Taxpayers who seek tax planning strategies fall into two categories. We have taxpayers who plan well and want to keep their tax liability manageable and low as possible. Then, we have the taxpayers the IRS hits with a tax bill bigger than they were expecting. Both taxpayers are dealing with a case of forosophobia. When the latter happens the taxpayer often goes into a panic or at least a small sweat. Whether they have the money sitting in a bank account or not, they weren’t intending to spend it on taxes. So, it changes their financial planning. This is when the forosophobia really starts to set in. Forosophobia is the fear of the IRS and taxes. Have you experienced this with your clients? When tax season rolls around, they are anxious to see whether they owe taxes or not. Clients who haven’t made their estimated tax payments and don’t have anything to show for their income hold their breath. They wonder things such as: What happens if I can’t pay? Will I go to jail? The IRS is going to empty out my bank account. Once a taxpayer’s mind starts on this emotional rollercoaster it can be difficult to get them off. But as their trusted tax advisor you are in a very powerful position. Not only can you help them calm down and breathe again, but you can also get their lives back from this fear. As a licensed professional you can step in their shoes and handle their IRS problems for them. If you aren’t familiar with this process, don’t worry, I’ll give you a breakdown of a potential cure for their forosophobia. Let’s look at who can help the taxpayer and how.

A 113-page set of instructions accompanies the 2022 Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. Commonly used Form 1040 Schedules A, B, C, D, and E comprise an aggregate of 69 pages of instructions. Instructions are non-binding information but certainly necessary for getting tax information correctly placed on the tax return. With hundreds of Internal Revenue Code (IRC) sections, thousands of pages of regulations, thousands of IRS rulings and judicial opinions, on top of more than 200 pages of instructions relevant to many complex Forms 1040, some tax pros might easily overlook these items. This article travels top to bottom through the two-page 2022 Form 1040, highlighting a few items not to overlook. No promises that the list hits all items, but what follows might bring to mind a few more items you can add to the list.

Question: What kind of trusts help a taxpayer pay less or no federal tax? Answer: If you have trusts and want to minimize state taxes, there are options available. In the United States, there are two types of trusts for federal income tax purposes: grantor and non-grantor trusts. A grantor trust is one the creator or their spouse retains enough control over that they are still the assets’ owner. Therefore, they must pay taxes on any income or gains it generates. On the other hand, a non-grantor trust is its own entity and is responsible for paying its own taxes. However, state tax laws also have an impact on the taxes trusts must pay. By choosing the right trustees or assets for your non-grantor trust, it’s possible to minimize or even eliminate state income taxes. Don’t miss out on this opportunity. Learn more about your options and take steps to reduce your trust taxes today. Click here to continue reading.

Every Spring there is some point in the tax season that I have to remind myself why I chose to become a tax professional. I am often comforted to find out that I am not the only person questioning my career decision. Tax pros nationwide share on social media that they are thinking the same thing. So let me ask you. Why did you choose to do this to yourself again? You promised yourself to fire problem clients and improve systems. Yet we’re here in March, how did you do with keeping your promise to yourself? My first busy season Thomas Reuters released a video that I found funny, at one of their tax conferences. There are children that talk about why they want to be a tax accountant. A few reasons they give are: • To work 22-hour days; • To work with numbers that are changing all the time; • Having lots of turnover with burned out employees. My personal favorite is to have 3 people do the work of 8. In hindsight it almost sounds like they were describing the tax industry during 2020 and 2021. When I first watched the video, it was hilarious. But 12 years later I still smirk, but for different reasons. I can totally relate to the sarcasm. Nobody goes into this industry for those reasons yet here we are each Spring on the verge of burnout. Did you think of your why? I want you to write it really big and post it somewhere that you will see it every day when you are working at your desk. I want to share with you 10 things that you can implement to protect you and your why. I like to call them the Tax Professional Self-care 10 Commandments.

Do your clients ever insist on having you do something that makes you uncomfortable? Do your clients tell you that their previous tax pro always did it this way – and why can’t you just do that, too, without question? Do you know something about your client’s activities that they didn’t disclose? What are you supposed to do?

Stories about accounting and tax firms having trouble finding help seem to be popping up everywhere . Also, I pick up a lot of chatter about it on #TaxTwitter. It has even invaded my home. The firm that I consult for occasionally has recruited my covivant Evie as a remote preparer. After we withdrew from the boutique practice that capped our careers, she kept her family and friends freebie 1040 practice. Even the freebie practice has grown as the first of ten grandchildren got her first W-2 last year. So when my high school friend called me and told me that his 25 year old son who had gone from a bachelors in something or other to a series of low level food service jobs was contemplating a masters in accounting, I was enthusiastic. For a long time I have held the view that accounting probably gives a young person the best bang for their educational buck. My buddy had a request though that intimidated me. He wanted me to tell the kid what it was like to be an accountant. When I thought about it, I realized I didn’t have much of a clue as to what it is like to be an entry level accountant. I started thinking about what it was like when I started and how irrelevant that experience seems. Nonetheless, I do have an idea that those of you scrambling to find help might want to consider and it arises from my memories of the old days.

Lots going on at Tax Court in February, 2023. Here are my highlight picks...

I remember trying to explain the dealer versus investor concept to a would-be real estate entrepreneur. I asked him whether he was holding the property for sale. He kind of looked at me and smiled and said “Everything is for sale. It just depends on how much.”. If there is any ambiguity it is easy to know what the answer is after the fact. If there was a big gain relative to expenses then you were an investor. If there was a loss, then you were a dealer. Unfortunately, you really are not supposed to practice that way. I am going to assume that you want investor status and that you are blessed with a gain. What can you do to make sure the IRS respects your investor status?