Brief Case

Circular 230 § 10.51

Incompetence and disreputable conduct.
CFR 2007 annual edition (revised as of 2007-07-01) · superseded Jul 1, 2008
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Historical text in effect Jul 1, 2003 through Jun 30, 2008. View current · Compare with current
Incompetence and disreputable conduct for which a practitioner may be censured, suspended or disbarred from practice before the Internal Revenue Service includes, but is not limited to—
(a) Conviction of any criminal offense under the revenue laws of the United States;
(b) Conviction of any criminal offense involving dishonesty or breach of trust;
(c) Conviction of any felony under Federal or State law for which the conduct involved renders the practitioner unfit to practice before the Internal Revenue Service;
(d) Giving false or misleading information, or participating in any way in the giving of false or misleading information to the Department of the Treasury or any officer or employee thereof, or to any tribunal authorized to pass upon Federal tax matters, in connection with any matter pending or likely to be pending before them, knowing such information to be false or misleading. Facts or other matters contained in testimony, Federal tax returns, financial statements, applications for enrollment, affidavits, declarations, or any other document or statement, written or oral, are included in the term information.
(e) Solicitation of employment as prohibited under § 10.30, the use of false or misleading representations with intent to deceive a client or prospective client in order to procure employment, or intimating that the practitioner is able improperly to obtain special consideration or action from the Internal Revenue Service or officer or employee thereof.
(f) Willfully failing to make a Federal tax return in violation of the revenue laws of the United States, willfully evading, attempting to evade, or participating in any way in evading or attempting to evade any assessment or payment of any Federal tax, or knowingly counseling or suggesting to a client or prospective client an illegal plan to evade Federal taxes or payment thereof.
(g) Misappropriation of, or failure properly and promptly to remit funds received from a client for the purpose of payment of taxes or other obligations due the United States.
(h) Directly or indirectly attempting to influence, or offering or agreeing to attempt to influence, the official action of any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service by the use of threats, false accusations, duress or coercion, by the offer of any special inducement or promise of advantage or by the bestowing of any gift, favor or thing of value.
(i) Disbarment or suspension from practice as an attorney, certified public accountant, public accountant, or actuary by any duly constituted authority of any State, territory, possession of the United States, including a Commonwealth, or the District of Columbia, any Federal court of record or any Federal agency, body or board.
(j) Knowingly aiding and abetting another person to practice before the Internal Revenue Service during a period of suspension, disbarment, or ineligibility of such other person.
(k) Contemptuous conduct in connection with practice before the Internal Revenue Service, including the use of abusive language, making false accusations and statements, knowing them to be false, or circulating or publishing malicious or libelous matter.
(l) Giving a false opinion, knowingly, recklessly, or through gross incompetence, including an opinion which is intentionally or recklessly misleading, or engaging in a pattern of providing incompetent opinions on questions arising under the Federal tax laws. False opinions described in this paragraph (l) include those which reflect or result from a knowing misstatement of fact or law, from an assertion of a position known to be unwarranted under existing law, from counseling or assisting in conduct known to be illegal or fraudulent, from concealing matters required by law to be revealed, or from consciously disregarding information indicating that material facts expressed in the tax opinion or offering material are false or misleading. For purposes of this paragraph (l), reckless conduct is a highly unreasonable omission or misrepresentation involving an extreme departure from the standards of ordinary care that a practitioner should observe under the circumstances. A pattern of conduct is a factor that will be taken into account in determining whether a practitioner acted knowingly, recklessly, or through gross incompetence. Gross incompetence includes conduct that reflects gross indifference, preparation which is grossly inadequate under the circumstances, and a consistent failure to perform obligations to the client.
Circular 230 § 10.51 — Incompetence and disreputable conduct. · CFR 2007 annual edition (revised as of 2007-07-01) · https://pensionresource.website/EAMain?content=EAMain.Law&id=cfr31-10.51&asof=2003-07-01 · printed Oct 16, 2026
On this page
  • (a) (a) Conviction of any criminal offense under the revenue la…
  • (b) (b) Conviction of any criminal offense involving dishonesty…
  • (c) (c) Conviction of any felony under Federal or State law for…
  • (d) (d) Giving false or misleading information, or participatin…
  • (e) (e) Solicitation of employment as prohibited under § 10.30,…
  • (f) (f) Willfully failing to make a Federal tax return in viola…
  • (g) (g) Misappropriation of, or failure properly and promptly t…
  • (h) (h) Directly or indirectly attempting to influence, or offe…
  • (i) (i) Disbarment or suspension from practice as an attorney, …
  • (j) (j) Knowingly aiding and abetting another person to practic…
  • (k) (k) Contemptuous conduct in connection with practice before…
  • (l) (l) Giving a false opinion, knowingly, recklessly, or throu…
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  • Ann. 2018-13 Oct 22, 2018 — The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) announces recent disciplinary sanctions involving attorneys, certified public accountants, enrolled agents, enr… (a)(1)

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Each row is a version of the text as published by the official source. Code dates are the edition/release point that first reflected the change; regulation dates are eCFR effective dates. The library checks the official sources automatically, so new versions appear here on their own; “run” opens the sync that recorded a version.

EffectiveThroughSourceAmended by
Jul 1, 1997Jun 30, 2003CFR 2001 annual edition (revised as of 2001-07-01) run 12759 FR 31528, June 20, 1994View
Jul 1, 2003Jun 30, 2008CFR 2007 annual edition (revised as of 2007-07-01) run 127View · Redline (sign in)
Jul 1, 2008Jun 30, 2011CFR 2010 annual edition (revised as of 2010-07-01) run 127T.D. 9359, 72 FR 54550, Sept. 26, 2007View · Redline (sign in)
Jul 1, 2011Jun 30, 2012CFR 2011 annual edition (revised as of 2011-07-01) run 127T.D. 9359, 72 FR 54550, Sept. 26, 2007View · Redline (sign in)
Jul 1, 2012currenteCFR editorial change effective 2016-12-30 run 5T.D. 9527, 76 FR 32308, June 3, 2011View · Redline (sign in)
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