The requirement for filing Form 720, Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return, applies separately to each tax, listed by IRS Number (IRS No.), on the face of the return. For filing purposes, IRS Nos. that are left blank are considered non-filed even if the taxpayer or collector signed, dated, and submitted to the IRS a Form 720 that was accepted by the agency.

The Excise Tax Program is governed by policy statements and other internal guidance that apply to all IRS personnel regardless of operating division. The policy statements found in IRM 1.2.1, Servicewide Policy Statements, apply to all excise tax issues and examinations. Examiners should review these policy statements to properly perform their examination duties when closing cases.

Delegation Order and Policy Statements by Process summarizes data contained in the applicable IRM sections under IRM 1.2.2, Servicewide Delegations of Authority, in a single, electronic source.

IRM 4.24, Excise Tax, provides Servicewide instructions for all operating divisions with employees involved with the correct filing, reporting, and payment of excise taxes, as well as case closings. IRM 4.24 serves as the foundation for consistent administration of excise taxes by various IRS operating divisions. By providing one source of authority for all operating divisions, IRS greatly reduces philosophical and procedural inconsistencies.

Director, Examination - Specialty Policy, is responsible for providing policy and guidance for Excise Tax Examination employees and ensuring consistent application of policy, procedures, and tax law to effect tax administration while protecting taxpayer rights.

Director, Examination - Specialty Tax, is responsible for the delivery of policy and guidance that impacts the field and campus examination processes.

Chief, Estate & Gift/Excise Tax Exam, is responsible for ensuring information about closing cases is communicated to and carried out by managers and examiners.

Excise Tax Program managers and examiners should thoroughly familiarize themselves with case closings procedures and information contained in this IRM, as well as other resources, such as those listed in IRM 4.24.21.1.7.

Program Goals - The information explained in this IRM describes case closing procedures that examiners must understand and apply in the performance of their job duties to close examination reports correctly, thereby increasing compliance. The processes and procedures provided in this IRM are consistent with the objectives or goals for Excise Tax Examination addressed in IRM 1.1.16.5.3.1, Excise Tax Examination.

Program Reports - Information regarding the reporting of program objectives are included on, but not limited to Examination Headquarters Monthly Briefings, Program Manager Monthly Briefings, SB/SE Examination Operational Reviews, and Business Performance Reviews. These reports provide reliable and timely information. Periodic program reviews are conducted to:

Program Effectiveness - Program effectiveness is measured by the Exam Quality Review System (EQRS) staff, located in FSEQ, that supports the SB/SE quality improvement program utilizing National Quality Review System (NQRS) to conduct independent case reviews from a statistically valid sample of examination case work. National, area, and territory trend analyses on the quality attributes establish baselines to assess program performance, identify opportunities to improve work processes, analyze causes for failure, assess the feasibility of possible solutions, and measure the success of quality improvement efforts.

Program Manager, Excise Tax Policy, is responsible for reviewing information in this IRM annually to ensure accuracy and promote consistent tax administration.

Refer to IRM 4.24.21.1.4 for information about program goals, reports, and effectiveness.

The following table contains terms and their definitions used throughout this IRM.

Refer to Exhibit 4.24.21-1 for acronyms used throughout this IRM.

Refer to IRM 4.10.1, Overview of Examiner Responsibilities, for guidance about the basic responsibilities related to taxpayer rights, employee contact information, oral and written communication, and the authority for conducting examinations that examiners should understand and apply in the performance of their duties.

Refer to IRM 4.10.2, Pre-Contact Responsibilities, for guidance about required responsibilities and analyses that must be completed before an examination is initiated, actions that are necessary for pre-contact planning of the examination, procedural instructions for contacting the taxpayer, and scheduling the initial appointment.

Refer to IRM 4.10.8, Report Writing, for guidance about the preparation of audit reports, details regarding the preparation of corrected reports, and discussion about issues that require special reports and forms.

Refer to IRM 4.24.8, Examination Guidance for Excise Claims for Refund or Abatement, for general guidelines and report writing procedures for examiners and campus personnel who process claims for refund or credit.

Refer to IRM 4.24.10, Appeals Referral Procedures, for information about closing unagreed cases (other than claims) to Appeals.

Refer to IRM 4.24.17, Excise Summary Terminal Activity Reporting System (ExSTARS) Compliance Examination Procedures, for guidance about fuel terminal and carrier compliance examination letters and reports.

Refer to IRM 4.24.20, Excise Tax Report Writing Guide, for guidance about examination report writing guidelines for examiners.

Refer to IRM 4.24.25, Issue Management System (IMS), Notebook and Workpapers, for guidance about the preparation of workpapers that support accurate examination reports.

The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) may be of assistance to taxpayers experiencing economic harm, who are seeking help in resolving tax problems that have not been resolved through normal procedures or who believe that an IRS system or procedure is not working as designed. Pub 1546, The Taxpayer Advocate Service is Your Voice at the IRS, provides contact and additional information. For guidance, refer to the Taxpayer Advocate - Contact Us.

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights lists rights that already existed in the tax code, putting them in simple language, and grouping them into 10 fundamental rights. Employees are responsible for being familiar with and acting in accordance with taxpayer rights. For additional information, refer to IRC 7803(a)(3) or to the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

For NQRS reviews, agreed and no change examinations are to be closed in 30 calendar days measured from the date the agreed report is received, or the date the no change status is communicated to the taxpayer, to the date the case is closed from the group and updated in Examination Return Control System (ERCS).

For EQRS reviews, agreed and no change examinations are to be closed within 30 calendar days. The 30 days are divided as follows:

The time frame is calculated beginning the day immediately following the occurrence of one of the events described immediately above.

Agreed cases with unpaid deficiencies of $100,000 and greater are to be closed in 4 calendar days.

The time frame is measured from the date the agreed report is received to the date the case is closed from the group and updated in ERCS.

The examiner and manager have 20 calendar days to close an unagreed case measured from the earlier of:

The time frame is calculated beginning the day immediately following the occurrence of one of the events described immediately above.

The case closing process requires all case files to be closed electronically in the Issue Management System (IMS).

The examiner must apply judgment and include all necessary key documents in the IMS case file.

Naming conventions contribute to an organized case file and assist users in easily locating specific documents. The examiner must index all documents in the IMS case file and follow the naming conventions found in the related Forms and Documents section of the Electronic Case File Initiative ECFI page in the Excise Tax Knowledge Base.

The examiner must prepare and save to the IMS case file the Form 15292-B, Excise Tax Case Closing Cover Sheet. The closing documents must be attached to Form 15292-B per Form 15292-B instructions. The examiner must notify the GM via email that the case is ready for review.

The manager will review the closed case file in IMS to:

If any deficiencies exist, the manager will reopen the IMS case file and notify the examiner to take corrective action. The manager will document all closing actions in IMS on the Case Level Activity Record. If the manager added or changed any documents, those documents must be uploaded or saved in the IMS case file.

The excise tax field group (group) will add the E indicator to the ERCS record during the closing process.

The status of the IMS case file must be updated to "closed" by the examiner but not until it reaches either Status "51" or Status "52" on ERCS. The manager has the discretion to determine when to close the IMS case file. When this occurs, the manager must then complete the managerial actions in IMS.

After the manager completes the review of the case, Form 15292-B and the ERCS record is emailed to Centralized Case Processing (CCP), at *SBSE CCP Exam Cincinnati, by the group.

After CCP completes the review of the electronic file, the signed Form 15292-B is emailed to the manager and the examiner. The examiner must then upload Form 15292-B in to the IMS case file with all signatures and then close the case off IMS.

The closing letters will be mailed by the group and documented.

The examiner must verify that the correct statute of limitations (SOL) date for assessment of tax is reflected on all transcripts. Transcripts must be less than 30 days old but preferably less than one week old.

The examiner must include the following IDRS transcripts in the closed case:

The examiner is responsible for completing Form 3198, Special Handling Notice for Examination Case Processing. It provides closing instructions to CCP and Tech Services, and is prepared in IMS.

After the examiner enters specific data into IMS, Form 3198 will automatically populate. This will generally result in improved accuracy. The examiner will need to manually complete the remaining applicable fields and itemize the closing data on Form 3198.

The examiner will provide instructions on Form 3198 and indicate the required letter, form, report, or other materials to enclose in correspondence to the taxpayer based on the type of closure. Refer to IRM 4.24.21.5 for additional guidance.

If a copy of the closing letter is to be issued to a POA, then the examiner will check the box "Copy to POA -Letter 937" on the second page of Form 3198 under "Letter Instructions for CCP."

For cases with agreed and unpaid deficiencies or overassessments of $100,000 and greater, Form 3198 must be flagged in the "Expedite Processing" section by checking the "Over $100,000 Agreed and Unpaid" box.

For cases involving claims or certain overassessments, examiners must determine if restricted interest applies. If restricted interest applies, then Form 3198 must be documented appropriately. Refer to IRM 4.24.8.25, Restricted Interest, for additional information on restricted interest and procedures for documenting Form 3198 when restricted interest applies.

If Form 3198 is not annotated correctly with all closing actions, the case closing may be delayed, and the case returned to the group for additional closing actions.

Form 5344, Examination Closing Record, serves as an input document for the Audit Information Management System (AIMS), which captures the closing information on examined cases. The system also transmits Form 5344 adjustment information to Master File to update taxpayer account records.

The examiner must generate Form 5344 in IMS. It automatically populates when data is entered on the "IMS Entity Closing Data" tab. After the examiner has verified Form 5344 is properly completed, then the examiner must click "Submit to IMS."

For SFR cases, write "SFR/Original Return" in the top margin of Form 5344. Refer to IRM 4.4.9.5.3.1.1, Prepare Case for Closing, for guidance.

To complete Form 5344 correctly, a "Block Number" must be manually input into the P38-40 field:

Form 5351, Examination Non-Examined Closings, is used as an input document to close non-examined cases, such as when cases are surveyed to remove them from AIMS.

The examiner must generate Form 5351 in IMS. Refer to IRM 4.24.21.5.1 for additional guidance on generating and preparing Form 5351.

Form 4665, Report Transmittal, (also known as the transmittal letter or T-Letter) is used in unagreed and partially agreed cases. It is not required in agreed cases but may be used if deemed necessary by the examiner.

In unagreed and partially agreed cases, Form 4665 must summarize the unagreed issues, if necessary, and indicate when the taxpayer was offered the opportunity to discuss the unagreed issues with a manager. Information included on Form 4665 should complement and not repeat information in the report and workpapers.

Form 4665 must not contain statements or comments intended to influence Appeals’ decision-making process. This includes recommendations concerning what Appeals should consider and how Appeals should resolve the case. It is permissible to include a neutral list of unagreed issues, without discussion, and indicate which ones, if any, are coordinated issues.

If Form 4665, or other similar document, includes statements or comments that may be considered as prohibited "ex parte communications," or includes prohibited communications, regardless of whether such content is included as part of a document that is either placed on top of the case file as a transmittal or inserted into the case file in conjunction with preparing the case for transmission to Appeals, the Form 4665 or document must be shared by the examiner with the taxpayer and representative at the time the case file is sent to Appeals.

Form 4665 can also be used to request a pre-conference with Appeals. Refer to IRM 4.24.10.9, Appeals Pre-conference Procedures.

For additional procedures relating to Form 4665, refer to IRM 4.24.10.8, Transferring an Excise Tax Examination Case to Appeals.

If the taxpayer has not been contacted, taxpayer books and records have not been inspected and an examination will most likely not result in a material change to the taxpayer’s tax liability, the examiner may survey the return after assignment by completing Form 2503, Survey After Assignment - Excise or Employment Tax, and Form 5351, Examination Non-Examined Closings.

The examiner must prepare Form 2503 and Form 5351 in IMS by completing the following steps:

If the manager concurs with the examiner’s determination to survey the case after assignment, then the manager will approve Form 2503 and Form 5351 via the IMS Team Website.

The examiner will close the case in IMS after manager approval of Form 2503 and Form 5351 using the paper survey procedures in IRM 4.24.21.5.1.1 or paperless survey procedures in IRM 4.24.21.5.1.2.

To support the decision to survey the return after assignment, the examiner must ensure the case file has been documented with all actions taken, which led to this conclusion, including, but not be limited to, consideration of Large, Unusual or Questionable items, completion of required filing checks, consideration of collectibility, evaluation of audit potential, repetitive audits, and other materials that influenced the examiner’s decision.

Paper surveys are required for unpaid claims and cases with original returns in the case file. If not required, paperless survey procedures can be utilized. Refer to IRM 4.24.21.5.1.2 for guidance.

The examiner should stamp the face of the return or a paper copy of the Business Transactions File View (BRTVU) with the message "Closed Survey After Assignment," "Examiner’s Signature and Date," and "Approved - Manager’s Signature and Date." If a stamp is not available, the message may be handwritten. The examiner should sign and date the message. The manager should do the same.

When a return is surveyed before assignment DC "31" is used by a manager. When a return is surveyed after assignment DC "32" is used by an examiner.

Refer to IRM 4.24.8.9, Unpaid Claims - Survey After Assignment, and the Survey page in the Excise Tax Knowledge Base for more information about closing forms and procedures for surveying excise claim cases.

If the taxpayer agrees to all proposed adjustments, the case is closed using the agreed closing procedures below.

To process an agreed examination, the examiner should take the steps itemized below:

DC "03" is used for returns closed agreed prior to issuance of the 30-day letter, while DC "04" is used for returns closed agreed after issuance of the 30-day letter.

Refer to the Agreed and Partially Agreed/Excepted Agreed Examinations page in the Excise Tax Knowledge Base for additional guidance about closing forms, letters, and procedures for agreed excise cases where the taxpayer fully agreed to all proposed adjustments.

If the taxpayer does not agree to all the proposed adjustments, but will agree to some of the proposed adjustments, the case is partially agreed.

In a partially agreed case, the agreed report must first be closed by following the partial assessment procedures in IRM 4.24.21.5.7.

After the agreed report is processed using partial assessment procedures, the examiner can proceed with the unagreed case closing. Refer to IRM 4.24.21.5.6 for unagreed case closing procedures.

In addition, Form 4665, Report Transmittal, must be prepared for all partially agreed cases with the details of the agreed and unagreed issues. Include Form 4665 in the case file but do not issue it to the taxpayer. Refer to IRM 4.24.21.4.6 for additional guidance.

Refer to IRM 4.10.8.5, Excepted Agreed Cases, and IRM 4.10.8.6, Partially Agreed Cases, and the Agreed and Partially Agreed/Excepted Agreed Examinations page in the Excise Tax Knowledge Base for more information about closing forms, letters and procedures for agreed cases where the taxpayer partially agreed or excepted agreed to proposed adjustments.

If an examination of the books and records for a filed return results in the examiner determining that no adjustment exists for the IRS No. examined, no change closing procedures must be followed.

To complete a no change examination, the examiner will:

If the taxpayer or collector has a no change for the IRS No. examined, no further action is generally required regarding Form 720 filing requirements.

Submit the case file to the manager for review and closure.

The manager will review the case file and, if in agreement with the no change, sign Letter 590-X, and leave the letter in the case file.

Refer to the No Change Reports page in the Excise Tax Knowledge Base for more information about no change examinations.

If a taxpayer did not file a return and the examiner determines the taxpayer is not liable for any excise taxes, then no liability SFR non-filer procedures must be followed.

If a taxpayer or collector files a Form 720 but does not enter information next to an IRS No. on the face of the document, then that is considered a "non-filed" return. These returns must be worked as no liability SFR non-filer cases whenever the examiner determines no adjustment exists for the IRS No. examined.

No liability SFR non-filer cases are to be closed using DC "02." This applies only to cases where the examiner has taken actions that may include, but are not limited to, conducting an interview, reviewing books and records, and ultimately making the decision the taxpayer is not liable for excise taxes.

Closing the IMS case file to CCP requires the actions described in the paragraphs that follow.

Procedures for Letter 930, Non-Filer No Liability Substitute for Return Transmittal:

IMS case file closing:

At a minimum the IMS case file, must contain the following:

If the taxpayer is not liable for any excise tax for the same MFT examined, the examiner will prepare Form 3177, Notice of Action for Entry on Master File. This is necessary to release the expectation the taxpayer should file returns.

If the taxpayer does not agree to the proposed adjustments, then the case is closed using unagreed closing procedures.

If a taxpayer requests an Appeals conference, the examiner must determine if the case meets the requirements for an Appeals referral in IRM 4.24.10.2, Prerequisites for an Appeals Referral.

If the unagreed case is eligible for Appeals consideration, then closing procedures in IRM 4.24.10.7, Case Routing Procedures for Unagreed Excise Tax Examination Cases to Appeals, and IRM 4.24.10.8, Transferring an Excise Tax Examination Case to Appeals, must be followed.

If the unagreed case is not eligible for Appeals consideration, then the case is closed to CCP using DC "08." This includes unagreed cases that have less than 365 days remaining on the statute when it is projected to be received in Appeals, or cases where the taxpayer did not timely respond to a 30-day letter, which requires an assessment.

Refer to the Unagreed Case page in the Excise Tax Knowledge Base for more information about closing forms, letters, and procedures for more information about closing unagreed cases where the taxpayer disagrees with the proposed adjustments and either did not file an acceptable protest, or the SOL will not have 365 days remaining on the case when the case is expected to be received at Appeals and the taxpayer will not or cannot extend the SOL.

In unagreed SFR cases not going to Appeals and for which the Failure to Pay penalty is assessed, IRC 6020(b) certification procedures must be followed. Refer to IRM 4.24.9.6, IRC Section 6020(b) Certification Procedures for Non-Filed Excise Tax Returns, for guidance.

(1) This section provides guidance for cases requiring the following types of expedited assessments:

A partial assessment is required for the following:

Quick assessments are required when an assessment must be made expeditiously to protect the Government’s interest. In these instances, the assessment is made manually (directly on master file).

A quick assessment, or manual assessment, is limited to the following cases:

When a case has an imminent statute date that requires a quick assessment, the examiner must contact the Cincinnati CCP Field Liaison to notify them that a quick assessment will be needed on the case. Contact information can be found at Contacts for FORT (Field Office Resource Team).

Form 3198 must be completed with following information:

Form 5344 must be completed for each period. The following procedures apply to the Form 5344 completion:

Fax the partial assessment or quick assessment package to CCP for assessment at (855) 386-5122. The subject line of the e-fax must state "Partial Assessment Request" or "Manual Assessment Request." The package must consist of the following:

CCP will:

When the case is ready for final closure, examiners must follow regular closing procedures, based on the type of closure described in this IRM section or in IRM 4.24.8, Examination Guidance for Excise Claims for Refund or Abatement.

In addition to regular closing procedures, when the case is ready for final closure, Form 5344 must be completed as follows:

In addition to regular closing procedures, when a case is ready for final closure, Form 3198 must be completed as follows:

Review the completed case, including but not limited to, Form 3198, Form 5344, and workpapers or supporting documentation (or portions thereof) detailing all proposed adjustments.

At a minimum, review the current AMDISA, TXMODA, BMFOLI, BMFOLR, BMFOLT, CFINK, and INOLES (less than 30 days old) to verify the accuracy of the balance on the account, all prior assessments have been acknowledged and used in computations, and to confirm the correct SOL is being used in all systems, reports, and case closing documents.

After a review of the case file and if in agreement, sign any applicable closing letters.

Review and close the case within the recommended national time frames.

After the review is completed, the secretary or designated group closing official will update the status of the case in ERCS to status "21" or "51" and Form 15292-B, Excise Tax Case Closing Cover Sheet, along with attached documents will be emailed to CCP for closure. Changing the status in ERCS to status "21" or "51" should be the last update prior to closing the IMS case file. Tech Services will have access to the case in IMS once updated to status "21" .

Ensure all IMS required closing actions are completed when the case is closed from the group. For additional guidance on IMS, refer to IRM 4.24.25.2, Issue Management System (IMS), and the Issue Management System page for specific IMS areas of interest, such as IMS Help, IMS Team Website, and IMS Frequently Asked Questions.

Document the Case Level Activity Record in IMS with (but not limited to) the following:

Determine the grade of case for all examination cases.

Refer to IRM 1.4.40, Resource Guide for Managers - SB/SE Field and Office Examination Group Manager, and Document 6036, Examination Division Reporting Codes Booklet, for more information about recording grade of case on Form 5344.

The case grading guidelines may be used at any point in the examination process. However, at assignment, only the excise return information will be available. Development during the examination may more fully disclose the final grade of case. Final grading factors take into account excise return information, workpapers, and the examination report. Thus, the final grade may differ from grade at assignment. The final grade is entered in box "32" on Form 5344.