IRS Direct File remains open. That’s what you need to know about the IRS tax filing application after a post by Elon Musk on Monday created confusion about the program’s status. Musk posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he had “deleted” 18F, the group responsible for creating the technology behind projects like the IRS’ Direct File program, in response to a post suggesting that “the far left government wide computer office” was recently taken over by Musk allies. That caused some users on social media to incorrectly report that the program itself had been axed. About 18F 18F is not…

Now that tax season has started, you may feel concerned that you have an additional incentive to prepare and file your tax return carefully. Perhaps you were a vocal supporter of Kamala Harris during the election campaign. Maybe you openly criticize some of President Donald Trump’s policies or actively support causes that he disdains. What prevents President Trump, or his staff and cabinet members, from getting the IRS to audit your tax return because of your dissent or activism? Randy Joseph (CPA), the founder of the tax advisory firm Joseph & Hetrick in Seattle, has heard worries about this from…

Most people who are eligible for the earned income tax credit (EITC) and the child tax credit (CTC) claim those credits. Together, these credits lifted 6.4 million people out of poverty in 2023, more than any other federal program outside of Social Security. But some eligible people miss out on those credits. Direct File—the IRS’s new online tool for filing tax returns—may be the key to getting eligible filers to claim the EITC and CTC. Direct File guides people through their tax returns in an intuitive interview style and then empowers them to file their returns for free—from computers, tablets,…

In this episode of Tax Notes Talk, Tax Notes investigations editor Lauren Loricchio discusses security concerns regarding tax software platforms’ data-sharing practices. Tax Notes Talk is a podcast produced by Tax Notes. This transcript has been edited for clarity. David D. Stewart: Welcome to the podcast. I’m David Stewart, editor in chief of Tax Notes Today International. This week: the OECD and the EO. We’ve talked many times on the podcast over the past several years about the OECD and its two-pillar project which aims to update international taxation for the digital age. Today’s guest, Scott Levine, is very familiar…

Strategic tax planning is crucial, particularly for those intending to sell a property with a low initial value. One innovative method to avoid immediate tax obligations is through a Charitable Remainder Unitrust (CRUT). This approach allows individuals to transfer assets into a trust, which then generates income for beneficiaries over a set period. Afterward, the remaining assets are donated to a chosen charity. This setup not only supports charitable causes but also provides tax advantages, making it an attractive option for many. A CRUT is also a valuable tool in estate planning, though a Qualified Terminable Interest Property (QTIP) trust…

You can’t flip on the news or click through social media without hearing about tariffs. And while everyone thinks they know something about tariffs, how they actually work can be challenging to figure out—that’s because they are often a moving target. Here’s what you need to know. A tariff is a tax on imports. A country typically imposes tariffs to make money or protect certain industries from competition—sometimes, both. The idea is that tariffs make it more expensive to use foreign goods. In theory, this should mean a decline in imports (making those goods more expensive) and an uptick in…

On February 3, 2025, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the tariffs on Mexico shall be delayed for one month. This decision grants consumers some wave of relief. Tariffs are taxes imposed on imported goods, and their introduction can significantly alter prices, availability, and the overall economy. The recent turn of events, driven by an agreement between the US and Mexico, means that these tariffs will not be implemented immediately, providing temporary stability for the market. The agreement involves significant commitments from Mexico regarding border security, which played a crucial role in this decision. Without the immediate imposition of tariffs,…

According to his famously short-lived communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, the key to understanding President Trump back in 2016 was not to take his impromptu statements literally but to take them “symbolically.” Either way, it turned out the biggest mistake was not taking them seriously. Trump’s off-the-cuff remarks on tax policy were one instance when taking him at his word was likely to give listeners a headache, and that is still true today. For example, when the president says things like he did to podcast host Joe Rogan just before the election about being open to replacing income taxes with tariffs…

Taxpayers often use entities characterized as partnerships for federal income tax purposes to conduct their business activities. In addition to offering limited liability (e.g., limited liability companies and limited partnerships), these entities provide flexibility for their partners in structuring business arrangements. Therefore, it is not surprising that the IRS has noticed a significant uptick in partnership income tax return filings in the last decade. Congress also noticed. In late 2015, it enacted the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (BBA), which significantly changed the existing partnership audit and collection rules known as TEFRA, the latter of which had been in place…

When I was a kid, I used to love the idea of disappearing ink. I remember dipping a small paintbrush into lemon juice and writing very, very important messages to my friends. As the “ink” dried, it was no longer readable unless you had the top secret “key”—heating the paper up to make the letters reappear (don’t tell my mom, but without matches, the plan involved holding the paper close to an old school light bulb to make the lemon juice turn brown). It’s a pretty fun trick when you’re a kid. But having the text of important documents disappear…