IRS & Enforcement
Audit triggers, enforcement actions, compliance requirements, reporting thresholds, IRS technology changes, and taxpayer rights.
Latest in IRS & Enforcement
Innocent-spouse relief can free you from taxes a partner hid on a joint return
Separated and divorced taxpayers facing IRS collection notices for debts their former spouses secretly created have a specific federal remedy available, but an independent government...
The IRS issued more than 90 million refunds this filing season and processed nearly 139 million returns, its watchdog reported this week
The Internal Revenue Service’s internal watchdog reports that the agency has already processed nearly 139 million individual tax returns this filing season and issued more...
The IRS generally has only 10 years to collect a tax debt
Millions of Americans carrying older tax debts face a ticking clock that rarely runs in a straight line. Federal law gives the IRS 10 years...
Ask the IRS for first-time penalty relief to erase a late-filing fine
Taxpayers who missed the filing deadline and now face a penalty of 5% of unpaid tax for every month the return is late, up to...
Setting up a free IRS online account lets you see balances, past payments, and prior returns in one place
Taxpayers who want a single view of what they owe, what they have paid, and what prior returns show can now get all three through...
A free IRS PIN blocks scammers from filing a tax return in your name
Every year, criminals steal billions of dollars by filing fake federal tax returns before the real taxpayer can. The IRS offers a free, six-digit Identity...
$2,500 in payment-app business transfers now triggers a 1099-K to the IRS
Millions of gig workers, freelancers, and small online sellers who use Venmo, PayPal, or similar payment apps faced years of confusion over when the IRS...
The IRS will charge 7% interest on unpaid taxes starting July 1, up from 6%
Taxpayers who owe the IRS money after June 30 will face a steeper cost for waiting. The agency set the interest rate on unpaid taxes...
The IRS must pay you 7% interest if it holds your refund longer than 45 days
Taxpayers still waiting on federal refunds from the 2026 filing season have a financial backstop most people overlook: if the IRS holds a refund longer...
The penalty pause on inherited IRAs is over, and heirs who skip a withdrawal now face a 25% hit
Heirs who inherited retirement accounts under the 10-year distribution rule and skipped annual withdrawals during a two-year IRS grace period now owe a 25% excise...
Missing one required withdrawal from an inherited IRA brings a 25% penalty, cut to 10% if you fix it fast
Heirs who inherit an IRA and fail to take even one required minimum distribution now owe a 25% excise tax on the shortfall amount. That...
The IRS has paid out $296 billion in refunds to about 90 million filers this season
About 90 million taxpayers have already received money back from the federal government this filing season, splitting a combined $296 billion in refunds with an...
The inherited-IRA penalty waiver that ran from 2021 to 2024 has now fully expired
Heirs who inherited retirement accounts and skipped annual withdrawals for the past four years without penalty now face a hard deadline. The IRS waived excise...
A direct-deposit mismatch is hitting some taxpayers with a CP53E notice and a weeks-long wait for their refund
Some taxpayers expecting a quick direct-deposit refund this filing season are instead finding a CP53E notice in their mailbox and no money in their bank...
The IRS keeps moving refunds off paper checks, and one wrong direct-deposit digit can freeze yours for weeks
Taxpayers who file after September 30, 2025, and make a single-digit error on their bank routing or account number will no longer have a paper...
Millions of taxpayers have until July 10 to claim refunds tied to a recent court ruling on penalties
Tens of millions of taxpayers who paid IRS penalties or interest during the COVID-19 pandemic period face a hard deadline of July 10, 2026, to...
The IRS has refunded $241.7 billion this year, up about $30 billion from 2025
Tens of millions of American taxpayers have already received their refund checks this spring, and the total amount sent back by the IRS is running...
Workers can now claim the no-tax-on-tips and overtime breaks the IRS just posted
Millions of tipped and hourly workers across the United States can now reduce their 2025 federal tax bills using a brand-new IRS form, but the...
A free IRS Identity Protection PIN blocks crooks from filing a tax return under your Social Security number
Anyone with a Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number can now request a free six-digit code from the IRS that stops fraudsters from...
The IRS funds free tax help for filers over 60 through VITA and TCE
Millions of Americans over 60 face a quiet problem every spring: tax rules that grow more complex each year, paired with preparation costs that can...