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. 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.
The Internal Revenue Service issued the following statement this week: “The IRS is closely monitoring the pending legislation on 2018 tax withholding in Congress and preparing guidance. We anticipate issuing the initial withholding guidance (Notice 1036) in January to reflect the new legislation, which would allow taxpayers to see changes as early as February 2018. We will work closely with the nation's payroll and tax professional communities during this process.
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