IRS Audits of Expatriates: Section 965 Transition Tax, Exit Tax, Non-Filers, and the Examination Process

Course Details
- smart_display Format
On-Demand
- signal_cellular_alt Difficulty Level
Intermediate
- work Practice Area
Tax Preparer
- event Date
Thursday, December 12, 2024
- schedule Time
1:00 p.m. ET./10:00 a.m. PT
- timer Program Length
110 minutes
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BARBRI is a NASBA CPE sponsor and this 110-minute webinar is accredited for 2.0 CPE credits.
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BARBRI is an IRS-approved continuing education provider offering certified courses for Enrolled Agents (EA) and Tax Return Preparers (RTRP).
This course will discuss IRS examinations of taxpayers living abroad. Our expert panel will guide tax practitioners through the examination process and explain best practices to withstand the ongoing scrutiny of these taxpayers' returns.
Faculty

Mr. Parmegiani has considerable expertise in a broad range of tax specialty areas, including the hospitality and real estate industries, both domestic and international business investments, sales and use tax, C Corporations, S Corporations, Partnerships, LLCs and REITs, and state and local tax issues. He has worked extensively with high net worth individuals, including United States taxpayers living abroad and foreign nationals living in the United States and advises foreign groups in establishing domestic business operations. He has spent most of his career with Big Four and other large accounting firm networks, and was also Director of Tax for the New York office of another network for eight years. He frequently contributes tax articles to the PKF International Tax Alert and presents at the annual PKF International Tax Conference.

Ms. Belyavskaya has 15 years of experience working with multinational businesses and high-net-worth individuals. She provides tax compliance and advisory services on cross-border transactions, corporate international restructuring, U.S. entity formation and dissolution issues, as well as global mobility matters and expatriate tax assistance. Ms. Belyavskaya has worked with numerous clients and PKF colleagues around the world on transfer pricing issues and U.S. nexus tax regulations. She has prepared numerous memoranda regarding U.S. tax implications for foreign clients, and she is a contributor to the Firm’s Thought Leadership series. Currently, Ms. Belyavskaya is spearheading the Firm’s efforts to grow its client base in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Eastern European and Asian countries.

Mr. Migliaccio is a Partner in the international tax practice. Prior to joining PKF O’Connor Davies, he worked at two “Big 4” accounting firms in their international tax practices. Mr. Migliaccio has more than 10 years of experience providing consultation on international tax matters, including cross-border transactions, business restructurings and complex compliance issues for multinational corporations, partnerships, private equity funds and high-net-worth individuals. In addition, he regularly leads due diligence and structuring for M&A transactions. As one of the Firm’s most prolific thought leaders, Mr. Migliaccio has written extensively on a wide range of tax topics. He is a co-author of treatise-length discussions on the Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax (BEAT), Passive Foreign Investment Companies (PFICs) and Inversions. Mr. Migliaccio has authored articles for publications such as Law360 and Checkpoint News and has been quoted in Newsday and Bloomberg News. He is also a frequent speaker at industry and tax-related conferences.

Ms. Smith is a partner in the private client and tax team. She focuses her practice on sensitive tax matters, which often involve negotiations with government agencies. Ms. Smith represents clients in a broad range of tax, trust, estate, and business planning issues. Her work involves planning for high net worth US and international families, with particular emphasis on planning for closely-held businesses. Ms. Smith's planning work for clients involves a range of matters, from creating tax-efficient wealth transfer structures to addressing income tax issues arising from investments and operating businesses. She has advised prominent politicians, business people, and well-known athletes. Ms. Smith is known globally as one of the go-to attorneys for individuals with US tax or reporting issues and has represented clients from over 20 countries in the last year. In addition to the traditional tax controversies, such as representing clients in an audit, Ms. Smith has extensive experience in advising clients on issues regarding foreign bank account reporting (FBAR) obligations, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), and the Internal Revenue Service's 2009 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, 2011 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative, 2012 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, 2014 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, Streamlined Filing Procedure and other means of resolving US income and reporting deficiencies. She has represented hundreds of U.S. taxpayers with undisclosed foreign bank accounts.
Description
The IRS has and continues to audit a higher proportion of expat tax returns. The IRS 2019 Databook revealed that approximately 10 percent of expatriates' tax returns are selected for audit. Considering the complexity of the returns, this should not be surprising.
The rules for these nonresidents are often the reverse of those for residents. The filing status Married Filing Jointly can require a special election, self-employed taxpayers often are not entitled to deduct expenses, and simple presence in the U.S. for 183 days can trigger capital gains. Remarkably, two-thirds of expats paper file these complicated returns.
In April 2023, the IRS Large Business & International Division released its list of currently active compliance campaigns. A dozen of these issues include campaigns targeting international taxpayers. These audits include expats who filed Form 8854, Initial and Annual Expatriation Statement, as well as those who did not.
Included on the list is its compliance campaign focusing on Section 965 transition tax payments. The Service required these payments by U.S. shareholders of certain foreign corporations on unrepatriated (untaxed) earnings as part of the 2017 Tax Act. The IRS stated that these audits could be expanded to other issues, particularly those relative to the 2017 Tax Act.
Tax professionals and advisers working with individuals who have relocated abroad must understand the issues triggering these IRS audits, prepare clients for these audits, and know how to handle these demanding examinations.
Listen as our panel of foreign tax experts explains the current IRS campaigns targeting expatriates.
Outline
- Expatriates: introduction
- Common expat audit issues
- Non-filers
- Filing status
- Unreported capital gains
- Information reporting returns
- Unallowed business deductions
- Other areas
- Latest IRS expat compliance campaigns
- Section 965 transition payments
- Exit taxes and unsubmitted Forms 8854
- Examination process
- Best practices
Benefits
The panel will cover these and other critical issues:
- Which expatriate returns are being targeted by the IRS?
- How to best handle unfiled returns, including FBAR filings
- When should a taxpayer consider an appeal?
- What additional issues are being reviewed during Section 965 examinations?
- How can expats and tax advisers best prepare for IRS examinations?
NASBA Details
Learning Objectives
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Determine which expatriate returns are being targeted by the IRS
- Recognize how to best handle unfiled returns, including FBAR filings
- Ascertain the IRC 965 transition tax procedures
- Decide whether to voluntarily disclose and comply with procedures for expatriates
- Identify the streamlined procedures and the opportunities for both residents and nonresidents to take advantage of them
- Field of Study: Taxes
- Level of Knowledge: Intermediate
- Advance Preparation: None
- Teaching Method: Seminar/Lecture
- Delivery Method: Group-Internet (via computer)
- Attendance Monitoring Method: Attendance is monitored electronically via a participant's PIN and through a series of attendance verification prompts displayed throughout the program
- Prerequisite: Three years+ business or public firm experience preparing complex tax forms and schedules, supervising other preparers or accountants. Specific knowledge and understanding of international taxation including residency determination, foreign entity classifications, application of treaty benefits, as well as GILTI, Subpart F, and the related Section 250 deductions.

Strafford Publications, Inc. is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of Accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE Credits. Complaints regarding registered sponsons may be submitted to NASBA through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.

Strafford is an IRS-approved continuing education provider offering certified courses for Enrolled Agents (EA) and Tax Return Preparers (RTRP).
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