NOTE: If you previously earned CE credit for the July 19, 2017, “Practicing Before the IRS” webinar, you may participate in the Nov. 8 rebroadcast, but you may not earn credit again.

2. Tax Pros: Clients with Expiring ITINs Need to Submit Renewal Applications

Do you have clients who need to renew their ITINs? Taxpayers with expiring Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) should submit their renewal applications as soon as possible. Failing to renew them by the end of the year will result in refund and processing delays in 2018.

3. E-File Closes Nov. 18; After That, Disaster Victims, Others Need to File on Paper

Taxpayers, including those in disaster areas, who want to file a 2016 tax return electronically must do so by Saturday, Nov. 18. Those who miss that deadline will need to file on paper.

4. IRS Statement on 2018 Filing Season Start Date

The IRS has not yet announced a date that it will begin accepting individual tax returns for the 2018 tax filing season. At the present time, the IRS is continuing to update its programming and processing systems for 2018. In addition, the IRS continues to closely monitor potential legislation that could affect the 2018 tax season, including a number of “extender” tax provisions that expired at the end of 2016 that could potentially be renewed for tax year 2017 by Congress.

The IRS anticipates it will not be at a point to announce a filing season start date until later in the calendar year. The IRS will continue to work closely with the nation’s tax professionals and software community as preparations continue for the 2018 tax filing season.

Speculation on the Internet that the IRS will begin accepting tax returns on Jan. 22 or after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday in January is inaccurate and misleading; no such date has been set.

5. 10 Million Taxpayers Face an Estimated Tax Penalty Each Year; Act Now to Reduce or Eliminate It

Was your client assessed an estimated tax penalty for tax year 2016? You still have time to reduce or eliminate the penalty for 2017 and future years.

To help raise awareness about the growing number of estimated tax penalties, the IRS has launched a new “Pay as You Go, So You Don’t Owe” web page. This IRS.gov page has tips and resources designed to help taxpayers, including those involved in the sharing economy, better understand tax withholding, make estimated tax payments, and avoid an unexpected penalty.

You may also want to consider offering your clients a tax withholding checkup. Taking a closer look at the taxes being withheld now can help ensure the right amount is withheld, either for tax refund purposes or to avoid an unexpected tax bill next year.

6. Tax Relief for Victims of Hurricane Irma in South Carolina

Victims of Hurricane Irma, which hit parts of South Carolina beginning Sept. 6, may qualify for tax relief from the Internal Revenue Service.

7. Technical Guidance

Announcement 2017-15 provides relief to victims of Hurricane Maria and the recent California wildfires, which caused damage to Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and parts of California. It permits easier access to funds held in workplace retirement plans and in IRAs for the period beginning September or October 2017 and ending March 15, 2018. The relief provided in the announcement is in addition to the relief the IRS already provided under News Releases CA-2017-06, VI-2017-02 and PR-2017-02.

Notice 2017-67 provides guidance on the requirements for providing a qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangement (QSEHRA) under section 9831(d) (added to the Internal Revenue Code by 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act)), the tax consequences of the arrangement, and the requirements for providing written notice of the arrangement to eligible employees.

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