Considering how soon Halloween comes after October 15, the extended due date for individual returns, having a tax horror story seems really appropriate. The horror story came out on October 24, with the Eleventh Circuit decision in the case of Lee v U.S. Dr. Wayne Lee seemed to have done everything right to be in compliance. His estimates overpaid his taxes every year, and he would let the refund ride into the next year. He hired a CPA to prepare his returns and dutifully signed and sent the CPA Form 8879 IRS e-file Signature Authorization. He did this for his 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 returns. Then disaster struck.

Contracts, Signing Bonuses, and the Substantial Presence Test
In tighter job markets, recruits are often offered signing bonuses (and sometimes moving expenses) to join a firm. Sometimes construction workers temporarily relocate to jobs in other states while they are employed by the company that hired them in their home state. This article reviews some of the foundational tax concepts to consider when evaluating sourcing of income for state tax purposes.


