IRS boosts contribution limits for 401(k) retirement plan savers
The changes, among others announced by the IRS, make it easier for retirement savers to set aside more of their income toward building their nest egg.
The changes, among others announced by the IRS, make it easier for retirement savers to set aside more of their income toward building their nest egg.
The president of the National Treasury Employees Union said taxpayers should expect increased wait times, backlogs and delays implementing tax law changes as the shutdown continues.
Banning nonprofits—including congregations—from participating in political campaigns violates the First Amendment’s protection of the right to the free exercise of religion and freedom of speech, IRS Commissioner Billy Long said in a court filing Monday.
Long will take over an IRS undergoing massive change, including layoffs and voluntary retirements of tens of thousands of workers.
The IRS downsizing is due to a series of moves, spurred by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, to cut the agency’s workforce.
The program developed during Joe Biden’s presidency was credited by some with making tax filing easy, fast and economical, while others said it was frequently difficult to use.
Acting IRS commissioner Melanie Krause—the tax agency’s third leader since President Donald Trump’s inauguration—will participate in the deferred resignation program the Trump administration offered to agency employees in recent days, sources said.
The Taxpayer Advocate Service is part of the IRS but operates independently as its internal watchdog. It identifies major problems facing taxpayers, recommends fixes and assists people with individual problems.
The layoffs are part of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce through billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
The news comes as roughly 150 million taxpayers prepare to file returns by the April 15 deadline.
Daniel Werfel early departure will be unusual, since IRS commissioners’ terms typically extend from one presidential administration into another.
The IRS is distributing about $2.4 billion to taxpayers who didn’t receive their COVID stimulus payments. By the end of January, about 1 million taxpayers will receive special payments of up to $1,400 from the IRS.
IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said the agency is seeing higher numbers of theft victims overall since before the pandemic, in part because scammers are increasingly moving to online schemes.
The Internal Revenue Service detailed the increases in its annual inflation adjustments announced Tuesday.
Businesses have filed at least 3.6 million claims for the Employee Retention Credit since the program’s debut. It has distributed at least $232 billion, far exceeding Congress’s initial expectations.
The IRS confirmed to The Washington Post that 80,000 people and businesses have been affected by the leak. IRS officials, pushed by a lawsuit filed by Citadel CEO Kenneth Griffin, apologized to him and the other taxpayers through a news release last week.
The Employee Retention Credit was designed to help businesses retain employees during pandemic-era shutdowns, but it quickly became a magnet for fraud.
The guidance and ruling being announced Monday includes plans to essentially stop “partnership basis shifting”—a process by which a business or person can move assets among a series of related parties to avoid paying taxes.
The IRS is warning taxpayers that they might be leaving more than $1 billion in unclaimed refunds on the table.
The audits will focus on aircraft used by large corporations and high-income taxpayers and whether the tax purpose of the jet use is being properly allocated, the IRS says.