Well, I see it's the top of the hour. So, for those of you joining, welcome to today's webinar, Qualified Educational Assistance Program, Internal Revenue Code Section 127. We're glad you're joining us today. My name is Veronica Tubman and I am thankful to be joining you. I am a Stakeholder Liaison with the Internal Revenue Service, and I will be moderating for today's webinar, which is slated for approximately 75 minutes. Before we begin, if there is anyone in the audience that is with the media, please send an email to the address on the slide. Be sure to include your contact information and the news publication you're with. Our media relations and Stakeholder Liaison staff will assist you and answer any questions you may have. As a reminder, this webinar will be recorded and posted to the IRS video portal in a few weeks. This portal was located at www.irsvideos.gov. Please note that continually education credits or certificates of completion are not offered if you view any version of our webinar after the live broadcast.

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If you have a topic specific question today, please submit it by clicking the Ask Questions drop down arrow to reveal the text box. Type your question in the box and simply click Send. So this is something very important to audience, please do not enter any sensitive or taxpayer specific information. During the presentation, well, we'll take a few breaks to share knowledge-based questions with you. At those times, a polling-style feature will pop-up on your screen with a question and multiple choice answer. Select the response you believe is correct by clicking on the radio button next to your selection and then click submit. Some people may not be getting the polling question. This may be because you have your pop-up blocker on, well, so please take a moment to disable your pop-up blocker now so you can answer the question. We've included several technical documents that describe how you can allow pop-up blockers based on the browser you are using. We have documents for Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari, that's for Mac users.

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We're going to take some time and test the polling feature just in case. Here's your opportunity to ensure your pop-up blocker is not on so you can receive the polling questions throughout the presentation. Okay, audience, here we go. Have you ever downloaded an IRS national webinar recording from the video portal? A, Yes; B, No; or C, Where is the video portal? So just take a moment and click the radio button that corresponds to your answer. So let me reread that for you.

Have you ever downloaded an IRS national webinar recording from the video portal? A, Yes; B, No; or C, Where is the video portal? So I'll give you a few more seconds to make your selection.

Okay, we're going to stop the polling now. And let's take a look and see how everybody did. Okay, I see that 63% of you selected B, which is no. Okay, we hope you received the polling question and was able to submit your answer. If not, now's the time to check your pop-up blocker to make sure you have it turned off. Again, we've included several technical documents that describe how you can allow pop-up blockers based on the browser you are using. Just click on the materials button arrow on the left side of your screen to download your browser. Again, welcome, and thank you for joining us for today's webinar. Before we move along with our session, let me make sure you're in the right place. Today's webinar, Qualified Educational Assistance Program, Internal Revenue Code 127. This webinar is scheduled for approximately 75 minutes. Now, let's meet our presenter. We have Roy Chaney. Roy is a Senior Stakeholder Liaison within the Communication and Liaison Division. Roy services the Greater Los Angeles area. He has a Bachelor's of Science Degree and Business Administration from the University of San Francisco. Roy brings over 33 years of IRS experience to the Stakeholder Liaison role by way of prior positions at customer service, exam offer in compromise and collections. And with that being said, I'm going to turn it over to Roy to begin the presentation. Roy, the floor is yours. All right. Thank you, Ms.

Veronica. And audience, we have a great topic today. We will be discussing the Educational Assistance Program under Internal Revenue Code Section 127. This program provides assistance to employees from employers as a non-taxable benefit through a qualified plan. So, let's get right into it, we have four objectives listed today: the first one is to explain the meaning of educational assistance under IRC Section 127; number two, explain employer responsibilities for educational assistance; number three, explain key terms under employer educational plans; and number four, explain what income is excludable from gross income under IRC Sections 127, 117, 162, and 212. All right. Now, let's get started and first set some parameters for a Qualified Assistance Program under Internal Revenue Code IRC Section 127, employers may provide valuable tax benefits to their employees through qualified educational assistance program. Once they meet the basic definition of IRC Section 127, a plan may be established through the employer's workplace for all eligible employees. Now, the CARES Act was formed and educational assistance program under Section 127 to include student loan payments as a qualifying educational expense.

Now, prior to this change, employers with educational assistance program could only provide their employees with the tax-free benefit of ongoing education purposes for tuition and fees. The CARES Act amended Section 127 as an annual benefit - to include student loan payments through 2020 with subsequent legislation extending this benefit through 2025. Therefore, employers are provided with an important tool to help their employees with tuition assistance, which includes tuition, fees, and now student loans. So, Veronica, let's check in with the audience with our first polling question. Okay, Roy. Here we go audience our first polling question. We're going to have a couple of polling questions. So like we said here at the first, let's get to it. Select the answer that best finishes the statement, which appropriations bill was signed into law to include repayment of student loans as part of the educational assistance program? Is it A, Inflation Reduction Act or IRA? Is it B, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or CARES? Or is it C, Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which is the TCJA? Or D, Coronavirus Response and Consolidation Appropriation Act? So take a moment and click the radio button that best answers the question. And I'll give you a few more seconds to make your selection. Okay, we're going to stop the polling now and let's share the correct answer on the next slide. And the correct response is B, Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act or CARES. So I see that 63% of you responded correctly. Well, Roy, can you clarify for us please? Sure. One of the things that came out in 2020, when this is what started, it was the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, and that is where Section 127 started to include the information about the student loan provisions as well as being able to exclude this from income. Okay, Roy, we appreciate you so much for the clarity. And with that being said, I'm going to turn it back over to you. Thank you, Ms. Veronica. So, now, let's discuss some of the program requirements. So under federal law, there are five distinct requirements for the plan to follow in order to meet specific guidelines. First, the program must be a separate written plan. This requirement concludes the terms of the program must be set forth in a separate document or documents providing educational assistance only to its employees. That's key, because in trying to determine who qualifies for the benefit, unfortunately, spouses and dependents do not qualify under the plan rules. Now, also, the requirements for a separate plan does not preclude qualified educational assistance program from being part of a more comprehensive employer plan. That provides a choice of non-taxable benefits to employees. So in simple terms, as an employer, you can have several options within a plan for your employees to make choices and educational assistance under IRC 127 falls within that category. Now, continuing on with the additional requirements, the program must not discriminate in favor of highly compensated employees. And that's within the meaning of Internal Revenue Code Section 414(q). And next, the program must not provide more than 5% of the educational assistance to shareholders or owners or their spouses or dependents who own more than 5% of the employer. Okay, so let's define what is the meaning of a highly compensated employee.

As described under IRC 414(q), a highly compensated employee is in the top paid group of employees for any year if such employee is in the group consisting of the top 20% of the employees when ranked on the basis of compensation paid during such year within a given business, meaning all employees under the top 20% of compensation paid must also have an equal opportunity to take part in the educational assistance program under any given employer. Thirdly, 95% of the educational assistance funds provided must be equally distributed amongst non-shareholders or owners who own more than 5% of the business. This along with the previous requirement is to prevent favoritism within the business structure for receipt of benefits. And the program may, however, exclude collectively bargain employees. So if the educational assistance benefits were the subject of good faith bargaining between the employer and the employee representatives. Now, next, let's quickly discuss what must not be provided by an employer for the purposes of the educational assistance program under IRC Section 127. Therefore, in order for us to do that, we must define remuneration, as stated within the Internal Revenue Code. Remuneration is the money and other types of compensation an employee or an executive of a company receives for their work.

It typically includes base salary or wages, bonuses, and even commissions, and sometimes excludes tips and reimbursement for any expenses. And Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code further emphasizes this point. So no employer should be adjusting salary based on the option of receiving the educational assistance program. And, finally, as an employer, it is your duty to provide reasonable notification to your employees of the availability as well as the terms of the program to allow individual employees ample time to complete the necessary paperwork to enroll in the program. So for example, if an employer offers the educational assistance program in a timely manner to an employee, he or she as the employer should not be lowering salaries by the amount of the educational assistance provided. So, I think now would be a good time for another polling question, Ms. Veronica. Right, Roy, yes it is. Okay, audience, here is our second polling question. What is the qualification for an educational reimbursement plan? Is it A, the employer must provide reasonable notification of the availability in terms of the plan? Is it B, the program must provide more than 5% assistance to the shareholders or owners, spouse or dependents? Is it C, the program must not discriminate against shareholders who own at least 6%?

Or, lastly, is it D, the employer has the right to adjust the salary based on the educational assistance plan? So take a minute and click the radio button that best describes the question.

And I'll give you a few more seconds to make your selection. Okay, audience, we're going to stop the polling question and let's share the correct answer on the next slide. And the correct response is A, the employer must provide reasonable notification of the availability of terms of the plan. So let's take a look and see how you did. Wow, 88% of you responded correctly. That's a great response rate. Okay, Roy. It looks like you have some key terms to go over next. Thank you, Ms. Veronica. I sure do. Let's delve into the key terms. So now that we have discussed information concerning IRC 127 and employer responsibilities, we need to define some key terms, and then, later discuss the taxability if the educational assistance program exceeds $5,250 per year. The term Education means the education paid for or provided under a qualified educational assistance program furnished directly by the employer, either alone or in conjunction with other employers or through a third party such as an educational institution. Education is not limited to courses that are job related or part of a degree program. So employers need to ensure they distinguish the difference between IRC Section 125 plan and the IRC Section 127 plan as discussed today. Now, next, let's define educational assistance. As the slide states, educational assistance is simply the employer's payment of expenses incurred by or on behalf of an employee for his or her education. Now this includes, but it's not limited to, and I want you guys to hear me, it's tuition, any fees incurred through the educational process such as student activity fees, persons are required to pay for enrollment, any books needed for classes, supplies needed for the school year, for example, paper, pens, calculators, et cetera. And, lastly, any equipment that is deemed necessary for a particular course of study. But this does not include the employer's payment for or provision of tools or supplies, other than textbooks, that the employee may keep after the course is completed, or any meals, or lodging, or any forms of transportation. Educational assistance also does not include the employer's payment for or the provision of any benefit with respect to any course or other education involving sports, games, or hobbies, unless such education involves the business of the employer or is required as part of a degree or a program. Now here, we just want to kind of reiterate that again, it's not just for educational assistance such as tuition, books, and other eligible expenses. Under a temporary amendment to the law by the CARES Act, educational assistance includes the payment made by the employer of employee student loans for the employee's education. Again, just want to stress, it's just for the employee and doesn't include the employees' dependents or spouses in this case.

Now, this temporary provision, it was extended to payments before 2026 by the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020. So as we will discuss more later, this includes student loans not just for the employee's education at colleges and universities, but also vocational school and certain career training programs. And with payments going towards student loans, more employees will have the additional funds for other necessary living expenses. So let's explain some other key terms and the meaning of what is an employee. An employee includes: number one, a retired, disabled, or laid-off employee; number two, a present employee who is on leave and also an individual who is self-employed within the meaning of IRC Section 401(c)(1). Now, on this particular slide, we have a basic definition of what is an employer for IRC 127 educational assistance. Under these provisions, an employer is defined as an individual who owns the entire interest in an unincorporated trade or business. Now in this example, he or she is treated as his or her own employer. And in a separate scenario, a partnership is treated as the employer of each partner who is an employee within the meaning of IRC Section 401(c)(1). Again, under this provision, an individual who would be self-employed and the trade or business carried on by such individual did not have net profits for the taxable year. They still qualify as well as any individual who has been self-employed for any prior taxable year qualifies. So for example, this provision explains that you still can be considered as an employee even if your business shows as a Schedule C filer a loss on such forms. Now, moving forward, we define qualified higher education expenses as those paid at an eligible educational institution. And to explain further, an eligible education institution is any college, university, vocational school or other post-secondary educational institution. Now, let me be clear, Internal Revenue Service does not make that determination. The employer's written benefit plan cannot make that determination. The Department of Education makes that determination. And the Department of Education, or DOE, also determines whether an educational institution is considered a vocational school. I would refer you to www.ed.gov for further information on vocational school determinations. If it is, then IRC Section 127 covers student loans at such an institution, because the definition of an eligible education institution includes vocational schools. Whether IRC Section 127 covers a student loan for a career training program is something different and depends on whether an eligible education institution offers the program. So for purposes of IRC Section 127, as well as Section 221, it doesn't matter whether a school is a post-secondary institution as described in title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, because the definition of an eligible educational institution under IRC Section 127 includes a vocational school, and an eligible education institution must offer a career training program for its qualify. Likewise, it doesn't matter for purposes of IRC Sections 127 and 221, whether a particular vocational program or a career training program offered at an eligible education institution is itself eligible under title IV. So how about we just check in with a polling question after we just went through all these terms? Veronica? Okay, Roy, I would say that that's a great idea. Okay, audience, here is our third polling question. What constitutes a higher learning educational institution? Is it A, any college? Is it B, any vocational school? Is it C, any post-secondary educational school? Or is it D, all of the above?

Take a moment and click the radio button that best answers the question. And I'll give you a few more seconds to make your selection. Let's take a look at that again. What constitutes a higher learning educational institution? Is it A, any college? B, any vocational school? Is it C, any post-secondary educational school? Or is it D, all of the above? I'm going to give you just a few more seconds to make your selection. Okay, we're going to stop the polling now, and let's share the correct answer on the next slide. And the correct response is D, all of the above.

Okay, audience, I see that, wow, 94% of you responded correctly. I can tell that everybody's been listening to Roy and taking the information, and that is a great job audience. Roy, I believe that you are ready to continue on with more great information. I am ready. We're going to talk about taxable versus non-taxable. Any amount received by an employee under an educational assistance program that is not a qualified educational assistance program is not excluded from the employee's gross income under IRC Section 127, but may be excluded under IRC Section 117 or deducted under IRC Section 162 or 212 if the requirements of those sections are satisfied. But amounts paid to or on behalf of an employee under a qualified educational assistance program up to a maximum of $5,250 are excluded from the employee's gross income under IRC Section 127. Any amount excluded from an employee's gross income under IRC Section 127 is not allowed as a credit or a deduction to the employee's under any other code section. And Veronica, I think we might have time for one more polling question. Right, Roy, we sure do. Okay, audience, here is our fourth and final polling question. What amounts paid on behalf of an employee under a qualified educational assistance program can be disbursed for student loan repayment? Is it A, always $6,175? Or is it B, only $5,250? Or is it C, up to $5,150? Or, lastly, is it up to $5,250. Okay, so let's take a moment and click the radio button that best answers the question. And I'll give you a few more seconds to make your selection. I read that one more time. This is our final polling question. What amounts paid on behalf of an employee under a qualified educational assistance program can be disbursed for student loan repayment? Is it A, always 6,175? Is it B, only 5,250? Is it C, up to 5,150? Or is it D, up to 5,250? I'll give you a few more seconds to make your selection. So audience weigh in. Okay, we're going to stop the polling now and let's share the correct answer on the next slide. And the correct response is D, up to $5,250. So let's see. I see that 81% of you responded correctly. So, Roy, can you give us just a little bit more clarity on that, please? Yes, Ms. Veronica. So when you're looking at the amounts, and the amount, the word is up to. So that is the definition. So if you take a look at C, C was the incorrect amount at $5,150, B was only $5,250, and then A was actually over and above the amount at $6,175. So as defined under the Internal Revenue Code Section 127, it defines it as up to $5,250. Okay, Roy, we really do appreciate the clarity with helping us with that final polling question. So with that being said, I'm going to pass the mic back to you. Thank you. I appreciate that. Great. I just have one other topic you know I'd like to cover. So for example, the education must be required by the employer or by law for the employee to retain their present salary, status or job, or the education must maintain or improve skills needed within the employee's current position. And that's very important. However, the exception is that the requirements for working condition benefits under Internal Revenue Code Section 132 do not apply to educational assistance under the Internal Revenue Code Section 127. Remembering that Internal Revenue Code Section 132 provides definitions for the fringe benefits, which include working condition fringe benefits. So, I want to thank you, audience. That's all I have for today and I'll turn it back over to Ms. Veronica at this time. Okay. Thank you so much, Roy. Hello again.

It's me Veronica Tubman and I will be moderating the Q&;A session. Before we start the Q&;A session, I want to extend a sincere thank you to everyone for attending today's presentation, Qualified Educational Assistance Program, Internal Revenue Service Code 127. Earlier I mentioned we want to know what questions you have for our presenter. Well, here's your opportunity. If you haven't input your question, well, there's still time to do it. Go ahead and click on the drop-down arrow next to the Ask a Question field. Go right ahead and type in your question and just click Send. Mr. Chaney is staying on with us to answer your questions. But one thing before we start, we may not have time to answer the question submitted, but we'll answer as many questions as time allows. So let's get started so we can get to as many questions as possible.

Let's see, we've really got some really good questions, Roy. Okay, you ready? I sure am. Okay, how do payments of student loans work under a Section 127 plan? Actually, that's an excellent question. So depending on how a particular employer has designed its written plan, then an employer may provide payments directly, either one to a third-party, such as an educational provider, or they can to a loan servicer, or they can provide reimbursement to an employee, but only after receiving proof of payment. Got it. Okay, thanks for that. Let's see, we've got some really good questions here. Okay, here's another one. Does educational assistance include student debt? Well, let me say this, student loan debt, it may consist of a variety of expenses.

But now, if the debt was incurred as a result of expenses that are permissible benefits under Section 127 of the Code, then you know things such as tuition, books, equipment, as well as qualified education loans would meet the definition. Okay. Sounds good. Let's see. Our audience has some really good questions here. Okay, here's another good one. Can an employee exclude from income, principal, and interest paid by an employer on a qualified education loan for the employee's spouse and dependent? No, no, no. So let's define you. Under Section 127 of the Code, an educational assistance program, it must be provided for exclusive benefit only for the employees. So there are programs that provide benefits to the spouses or dependents of the employee that's not an educational assistance program under Section 127. So not to get lengthy, but thus, I would say a payment on a loan incurred by an employee for the education of his or her spouse or dependent is not excludable from gross income. And in actuality, really nor is the payment on a loan incurred by the parent of an employee for the education of the employee. Okay, got it. So with that being said, does an employee have to report educational assistance benefits that they receive? So let me answer this way. Up to $5,250 of educational assistance benefits is excludable from gross income. Therefore, since that amount is non-taxable, it is also not required to be reported on his or her return and is not included on their W-2. Got it. Okay. I got another one for you. If the employer provides more than $5,250 in educational assistance benefits, does it need to be reported by either the employee or the employer? Actually, that's a great question. So let me see. Now, if the employer pays $5,250 in educational assistance benefits to an employee during the year, the employee then must generally pay tax on the amount that's over and above the $5,250. But then the employer should include that amount within the employee's W-2 in the actual amount. Okay. Roy? Yes. Okay. I appreciate that. Do you have a reference for that by chance? It is referenced in the Internal Revenue Code. I don't have it now, but I will put it in the chat. Okay. I much appreciate you. Let's see. If an employee does not exclude the $5,250 amount from gross income in a prior taxable year, can the employee exclude the amount from gross income in the current or in a subsequent taxable year? Actually, that's a good question as well, I would say no. An employee can exclude from gross income up to $5,250 in educational assistance per calendar year. Therefore, if an employee did not previously exclude the amount from gross income, then I would say the employee can't exclude the $5,250 in the current or in a subsequent taxable year. Okay, got it. Okay, right back at you. Does an employer need to amend their plan to adopt the student loan provision? Generally, the payment by an employer of principal or interest on any qualified education loan again, which has incurred by the employee for his or her own education is only available if the employer amends the terms of his plan. So he needs to amend it to include the benefit. But I will say this, if the plan is currently written to provide generally for all benefits provided under Section 127, then it is possible that the plan would not need to be amended. Okay, appreciate that. Okay, does the student loan benefit only apply to loans for current education? That's a good question. No. So I would say the exclusion from income is not limited to qualified education loans for current education, so it doesn't matter when the loan was incurred. Only when the payments of principal or interest on any qualified education loans are made. Okay, that's good to know. Okay, does a student loan benefit only apply to federal student loans? The exclusion from income applies to qualified education loans. Now, that's as defined in the Code Section 221, and treasury regulations provide that a loan does not have to be issued or guaranteed under a federal post-secondary education loan program to be a qualified education loan. Got it. Okay. Are there any annual income limits that would prevent an employee from excluding up to $5,250 in educational assistance benefits from gross income and that's under Section 127? I would say there are no specific income limits that would prevent an employee from excluding from gross income up to the limit, which is $5,250 of educational assistance benefits. However, though, just remember an educational assistance program, it must satisfy certain requirements, including not being discriminatory in favor of employees who are highly compensated employees as discussed earlier. Got it. Okay. And, okay, does an employee need to - do they need to substantiate those expenses? So, for the employee to exclude the benefits provided by the employer under a qualified educational assistance program from gross income, an employee receiving those payments under the program, they must be prepared to. You need to be prepared to substantiate those expenses that were incurred for the education of the employee. Now, just as a reminder, going back to, I forget which question it was, but you are able to locate that information under a Publication 970. So, please include that. Okay. Thank you. It's always good to have a good reference as we move along information regarding that, and we appreciate you. So, let's see, well, audience, that's all the so that we can go back and check the information. And, you have really given us some good time we have for questions. I want to thank our presenter, Roy Chaney, for sharing his knowledge and expertise and answering our questions. But before we close the Q&;A session, Roy, can you share some key points you want the attendees to remember from today's webinar? Yes, thank you, Ms. Veronica. Some of the key points we'd like for you to remember is a qualified educational assistance program is a plan established and maintained by an employer. It must be a separate written plan which must not discriminate in favor of highly compensated employees as defined earlier. And, remember, employers must provide, what we call reasonable notification to its employees. And an employer is eligible to provide up to $5,250 of educational assistance, which includes student loan repayment. Because the monetization of Section 127, it better meets the needs of today's workforce. Because it, one, helps individuals pay down their student loans, but also serves as a unique tool for employers to attract and retain talented employees. So, audience, I want to thank you today for your time and for your cooperation, as well as your participation. Now, Veronica, I'm going to go ahead and turn it back over to you. Hey, Roy, really, really good point. We so much appreciated. Let's see, audience. Let's see. Oh, my goodness. Well, it looks like Roy has provided us with such great information, and we so appreciate him for that. And there are just some things that we would like to share with you.

Audience, we are planning additional webinars throughout the year. To register for an upcoming webinar, please visit IRS.gov keyword search webinars and simply select the Webinar for Tax Practitioners or Webinars for Small Businesses. And when appropriate, we will be offering certificates and CE credits for upcoming webinars. Also, we invite you to visit our video portal at www.irsvideos.gov. There, you can view archive versions of our webinars. Again, continuing education credits or certificates of completion are not offered if you view an archive version of any of our webinars on the IRS Video Portal. Okay, audience, let's see. The good thing about coming to our webinars is it affords you the opportunity to share this knowledge with others.

And just keep in mind, if you view any of the webinars that we had shared before on the video portal, you will not receive continuing education credits or certificates of completion. And let's do a quick review to make sure that we have everything that we need for today's webinar.

Let me take a look. We answered all those wonderful questions for everyone. And for that, we appreciate you for staying with us and going through the information with us. But with that being said, with the way the things are going on, I am just going to take an opportunity to go to our in case you missed this segment. And I really want to hone this into us during this time, beware. Last but certainly not least, we talked about the Security Summit. That was a coalition between the IRS, the tax administration, and the nation's tax industry. So before we close up, we're going to go to that. Warning people to protect their personal information at all times against tax-related identity theft, as well as being on the lookout for new and common scams.

These warnings come in a lot of forms, and we talked about it a little earlier, but it was just so important that we have to go back to revisit it. It's the annual compiled list known as the Dirty Dozen. The Dirty Dozen lists a variety of common scams that taxpayers may encounter anytime, but many of these scams, well, we talked about it, they peak during filing season, so we just want to make sure that you don't fall prey to it. In wake of the Maui fire, be on the lookout for scammers who may operate bogus charities and solicit money for financial information to keep your ears open. Scams requesting donations for disasters, release, efforts are especially common. Criminals impersonate charities to get money or private information from well-intended people. IRS urges you to verify before you give. IRS Commissioner, Daniel Werfel states how following disasters, they're heart-wrenching situations where people may want help, but scammers move quickly and use these events to try to take advantage of the public's generosity. They steal your money, your personal information, and that could lead to identity theft. So, scammers requesting donations are especially common over the phone, as well as an email and text. Taxpayers should never feel pressure to give anything immediately. Anything you're not sure about, and please don't be a victim of charity. As a reminder, scammers' scams should be reported, and you can send an email or a copy of the text or SMS as an attachment to phishing@irs.gov. Mail or fax a completed Form 14242, Report Suspected Abusive Tax Promotions or Preparers. And also, you can file a complaint with a Federal Trade Commission through their Complaint Assistance to make the information available to investigators. For more information, just make sure you take a look at the Security Summit and the Dirty Dozen at www.irs.gov/dirtydozen. And that important information was included in your packet. So make sure you go back and take a look at it. So with that being said, again, a really big thank you to Mr. Roy Chaney for a great webinar and for sharing his expertise. But, moreover, I would like to also thank each one of you, our attendees, for taking time out of your days to come and be with us. Today's webinar, Qualified Educational Assistance Program, Internal Revenue Service Code 127.

If you attended today's webinar for at least 50 minutes after the official start time, then you will receive a certificate of completion that you can use with your credentialing organization for one possible CE credit. We need those CE credits, and I think CE credits are my favorite size. They're the right color, and they are free. Again, the time that we spent chatting before the webinar started doesn't count toward the 50 minutes. If you're eligible continuing education from the IRS and registered with your valid PTIN, well, your credit will be posted in your PTIN account. If you are eligible for continuing education from the California Tax Education Council, your credit will be posted to your CTEC account as well. If you qualify and have not received your certificate and/or credit by October 12, well, would you be so kind as to email us at cl.sl.web.conference.team@irs.gov. And that's the email that's shown on the slide right here. If you're interested in finding out who your local Stakeholder Liaison is, well, you may send us an email using the address shown on this slide and we will send you the information that you need.

We would really appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to complete a short evaluation before you exit. If you'd like to have more sessions like this, well, let us know. If you have thoughts on how we can make them better, then please let us know that as well. If you have any questions or suggestions for future webinar topics or pertinent information that you'd like to see, maybe an IRS Fact Sheet, Tax Tips, or Frequently Asked Questions on IRS.gov, well, then please include that in your suggestions in the comments section of the survey. So just click the survey button on the right of your screen to begin as shown on the slide above. And as we've been saying, check to make sure you disabled your pop-up locker. It has been a pleasure to be here with you and on behalf of the Internal Revenue Service and our speakers, we would like to thank you for attending today's webinar. It is important for the IRS to stay in touch with the tax professional community, individual taxpayers, industry associations along with federal, state, and local government organizations. The most important thing is that you make our job a lot easier by sharing the information that allows for proper tax reporting and we so appreciate all that you do. Thanks again for your time and your attendance, and we wish you much success in your business or practice. Would you be so kind as to take time to complete the survey before you exit the webinar. And, thereafter, you may exit the webinar at this time. Thank you very much and be well..