Congress enacted several laws in 2020 in order to provide financial relief to individuals and businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has continued to provide additional forms of relief in 2021. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and other agencies have taken various steps to help mitigate qualifying individuals’ and businesses’ financial strain as well. Many of the federal government’s COVID-19 relief programs have been impacted by widespread fraud, and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS CI) is among several agencies that are actively targeting those suspected of pandemic-related crimes.

Cryptocurrency investors are facing enhanced scrutiny from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in 2021. As a result, it is more important than ever for investors to ensure that they are complying with the Internal Revenue Code and other pertinent federal laws. We have published several resources for cryptocurrency investors prepared by New Jersey tax attorney Kevin E. Thorn, Managing Partner of Thorn Law Group. If you have questions about federal tax compliance related to cryptocurrency, these resources are your starting point for what you need to know:

For many U.S. taxpayers who own foreign financial accounts, filing a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) and meeting the reporting requirements under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) are essential for avoiding unwanted scrutiny from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The IRS expects taxpayers to strictly comply with the FBAR and FATCA filing requirements—and to engage a New Jersey international tax lawyer to assist them when necessary. Recently, the IRS issued updated compliance guidance that all U.S. taxpayers with foreign financial accounts need to keep in mind.

The Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division (IRS CI) targets individual and corporate taxpayers suspected of criminal tax law violations. It investigates certain other types of criminal activity as well. If you have been contacted by IRS CI Special Agents, defending yourself (or your company) starts with engaging a New Jersey tax lawyer to determine why exactly you are being targeted.

The IRS has conducted relatively few audits in recent years. In 2019, the IRS audited just 0.45 percent of individual tax returns, down from 0.59 percent in 2018—and even further down from 1.11 percent a decade prior. But, as New Jersey tax attorney Kevin E. Thorn, Managing Partner of Thorn Law Group, explains, this may change in 2021.