Inside This Issue

1. IRS announces 2024 Nationwide Tax Forum seminars lineup; register today
2. Key milestone reached by Document Upload Tool with 1 million submissions received
3. New guidance on payments to victims impacted by Ohio train disaster
4. Technical Guidance

1.  IRS announces 2024 Nationwide Tax Forum seminars lineup; register today

The IRS has announced the seminar lineup for the 2024 Nationwide Tax Forum, which includes 45 continuing education sessions, including six in Spanish. Attendees can earn up to 19 credits by attending the forum. The agenda includes a keynote address and a special plenary session that will cover the future of tax administration, the taxpayer experience and IRS transformation.

In addition to continuing education, Tax Forum attendees also get:

Special events, including sessions on practice management, avoiding scams and schemes, beneficial ownership information reporting and a meeting with the National Taxpayer Advocate. The Case Resolution Program, where you can receive one-on-one help from IRS representatives on one of your toughest, unresolved case. The Expo Hall, where you’ll have opportunities to engage with industry experts, IRS representatives and exhibitors displaying a wide selection of products and services that may help enhance your business operations.

The IRS Nationwide Tax Forum kicks off in less than five weeks. Register today and reserve your spot in Chicago, July 9-11; Orlando, July 30-Aug. 1; Baltimore, Aug. 13-15; Dallas, Aug. 20-22; or San Diego, Sept. 10-12.

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2.  Key milestone reached by Document Upload Tool with 1 million submissions received

The IRS announced that the Document Upload Tool (DUT) has accepted the one millionth taxpayer submission, marking another significant milestone in IRS transformation efforts. More than 265,000 taxpayers have used the tool during the first six months of this fiscal year, and the number continues to grow.

“The Document Upload Tool is a key part of our ambitious initiative to transform the IRS into a virtually paperless agency, and we continue to see increased use of this by taxpayers,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “This tool saves time for taxpayers and helps IRS employees process responses faster and more efficiently. A growing number of taxpayers are using their smart phones or computers to scan and upload their responses to IRS correspondence, rather than the more time-consuming option of writing a letter or mailing in documents.”

For more information about the Document Upload Tool, visit IRS.gov/dut.

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3.  New guidance on payments to victims impacted by Ohio train disaster

The IRS issued guidance concerning case payments received by individuals affected by last year’s train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Notice 2024-46 explains that the Feb. 3, 2023, derailment qualifies as “an event of a catastrophic nature.” Therefore, various payments made to affected individuals by the common carrier that operated the derailed train are “qualified disaster relief payments,” which, by law, are excluded from gross income. The exclusion from taxation is available to individual taxpayers in cases where the costs reimbursed by insurance or other sources are not offset by the qualified disaster relief payments provided by the common carrier. Additional information may be found on the East Palestine train derailment frequently asked questions webpage. 

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4.  Technical Guidance

Notice 2024-48 publishes lists of information that taxpayers may use to determine whether they meet certain requirements under the Statistical Area Category or the Coal Closure Category as described in sections 3.03 and 3.04 of Notice 2023-29 for purposes of qualifying for energy community bonus credit amounts or rates under sections 45, 45Y, 48, and 48E of the Internal Revenue Code.