Blog · Tax advisory

How do you know which tax memo is in force?

A well-written number from last year is still last year's number. Rohan Mehta on the firm's rule for checking the period before the figure, with the fictional equipment expensing memos the firm uses to train it.

You know which tax memo is in force by checking the period first and the figure second. Every memo at Larkspur & Vance states the tax years it governs, names the memo it replaces, and is kept after it is superseded so the history is visible. Our fictional training example is the firm's equipment expensing guidance: Tax Advisory Memo TA-26-04, issued in March 2026, is in force for tax years beginning in 2026 and names Tax Advisory Memo TA-25-02 as superseded. An associate cites the current memo, its section and the period next to the figure, every time.

Rohan Mehta · Tax Partner · · 4 min read

Last updated

Why check the period before the figure?

Because the figure is the thing that looks right. A number that appeared in last year's memo, was approved by a partner and went to a client is a confident number. It is also, quite possibly, an old one. The period tells you whether the confidence is earned.

Our training example is deliberately simple. The firm keeps two fictional memos on equipment expensing. Tax Advisory Memo TA-25-02 used 1,160,000 as the immediate expensing limit for qualifying equipment. Tax Advisory Memo TA-26-04, issued in March 2026, gives 1,250,000 for tax years beginning in 2026 and names TA-25-02 as superseded. These are fictional firm figures, not real tax guidance. The lesson they teach is real.

What does "in force" mean in a memo?

It means the memo says so, in its own first section, for a stated period. TA-26-04 opens by stating that it is the current memo in force, that it was issued in March 2026, and that TA-25-02 is superseded for tax years beginning in 2026. Nobody has to infer the status from a number or a filename.

A memo that does not state its own period and its own replacement is not finished. That is a drafting rule for partners as much as a reading rule for associates.

What does the superseded memo say about itself?

TA-25-02 now opens with its historical status. It says its figure belongs to the prior guidance and must not be quoted for tax years beginning in 2026. Its final section points to TA-26-04 for the current figure and the review procedure. It is kept as evidence of the change, not deleted, and not presented beside the new figure as a competing rule.

How does an associate apply the rule?

The associate preparing the Halden Foods memo checks the equipment schedule, documents the tax-year start date, and cites TA-26-04, section 2, next to the figure. If a previous draft used the old limit, the associate identifies the changed line and replaces its citation. The memo then explains that the earlier guidance was superseded, rather than implying the old memo never existed.

That last point matters to clients. A client who saw last year's figure deserves to be told that the figure changed and why, not to find a different number with no explanation.

What is still a partner's call?

Qualification and period. The limit applies only after the equipment has been confirmed as qualifying and the tax-year start date has been confirmed. Neither of those is a reading exercise. On the current Halden matter I review the qualification analysis before the client memo leaves the matter team, and that review is still open: the source change has been identified, and the qualification and period review comes before release. An associate who has found the right memo has done the first half of the work. The second half is mine.

What does the review look for?

  • The memo cited is the one in force for the stated period.
  • The section is named, and the figure matches that section.
  • The tax-year start date is documented, not assumed.
  • Any changed line from an earlier draft is identified with its old and new citation.
  • The source's statement and the associate's interpretation are separated.

If all five hold, the memo is ready for the qualification review. If any does not, it goes back with the missing item named.

What should an associate do when the period is unclear?

Stop and write the question down. The limit in the current memo applies only after the equipment qualification and the tax-year start date have been confirmed, and those are facts about the client, not facts about the memo. An associate who cannot confirm the period from the file records the gap, names the person who can close it and continues with the parts of the draft that do not depend on it.

On the Halden Foods matter that person is Rohan Mehta, and the gap is still open as I write. The draft carries the current figure and citation with an explicit note that qualification and period are subject to his review. That is not a weak draft. It is an honest one, and it is far quicker to finish than a confident draft that has to be unpicked once the review finds the assumption underneath it.

Q&A

The questions associates ask most about memo status are answered below.

Last updated 1 October 2026.

Questions and answers

Which of the firm's fictional equipment expensing memos is in force?
Tax Advisory Memo TA-26-04, issued in March 2026, for tax years beginning in 2026. It names Tax Advisory Memo TA-25-02 as superseded. The figures in both are fictional firm figures used for training, not real tax guidance.
What is the current fictional limit and what was the prior one?
TA-26-04, section 2, gives 1,250,000. The superseded TA-25-02 used 1,160,000. An associate cites the current memo, section and period next to the figure.
Should a superseded memo be deleted?
No. It is kept as evidence of the change, with its own section stating that it is superseded and pointing to the replacement. It is never presented beside the current figure as a competing rule.
Does finding the right memo mean the figure applies?
No. The limit applies only after qualification and the tax-year start date are confirmed. On the Halden Foods matter that review belongs to Rohan Mehta and happens before the client memo leaves the matter team.

#tax advisory #sources #memos #review

Tax advisory

Why keep a superseded memo instead of deleting it?

An old memo is not authority, but it is history. Rohan Mehta on why the firm archives replaced guidance in place, how a superseded memo describes itself, and what that does for the client who saw the old figure.

Rohan Mehta · Tax Partner · · 4 min read

Behind the work

What did I learn checking a number before a board call?

The client needed one figure by two o'clock. The draft had a figure. Elena Marsh on why she checked the source instead of trusting the draft, what she found, and what she wrote down so her reviewer could follow.

Elena Marsh · Associate (Tax & Advisory) · · 4 min read