Access Denied Stamp in Red on White Background
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FBAR Penalties and the Treasury Offset Program: Tax Court Affirms IRS’s Denial of CDP Hearing

Introduction: In Jenner v. Commissioner, 163 T.C. 7 (Oct. 22, 2024) (link to opinion), the U.S. Tax Court held that the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) was under no obligation to provide a husband and wife with a collection due process (“CDP”) hearing prior to offsetting Social Security benefit payments under the Treasury Offset Program (TOP)….

Generic Sample of LT11, Final Notice of Intent to levy.
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You Received an IRS LT11, Final Notice of Intent to Levy. What’s Next?

Receiving an LT11 (or a Letter 1058) Final Notice of Intent to Levy from the IRS can be overwhelming, especially when it arrives unexpectedly. This notice is a critical warning that the IRS intends to levy your assets if the outstanding tax liability is not addressed promptly. A levy is the IRS’s legal authority to…

D.C. Circuit Upholds Tax Court Decision That John Doe Summons Precluded Qualified Amended Return
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D.C. Circuit Upholds Tax Court Decision That John Doe Summons Precluded Qualified Amended Return

The Lamprecht case is a good reminder of how long and complex the path can be for international taxpayers to correct prior wrongs and come into compliance for federal income tax purposes. On April 23, 2024, in Lamprecht v Commissioner,  ___ F.4th ___ (D.C. Cir. 4/23/24), ( D.C. Circuit Court opinion) the U.S. Court of…

Form 5471
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DC Circuit: Tax Court was Wrong; IRS has the Authority To Assess Form 5471 Penalties

Summary On Friday, May 3, 2024, the U.S. Circuit Court for the D.C. Circuit overturned the Tax Court’s decision in Farhy v. Commissioner, ___ F.4th ___ (D.C. Cir. 5/3/24) (link to opinion) and held that the IRS has authority under § 6038(b) to assess Form 5471 penalties.   The Tax Court previously held that the…

Image of US Tax, Form 3520, Form 3520-A, Gavel Rendering Judgment
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Tax Court Rejects Excessive Fines Clause Argument and Upholds $11 Million Form 3520 and Form 3520-A Penalties

The Mukhi v Commissioner[1] case is another example of just how severe the penalties are for failing to report certain foreign financial activity timely; in this case, it was the failure to report foreign trusts, related trust activity, and ownership of a foreign corporation on Form 3520, Form 3520-A, and Form 5471 in a timely…

Gavel with hourglass in background.
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Failure to File International Information Forms Allows IRS to Assess Taxpayer More Than Five Years Past Normal Statute of Limitations

The Fairbank case demonstrates the power of IRC § 6501(c)(8) to provide the IRS the ability to assess taxpayers many years after the normal statute of limitations is closed if the taxpayer fails to file all required IRS international information reporting forms. In Fairbank v Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2023-19, the IRS argued that, despite the…

IRS Grants Waiver of 60-Day Requirement for Fraud Victim to Make Rollover Contribution

IRS Grants Waiver of 60-Day Requirement for Fraud Victim to Make Rollover Contribution

The Internal Revenue Code provides the IRS with authority to waive the 60-day IRA rollover requirement “where the failure to waive such requirement would be against equity or good conscience, including casualty, disaster, or other events beyond the reasonable control of the individual subject to such requirement.” See generally Accepting Late Rollover Contributions. The IRS…

John Doe Summons Extended SOL & Prevented Amended Returns From Fending Off IRS Penalties
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John Doe Summons Extended SOL & Prevented Amended Returns From Fending Off IRS Penalties

In Lamprecht v Commissioner, TC Memo 2022-91 (link to case), a John Doe summons tolled the statute of limitations and allowed the IRS to assess a 20% accuracy related penalty more than 6 years after the Taxpayers’ original income tax returns were filed. The IRS was able to assess the penalty even though the Taxpayer…

Court Orders That Individual Must Repatriate $18+ million From Switzerland to Pay Willful FBAR Penalty Liability
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Court Orders That Individual Must Repatriate $18+ million From Switzerland to Pay Willful FBAR Penalty Liability

On Tuesday October 26, 2021, Judge Bloom for the District Court of the Northern District of Florida adopted a Magistrate’s recommendation to issue an order to compel repatriation of funds to satisfy a willful FBAR penalty and accrued interest of more than $18 million dollars.[1] The Magistrate’s Report and Recommendation was issued on June 30,…