26 C.F.R. § 301.7701-15 Income tax return preparer.
Title 26 - Internal Revenue
(a) In general. An income tax return preparer is any person who prepares for compensation, or who employs (or engages) one or more persons to prepare for compensation, other than for the person, all or a substantial portion of any return of tax under subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or of any claim for refund of tax under subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. (1) A person who furnishes to a taxpayer or other preparer sufficient information and advice so that completion of the return or claim for refund is largely a mechanical or clerical matter is considered an income tax return preparer, even though that person does not actually place or review placement of information on the return or claim for refund. See also paragraph (b) of this section. (2) A person who only gives advice on specific issues of law shall not be considered an income tax return preparer, unless— (i) The advice is given with respect to events which have occurred at the time the advice is rendered and is not given with respect to the consequences of contemplated actions; and (ii) The advice is directly relevant to the determination of the existence, characterization, or amount of an entry on a return or claim for refund. For example, if a lawyer gives an opinion on a transaction which a corporation has consummated, solely to satisfy an accountant (not at the time a preparer of the corporation's return) who is attempting to determine whether the reserve for taxes set forth in the corporation's financial statement is reasonable, the lawyer shall not be considered a tax return preparer solely by reason of rendering such opinion. (3) A person may be an income tax return preparer without regard to educational qualifications and professional status requirements. (4) A person must prepare a return or claim for refund for compensation to be an income tax return preparer. A person who prepares a return or claim for refund for a taxpayer with no explicit or implicit agreement for compensation is not a preparer, even though the person receives a gift or return service or favor. (5) A person who prepares a return or claim for refund outside the United States is an income tax return preparer, regardless of his nationality, residence, or the locations of his places of business, if the person otherwise satisfies the definition of income tax return preparer. Notwithstanding the provisions of §301.6109–1(g), the person shall secure an employer identification number if he is an employer of another preparer, is a partnership in which one or more of the general partners is a preparer, or is an individual not employed (or engaged) by another preparer. The person shall comply with the provisions of section 1203 of the Tax Reform Act of 1976 and the regulations thereunder. (6) An official or employee of the Internal Revenue Service performing his official duties is not an income tax return preparer. (7) The following persons are not income tax return preparers: (i) Any individual who provides tax assistance under a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program established by the Internal Revenue Service; (ii) Any organization sponsoring or administering a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program established by the Internal Revenue Service, but only with respect to that sponsorship or administration; (iii) Any individual who provides tax counseling for the elderly under a program established pursuant to section 163 of the Revenue Act of 1978; (iv) Any organization sponsoring or administering a program to provide tax counseling for the elderly established pursuant to section 163 of the Revenue Act of 1978, but only with respect to that sponsorship or administration; (v) Any individual who provides tax assistance as part of a qualified Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC), as defined by section 7526, subject to the requirements of paragraphs (a)(7)(vii) and (viii) of this section; and (vi) Any organization that is a qualified Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC), as defined by section 7526, subject to the requirements of paragraphs (a)(7)(vii) and (viii) of this section. (vii) Paragraphs (a)(7)(v) and (vi) of this section apply only if any assistance with a return of tax or claim for refund under subtitle A is directly related to a controversy with the Internal Revenue Service for which the qualified LITC is providing assistance, or is an ancillary part of an LITC program to inform individuals for whom English is a second language about their rights and responsibilities under the Internal Revenue Code. (viii) Notwithstanding paragraph (a)(7)(vii) of this section, paragraphs (a)(7)(v) and (vi) of this section do not apply if an LITC charges a separate fee or varies a fee based on whether the LITC provides assistance with a return of tax or claim for refund under subtitle A, or if the LITC charges more than a nominal fee for its services. (b) Substantial preparation. (1) Only a person (or persons acting in concert) who prepares all or a substantial portion of a return or claim for refund shall be considered to be a preparer (or preparers) of the return or claim for refund. A person who renders advice which is directly relevant to the determination of the existence, characterization, or amount of an entry on a return or claim for refund, will be regarded as having prepared that entry. Whether a schedule, entry, or other portion of a return or claim for refund is a substantial portion is determined by comparing the length and complexity of, and the tax liability or refund involved in, that portion to the length and complexity of, and tax liability or refund involved in, the return or claim for refund as a whole. (2) For purposes of applying the rule of paragraph (b)(1) of this section, if the schedule, entry, or other portion of the return or claim for refund involves amounts of gross income, amounts of deductions, or amounts on the basis of which credits are determined which are— (i) Less than $2,000; or (ii) Less than $100,000, and also less than 20 percent of the gross income (or adjusted gross income if the taxpayer is an individual) as shown on the return or claim for refund, then the schedule or other portion is not considered to be a substantial portion. If more than one schedule, entry or other portion is involved, they shall be aggregated in applying the rule of this paragraph (b)(2). Thus, if a person, for an individual taxpayer's return, prepares a schedule for dividend income which totals $1,500 and gives advice making him a preparer of a schedule of medical expenses which results in a deduction for medical expenses of $1,500, the person is not a preparer if the taxpayer's adjusted gross income shown on the return is more than $15,000. This paragraph shall not apply to a person who prepares all of a return or claim for refund. (3) A preparer of a return is not considered to be a preparer of another return merely because an entry or entries reported on the return may affect an entry reported on the other return, unless the entry or entries reported on the prepared return are directly reflected on the other return and constitute a substantial portion of the other return. For example, the sole preparer of a partnership return of income or a small business corporation income tax return is considered a preparer of a partner's or a shareholder's return if the entry or entries on the partnership or small business corporation return reportable on the partner's or shareholder's return constitute a substantial portion of the partner's or shareholder's return. (c) Return and claim for refund—(1) Return. A return of tax under subtitle A is a return filed by or on behalf of a taxpayer reporting the liability of the taxpayer for tax under subtitle A. A return of tax under subtitle A also includes an information return filed by or on behalf of a person or entity that is not a taxable entity and which reports information which is or may be reported on the return of a taxpayer of tax under subtitle A. (i) A return of tax under subtitle A includes an individual or corporation income tax return, a fiduciary income tax return (for a trust or estate), a regulated investment company undistributed capital gains tax return, a return of a charitable remainder trust, a return by a transferor of stock or securities to a foreign corporation, foreign trust, or foreign partnership, a partnership return of income, a small business corporation income tax return, and a DISC return. (ii) A return of tax under subtitle A does not include an estate tax return, a gift tax return, any other return of excise taxes or income taxes collected at source on wages, an individual or corporation declaration of estimated tax, an application for an extension of time to file an individual or corporation income tax return, or an information statement on Form 990, any Form 1099, or similar form. (2) Claim for refund. A claim for refund of tax under subtitle A includes a claim for credit against any tax under subtitle A. (d) Persons who are not preparers. A person shall not be considered to be a preparer of a return or claim for refund if the person performs only one or more of the following services: (1) Typing, reproduction, or other mechanical assistance in the preparation of a return or claim for refund. (2) Preparation of a return or claim for refund of a person, or an officer, a general partner, or employee of a person, by whom the individual is regularly and continuously employed or in which the individual is a general partner. (3) Preparation of a return or claim for refund for a trust or estate of which the person either is a fiduciary or is an officer, general partner, or employee of the fiduciary. (4) Preparation of a claim for refund for a taxpayer in response to— (i) A notice of deficiency issued to the taxpayer; or (ii) A waiver of restriction after initiation of an audit of the taxpayer or another taxpayer if a determination in the audit of the other taxpayer affects, directly or indirectly, the liability of the taxpayer for tax under subtitle A. For purposes of paragraph (d)(2) of this section, the employee of a corporation owning more than 50 percent of the voting power of another corporation, or the employee of a corporation more than 50 percent of the voting power of which is owned by another corporation, is considered the employee of the other corporation as well. For purposes of paragraph (d)(3) of this section, an estate, guardianship, conservatorship, committee, and any similar arrangement for a taxpayer under a legal disability (such as a minor, an incompetent, or an infirm individual) is considered a trust or estate. [T.D. 7675, 45 FR 11468, Feb. 21, 1980, as amended by T.D. 9026, 67 FR 77419, Dec. 18, 2002]
Title 26: Internal Revenue
PART 301—PROCEDURE AND ADMINISTRATION
Definitions
§ 301.7701-15 Income tax return preparer.
