IRS Ramps Up National Tax Forums

Although the IRS program requiring competency testing for professional tax return preparers is on the back burner, at least for the time being, the agency is still advocating continuing education for tax practitioners. Accordingly, registration for this summer’s round of Nationwide Tax Forums is currently open. Visit https://www.irstaxforum.com for more details or to sign up.

The 2015 IRS Nationwide Tax Forums offers seminars over three days featuring up-to-date information from the IRS and professional experts in the areas of tax law, compliance and ethics. It also provides continuing education credits to Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), Enrolled Agents (EAs) certified financial planners, Annual Filing Season Program participants and other tax professionals. If you pre-register two weeks prior to any one of the five forums held this summer, you’ll pay only $230, a savings of 130 off the regular $360 fee.

Specifically, attendees at the forums may:

Select from multiple live seminars;
Earn up to 18 continuing professional education credits;
Explore the expo hall for the latest tax professional products and services; and
Visit the Case Resolution Room.

Not only can you learn more of the ins and outs of your profession, this is a unique opportunity to rub elbows with other practitioners and IRS representatives.

The first forum is coming up soon in National Harbor, MD (near the District of Columbia) from July 7 through July 9. It will be followed by dates in Denver, CO: San Diego, CA: Atlanta, GA; and Orlando, FL. The complete list of locations, sites and dates is shown below.

Location | Site | Date

National Harbor, MD Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center July 7 -9
Denver, CO Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center July 28 – 30
San Diego, CA Town & Country Resort and Convention Center August 11 – 13
Atlanta, GA Atlanta Marriott Marquis August 25 – 27
Orlando, FL Hyatt Regency Orlando September 1 – 3

One particularly intriguing item on the agenda is the case resolution program. The IRS encourages practitioners to bring their toughest, unresolved IRS case – limited to one case per tax business – to the Case Resolution Program. An IRS representative with specialized expertise will be available by appointment only to meet one-on-one with you to discuss the case. If the matter can’t be resolved on-site or requires further research, it will be assigned to an appropriate IRS expert for follow-up.

This program is proving to be popular. According to an article in Forbes magazine, the IRS addressed more than 3,000 tax cases between 2011 and 2014 and resolved more than 97% of them.

A signed original or copy of your Power of Attorney (Form 2848), authorizing disclosure of confidential tax information, is required and must be presented when scheduling the appointment. Only the practitioner(s) listed on the POA will be allowed in the Case Resolution Room. To schedule an appointment, visit the Case Resolution table on Monday before the forum begins from 2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., or go directly to the Case Resolution Room during the three-day event. For expedited appointment scheduling, bring your Form 2848 and a completed Nationwide Tax Forum Case Data Sheet with you.

The IRS is continuing to host these forums despite a recent setback. Last year, a district court in Washington closed down down its mandatory testing and continuing education program for tax return preparers (Loving, et. al. v. IRS, CA- D.C., No. 13-5061, 2/11/14). In its place, the IRS instituted a voluntary program for the 2015 tax-filing season. It recently announced that 44,000 preparers participated in the program.

The beat goes on: An IRS survey of attendees at the 2014 forums showed a 95% satisfaction rate. This is the 25th year that IRS has offered these forums to practitioners.