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Back From the IRS Nationwide Tax Forum: Where the IRS is Heading and What it Means for You

  • IRS & Tax Updates

Table of Contents

Last month I attended the IRS Nationwide Tax Forum in San Diego, the last of five forums the IRS held across the country this year. Close to 13,000 tax professionals attended the five events in Chicago, New Orleans, New York, Orlando and San Diego.

I go every year for the same reason. It is one of the few places where tax professionals and the IRS sit in the same room and work through real issues together. Every year, I come back with something that changes how I help clients. This year was no different.

Here is what stood out, and what it means for you.

The IRS is Changing How it Works With You

The forum opened with an IRS town hall on where the agency is heading over the next few years. The message was consistent: technology and AI are at the forefront, and the goal is to make dealing with the IRS easier.

In practice, that means more of your tax life will be handled online. Fewer things will need a phone call or a letter in the mail, and more of the routine work will be handled through digital tools.

For most people, this is good news. It also means the taxpayers who are set up to use these tools will have a much easier time than those who aren’t.

Four Changes Worth Knowing About

1. Your IRS online account is becoming essential

Almost everything the IRS described depends on having an online account at IRS.gov. There are three main types:

  • Individual Online Account for individuals, showing what you owe, your payment history, notices and records
  • Business Tax Account for businesses, which brings balances, payments, transcripts and select digital notices into one place
  • Tax Pro Account for tax professionals like us, which works with your Individual Online Account so you can approve our authorization online instead of on paper

If you don’t have an account yet, it is worth setting one up now, before you actually need it.

2. There is a new IRS App

The IRS has replaced its old IRS2Go app with a new IRS app. It lets you check refund status, view balances, make payments, see select notices and access your Identity Protection PIN from your phone. If you already had IRS2Go, the update arrives automatically. Only download it from the official App Store or Google Play listings, or through IRS.gov.

3. Paying electronically is the direction of travel

The IRS is actively encouraging electronic payments as part of a wider effort to modernize government payments. IRS Direct Pay is free, takes payments straight from your bank account, needs no registration, and lets you schedule payments up to a year ahead. It works for individuals and businesses, including estimated tax payments.

4. Scams are evolving alongside the tools

As more of the IRS moves online, look-alike apps, sponsored search results and convincing texts are moving with it. The IRS was clear: it won’t ask for sensitive personal or financial information through an unsolicited text, email or pop-up. Always go to IRS.gov directly rather than following a link.

What Else Was on the Agenda

The sessions covered a wide range of topics. A few will matter to many of our clients:

  • The Working Families Tax Cuts: Several sessions covered the new provisions, including no tax on tips and no tax on overtime. If either applies to you or your employees, it is worth reviewing how they affect this year’s return and your withholding.
  • The 2027 filing season: The IRS shared what to expect for the upcoming filing season. The more you prepare now, the smoother it will be.
  • Digital asset reporting: Reporting requirements for digital assets continue to expand. If you hold or transact in crypto, the record-keeping matters more than ever.
  • Audits and collections: Sessions on navigating IRS audits and managing collection cases were a reminder of how much easier these are when records are organized and the IRS is contacted early.

Why Being in the Room Matters

One part of the forum doesn’t get much attention but makes a real difference: direct access to the IRS. The forum had a Case Resolution Room where the IRS and the Taxpayer Advocate Service worked through difficult cases one-on-one, resolving more than 1,100 across the five events. Stakeholder Liaison tables and an IRS Zone gave professionals direct time with IRS specialists.

Those relationships and that knowledge come back with me. When a client’s notice is confusing or a case is stuck, knowing how the IRS is thinking, and who to talk to, shortens the path to an answer.

What to Do Before Year-End

You don’t need to act on everything at once. These four steps cover most of it:

  1. Set up your IRS online account at IRS.gov, and a Business Tax Account if you own a business.
  2. Check your withholding with the IRS Withholding Estimator, especially if your income, job or family situation changed this year.
  3. Plan your next estimated payment and consider scheduling it through Direct Pay.
  4. Start your year-end planning conversation now, while there is still time to change the outcome.


That last step is where the real value is. As we’ve written before, tax planning isn’t a year-end activity; it’s a year-round business strategy. The IRS tools make it easier to see where you stand. The planning is what changes where you end up.

They also solve a problem many people don’t realize they have. Often you don’t have a tax problem, you have a visibility problem, and a clear view of what the IRS already has on record is a good place to start fixing it.

The Takeaway

The IRS is making it easier to deal with it, but only for taxpayers who are set up to take advantage. A few minutes now saves calls, letters and surprises later. If you would like help setting up your account or making sense of what you find there, we’re here.

TTS Advisory provides tax, accounting and advisory services to technology-driven and innovation-led businesses and the people behind them. To speak with our team, schedule an appointment.