The IRS has been very clear that it may take action against taxpayers with undeclared foreign accounts. In fact, the IRS often specifically targets individuals who have failed to comply with U.S. tax laws by willfully hiding their assets in offshore accounts. However, the agency is also aware that many of these taxpayers may not have been willful in their actions, and they may be seeking to come into compliance through the Streamlined Compliance Procedures. It is important to understand how the IRS determines whether or not someone was willful in their failure to disclose a foreign account. Based on the results of a recent court case, there are some situations where the IRS may reject a taxpayer's self-certification of non-willfulness.

Non-Willfulness Under the Streamlined Compliance Procedures

U.S. taxpayers are required to report any foreign accounts they own to the IRS, and this is typically done by filing a Foreign Bank Account Report (FBAR) on an annual basis, as well as submitting a Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets (Form 8938) with their annual tax returns. Failure to submit these forms can result in significant penalties. However, those who have not reported foreign assets as required may be able to come into compliance with their requirements through the Streamlined Compliance Procedures.

One requirement of Streamlined Compliance is that a taxpayer's failure to report foreign accounts must have been non-willful. This means that the taxpayer acted unintentionally and without any intent to violate tax laws. There are a number of factors that the IRS will consider when determining if someone was willful in their actions, including whether or not the individual was aware of their tax reporting obligations, whether they took steps to hide their assets, and whether they were truthful with the IRS. In order to be considered non-willful, it is important for the taxpayer to show that they made a good faith effort to comply with U.S. tax laws. 

While nearly everyone is required to pay taxes and file annual tax returns, there are a variety of reasons why some people may fail to do so. In many cases, these issues occur because of financial difficulties, and unfortunately, these difficulties may be compounded by the penalties that will apply for failure to file tax returns or failure to pay taxes. Fortunately, penalty abatement programs are available in certain situations. The IRS offers first-time penalty abatement for some federal income tax penalties, and the state of California recently passed a law that will provide similar abatement options for taxpayers who are facing penalties related to state income taxes.

One-Time Penalty Abatement Options Under AB 194

Assembly Bill 194, which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on June 30, 2022, gives the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) the authority to grant abatement to taxpayers facing timeliness penalties. These include failure-to-file penalties that apply when a taxpayer does not file a state income tax return by the annual deadline and failure-to-pay penalties that apply when taxes that are owed are not paid when required.

Under the new law, taxpayers can receive a once-in-a-lifetime abatement of these penalties for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2022. This form of abatement is only available for individuals who are required to pay personal income taxes, and business entities will not be eligible for one-time abatement.

For small businesses, employment taxes and payroll taxes can be a significant issue. It is important for business owners to make sure that they are meeting their tax obligations in order to avoid any penalties or interest charges. By understanding the different types of payroll and employment taxes that may apply to them, small business owners can ensure that they are withholding taxes correctly from employees' wages and paying the appropriate taxes at the federal, state, and local levels.

Understanding Different Types of Employment Taxes

When addressing issues related to payroll taxes, employers will first need to make sure workers are classified correctly. When workers are classified as employees, an employer will need to withhold payroll taxes from their wages. However, taxes will not need to be withheld from payments made to independent contractors. To determine how a worker should be classified, an employer may need to look at whether they have direct control over the person's work, whether the work performed by a person is outside the company's usual course of business, and whether the worker has an independently established business or trade.

Getting a divorce can be a complex, difficult process. Couples who choose to end their marriage will need to address multiple types of financial issues as they divide the assets they own, establish new living arrangements, and determine how they will each be able to meet their ongoing needs. When addressing these concerns, it is important to understand the tax consequences of the decisions that are made. By working with an attorney who understands how to address divorce-related tax issues, a person can make sure they will be able to minimize their potential complications and be prepared for financial success in the future.

Tax Considerations During the Divorce Process

Spouses who are working to complete the divorce process will need to understand the best ways to address the following issues:

Taxes can be very complicated, and many people rely on accountants or other professionals to help them prepare and submit their tax returns and other required forms and documents. Unfortunately, taxpayers may encounter situations where they find that tax returns submitted to the IRS or the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) contained incorrect information due to errors made by a tax return preparer. When a taxpayer faces a tax audit or tax penalties based on tax returns prepared by someone else, they will need to understand how to address these issues.

Liability for Tax Return Errors

When a taxpayer signs and submits a tax return, they are legally responsible for addressing issues related to the information they submitted. This is true regardless of whether the tax return was prepared by another person. This means that if the information provided on a tax return was incorrect, the taxpayer will usually be responsible for paying any taxes that are owed, as well as any penalties that may apply.

If there are issues related to a tax return, a taxpayer can review the contract they signed with the tax return preparer to determine their options. A contract may specify the obligations that apply to the preparer and detail the procedures that will be followed in these situations. If the preparer agrees that they made errors when preparing the tax return, they may be required to submit any required corrections to the tax return in question, and they may be obligated to cover penalties or interest related to their errors. However, the taxpayer will be required to pay any taxes that are owed.