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The IRS in 2025: A Snapshot of Reality
The IRS is not the same agency we dealt with a decade ago, or even three years ago. The pandemic accelerated operational strain, exposing long-standing infrastructure weaknesses while also prompting overdue investment and modernization. Some areas have improved meaningfully, including digital tools, faster account updates, and improved phone service during filing season. Other areas, however, feel frozen in time. Correspondence units remain slow, backlogs persist, and automated notices often fail to reflect what is actually happening on a taxpayer’s account. This article outlines the practical realities of working with the IRS in 2025, what strategies are working, what remains broken, and how to set clear, healthy expectations so you can deliver results without burning out.
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Tax Tales I Let Slip in 2025: From Whistleblowers to Easement Woes and Beyond
One of my greatest frustrations as a tax writer is that I just don’t have the time to cover everything that I notice. Early in my blogging career, when I was younger and had more energy, I set myself on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule like the college professors I envied. Even that did not keep up with everything I noticed, so periodically I would do a post that had short blurbs about interesting things I didn’t dig further on. Here is an example from 2010 of a post that covers an entity not considered a church by the IRS, S corp shareholder basis issues, definition of alimony and two Chief Counsel Advices on TEFRA issues. So here are some things for 2025, that I opened a file on but never managed to make an article with.

The IRS in 2025: A Snapshot of Reality
The IRS is not the same agency we dealt with a decade ago, or even three years ago. The pandemic accelerated operational strain, exposing long-standing infrastructure weaknesses while also prompting overdue investment and modernization. Some areas have improved meaningfully, including digital tools, faster account updates, and improved phone service during filing season. Other areas, however, feel frozen in time. Correspondence units remain slow, backlogs persist, and automated notices often fail to reflect what is actually happening on a taxpayer’s account. This article outlines the practical realities of working with the IRS in 2025, what strategies are working, what remains broken, and how to set clear, healthy expectations so you can deliver results without burning out.
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2025 Winter Education Series Event Calendar
Think Outside the Tax Box proudly presents the 2025 Winter Education Series! This October through December, we are bringing our loyal subscribers five webinars featuring some of the brightest minds in tax. Each high quality webinar is filled with engaging content, actionable insights for your clients, and they all come

Charitable Impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
For charitable-minded taxpayers, several provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3 Act) will impact the tax reduction associated with their charitable giving starting next year in 2026. In one case, the change increases the deductible amount, but all other changes surprisingly reduce the value of charitable contribution deductions.

The End of the Green Road? The One Big Beautiful Bill and Energy Credits
Just when many believed green tax incentives were firmly established, the One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3), formally designated as Public Law 119-21 and enacted on July 4, 2025, delivers a sudden and sweeping rollback of key energy tax credits. Affecting everything from electric vehicles to rooftop solar, OB3 significantly alters

Editor’s Pick: Tax Planner Faces Malpractice Claims Over Decades-Old Tax Advice—What Went Wrong?
In a case that every tax professional should take note of, the prominent law firm Sidley Austin LLP finds itself defending against claims that it provided faulty tax advice over two decades ago, leading to massive IRS liabilities for a family. The plaintiffs, the Cáceres family, are seeking to recover
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Featured Authors
Amber Gray-Fenner is an Enrolled Agent and tax practitioner specializing in tax returns, planning, and representation for individuals and small businesses. She owns Tax Therapy, LLC in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Matt Metras, EA, owns MDM Financial Services in NY, specializing in bookkeeping and taxation for cryptocurrency clients. He’s an educator on cryptocurrency taxation and actively engages in community advocacy.
Jeff Stimpson, has been a tax and finance writer for 25 years. Hee contributes to publications like Accounting Today and Financial Advisor. His other credits include sales tax, technology, and practice management, residing in New York.
Annette Nellen is a professor and tax program director at San José State University, with extensive involvement in tax organizations and a focus on tax policy, cryptocurrency, and education.
Peter J Reilly graduated from the College of the Holy Cross, worked in CPA firms like Joseph B Cohan and Associates and CCR LLP, and now runs a tax practice while writing for Forbes.com.
Thomas Gorczynski, EA USTCP CTP, is a tax expert known for speaking and educating on federal tax law. He’s editor-in-chief of EA Journal, co-author of the PassKey Learning Systems EA Review Series, and runs a tax practice in Phoenix, Arizona.
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