Cryptocurrency Tax Compliance: Tax Filing Requirements, Managing IRS Examinations
Tax Treatment of Digital Currency, Exchange Transactions, Investments, Drop-Ins, Hard Forks, Soft Forks, and More

Course Details
- smart_display Format
On-Demand
- signal_cellular_alt Difficulty Level
Intermediate
- work Practice Area
Tax Law
- event Date
Thursday, May 9, 2024
- schedule Time
1:00 p.m. ET./10:00 a.m. PT
- timer Program Length
90 minutes
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This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.
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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 CLE/CPE course will provide tax counsel, accountants, and other advisers with a critical look at recent IRS enforcement actions on taxpayer compliance and reporting obligations for cryptocurrency transactions. The panel will discuss the IRS' position on the tax treatment of cryptocurrency, analyze IRS monitoring to increase compliance, consider criminal investigations and prosecutions for failing to report cryptocurrency transactions accurately, and define proper reporting and tax treatment for "mining" and exchanging cryptocurrency. The panel will also discuss tactics in managing IRS examinations and audits.
Faculty

Mr. Stein specializes in tax controversies, as well as tax planning for individuals, businesses and corporations. For more than 25 years, he has represented individuals with sensitive issue civil tax examinations where substantial penalty issues may arise, and extensively advised individuals on foreign and domestic voluntary disclosures regarding foreign account and asset compliance matters. Mr. Stein is well respected for his expertise and judgment in handling matters arising from the U.S. government’s ongoing enforcement efforts regarding undeclared interests in foreign financial accounts and assets, including various methods of participating in a timely voluntary disclosure to minimize potential exposure to civil tax penalties and avoiding a criminal tax prosecution referral. Mr. Stein is a frequent lecturer at national and regional conferences on topics including tax compliance sensitive issues, IRS examinations, State and Federal worker classification issues, etc.

Mr. Toscher has been representing clients for more than 35 years before the Internal Revenue Service, the Tax Divisions of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of the United States Attorney, numerous state taxing authorities and in federal and state court litigation and appeals. Mr. Toscher enjoys a unique combination of solid criminal defense experience and extensive substantive tax experience to assist individuals and entities subject to sensitive government inquiries. He has considerable experience as lead counsel in defending criminal tax fraud investigations (both administrative and grand jury investigations) as well as in defending criminal tax prosecutions (both jury and non-jury). Mr. Toscher’s tax practice includes a wide array of substantive areas including income taxes, estate taxes, employment taxes, sales taxes and property taxes. He is routinely involved in sensitive issue or complex civil tax examinations and administrative appeals on behalf of wealthy individuals and their closely held entities as well as large corporations involving both domestic and foreign tax related issues.

Mr. Davis joined the firm in 2016 after more than 20 years in the public sector as a trial lawyer with extensive civil and criminal trial and appellate experience in both federal and state courts. He and his cases have been profiled by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, People Magazine, as well as national legal publications such as Tax Notes and Law360. Mr. Davis represents individuals and closely held entities in criminal tax investigations and prosecutions, civil tax controversy and litigation, sensitive-issue or complex civil tax examinations and administrative tax appeals, and federal and state white-collar criminal investigations. He represents numerous cryptocurrency clients worldwide on civil and criminal tax matters, speaks frequently on cryptocurrency, criminal tax, and Bank Secrecy Act issues, deals with civil and criminal cannabis-related tax issues, and handles civil and criminal unreported foreign account and foreign-entities investigations and disclosures. In the appellate arena, Mr. Davis has argued cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals as both a prosecutor and defense counsel and was trial and appellate counsel on the attorney-client privilege case In re Grand Jury, which the U.S. Supreme Court heard in 2023. Mr. Davis frequently lectures on many topics throughout the country both in the private sector and as a federal prosecutor.
Description
The IRS continues to press its concern over "massive under-reporting" of income from cryptocurrency transactions, including recently charging the first “pure tax” cryptocurrency criminal case in February 2024. This is the first of many criminal cases against cryptocurrency holders promised by IRS Criminal Investigations. Tax advisers for clients with cryptocurrency holdings must understand the reporting requirements for exchange transactions and the IRS scrutiny cryptocurrency investors are likely to face in the future.
Cryptocurrency is a digital currency using encryption techniques--rather than a central bank--to generate, exchange, and transfer currency units. Uniquely, no bank or government authority verifies the transfer of funds.
The value of Bitcoin has prompted a massive compliance initiative aimed at taxpayers holding and trading cryptocurrency. The IRS treats all virtual currency as property rather than currency for U.S. tax purposes. The IRS requires reporting any transaction involving cryptocurrency as a sale or exchange of property, with the taxpayer bearing responsibility for calculating and maintaining basis in their virtual currency holdings.
Listen as our expert panel discusses recent IRS enforcement actions focused on cryptocurrency and provides practical guidance on the U.S. tax reporting and payment duties arising from cryptocurrency transactions.
Outline
- Recent IRS enforcement actions
- Valuation issues
- Tax reporting requirements for cryptocurrency exchanges
- Disclosure requirements for cryptocurrency ownership
- Criminal investigations and prosecutions for failing to properly report cryptocurrency transactions
Benefits
The panel will review these and other key issues:
- What recent actions have the IRS taken regarding cryptocurrency tax compliance?
- What are the income tax reporting requirements for cryptocurrency exchanges and valuations?
- What are the limitations on loss recognition on cryptocurrency transactions and exchanges?
- IRS' position on whether cryptocurrency exchanges qualify for 1031 treatment and the impact of the enacted tax reform
- What are best practices in managing an IRS examination?
NASBA Details
Learning Objectives
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Recognize items of interest in IRS examination of cryptocurrency transactions
- Recognize valuation challenges in determining gain or loss on cryptocurrency holdings
- Determine proper tax treatment of increases in cryptocurrency due to "mining"
- Discern the character of gain or loss for cryptocurrency transactions
- Verify international and domestic information reporting requirements on investments in cryptocurrency
- 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 income tax forms and schedules at mid-level within the organization, supervising other preparers/accountants. Specific knowledge and understanding of sale and exchange transactions; familiarity with virtual currency structures, foreign information reporting requirements.

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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