Tax planning

The IRS has temporarily stopped sending out tax refunds and the Tax Court has suspended operations as lawmakers in Congress continue their fiscal battle.

As September draws to a close, we’ve rounded up the most popular stories of the month. Don’t miss the top five.

While the coming fiscal debate looms in the background -- along with probable accompanying market volatility -- there are a number of other possible legislative and regulatory items that also affect the insurance and advisory industry.

The IRS has released guidance on issuing tax refunds to same-sex married couples in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision striking down the Defense of Marriage Act.

The Internal Revenue Service has issued new guidance and streamlined procedures for spouses who are seeking equitable relief from joint income tax liability.

The IRS is providing guidance on the application of the market reform provisions of the Affordable Care Act to health care arrangements such as health reimbursement arrangements, employer payment plans and flexible spending accounts.

The IRS ruled last week that it will recognize same-sex couples even if they reside in a state that does not recognize their marriage, provided they were lawfully married in a state that does.

The Treasury Department and the IRS have issued proposed regulations to implement the information reporting requirements for insurers and certain employers under the Affordable Care Act.

The IRS has issued final regulations for the shared responsibility payment for not maintaining minimum essential coverage under the Affordable Care Act, also known as the individual mandate.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago has affirmed the Tax Court, upholding the disallowance by the IRS of losses claimed by investors in a DAD (distressed asset/debt) tax shelter.

The Internal Revenue Service has provided summaries and a set of tips to help with compliance for some of the more complex areas of the foreign tax credit law.

Senator Ben Cardin, D-Md., a member of the Senate Finance Committee, has written to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and Acting IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, urging them to quickly resolve and clarify the tax implications for legally married same-sex couples and those in civil unions.

The Department of Labor’s Web site debunks the myth of the $100-per-day fine for not providing ACA-related information to employees.

The IRS issued proposed regulations on Friday that provide guidance on the tax credit available to certain small employers that offer health insurance coverage to their employees under Code Section 45R, enacted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The estate is arguing that a tax bill calculated by the IRS overvalued assets including real estate, a Bentley automobile and the late singer’s “image and likeness.”

Financial institutions that must register with the IRS to meet their FATCA obligations can now begin the process by creating an account and providing required information.

Despite the controversy and repeated delays, the IRS and the Treasury Department have been moving forward slowly with implementing FATCA, including the release of a draft version of Form 8966.

Proceed with care. That’s what bankers, accountants and wealth managers are telling same-sex couples considering financial changes because of the Supreme Court’s rejection of a federal law denying them benefits.

The Internal Revenue Service has proposed to extend for up to 10 years the amount of time that taxpayers would have to apply for the “innocent spouse” tax relief program.

Investors are more concerned about improving the quality of financial disclosures rather than simply reducing the quantity of them, according to a new report from the CFA Institute, which takes aim at some recently proposed disclosure reforms that seek to cut down disclosure overload.