IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS CI) is continuing to target Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan recipients in 2023. It has announced multiple cases in just the first few weeks of 2023, and all indications are that 2023 will be a busy year for PPP loan fraud enforcement.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) imposes penalties on individual and corporate taxpayers for several reasons. These penalties begin to accrue immediately upon a filing or payment delinquency, and they can substantially increase taxpayers’ total liability. While some taxpayers will simply have to pay what they owe, there are various options for avoiding (or at least mitigating) liability for IRS penalties—one of which is filing for penalty relief.

According to a recent News Release from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the federal “tax gap” increased by $58 billion for tax years 2014 through 2016. At $496 billion, the tax gap during this period was the highest in history. While the IRS notes that this increase “can be attributed to economic growth,” it is nonetheless planning to institute more robust enforcement efforts in 2023 and beyond.