Today, the IRS published the latest executive column “A Closer Look,” which features IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig discussing how the IRS is celebrating the achievements of the IRS workforce. “People at the IRS continually demonstrate just how much they care and how important the agency is to our country by their heroic response to events, both planned and unplanned. I continue to be impressed and humbled by their dedication, their commitment, and above all, their ability to rise above the challenges we face,” said Rettig. Read more here. Read the Spanish version here.

“A Closer Look” is a column from IRS executives that covers a variety of timely issues of interest to taxpayers and the tax community. It also provides a detailed look at key issues affecting everything from IRS operations and employees to issues involving taxpayers and tax professionals.

Check here for prior posts and new updates. Please contact newsroom@irs.gov for any questions or requests for interviews.

WASHINGTON — Today, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service announced they are disbursing more than 1.1 million payments in the eighth batch of Economic Impact Payments from the American Rescue Plan.

Today’s announcement brings the total disbursed so far to approximately 164 million payments, with a total value of approximately $386 billion, since these payments began rolling out to Americans in batches as announced on March 12. 

The eighth batch of payments began processing on Friday, April 30, with an official payment date of May 5, with some people receiving direct payments in their accounts earlier as provisional or pending deposits. Here is additional information on this batch of payments:

Additional information is available on the first seven batches of Economic Impact Payments from the American Rescue Plan, which processed weekly on April 23, April 16, April 9, April 2, March 26, March 19 and March 12.

The IRS will continue to make Economic Impact Payments on a weekly basis. Ongoing payments will be sent to eligible individuals for whom the IRS previously did not have information to issue a payment but who recently filed a tax return, as well to people who qualify for “plus-up” payments.

Special reminder for those who don't normally file a tax return

Although payments are automatic for most people, the IRS continues to urge people who don’t normally file a tax return and haven’t received Economic Impact Payments to file a 2020 tax return to get all the benefits they’re entitled to under the law, including tax credits such as the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit, the Child Tax Credit, and the Earned Income Tax Credit.  Filing a 2020 tax return will also assist the IRS in determining whether someone is eligible for an advance payment of the 2021 Child Tax Credit, which will begin to be disbursed this summer.

For example, some federal benefits recipients may need to file a 2020 tax return – even if they don't usually file – to provide information the IRS needs to send payments for a qualifying dependent. Eligible individuals in this group should file a 2020 tax return as quickly as possible to be considered for an additional payment for their qualifying dependents.

People who don't normally file a tax return and don't receive federal benefits may qualify for these Economic Impact Payments. This includes those experiencing homelessness, the rural poor, and others. Individuals who didn't get a first or second round Economic Impact Payment or got less than the full amounts may be eligible for the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit, but they’ll need to file a 2020 tax return. See the special section on IRS.gov: Claiming the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit if you aren't required to file a tax return.

Free tax return preparation is available for qualifying people.

The IRS reminds taxpayers that the income levels in this third round of Economic Impact Payments have changed. This means that some people won't be eligible for the third payment even if they received a first or second Economic Impact Payment or claimed a 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit. Payments will begin to be reduced for individuals making $75,000 or above in Adjusted Gross Income ($150,000 for married filing jointly). The payments end at $80,000 for individuals ($160,000 for married filing jointly); people with Adjusted Gross Incomes above these levels are ineligible for a payment.

Individuals can check the Get My Payment tool on IRS.gov to see the payment status of these payments. Additional information on Economic Impact Payments is available on IRS.gov.

WASHINGTON —The Internal Revenue Service’s Office of the Chief Procurement Officer today announced the successful development of a web app called Projected Contract Award Date. The interactive forecast dashboard statistically predicts when contracts will be signed. 

“This effort is a new trend in contract management that adjusts our business processes based on timing factors in the government contracting process, using cutting-edge data science technologies,” said Shanna Webbers, IRS Chief Procurement Officer. “The web app will help us shorten the lead time in awards and save valuable time for our procurement staff as well as help contractors.”

The IRS has $2.5 billion in contracts a year. ‘When will a contract be signed?’ is a key question for the IRS and generally for the federal government. This tool gives insight about when each request is likely to turn into a contract. The tool provides a technique other federal agencies can implement, potentially effecting $600 billion in government contracts.

The new web app provides information on requisitions for new contracts. Using historical data of contract awards, the intelligent web app forecasts the number of days to contract award for requisitions in the IRS’s Integrated Financial System – Procurement for the Public Sector. Predictions can also be expressed as a projected contract award date.

The managerial implications of the new application are far-reaching. The web app with its predictive model will enable internal customers to accurately forecast needs and when they will be fulfilled, enable the IRS to adjust standards by redefining requirements – solicitation procedure, competition, dollar value and type of goods/services with commensurate realistic award lead time goals – and
evenly distribute workload to contracting personnel and others.  

This predictive web app is one of the results brought about by an IRS research partnership with Data and Analytic Solutions (DAS), a woman-owned, small business comprised of procurement practitioners as well as university professors and students with procurement and machine learning experience. Other research initiatives of the team include vendor risk analysis and natural language processing and clustering analysis.

WASHINGTON —The Internal Revenue Service reminds everyone that May includes National Hurricane Preparedness Week and is also National Wildfire Awareness Month. Now is a good time to create or review emergency preparedness plans for surviving natural disasters.

In the last year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared major disasters following hurricanes, tropical storms, tornados, severe storms, flooding, wildfires and an earthquake. Individuals, organizations and businesses should take time now to make or update their emergency plans.

Secure key documents and make copies
Taxpayers should place original documents such as tax returns, birth certificates, deeds, titles and insurance policies inside waterproof containers in a secure space. Duplicates of these documents should be kept with a trusted person outside the area of the taxpayer. Scanning them for backup storage on electronic media such as a flash drive is another option that provides security and portability.
 
Document valuables and equipment
Current photos or videos of a home or business’s contents can help support claims for insurance or tax benefits after a disaster. All property, especially expensive and high value items, should be recorded. The IRS disaster-loss workbooks in Publication 584 can help individuals and businesses compile lists of belongings or business equipment.
 
Employers should check fiduciary bonds
Employers who use payroll service providers should ask the provider if it has a fiduciary bond in place. The bond could protect the employer in the event of default by the payroll service provider. The IRS reminds employers to carefully choose their payroll service providers.
 
Rebuilding documents
Reconstructing records after a disaster may be required for tax purposes, getting federal assistance or insurance reimbursement. Those who have lost some or all their records during a disaster can visit IRS’s Reconstructing Records webpage as one of their first steps. 
 
IRS stands ready
After FEMA issues a disaster declaration, the IRS may postpone certain tax-filing and tax-payment deadlines for taxpayers who reside or have a business in the disaster area.  There is no need to call the IRS to request this relief. The IRS automatically identifies taxpayers located in the covered disaster area and applies filing and payment relief. Those impacted by a disaster with tax-related questions can contact the IRS at 866-562-5227 to speak with an IRS specialist trained to handle disaster-related issues.

Taxpayers who do not reside in a covered disaster area, but suffered impact from a disaster should call 866-562-5227 to find out if they qualify for disaster tax relief and to discuss other available options.

Find complete disaster assistance and emergency relief details for both individuals and businesses on our Around the Nation webpage on IRS.gov. The FEMA Prepare for Disasters web page includes information to Build a Kit of emergency supplies.

Related items:

• Publication 2194, Disaster Resource Guide for Individuals and Businesses
• Publication 583, Starting a Business and Keeping Records
• FS-2017-11, Reconstructing Records After a Natural Disaster or Casualty Loss
• Small Business Administration
• Disasterassistance.gov
• Ready.gov

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced that the application period for Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) matching grants for calendar year 2022 will run from May 3, 2021, to June 18, 2021.

The LITC Program is a federal grant program administered by the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate at the IRS, which is led by National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Erin M. Collins. LITCs can make a tremendous impact on the lives of taxpayers, as detailed in this recent blog from the NTA:  Not all Superheroes Wear Capes: Join the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Community and Be a Hero to Taxpayers Most in Need.

Under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 7526, the IRS awards matching grants of up to $100,000 per year to qualifying organizations to develop, expand or maintain an LITC. An LITC must provide services for free or for no more than a nominal fee.

Qualified organizations that are awarded grants ensure the fairness and integrity of the tax system for taxpayers who are low-income or speak English as a second language (ESL) by providing pro bono representation on their behalf in tax disputes with the IRS, educating them about their rights and responsibilities as taxpayers, and identifying and advocating on issues that impact these taxpayers.

The IRS is committed to achieving maximum access to representation for taxpayers under the terms of the LITC Program. In awarding LITC grants for calendar year 2022, the IRS will continue to work toward providing coverage for all states and territories. Although the IRS welcomes all applicants and will give each application due consideration, the IRS is particularly interested in applicants from the following underserved areas in need of LITC services:

LITC grants are funded by federal appropriations. The clinics, their employees and their volunteers operate independently of the IRS. Examples of qualifying organizations include:

The IRS is authorized to award multi-year grants not to exceed three years. For an organization not currently receiving a grant for 2021, an organization that received a single-year grant for 2021, or an organization whose multi-year grant ends in 2021, the organization must submit a full grant application electronically. For an organization currently receiving a grant for 2021 that is requesting funding for the second or third year of a multi-year grant, the organization must submit a request for continued funding electronically. All organizations must use the funding number of TREAS-GRANTS-052022-001. Both Full Applications and Non-Competing Continuation Requests must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on June 18, 2021.

Questions about the LITC Program or grant application process can be addressed to the LITC Program Office at 202-317-4700 or by email at litcprogramoffice@irs.gov. In addition, individuals may contact Bill Beard at 949-575-6200 or by email at beard.william@irs.gov.

More information about LITCs and the work they do to represent, educate and advocate on behalf of low-income and ESL taxpayers is available in IRS Publication 5066, LITC 2020 Program Report. A short video about the LITC program is also available.

Interested individuals may join LITC Program Office staff for a Zoom webinar, where staff will provide information about the LITC Program and the application process. For details on the date and time of the webinar, please check the LITC page on IRS.gov.

WASHINGTON — Eligible organizations can now submit applications for the Internal Revenue Service’s Tax Counseling for the Elderly and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance grant programs, allowing some organizations to apply for up to three years of annual funding.

Organizations can apply on Grants.gov through June 4, 2021, and can find application packages and guidelines on IRS.gov. In 2021, the IRS awarded 31 TCE grantees $11 million and 297 VITA grantees $25 million. The two programs prepare millions of tax returns each year.

The IRS established the TCE program in 1978 to provide tax counseling and return preparation to persons age 60 or older and to give training and technical assistance to the volunteers who provide free federal income tax assistance within elderly communities across the nation. For more information visit the TCE webpage on IRS.gov.

The IRS created the VITA program in 1969. In 2007, the IRS established the VITA Grant program to supplement VITA partners’ efforts. VITA provides free tax filing assistance to underserved communities. The grant program enables VITA to extend services to underserved populations in the hardest-to-reach urban and non-urban areas, to increase the capacity of targeted taxpayers to file returns electronically, to enhance training of volunteers and to improve the accuracy rate of returns prepared at VITA sites. For more information visit the VITA webpage on IRS.gov.

More Information:

WASHINGTON — The Treasury and the IRS released today updated early drafts of new Schedules K-2 and K-3 for Forms 1065, 1120-S, and 8865 for tax year 2021 (filing season 2022). The schedules are designed to provide greater clarity for partners and shareholders on how to compute their U.S. income tax liability with respect to items of international tax relevance, including claiming deductions and credits.

The early release drafts of the schedules are intended to give a preview of the changes before final versions are released.  The release of an early draft of the instructions for the schedules is planned for this summer.

The redesigned forms and instructions will also give useful guidance to partnerships, S corporations and U.S persons who are required to file Form 8865 with respect to controlled foreign partnerships on how to provide international tax information.  The updated forms will apply to any persons required to file Form 1065, 1120-S or 8865, but only if the entity for which the form is being filed has items of international tax relevance (generally foreign activities or foreign partners).

The changes do not affect partnerships and S corporations with no items of international tax relevance.

The Treasury Department and the IRS released prior drafts of Schedules K-2 and K-3 for the Form 1065 in July 2020 and engaged with stakeholders to solicit input on the changes.  Helpful comments were received, and changes have been made to the schedules and instructions as appropriate.

To promote compliance with adoption of Schedules K-2 and K-3 by affected pass-through entities and their partners and shareholders, the Treasury Department and the IRS intend to provide certain penalty relief for the 2021 tax year in future guidance.

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service reminds workers in the gig economy and those who claimed unemployment compensation in 2020 of their options and where to find information on meeting their tax obligations.

Gig economy

The gig economy refers to income earned providing on-demand work performing services or selling goods, including driving a car for booked rides or deliveries, renting out property, selling goods online or freelance work. Often, customers and service providers or sellers are brought together through a digital platform on an app or website. Visit the Gig Economy Tax Center on IRS.gov to learn more about withholding and estimated tax requirements for these types of earned income and paid services.

Taxpayers should collect and keep records and receipts during the year. Recordkeeping can help track income, deduct expenses and complete tax returns.

Unemployment benefits

A record number of Americans applied for unemployment compensation in 2020 due to the pandemic. Anyone who received unemployment benefits will need to report it on their tax returns.

However, the American Rescue Plan, enacted on March 11, 2021, excludes from income up to $10,200 ($20,400 if married filing jointly) of unemployment compensation received in 2020 for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income under qualifying thresholds. Any amount over $10,200 is still taxable for each person. To determine if payments received for being unemployed are taxable, see the Interactive Tax Assistant on IRS.gov.

For those who have already filed their 2020 tax return and paid taxes on the full amount of unemployment compensation before the law was passed, they should not file an amended return. The IRS will automatically refund money to people who already filed their tax return reporting unemployment compensation.

The IRS will recompute any credits and deductions claimed on the original return. However, if the reduction of income now qualifies a taxpayer for a new credit not claimed on the original return, like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), those taxpayers will need to file an amended tax return, Form 1040x, to claim the new credit. Taxpayers can see if they qualify for the EITC at IRS.gov.

Unemployment benefit recipients should have received a Form 1099-G, Certain Government Payments, from the agency paying the benefits. The form will show the amount of unemployment compensation they received in 2020 in Box 1, and any federal income tax withheld in Box 4.

Some states do not mail Form 1099-Gs. Taxpayers may need to get the electronic version from their state's website.

Taxpayers who received an incorrect Form 1099-G for unemployment benefits they did not receive should contact the issuing state agency to request a revised Form 1099-G showing they did not receive these benefits.

Taxpayers who are unable to obtain a timely, corrected form from their state should still file an accurate tax return, reporting only the income they received. A corrected Form 1099-G showing zero unemployment benefits in cases of identity theft will help taxpayers avoid an unexpected federal tax bill for unreported income.

Additionally, if taxpayers are concerned that their personal information has been stolen and they want to protect their identity when filing their federal tax return, they can request an Identity Protection Pin (IP PIN) from the IRS.

Generally, by law, unemployment compensation must be included as income. Taxable benefits include any of the special unemployment compensation authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, enacted in 2020.

If a taxpayer didn’t report income from gig work or unemployment compensation on a return, a corrected return can be filed using Form 1040-X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. Form 1040-X can be filed electronically.

Taxpayers who owe but can’t pay in full always have options to seek help through payment plans and other tools from IRS.gov/payments.

Tax information is also available in Spanish Español; Chinese 中文; Korean 한국어; Russian Pусский; and Vietnamese TiếngViệt.

Resources

Today, the IRS published the latest executive column “A Closer Look,” which features IRS Customer Account Services Director Dietra Grant discussing tax tips from a mother’s perspective. “The IRS serves so many people and I believe that we need to “meet you where you are.” There is so much information on our website, IRS.gov, to assist people in preparing and filing their taxes, and we’re making that information more accessible to people…,” said Grant. Read more here. Read the Spanish version here.

“A Closer Look” is a column from IRS executives that covers a variety of timely issues of interest to taxpayers and the tax community. It also provides a detailed look at key issues affecting everything from IRS operations and employees to issues involving taxpayers and tax professionals.

Check here for prior posts and new updates.