the current environment where more people may need at-home services due to measures to fight the coronavirus. Telehealth and High Deductible Health Plans Under the…
