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Bradley Burnett: ERC Trap Threatens Thousands of Taxpayers
While cases stall, the right to sue could expire.
By CPA Trendlines Research
Thousands of business taxpayers still battling Employee Retention Credit disallowances could lose their right to sue the IRS in 2026 because the two-year refund-suit deadline keeps running while cases sit in IRS examination or Appeals, a risk tax attorney Bradley Burnett calls part of a “colossal mess” of statute traps, litigation risks and unresolved audits.
The National Taxpayer Advocate estimates roughly 28,000 taxpayers may be affected, prompting the IRS to roll out a special Form 907 extension process for certain ERC claimants approaching the deadline.
CPE WEBINAR
Covid ERC in 2026: Picking Up the Pieces: Which Are Ticking Time Bombs?
With Bradley Burnett, J.D., LL.M.
Thursday, June 18, 1-4 p.m. ET
“What is left … a colossal mess,” Burnett tells CPA Trendlines Academy attendees. “Some of those broken pieces out there may be time bombs.”
The filing window has closed. The refund fights have not.
57% Say PE Threatens the CPA Brand. But They’ll Take the Money.
CPA PE Deal Tracker™: 13 firms rolled up in May. 92 so far this year.
By CPA Trendlines
As the CPA Trendlines CPA PE Deal Tracker™ adds 13 more closings for the month of May, a new survey shows accountants worrying about PE tarnishing the image and reputation of the profession. But half say they might take the money anyway.
MORE Private Equity | MORE All 466 Deals for the Last 10 Years
Nearly half of the professionals surveyed— 49.5 percent — describe themselves as decidedly opposed to private equity investment: fiercely independent, not interested, never ever.
The rest, a bare but discernible majority, are not. They would do a deal for the right price. Or they are already in play. Or have already done a deal.
“It only makes sense to keep our options open,” says Michael Royer of Royer Advisors and Accountants in Falmouth, Maine. He is not opposed, and he is not sold, adding “it’s still a personal business — and we don’t know the full impact of AI.”
CPA PE Deal Tracker™: 10 Years, 466 Deals
Deal Log, Analysis & Leaderboards – Monthly through May 2026
Where the Deals Are: Top Ten U.S. States
By CPA Trendlines Research
Private equity is buying accounting firms faster than the profession can name the buyers.
MORE CPA PE Deal Tracker™: 57% Say PE Threatens the CPA Brand. But They’ll Take the Money.
MORE Private Equity
The CPA Trendlines CPA PE Deal Tracker™ now counts 466 verified deals reaching back to 2016, and the shape of that market is no longer a story about scattered tuck-ins. It is a story about concentration.
Four Ways to Measure Partner Potential
Your firm has a cultural blueprint. Read it.
By Martin Bissett
Passport to Partnership
What conclusions can you draw from your knowledge of how the promotion system works in your firm that you need to keep in mind?
MORE by Martin Bissett
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.
In terms of firm culture, you need to understand the four navigational points of the compass:
READ MORE →
Chase Damiano: Good Operations Means Defining How the Hand-Offs Happen | The Disruptors
When leaders neglect to delegate, chaos reigns.
Preview Sponsored by True Advisor: Buy now | Learn more
The Disrupters
With Liz Farr
For CPA Trendlines
Chase Damiano, founder of Human at Scale, says that operations are the missing piece for many firms. “It’s sort of this bridge or glue that allows a business and a team to function well together,” he says. “I see it as the intersection of people and process and technology and culture.” What that looks like in practice, he said, is a firm where the team is happy, clients are satisfied, work is delivered on time and at high quality, and the owner has the freedom to focus on strategy and growth and has the time to spend on non-work things like family.
MORE DISRUPTORS: Candy Bellau: The $350 Pricing Mistake that Nearly Broke this Boutique Firm | The Disruptors | Poe: What P.E. Really Wants from Firms | The Disruptors | Blake Oliver: Build a Biz that Runs Without You | Daiber: Use Succession as a Growth Strategy | Cannon: Busy Season is Self-Inflicted | Carroll: When One Person Can Break the Firm | Rampe: Build a Roadmap Even When the Road’s Not There | Chang: Killing SALY, One Agent at a Time |
While many consulting firms “might just drop in the deliverables and then leave it up to the team to integrate that on their own,” Human at Scale has a different approach. “We actually embed within the accounting firm, we implement, and we execute alongside of the CEO and their team,” Damiano explains. READ MORE →