No group has focused on building alignment and enlistment more than the non-profit, civic, and community sectors.  I’ve had the good fortune to work with some of the best – hospitals, animal shelters, the Chamber of Commerce, and industry change groups. With shallow budgets and a heavy dependence on volunteers (not to mention the careful watch of donors), the best non-profit groups not only stay afloat, they thrive by focusing on a few core goals.

Like non-profit groups, service professionals (like lawyers, consultants, accountants, and other service providers) rarely function with a “command and control” hierarchy, and instead depend on the alignment and enlistment of others – including clients, their staff, fellow professionals, or others.   

 1.  New presentations on StayExempt

• Reasonable Cause
• Self-Dealing Exception for Compensation to Disqualified Persons

  2.  Employment Tax podcasts

• Payroll Reporting for Election Workers
• 10 Minutes on Filing the Form 941-X

  3.  EO Issue Snapshots

• IRC Section 4944(c) – Taxes on Investments Which Jeopardize Charitable Purpose – Exception for Program-Related Investments
• Exclusion of Bingo from Unrelated Business Activity
• Rents from Personal Property, “Mixed Leases,” and the Rental Exclusion from UBTI
• Exclusion of Rent from Real Property from Unrelated Business Taxable Income

  4.  Fee for Form 8976

Form 8976, Notice of Intent to Operate Under Section 501(c)(4) – Organizations must pay a $50 fee at Pay.gov within 14 days of submitting the form.

  5.  Podcast on maximum loans in retirement plans

Podcast – computation of maximum loan amount from retirement plans –

Audit Technique Guides for Exempt Organizations Examiners use these guides during audits of specific types of exempt organizations.

The Enduring Relevance of Rev. Proc. 71-17 on IRC Section 501(c)(7) Organizations Read the IRS issue snapshot on the effect of a 501(c)(7) club’s non-member income on its unrelated business taxable income and exemption.

The IRS recently released the 2018 Work Plan for the exempt organizations function.  The Work Plan provides information regarding various areas of IRS focus.

The IRS is providing several types of tax relief for those affected by hurricanes hitting Texas, Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We’re monitoring the situation closely to resolve potential tax related issues as they’re identified. Check IRS.gov/hurricaneharvey and IRS.gov/hurricaneirmaoften for a current list of all tax relief available in these disaster areas and others.

IRS Gives Tax Relief to Victims of Hurricane Harvey; Parts of Texas Now Eligible Hurricane Harvey victims in parts of Texas have until Jan. 31, 2018, to file certain individual and business tax returns and make certain tax payments. This relief also applies to Form 5500 series returns of eligible taxpayers.

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Employers seeking ways to help employees and their family members affected by Hurricanes Harvey or Irma should consider the various relief made available by the Internal Revenue Service under Announcements 2017-11 and 2017-13 and Notice 2017-48.

Under Notice 2017-48, employers who maintain a leave-based donation program (there is still time to adopt one) can afford employees the opportunity to forgo their vacation, sick or personal leave in exchange for cash contributions made by the employer, before Jan. 1, 2019, to charitable organizations assisting those impacted by Hurricane Harvey.  The donated leave will be excluded from the donor employees’ income and wages and the employer will be able to deduct such contributions to a qualifying charitable organization as a business expense.  As always, the Notice includes specific guidelines that must be followed in order for employers and employees to take advantage of this relief.  Note that currently this relief is approved only for Hurricane

1. IRS provides help for Hurricane Harvey victims

The IRS is providing a variety of tax relief for those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Check our webpage for the latest updates.

2. Beware of Hurricane Harvey fake charity scams

The IRS issued a warning about possible fake charity scams emerging due to Hurricane Harvey and encouraged taxpayers to seek out recognized charitable groups for their donations.

3. More IRS disaster relief information available

Publication 3833, Disaster Relief, Providing Assistance Through Charitable Organizations

Two-part mini-course on disaster relief.

Additional information about IRS help for Hurricane Harvey victims is available on IRS social media sites, including the Twitter handle @IRSnews, following the hashtag #Harvey.

The IRS is seeking applicants for vacancies on the Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT). The committee provides advice and public input on the various areas of tax administration served by the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division (TE/GE). Applications will be accepted through September 18, 2017.

We are very excited to announce that Bryan Cave was recognized in Legal 500 as one of the top law firms in the Nonprofit / Tax Exempt Organizations category.  This is an honor and we are delighted that our Firm has been recognized along with the other top law firms in the United States that specialize in advising nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations.

The purpose of The Legal 500 is to help corporate counsel find the right advisors through its law firm rankings and editorial, which are free of charge to access. Rankings are based on feedback from 250,000 in-house peers and access to law firms deals and confidential matters, which are independently assessed by researchers.

We’ve recently updated the list of 403(b) pre-approved retirement plans that have received an IRS favorable opinion or advisory letter. A favorable opinion or advisory letter for a 403(b) pre-approved plan means that the IRS has determined that the plan satisfies the requirements of Internal Revenue Code Section 403(b) (these requirements are specifically outlined in the opinion or advisory letter).

Employers eligible to sponsor 403(b) retirement plans for their employees may want to consider adopting a pre-approved plan that has received a favorable letter instead of a having an individually designed plan.

Related resources:

• 403(b) Pre-Approved Plans for Eligible Employers – explains why eligible employers may want to opt for a pre-approved plan instead of an individually designed plan.
• List of 403(b) Pre-Approved Plans – contains information about the terms used in the pre-approved plan list and the remedial amendment period to correct certain errors