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Business Owners Beware — New IRS Matching Program

On December 22, 2017, The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law. The information in this article predates the tax reform legislation and may not apply to tax returns starting in the 2018 tax year. You may wish to speak to your tax advisor about the latest tax law. This publication is provided for your convenience and does not constitute legal advice. This publication is protected by copyright.

Business Owners Beware — New IRS Matching Program
Article Highlights:
  • Form 1099-K 
  • IRS Matching 1099-K reported income to tax return reported income 
  • Letters from the IRS 
Beginning in 2012, banks, credit card companies, and other third-party organizations that settle transactions were required to file informational returns with the IRS that reported a business's credit and debit card transactions and other electronic types of reportable income. The form used to file that information with the IRS is the 1099-K. If your business has credit/debit card transactions, then you, along with the IRS, have received this form in the past.

The information provided on the Form 1099-K allows the IRS to determine the business's gross income from credit and debit card sales and makes it easier to segregate credit/debit card sales from cash sales.

With Form 1099-K, the IRS is in the position to see if the credit card dollar figure reported on the tax return matches the bank's information return; the form will also allow them to see if a business's other sales from cash and check payments makes sense in the context of the firm's overall business.

As expected, the IRS has developed a program to match reported income on the income tax returns filed by businesses to the income reported on the 1099-Ks. The IRS' analysis includes comparing the percentage of income a specific business reported as coming from credit/debit cards and cash sales, for example, to what the typical percentage is for other businesses in the same industry. If you receive a letter from the IRS related to the 1099-K, then the IRS's computer thinks you underreported your business income and the agency is requesting an explanation for the discrepancy. Don't procrastinate or ignore the letter; it only makes matters worse.

If you receive one of these letters, it may be appropriate for you to seek professional assistance with preparing a response. Please give this office a call.

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