Section 1 Review Flashcards
How much is the due diligence penalty?
For returns filed for the 2022 tax year, the penalty is $560 per failure, per return
A practitioner’s status as an enrolled agent must be renewed every three years as determined by:
The last digit of their SS number
In the case of direct mail and e-commerce communications, the practitioner must retain a copy of the advertisement, along with a list of persons to whom the ad was mailed of distributed, for at least
36 months
If an employee simply offers technical or clerical help when preparing a tax return, are they required to have a PTIN?
No
Under Circular 230 §10.26, a practitioner can publish a fee schedule. However, he must adhere to the schedule for:
30 days after it is last published.
If the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) issues a formal complaint against a practitioner, the complaint may be served in the following ways:
- Certified mail
- First class mail if returned undelivered by certified mail
- Private delivery service (UPS or Fed-EX)
- In person, or by leaving the complaint at the office of the practitioner
The OPR investigates complaints against practitioners and then institutes judicial proceedings. However, if a hearing is required, who will make the decision regarding disbarment or other appropriate sanctions?
an administrative law judge
The IRS requires that records for continuing education credits be retained for_______ following the date of renewal.
4 years
What is the governing body within the IRS responsible for interpreting and applying the Regulations Governing Practice before the Internal Revenue Service (Treasury Department Circular 230)?
The Office of Professional Responsibility
Can the IRS disbar a practitioner, even without bringing a criminal prosecution?
Yes, the IRS can disbar or suspend a tax return preparer who engages in misconduct or incompetence
If a suspension is sought, must the OPR specify the duration of the suspension?
Yes
The OPR can move quicker to sanction practitioners by using expedited procedures in certain circumstances, including when a practitioner has been convicted of a crime involving dishonesty or breach of trust. The procedures are also allowed when a practitioner has demonstrated a pattern of “willful disreputable conduct” involving the following:
- Failing to file his federal income tax returns in four of the five previous tax years.
- Failing to file a return required more frequently than annually (such as employment tax returns) during five of the seven previous tax periods.
A suspended or disbarred individual is banned from practicing before the IRS, which includes filing powers of attorney. However, suspended or disbarred individuals are allowed to do the following:
- Represent himself in any matter (or represent a close family member, like his own child).
- Appear before the IRS as a trustee, receiver, guardian, administrator, executor, or other
fiduciary if duly qualified/authorized under the law of the relevant jurisdiction. - Appear as a witness for a taxpayer.
- Furnish information at the request of the IRS or any of its officers or employees.
- Receive IRS information pursuant to a valid tax information authorization. However, simply
receiving this information does not entitle him to practice before the IRS on behalf of that
taxpayer.
The Annual Filing Season Program requirements are as follows:
- Active PTIN
- Eighteen (or 15) hours of specific types of continuing education from IRS-approved
providers - Consent to Circular 230 subpart B and section 10.51
- Tax compliance
Is there a fee to obtain an Annual Filing Season Program (AFSP) certificate from the IRS?
No, the IRS does not chare a gee for participating in the AFSP program
The Tax Court can impose a penalty of up to $25,000 for the following reasons
- When a taxpayer unreasonably fails to pursue the case within the IRS’s appeals system
- If a taxpayer’s case is intended primarily to cause a delay
- If a taxpayer’s position is frivolous reven or groundless
Are revenue rulings and revenue procedures binding in court?
No, they are not binding in the Tax Court or any other court. However, taxpayers can use revenue ruling and revenue procedures as official IRS guidance to avoid accuracy-related penalties
Circular 230 states that the standard used to determine penalties is evaluating a practitioner’s pattern of conduct, and whether he acted
“knowingly, recklessly, and through gross incompetence”
A substantial valuation misstatement results if the value of any property claimed on a tax return is 150% or more of the amount determined to be the correct amount. The “substantial valuation misstatement” penalty is calculated as a
flat 20% of the net understatement of tax.
NOTE: The penalty increases to 40% of the net understatement of tax if the taxpayer claims a value for property on a tax return that is 200% or more of the correct amount. This is known as a “gross valuation misstatement”.
How long does the IRS have to respond to a FOIA request?
20 business days
When is an enrolled practitioner allowed delegate authority to another representative?
Only if the taxpayer has specifically given him the power to delegate authority to someone else
The authority to regulate the practice of representatives of persons before the Department of the Treasury, including the IRS, comes from:
Title 31 USC 330
When should a practitioner file Form 8275, Disclosure Statement?
To avoid accuracy-related penalties by disclosing positions on a tax return that are not otherwise adequately disclosed.
Which government agency is responsible for FBAR enforcement?
The IRS
Is an EA allowed to advise clients about the likelihood of being audited if they claim certain deductions or credits?
No, this type of advice is not allowed
Treasury regulations are:
the U.S. Treasury Department’s official interpretations of the Internal Revenue Code.
Advocating for a taxpayer during an IRS examination would require an
IRS Power of Attorney (Form 2848)
Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative, requires the representative to declare, under penalties of perjury, that he is:
- Not currently under suspension or disbarment from practice before the IRS.
- Subject to regulations contained in Circular 230, as amended, concerning practice before the IRS.
- Authorized to represent the taxpayer (identified on the form) for the matters specified.
There are three types of Treasury regulations:
legislative, interpretive, and procedural.
During a field audit, if an IRS examiner determines a preparer penalty applies, a detailed report is prepared and the preparer is provided with a copy of the report. The preparer then has _______________s to request an appeal before the preparer’s penalty is assessed.
30 dyas
8821
Tax Information Authorization, is a disclosure form that authorizes a third party to receive confidential tax information for the type of tax and the periods listed on the form. Form 8821 is used by tax preparers, banks, employers, and other institutions to receive financial information on behalf of an individual or a business.
The IRS’s computer database that contains information regarding the authorizations taxpayers have given representatives for their accounts is called:
CAF “Centralized Authorization File”
Penalty for filing a frivolous return?
$5,000 per return
8275
used by taxpayers and tax return preparers to disclose items or positions, except those taken contrary to a regulation, that are not otherwise adequately disclosed on a tax return to avoid certain penalties.
What is the penalty if the tax preparer fails to sign the preparer’s section of the tax return in 2022?
$55 per failure
What is a Technical Advice Memorandum (TAM)?
Written guidance furnished by the IRS Office of Chief Counsel upon the request of an IRS director.
When does Form 8821, Tax Information Authorization, expire?
Upon the taxpayer’s revocation or the appointee’s withdrawal.
The legal act of seizing property to satisfy a tax debt is called:
A Tax levy
Small tax case procedures are also known as:
S-case procedures
How does the IRS use Collection Financial Standards?
Collection Financial Standards are used to help the IRS determine a taxpayer’s ability to pay a delinquent tax liability
When must a Taxpayer physically appear in person in an IRS examination, assuming Form 2848 has been properly signed and submitted?
Never
The IRS has broad authority to examine records, issue summons, and take testimony from taxpayers for the purposes of:
- Ascertaining the correctness of any return;
- Making a return where none has been made;
- Determining the liability of any person for any Internal Revenue tax;
- Collecting any such liability; or
- Inquiring into any offense connected with the administration or enforcement of the Internal Revenue laws.