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HRB, of all entities, had to know this was against the rules. When I worked there way back when, it was drilled into our heads. When the company started offering bank loans, mortgages, financial services, etc., each client had to sign a waiver to share their tax return info with the relevant subsidiary. I did read somewhere that some tic in the software allowed this info to be shared without the companies having full knowledge. Lawsuits are going to fly in all directions, and the offending companies may be fined out of existence.

I had a partnership with eight partners. As each one died, his or her heir got stepped-up basis on the value of their partnership interest at the time of death. By the time the last one died, there were eight partners including a trust with 12 beneficiaries! Actually, by the time I inherited this return, several partners had already died and basis had never been adjusted. Nothing had been sold, and there were always profits, so no returns had to be fixed. I spent a great deal of time making spreadsheets to calculate the correct basis for each partner. That's what you'll have to do. Make sure you charge for it! (Alas, in my case, our firm had handled this partnership so it was our fault that basis had never had been reconfigured, so I couldn't add a couple of thou to my fee.)

As a practical matter, I doubt that conservation easements impact any of our clients. It's one the areas that's been abused by the wealthy and their advisers. The IRS has struggled to deal with this area due to the lack of expertise, which it sounds like it has resulted in their belligerent approach to this issue. To take one difficult area of tax law and apply that to the whole agency is an exaggeration which may make you feel good but frankly I don't appreciate it.

All of their money, lobbying influence and political contributions will protect them. There will be a negotiated settlement and the class action attorneys will get a very big payday.

Thanks to all. The 3 original partners from 1962 had 11 children who ultimately became partners. The first of the original partners died in 2012 and the last one's spouse died in 2014. I didn't apply the 743 for this partnership until 2014. Technically, the spouse that survived the original partner should have received stepped-up treatment when her husband died. She was not joint member of the partnership, but became so when she inherited his share. Mercifully, all property in the partnership was sold, and final distribution of $$ occurred in 2022.

The heirs of the other two partners should have gotten a step up at the date of death of the partner from whom they inherited

No, only the heirs of the final deceased partner. Nothing changed for the rest.