The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) announces recent disciplinary sanctions imposed on attorneys, certified public accountants, enrolled agents, enrolled actuaries, enrolled retirement…

The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) announces recent disciplinary sanctions imposed on attorneys, certified public accountants, enrolled agents, enrolled actuaries, enrolled retirement plan agents, and appraisers. The OPR also announces when certain unenrolled, unlicensed tax return preparers (individuals who are not enrolled to practice before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and are not licensed as attorneys or certified public accountants) have been disciplined. Licensed or enrolled practitioners are subject to the regulations governing practice before the IRS, which are set out in Title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, Subtitle A, Part 10, and which are released as Treasury Department Circular No. 230. The regulations prescribe the duties and restrictions relating to such practice and prescribe the disciplinary sanctions for violating the regulations. Unenrolled/unlicensed return preparers who choose to participate in the IRS’s voluntary Annual Filing Season Program (AFSP) are subject to the guidance in Revenue Procedure 2014-42, which governs a preparer’s eligibility to represent taxpayers before the IRS in examinations of tax returns the preparer both prepared for the taxpayer and signed as the preparer. Additionally, unenrolled/unlicensed return preparers who participate in the AFSP agree to be subject to the duties and restrictions in Circular 230, including the restrictions on incompetence or disreputable conduct.

The disciplinary sanctions imposed for violation of the applicable standards are:

Disbarred from practice before the IRS—An individual who is disbarred is not eligible to practice before the IRS as defined at 31 C.F.R. § 10.2(a)(4) for a minimum period of five (5) years and until reinstated to practice.

Suspended from practice before the IRS—An individual who is suspended is not eligible to practice before the IRS as defined at 31 C.F.R. § 10.2(a)(4) during the term of the suspension and until reinstated to practice.

Censured—Censure is a public reprimand. Unlike disbarment or suspension, censure does not affect an individual’s eligibility to practice before the IRS, but the OPR may subject the individual’s future practice rights to conditions designed to promote high standards of conduct.

Monetary penalty—A monetary penalty may be imposed on an individual who engages in conduct subject to sanction, or on an employer, firm, or other entity if the individual was acting on its behalf and it knew, or reasonably should have known, of the individual’s conduct.

Disqualification of appraiser—An appraiser who is disqualified is barred from presenting evidence or testimony in any administrative proceeding before the Department of the Treasury or the IRS. Additionally, any appraisal made by the disqualified appraiser after the effective date of disqualification will not have any probative effect in any administrative proceeding before the Treasury Department or the IRS.

Ineligible for limited practice—An unenrolled/unlicensed tax return preparer who participates in the AFSP and who fails to comply with Circular 230 as required by Revenue Procedure 2014-42 may have their AFSP credential revoked and may be determined ineligible to engage in future limited practice under the program as a representative of a taxpayer.

Under the regulations, individuals subject to Circular 230 may not assist, or accept assistance from, individuals who are suspended or disbarred with respect to matters constituting practice (i.e., representation) before the IRS, and they may not aid or abet suspended or disbarred individuals to practice before the IRS.

Disciplinary sanctions are described in these terms:

Disbarred by decision, Suspended by decision, Censured by decision, Monetary penalty imposed by decision, and Disqualified by decision (including after a hearing)—An administrative law judge (ALJ), upon the OPR’s complaint alleging violation of the regulations, issued a decision imposing one of these sanctions after the ALJ either (1) granted the government’s motion for summary adjudication or (2) after conducting an evidentiary hearing. After 30 days from the issuance of the decision, in the absence of an appeal, the ALJ’s decision becomes the final agency decision.

Disbarred by default decision, Suspended by default decision, Censured by default decision, Monetary penalty imposed by default decision, and Disqualified by default decision—An ALJ, after finding that no answer to the OPR’s complaint was filed or timely filed, granted the OPR’s motion for a default judgment and issued a decision imposing one of these sanctions.

Disbarred by decision on appeal, Suspended by decision on appeal, Censured by decision on appeal, Monetary penalty imposed by decision on appeal, and Disqualified by decision on appeal—The decision of the ALJ was appealed to the agency’s appellate authority, acting as the delegate of the Secretary of the Treasury, and the appellate authority issued a decision imposing one of these sanctions.

Disbarred by consent, Suspended by consent, Censured by consent, Monetary penalty imposed by consent, and Disqualified by consent—In lieu of a disciplinary proceeding being instituted or continued, an individual offered their consent to one of these sanctions (or a firm or other entity offered to consent to a monetary penalty) and the OPR accepted the offer and the parties entered into a consent agreement. Typically, an offer of consent will provide for: suspension for an indefinite term; conditions that the individual must observe during the suspension; and the individual’s opportunity, after a stated number of months, to file with the OPR a petition for reinstatement affirming compliance with the terms of the consent agreement and affirming current fitness and eligibility to practice (i.e., an active professional license or active enrollment status, with no intervening violations of the regulations).

Suspended indefinitely by decision in expedited proceeding, Suspended indefinitely by default decision in expedited proceeding—The OPR instituted an expedited proceeding for suspension (based on certain limited grounds, including loss of a professional license for cause, and criminal convictions) that resulted in suspension.

Determined ineligible for limited practice—There has been a final determination under Revenue Procedure 2014-42 that an unenrolled/unlicensed tax return preparer is not eligible for continued limited representation of taxpayers because the preparer violated standards of conduct prescribed in Circular 230 or failed to comply with any of the requirements described in the revenue procedure.

A practitioner who has been disbarred or suspended under 31 C.F.R. § 10.60, or suspended under § 10.82, or a disqualified appraiser may petition for reinstatement before the IRS after the expiration of 5 years following such disbarment, suspension, or disqualification (or immediately following the expiration of the suspension or disqualification period if shorter than 5 years). Reinstatement will not be granted unless the IRS is satisfied that the petitioner is not likely to engage thereafter in conduct contrary to Circular 230, and that granting such reinstatement would not be contrary to the public interest.

Reinstatement decisions are published at the individual’s request, and described in these terms:

Reinstated to practice before the IRS—The OPR granted the individual’s petition for reinstatement. The individual is eligible to practice before the IRS, or in the case of an appraiser, the individual is no longer disqualified.

The OPR has authority to disclose the grounds for disciplinary sanctions in these situations: