As enrolled agents assisting clients with federal and state tax matters, staying informed on the latest IRS and Oklahoma Tax Commission (OTC) developments is crucial. Below is a curated summary of press releases and news items from the past week, including key highlights relevant to your practice, along with direct links to the source materials.
1. IRS News Releases
IR-2026-115: Proposed Regulations on Installment Payments for Tax on Certain Farmland Sales
Sept. 28, 2026
Treasury and the IRS issued proposed regulations allowing eligible sellers of qualifying farmland to qualified farmers to pay the resulting tax in four equal annual installments. Written comments are due November 30, 2026.
What it means for your practice: Relevant for farm and ranch clients considering a farmland sale; watch the comment period and plan sale-year cash flow around the installment schedule.
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IR-2026-116: New Relief for Eligible Taxpayers Affected by Ongoing Events in Israel
Sept. 30, 2026
Individuals and businesses with a principal residence or place of business in Israel, the West Bank, or Gaza may have eligible filing and payment deadlines postponed to September 30, 2027.
What it means for your practice: Check clients with ties to the affected area for postponed returns, payments, and other time-sensitive actions before assessing penalties or filing late.
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IR-2026-117: Nationwide School Choice Program Advances (Education Freedom Tax Credit)
Oct. 1, 2026
Proposed regulations were issued for the section 25F Education Freedom Tax Credit for contributions to K-12 scholarship-granting organizations, up to $1,700 per taxpayer ($3,400 married filing jointly). The credit begins January 1, 2027, and thirty states have opted in so far.
What it means for your practice: Clients who make charitable scholarship contributions may ask about this credit for 2027 planning; confirm whether Oklahoma has opted in before advising.
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IR-2026-118: IRS Seeks Community Partners and Volunteers for Free Tax Services
Oct. 1, 2026
The IRS is recruiting organizations and volunteers for the VITA and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs, with sign-ups running from October through January.
What it means for your practice: A good opportunity for EAs interested in volunteering or mentoring at a local free-prep site this filing season.
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IR-2026-119: Cybersecurity Awareness Month Offers Simple Steps to Protect Tax Data
Oct. 2, 2026
The IRS urges strong passwords, multifactor authentication, timely software updates, and secure networks, and warns tax professionals to watch for phishing and compromised accounts impersonating clients.
What it means for your practice: A timely prompt to review your Written Information Security Plan (WISP) and firm security practices.
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TIGTA Reports
Improvements to the IRS's Unauthorized Access Program Could Further Protect Taxpayer Privacy (Report 2026-300-058)
Sept. 29, 2026
TIGTA found suspicious employee accesses of high-profile taxpayers' records that went undetected, 22 employees who were not terminated despite unauthorized access, and 276 taxpayers who were never notified of privacy violations.
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Criminal Investigation's Support of Other Federal Agency Task Forces Had a Quantifiable Impact on Tax Administration (Report 2026-300-061)
Sept. 29, 2026
From May 2025 through March 2026, IRS-CI agents devoted more than 353,000 hours (about 170 full-time agents, roughly $40 million) to three federal task forces, equal to roughly 313 tax investigations that could otherwise have been completed.
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Contracting and Security Controls Were Not Followed While Expediting the Procurement Hub (Report 2026-200-060)
Sept. 29, 2026
An internal-operations audit found the IRS's rapidly deployed Procurement Hub bypassed key contracting controls and that most users bypassed required access controls.
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2. Oklahoma Tax Commission & State Tax News
Current notice (as of Oct. 5, 2026): Oklahoma Tax Refund Payments Remain Paused
Current notice; State Treasurer release dated Sept. 15, 2026 — Source: State Treasurer
During modernization of legacy payment systems, issues were found in the new platform and tax refund payments were paused. The State Treasurer's office says staff are working on the problem around the clock, but no resumption date has been announced.
What it means for your practice: Expect delays on Oklahoma refunds for clients; set expectations early and avoid assuming a missing refund indicates a return problem.
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Governor Orders 120-Day Enforcement Pause on Red-Dyed Diesel in Farm Vehicles
Sept. 28, 2026 — Source: Governor's Office
Governor Stitt directed the Oklahoma Tax Commission, Department of Public Safety, and Corporation Commission to pause enforcement of taxes, regulations, and fines related to red-dyed diesel used in farm vehicles for 120 days, and directed the OTC to seek dyed diesel penalty relief from the IRS.
What it means for your practice: Agricultural clients may ask about this; the state pause does not by itself change federal dyed-diesel rules, and no federal relief had been confirmed as of this writing.
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3. Upcoming OSEA Events
OSEA Education Committee Meeting
Friday, October 9, 2026, 9:00 AM–10:00 AM, via Zoom
Members and associates are welcome to join and provide input as OSEA plans educational events for 2026 and beyond. RSVP required.
Register →
Oklahoma Sooner (Virtual) Chapter Seminar: Representation in Practice
Monday, October 19, 2026, 2:00 PM–3:30 PM Central, via Zoom
Presented by Edward Moore, EA. A practical 1-hour Federal Tax Law CE session on taxpayer representation using real-world case studies, including IRS notices, CP2000 cases, and amended return substantiation. Free; individual registration required for PTIN capture.
Register →
4. Annual Seminars
2026 OSEA Northeast Annual Seminar — October 29–30, 2026, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
Location: Northeastern State University, Broken Arrow, 3100 New Orleans Street, Broken Arrow, OK 74014
CE & format: Up to 16 CE units. Attend in person or online (Zoom access provided one week before the event). Lunch provided for on-site attendees.
Speakers: Marc J. Dombrowski, EA covers financial analysis, streamlined installment agreements, offers in compromise, appeals, CDP, and IRS transcripts. Jane Ryder, EA, CPA covers ethics, name/image/likeness income, QBI maximization, stock options, and business tax planning. Also featured: IRS stakeholder liaison Mercean Lam and Oklahoma tax updates from Mike Kaufmann (non-CE hour).
Pricing: OSEA members $300; nonmembers $350. Discounted rates ($275 member / $325 nonmember) for attendees of both the 2025 OKC and Northeast events.
Bonus: Attend both the Northeast and Oklahoma City conferences and save $25 on a 2027 conference.
Register →
2026 OSEA Oklahoma City Annual Seminar — November 12–13, 2026, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
Location: Rose State College, 1720 Hudiburg Drive, Midwest City, OK 73110
CE & format: Up to 16 CE units. Attend in person or online. Lunch provided for on-site attendees.
Speakers: David L. Mellem, EA and Mary Mellem, EA cover federal tax updates, amended returns, basis rules, business credits, teens and taxes, ethics, and bankruptcy. Also featured: IRS stakeholder liaison Mercean Lam and Oklahoma tax updates from Mike Kaufmann (non-CE hour).
Pricing: OSEA members $350; nonmembers $400 (prior attendees $325 member / $375 nonmember). Early-Bird pricing is currently in effect.
Bonus: Attend both the Northeast and Oklahoma City conferences and save $25 on a 2027 conference.
Register →
The Oklahoma Society of Enrolled Agents (OSEA) is a professional organization dedicated to representing and supporting enrolled agents in Oklahoma through education, advocacy, and networking opportunities. Visit us at EAOK.org for more information and resources.
