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https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-releases-tax-inflation-adjustments-for-tax-year-2025

IRS releases tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2025 | Internal Revenue Service IR-2024-273, Oct. 22, 2024 — The Internal Revenue Service announced today the annual inflation adjustments for tax year 2025.

Issue Number: IR-2023-71
Inside This Issue
IRS wraps up 2023 Dirty Dozen list; reminds taxpayers and tax pros to be wary of scams and schemes, even after tax season

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service wrapped up the annual Dirty Dozen list of tax scams for 2023 with a reminder for taxpayers, businesses and tax professionals to watch out for these schemes throughout the year, not just during tax season.

Many of these schemes peak during filing season as people prepare their tax returns. In reality, these scams can occur throughout the year as fraudsters look for ways to steal money, personal information, data and more.

To help people watch out for these scams, the IRS and the Security Summit partners are providing an overview recapping this year’s Dirty Dozen scams.

“Scammers are coming up with new ways all the time to try to steal information from taxpayers,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “People should be wary and avoid sharing sensitive personal data over the phone, email or social media to avoid getting caught up in these scams. And people should always remember to be wary if a tax deal sounds too good to be true.”

Working together as the Security Summit, the IRS, state tax agencies and the nation's tax industry, including tax professionals, have taken numerous steps since 2015 to warn people about common scams and schemes during tax season and beyond that can increase the risk of identity theft. The Security Summit initiative is committed to protecting taxpayers, businesses and the tax system from scammers and identity thieves.

Some items on this year’s list were new and some made a return visit. While the list is not a legal document or a formal listing of agency enforcement priorities, it is intended to alert taxpayers and the tax professional community about various scams and schemes.

2023 Dirty Dozen summary:

Employee Retention Credit claims
Taxpayers should be aware of aggressive pitches from scammers who promote large refunds related to the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). The warning follows blatant attempts by promoters to con ineligible people to claim the credit. The IRS highlighted these schemes from promoters who have been blasting ads on radio and the internet touting refunds involving Employee Retention Credits. These promotions can be based on inaccurate information related to eligibility for and computation of the credit. Additionally, some of these advertisements exist solely to collect the taxpayer’s personally identifiable information in exchange for false promises. The scammers then use the information to conduct identity theft.

Phishing and smishing
Taxpayers and tax professionals should be alert to fake communications from those posing as legitimate organizations in the tax and financial community, including the IRS and the states. These messages arrive in the form of an unsolicited text (smishing) or email (phishing) to lure unsuspecting victims to provide valuable personal and financial information that can lead to identity theft. The IRS initiates most contacts through regular mail and will never initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text or social media regarding a bill or tax refund.

Online account help from third-party scammers
Swindlers pose as a "helpful" third party and offer to help create a taxpayer's IRS Online Account at IRS.gov. In reality, no help is needed. The online account provides taxpayers with valuable tax information. But third parties making these offers will try to steal a taxpayer's personal information this way. Taxpayers can and should establish their own online account through IRS.gov.

False Fuel Tax Credit claims
The fuel tax credit is meant for off-highway business and farming use and, as such, is not available to most taxpayers. However, unscrupulous tax return preparers and promoters are enticing taxpayers to inflate their refunds by erroneously claiming the credit. The IRS has seen an increase in the promotion of filing certain refundable credits using Form 4136, Credit for Federal Tax Paid on Fuels.

Fake charities
Bogus charities are a perennial problem that gets bigger whenever a crisis or natural disaster strikes. Scammers set up these fake organizations to take advantage of the public's generosity. They seek money and personal information, which can be used to further exploit victims through identity theft. Taxpayers who give money or goods to a charity might be able to claim a deduction on their federal tax return if they itemize deductions, but charitable donations only count if they go to a qualified tax-exempt organization recognized by the IRS.

Unscrupulous tax return preparers
Most tax preparers provide outstanding and professional service. However, people should be careful of shady tax professionals and watch for common warning signs, including charging a fee based on the size of the refund. A major red flag or bad sign is when the tax preparer is unwilling to sign the dotted line. Avoid these "ghost" preparers, who will prepare a tax return but refuse to sign or include their IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) as required by law. Taxpayers should never sign a blank or incomplete return.

Social media: Fraudulent form filing and bad advice
Social media can circulate inaccurate or misleading tax information, and the IRS has recently seen several examples. These can involve common tax documents like Form W-2 or more obscure ones like Form 8944. While Form 8944 is real, it is intended for a very limited, specialized group. Both schemes encourage people to submit false, inaccurate information in hopes of getting a refund. Taxpayers should always remember that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Spearphishing and cybersecurity for tax professionals
Phishing is a term given to emails or text messages designed to get users to provide personal information. Spearphishing is a tailored phishing attempt to a specific organization or business. The IRS is warning tax professionals about spearphishing because there is greater potential for harm if the tax preparer has a data breach. A successful spearphishing attack can ultimately steal client data and the tax preparer's identity, allowing the thief to file fraudulent returns.

Offer in Compromise mills
Offers in Compromise are an important program to help people who can’t pay to settle their federal tax debts. But “mills” can aggressively promote Offers in Compromise in misleading ways to people who clearly don’t meet the qualifications, frequently costing taxpayers thousands of dollars. A taxpayer can check their eligibility for free using the IRS Offer in Compromise Pre-Qualifier tool.

Schemes aimed at high-income filers

Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust (CRAT): Charitable Remainder Trusts are irrevocable trusts that let individuals donate assets to charity and draw annual income for life or a specific period. Unfortunately, these trusts are sometimes misused by promoters, advisors and taxpayers to try to eliminate ordinary income and/or capital gain on the sale of the property.
Monetized Installment Sales: In these potentially abusive transactions, promoters find taxpayers seeking to defer the recognition of gain upon the sale of appreciated property. They facilitate a purported monetized installment sale for the taxpayer in exchange for a fee.
Bogus tax avoidance strategies

Micro-captive insurance arrangements: A micro-captive is an insurance company whose owners elect to be taxed on the captive's investment income only. Abusive micro-captives involve schemes that lack many of the attributes of legitimate insurance. These structures often include implausible risks, failure to match genuine business needs and, in many cases, unnecessary duplication of the taxpayer’s commercial coverages.
Syndicated conservation easements: A conservation easement is a restriction on the use of real property. Generally, taxpayers may claim a charitable contribution deduction for the fair market value of a conservation easement transferred to a charity if the transfer meets the requirements of Internal Revenue Code 170. In abusive arrangements, which generate high fees for promoters, participants attempt to game the tax system with grossly inflated tax deductions.
Schemes with international elements

Offshore accounts and digital assets: The IRS continues to scrutinize attempts to hide assets in offshore accounts and accounts holding digital assets, such as cryptocurrency. The IRS continues to identify individuals who attempt to conceal income in offshore banks, brokerage accounts, digital asset accounts and nominee entities. Asset protection professionals and unscrupulous promoters continue to lure U.S. persons into placing their assets in offshore accounts and structures saying they are out of reach of the IRS. These assertions are not true. The IRS can identify and track anonymous transactions of foreign financial accounts as well as digital assets.
Maltese individual retirement arrangements misusing treaty: These arrangements involve U.S. citizens or residents who attempt to avoid U.S. tax by contributing to foreign individual retirement arrangements in Malta (or potentially other host countries). The participants in these transactions typically lack any local connection to the host country. By improperly asserting the foreign arrangement as a “pension fund” for U.S. tax treaty purposes, the U.S. taxpayer misconstrues the relevant treaty provisions and improperly claims an exemption from U.S. income tax on gains and earnings in and distributions from the foreign individual retirement arrangement.
Puerto Rican and foreign captive insurance: U.S. business owners of closely held entities participate in a purported insurance arrangement with a Puerto Rican or other foreign corporation in which the U.S. business owner has a financial interest. The U.S. business owner (or a related entity) claims a deduction for amounts paid as premiums for “insurance coverage” provided by a fronting carrier, which reinsures the “coverage” with the Puerto Rican or other foreign corporation. Despite being labeled as insurance, these arrangements lack many of the attributes of legitimate insurance.
Where appropriate, the IRS will challenge the purported tax benefits from these types of transactions and impose penalties. The IRS Criminal Investigation Division is always on the lookout for promoters and participants of these types of schemes. Taxpayers should think twice before including questionable arrangements like this on their tax returns. After all, taxpayers are legally responsible for what's on their return, not a promoter making promises and charging high fees. Taxpayers can help stop these arrangements by relying on reputable tax professionals they know and trust.

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TAX PREPARATION. 20 YEARS IN SERVICE. ALL FORMS. NO QUESTIONS UNANSWERED. FREE QUOTE. $30 REFERRALS. REFUND LOANS AVAILABLE UPON IRS ACCEPTANCE. OPEN ALL YEAR. FREE COPIES FOR LIFE. PRIOR YEAR AND CURRENT TAXES AVAILABLE TO EFILE.

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TIPS- THE PERFECT W2. THE GROSS WAGES ARE 48K. THE FIT IS OVER 10% AT 6K. KEEP TRACK OF YOUR WITHHOLDINGS WITH CHECK STUBS.

TIPS - NUMBER ONE REASON WHY YOU OWE TAXES. YOUR NOT PAYING ENOUGH FIT. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE DEPENDENTS or A BUSINESS or DEDUCTIONS OVER THE STANDARD: YOU SHOULD PAY MORE THAN 10% OF YOUR ANNUAL INCOME. KEEP TRACK OF YOUR STUBS.

This is an ad for tax preparer by one of largest corporations in the business. SMH. Ask questions before you give up your info.

Tax Preparer III
•Presents the Company’s value proposition to clients concerning various company products and services and uses prescribed selling techniques.
•Top candidates for this position will have retail experience providing exceptional client service and performing multiple tasks.
Field Instructor, Remote Support and Call Center certified.
Hands-on marketing with surrounding businesses, including office visits to promote brand awareness and new clientele
High School Degree or equivalent.
2+ years of experience preferably in sales, service and or tax preparation.
Experience completing complex returns.
Must have current PTIN.
Good communication, leadership, interpersonal and customer services skills.
Basic knowledge of computer functions required.
Enrolled Agent (EA) certification preferred.
Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
Ability to work under pressure, in a fast-paced working environment
Ability to lift a maximum of 25 lbs.

As ive always stated they are trying to make it impossible to get a refund eventually. Especially for high income households. Open a business asap.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/millions-of-taxpayers-could-wind-up-owing-for-2018/ar-BBN7wrE?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=U270DHP....... more than 4.5 million taxpayers will come up short next April, unless they act now to adjust their withholding amounts because the tax law limited or even eliminated many itemized deductions claimed by millions of taxpayers -- nearly 28 million of them for 2017. The biggest contributors to this are the new limits on state and local tax deductions (the SALT deductions), a restriction on the amount you can deduct for home mortgage interest and the elimination of the deduction for job-related expenses.

Those most likely to owe tax for 2018 are those who itemize deductions. The GAO looked closely at this group and provided more clarity as to who it will include. Specifically, married taxpayers who itemize deductions, with two children under age 17, income exceeding $180,000 from one or more jobs and who have $20,000 or more in nonwage income (dividends, interest or capital gains) are highly likely to have to pay additional tax when they file next year.

More than 130,000 veterans owed tax refunds after glitch
The IRS recommends that taxpayers who itemize should do some planning now to avoid the sticker shock of a large tax bill for 2018.

They're urged to use the Withholding Calculator on the IRS website to perform a "paycheck checkup" now.

Millions of taxpayers could wind up owing for 2018 Changes to the tax code that are now in effect might snare up to 4.5 million Americans at tax time next April

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/heres-how-to-get-prior-year-tax-information

Here’s How to Get Prior-Year Tax Information | Internal Revenue Service IRS Tax Tip 2018-43, March 21, 2018

Help for Taxpayers

The IRS reminds taxpayers they have a variety of options to get help filing and preparing their tax return on IRS.gov, the official IRS website. Taxpayers can find answers to their tax questions and resolve tax issues online. The Let Us Help You page helps answer most tax questions, and the IRS Services Guide links to these and other IRS services.

Taxpayers can go to IRS.gov/account to securely access information about their federal tax account. They can view the amount they owe, pay online or set up an online payment agreement; access their tax records online; review the past 18 months of payment history; and view key tax return information for the current year as filed. Visit IRS.gov/secureaccess to review the required identity authentication process.

In addition, 70 percent of the nation’s taxpayers are eligible for IRS Free File. Commercial partners of the IRS offer free brand-name software to about 100 million individuals and families with incomes of $66,000 or less.

The online fillable forms provide electronic versions of IRS paper forms to all taxpayers regardless of income that can be prepared and filed by people comfortable with completing their own returns.