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Weekly IRS Roundup January 25 – January 29, 2021

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of January 25, 2021 – January 29, 2021. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.

On January 20, President Biden’s chief of staff, Ronald Klain, issued a memorandum freezing the publication of rules in the Federal Register pending additional review by presidential designees or appointees. As a result, there may be delays in the official publication of pending IRS actions.

January 29, 2021: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).

January 29, 2021: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2021-5, dated February 1, 2021, containing the following highlights: REG-115057-20 (Administrative); Notice 2021-9 (Employee Plans); Rev. Rul. 2021-3 (Employee Plans); REG-111950-20 (Income Tax); Rev. Proc. 2021-12 (Income Tax); TD 9936 (Income Tax); TD 9943 (Income Tax); TD 9945 (Income Tax).

Special thanks to Brian Moore in our Washington, DC, office for this week’s roundup.




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Weekly IRS Roundup January 11 – January 15, 2021

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of January 11, 2021 – January 15, 2021. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.

January 11, 2021: The IRS released TD 9948 containing final regulations relating to the excise taxes imposed on certain amounts paid for transportation of persons and property by air.

January 11, 2021: The IRS released TD 9938 setting forth final regulations related to the excise tax on remuneration in excess of $1 million and any excess parachute payment paid by certain tax-exempt organizations to covered employees.

January 12, 2021: The IRS released TD 9946 containing final regulations related to the deduction and reporting of certain fines, penalties and other amounts.

January 13, 2021: The IRS released TD 9949 providing final regulations concerning the application of the employer shared responsibility provisions and certain nondiscrimination rules to health reimbursement arrangements and certain other health plans.

January 14, 2021: The IRS released Rev. Proc. 21-11 providing methods for calculating W-2 wages for purposes of the wage limitation for the section 199A(g) deduction.

January 14, 2021: The IRS released Rev. Proc. 21-12 extending, in light of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, the expiration date relevant to the application of certain safe harbors protecting the tax status of certain real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs) and investment trusts.

January 15, 2021: The IRS released Rev. Rul. 21-03 providing tables of covered compensation related to the contribution and benefit bases under the Social Security Act.

January 15, 2021: The IRS released Notice 21-12 providing temporary relief, due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, from certain requirements for qualified low-income housing projects and qualified residential rental projects.

January 15, 2021: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).

January 15, 2021: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2021-3, dated January 19, 2021, containing the following highlights: Notice 2021-7 (Administrative, Employment); TD 9932 (Employee Plans, Income Tax); REG-114615-16 (Excise Tax); Notice 2021-2 (Income Tax); Notice 2021-5 (Income Tax); Rev. Proc. 2021-9 (Income Tax); TD 9939 (Income Tax); TD 9941 (Income Tax); and TD 9942 (Income Tax).

Special thanks to Brian Moore in our Washington, DC, office for this week’s roundup.




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Weekly IRS Roundup December 28, 2020 – January 8, 2021

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the weeks of December 28, 2020 – January 8, 2021. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.

December 29, 2020: The IRS released Revenue Procedure 21-09 providing a procedure for a trade or business that manages or operates a qualified residential living facility to elect to be treated as a real property trade or business for purposes of section 163(j).

December 31, 2020: The IRS issued Notice 21-05 clarifying and modifying the beginning of construction requirement for qualified facility and energy property projects under sections 45 and 48.

December 31, 2020: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).

December 31, 2020: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2021-1, dated January 4, 2021, containing the following highlights: Rev. Proc. 2021-1 (Administrative); Rev. Proc. 2021-2 (Administrative); Rev. Proc. 2021-3 (Administrative); Rev. Proc. 2021-4 (Employee Plans); Rev. Proc. 2021-5 (Exempt Organizations); and Rev. Proc. 2021-7 (Income Tax).

January 4, 2021: The IRS issued Notice 21-07 providing temporary relief for employers and employees using the automobile lease valuation rule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

January 5, 2021: The IRS issued Revenue Procedure 21-08 modifying Revenue Procedure 2021-5 to provide that the exclusive means of submitting Form 1024-A, after the 90-day transition relief period, is through the electronic submission process.

January 5, 2021: The IRS issued Revenue Procedure 21-10 providing procedures for issuers of tax-advantaged bonds who received adverse determinations by the Office of Tax Exempt Bonds to request an administrative appeal from the Independent Office of Appeals.

January 5, 2021: The IRS released TD 9943 containing the final regulations under section 163(j) related to the limitation on the deduction for business interest expense.

January 6, 2021: The IRS issued Revenue Ruling 21-02 declaring Notice 2020-32 and Rev. Rul. 2020-27, both of which provided that certain taxpayers could not deduct expenses related to loans forgiven under the Paycheck Protection Program, as obsolete.

January 6, 2021: The IRS released TD 9944 containing the final regulations under section 45Q related to the credit for carbon oxide sequestration.

January 7, 2021: The IRS released TD 9945 containing the final regulations under section 1061 related to the characterization of gains for taxpayers directly or indirectly holding applicable partnership interests in connection with the performance of substantial services.

January 8, 2021: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).

January 8, 2021: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2021-2, dated January 11, 2021, containing the following highlights: TD 9940 (Administrative); Notice 2021-03 (Employee Plans); Notice 2021-04 (Excise [...]

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Let’s All Stop and Reflect for a Moment

In a recent article for the American Bar Association’s ABA Tax Times, McDermott partner Andrew R. Roberson reflected on 2020 and the importance of giving back.

“From COVID-19 to the Black Lives Matter movement; from home office and Zoom to remote learning for students; and so on—these events have impacted us all, both on professional and personal levels.”

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Weekly IRS Roundup November 23 – November 27, 2020

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of November 23, 2020 – November 27, 2020. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.

November 23, 2020: The IRS released TD 9935, providing final regulations implementing statutory changes to the treatment of like-kind exchanges.

November 23, 2020: The IRS issued a News Release announcing a research partnership to improve IRS procurement operations.

November 24, 2020: The IRS released Notice 2020-84 announcing the adjusted applicable dollar amount for calculating the fee imposed by sections 4375 and 4376 for certain health plans.

November 25, 2020: The IRS updated FAQs providing guidance on What Is an Eligible Employer for COVID-19-related tax credit purposes and How to Claim the Credits.

November 27, 2020: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2020-49, dated November 30, 2020, containing the following highlights: Notice 2020-81 (Employee Plans); Notice 2020-82 (Employee Plans); TD 9929 (Employee Plans); TD 9930 (Employee Plans); REG-101657-20 (Income Tax); Rev. Proc. 2020-48 (Income Tax); TD 9922 (Income Tax); and Notice 2020-75 (Income Tax).

November 27, 2020: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).

Special thanks to Brian Moore in our Washington, DC, office for this week’s roundup.




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Weekly IRS Roundup November 16 – November 20, 2020

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of November 16, 2020 – November 20, 2020. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.

November 16, 2020: The IRS released Notice 2020-82 related to the due date for certain contributions to defined benefit plans.

November 16, 2020: The IRS released Revenue Ruling 2020-26 updating the applicable federal rate and various other prescribed rates for December 2020.

November 16, 2020: The IRS released Notice 2020-81 updating weighted average interest rates, yield curves, and segment rates.

November 18, 2020: The IRS released Revenue Ruling 2020-27 related to deductions for expenses paid with Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

November 18, 2020: The IRS released Revenue Procedure 2020-51 providing a safe harbor for deductions for expenses paid with PPP loans when loan forgiveness is denied or the taxpayer forgoes forgiveness.

November 19, 2020: The IRS released TD 9933 containing final regulations to provide guidance regarding unrelated business taxable income of exempt organization.

November 20, 2020: The IRS released Notice 2020-83 announcing the Required Amendments List for qualified retirement plans and section 403(b) retirement plans.

November 20, 2020: The IRS released TD 9934 containing final regulations to coordinate the extraordinary disposition rule under section 245A with the disqualified basis and disqualified payment rules under section 951A.

November 20, 2020: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2020-47, dated November 23, 2020, containing the following highlights: Rev. Proc. 2020-49 (Administrative); REG-122462-20 (Employee Plans); Rev. Proc. 2020-47 (Employee Tax); Rev. Rule. 2020-25 (Income Tax); Rev. Proc. 2020-50 (Income Tax); T.D. 9919 (Income Tax); and T.D. 9931 (Temporary Regulation).

November 20, 2020: The IRS released an audit technique guide for conservation easements.

November 20, 2020: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).

Special thanks to Brian Moore in our Washington, D.C. office for this week’s roundup.




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Weekly IRS Roundup September 28 – October 2, 2020

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of September 28, 2020 – October 2, 2020. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.

September 29, 2020: The IRS published final regulations related to the source of income for certain property sales and modifying rules for determining whether foreign source income is effectively connected with a US trade or business.

September 29, 2020: The IRS published final regulations related to a wide range of foreign tax credit topics. The regulations provide guidance on the allocation and apportionment of deductions and creditable foreign taxes, the definition of financial services income, foreign tax redeterminations, availability of foreign tax credits under the transition tax, the application of the foreign tax credit limitation to consolidated groups, adjustments to hybrid deduction accounts to take into account certain inclusions in income by a United States shareholder, conduit financing arrangements involving hybrid instruments and the treatment of certain payments under the global intangible low-taxed income provisions.

October 1, 2020: The IRS published Notice 2020-70 generally removing Form 1040NR, US Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return, from the list of returns that are administratively exempt from the electronic filing requirement.

October 1, 2020: The IRS published final regulations related to savings programs for eligible individuals with a disability under section 529A.

October 1, 2020: The IRS released an Office of Chief Counsel Notice related to settlement options for syndicated conservation easement transactions.

October 2, 2020: The IRS published Notice 2020-76 providing for transition relief related to information reporting requirements related to the Affordable Care Act.

October 2, 2020: The IRS updated the instructions for Form 8858: Information Return of US Persons with Respect to Foreign Disregarded Entities (FDEs) and Foreign Branches (FBs) to reflect changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

October 2, 2020: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2020-41, dated October 5, 2020, containing the following highlights: Announcement 2020-12 (Administrative); Rev. Proc. 2020-42 (Administrative); Rev. Rul. 2020-20 (Income Tax); Rev. Rul. 2020-21 (Income Tax); TD 9915 (Income Tax); Notice 2020-73 (Income Tax); Notice 2020-74 (Income Tax).

September 25, 2020: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).

Special thanks to Brian Moore in our Washington, DC, office for this week’s roundup.




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Weekly IRS Roundup September 21 – September 25, 2020

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of September 21, 2020 – September 25, 2020. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.

September 21, 2020: The IRS released Announcement 2020-12 to detail information reporting requirements for taxpayers seeking forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Program loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

September 21, 2020: The IRS published final regulations related to bonus depreciation. The rules provide additional guidance to final regulations issued in 2019.

September 21, 2020: The IRS published final regulations providing guidance for certain foreign persons that recognize gain or loss from the sale or exchange of an interest in a partnership that is engaged in a trade or business within the United States.

September 21, 2020: The IRS published final regulations clarifying that certain deductions allowed to an estate or non-grantor trust are not miscellaneous non-itemized deductions.

September 22, 2020: The IRS issued proposed regulations to modify the ownership attribution rules applicable to outbound transfers of stock or securities of a domestic corporation under section 367(a) and narrow the scope of foreign corporations that are treated as controlled foreign corporations for purposes of the look-through rule under section 954(c)(6).

September 22, 2020: The IRS published final regulations related to the downward attribution for ownership determination of controlled foreign corporations (CFCs) following changes in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

September 24, 2020: The IRS announced that it will provide tax relief for victims of Hurricane Sally by extending the deadline for filing and payment deadlines that would have been due October 15, 2020, until January 15, 2021.

September 25, 2020: The IRS updated the instructions for Form 8858: Information Return of US Persons with Respect to Foreign Disregarded Entities (FDEs) and Foreign Branches (FBs) to reflect changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

September 25, 2020: The IRS released Internal Revenue Bulletin 2020-40, dated September 28, 2020, containing the following highlights: Notice 2020-66 (Administrative); Announcement 2020-17 (Employee Plans Administrative); Notice 2020-72 (Employee Plans); Notice 2020-59 (Income Tax); Notice 2020-71 (Income Tax); REG-107911-18 (Income Tax); Rev. Proc. 2020-41 (Income Tax); Rev. Rul. 2020-19 (Income Tax); TD 9905 (Income Tax).

September 25, 2020: The IRS released its weekly list of written determinations (e.g., Private Letter Rulings, Technical Advice Memorandums and Chief Counsel Advice).

Special thanks to Brian Moore in our Washington, DC, office for this week’s roundup.




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Weekly IRS Roundup September 14 – September 18, 2020

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of September 14, 2020 – September 18, 2020. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.

September 14, 2020: The IRS published final regulations providing guidance on the limitation on the deduction for business interest expense after amendment of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The regulations provide guidance to taxpayers on how to calculate the limitation, what constitutes interest for purposes of the limitation, which taxpayers and trades or businesses are subject to the limitation and how the limitation applies in consolidated group, partnership, international and other contexts. The final regulations vary slightly from the document released on IRS.gov on July 28, 2020.

September 14, 2020: The IRS published a criminal tax bulletin concerning recent case law involving the Criminal Tax Division.

September 15, 2020: The IRS published Rev. Rul. 2020-20 that provides various prescribed rates for federal income tax purposes for October 2020, including: (1) the applicable federal rates (AFR) under section 1274(d); (2) the adjusted applicable federal rates (adjusted AFR) under section 1288(b); (3) the adjusted federal long-term rate and the long-term tax-exempt rate under section 382(f); (4) the appropriate percentages for determining the low-income housing credit under Section 42(b)(1); and (5) the federal rate for determining the present value of an annuity, an interest for life or for a term of years or a remainder or a reversionary interest under section 7520.

September 15, 2020: The IRS published a practice unit covering Last In-First Out (LIFO) inventories under various LIFO methods.

September 15, 2020: The IRS released for future publication in the Federal Register final regulations concerning the definition of an eligible terminated S corporation and rules relating to distributions of money by such a corporation after the post-termination transition period. The regulation package also amends current regulations to extend the treatment of distributions of money during the post-termination transition period to all shareholders of the corporation and clarifies the allocation of current earnings and profits to distributions of money and other property. The final regulations affect C corporations that were formerly S corporations and the shareholders of such corporations.

September 16, 2020: The IRS published a memorandum providing flexibility for taxpayers who are temporarily unable to meet the payment terms on accepted offers due to the economic impact of COVID-19. The procedures will expire December 31, 2020, unless extended.

September 17, 2020: The IRS published a practice unit providing an overview of the Overall Foreign Loss (OFL), Separate Limitation Loss (SLL) and Overall Domestic Loss (ODL) rules, as well as related examples.

September 17, 2020: The IRS
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Weekly IRS Roundup August 24 – August 28, 2020

Presented below is our summary of significant Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and relevant tax matters for the week of August 24, 2020 – August 28, 2020. Additionally, for continuing updates on the tax impact of COVID-19, please visit our resource page here.

August 24 2020: The IRS published a memorandum concerning guidance to the field on the criteria that should be applied in considering if a request for designation for litigation should be made to the Office of Chief Counsel. The memorandum also provides interim guidance on the requirements of Section 1001 of the Taxpayer First Act (TFA) with respect to the limitation on designation of cases as not eligible for referral to the IRS Independent Office of Appeals.

August 25, 2020: The IRS published a Summer 2020 Statistics of Income Bulletin. The Summer 2020 Bulletin focuses individual income tax shares, 2017; foreign recipients of US income, calendar year 2017; effects of post-filing adjustments on Statistics of Income (SOI) estimates; and implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

August 25, 2020: The IRS published a practice unit focusing on the definition of foreign earned income for purposes of section 911.

August 26, 2020: The IRS published a notice and request for comments on Treasury Decision 8702 concerning certain transfers of domestic stock or securities by US persons to foreign corporations. The regulation relates to certain transfers of stock or securities of domestic corporations pursuant to the corporate organization, reorganization or liquidation provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (Code). Transfers of stock or securities by US persons in tax-free transactions are treated as taxable transactions when the acquirer is a foreign corporation, unless an exception applies under section 367(a). The regulation provides that no US person will qualify for an exception unless the US target company complies with certain reporting requirements. The comments should be received on or before October 26, 2020.

August 26, 2020: The IRS published a notice and request for comments on Treasury Decision 8612 concerning the availability of the gift and estate tax marital deduction when the donee spouse or the surviving spouse is not a US citizen. The regulation provides guidance to individuals or fiduciaries: (1) for making a qualified domestic trust election on the estate tax return of a decedent whose surviving spouse is not a US citizen in order that the estate may obtain the marital deduction; and (2) for filing the annual returns that such an election may require. The comments should be received on or before October 26, 2020.

August 27, 2020: The IRS published an announcement on the opening of the application period for the 2021 Compliance Assurance Process program. The application period runs September 1 to November 13, 2020. The IRS will inform applicants if they’re accepted into the program in February 2021.

August 28, 2020: The IRS published
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