February 2026
USPS’s New Postmark Rules Set an Ugly Trap for Taxpayers
New U.S. Postal Service regulations make clear that mail sent first-class often isn’t postmarked the date it’s deposited with a local post office. As a result, items filed by first-class mail at or near a tax filing deadline may be deemed late. Learn your workarounds in this article.
Husband-and-Wife LLC—Do They Have to File a Partnership Return?
Forming an LLC for a rental property can feel like a smart move—but for married couples, it may come with an unexpected tax filing headache. A husband-and-wife LLC can trigger a full partnership return, even when the spouses are the only owners. This article explains when spouses can avoid partnership tax treatment, when they can’t, and what trade-offs to consider before putting rental property into an LLC.
When Tax Preparer Fraud Keeps the IRS Audit Door Open Forever
Think old tax returns are safe after three years? Not always. This article examines a case where the IRS audited a 1990s return over 25 years later due to preparer fraud. In some circuits, courts hold taxpayers liable even when those taxpayers are unaware of their preparer’s wrongdoing. If you use a tax professional, this case is an important warning.
Download Your 2026 IRS Key Contact Information & Helpful Links Guide
Tired of hunting down the correct IRS phone number or link? Our 2026 IRS Key Contact Information & Helpful Links guide puts essential contacts, hotlines, and resources in one place—so you can save time and avoid frustration.
OBBBA Supercharges the Employer Childcare Credit for 2026
Starting in 2026, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) dramatically expands the employer childcare tax credit—boosting the maximum credit by up to 400 percent and opening the door to new, flexible ways for small businesses to qualify. Learn how even very small employers can partner with providers, pool resources with other businesses, and turn childcare costs into major tax savings.
This One Mistake Can Make Your QCD Fully Taxable
A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) can be a powerful tax move—but one small misstep can turn the entire gift into taxable income. Even something as minor as event tickets or a perk from the charity can blow up your QCD. Before you give, make sure you know this costly rule.
When Family Ties Cause Tax Trouble
IRC Section 267 is a quiet trap that can erase deductions, disallow losses, and create costly timing mismatches—often long after a deal seems complete. This article breaks down how attribution rules turn family ties and indirect ownership into unexpected related-party treatment, and why even arm’s-length transactions aren’t always safe. Read on to learn how to spot these pitfalls early and protect tax results before deductions disappear.
Get the 2026 Small-Business Tax Calendar on Your Desktop—Now
Don’t miss critical tax deadlines. Download the 2026 Federal Tax Calendar for Small Business and Self-Employed professionals.
OBBBA Drives Final Nail into Bicycle Commuting Deduction
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has eliminated the qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement, which allowed employers to provide tax-free payments to their employees to help defray the cost of commuting to work by bicycle.
January 2026
Should You Skip Home-Office Depreciation to Dodge Recapture?
Thinking about skipping depreciation on your home office to dodge the recapture tax? That move can actually cost you more, not less, when you eventually sell your home. Learn how the allowed‑versus‑allowable rule, Section 121, and unrecaptured Section 1250 gain really work so you can keep more of your money in your pocket.
When Work Clothing Is Deductible
Most work clothing is not tax-deductible, even if it’s purchased solely for the job. This article explains the narrow exceptions—such as uniforms, protective gear, and specialized apparel—and outlines how independent contractors and employees can still obtain tax benefits through proper business deductions or employer reimbursements under accountable plans.
Avoid This Hidden Tax Trap in Mileage-Reimbursed Vehicles
Mileage reimbursements don’t close the tax loop on your vehicle. Because the IRS mileage rate includes depreciation, selling or trading in a mileage-reimbursed vehicle can create a real, ordinary tax loss—or gain—that you may never see coming.
Download Now: Your Must-Have “2026 Tax Resource Guide”
Stay ahead of tax season with our comprehensive “2026 Tax Resource Guide,” putting essential tax rates, limits, and deductions at your fingertips. This downloadable desktop reference eliminates endless searching, giving you instant access to critical tax information, including updated Social Security ceilings, mileage rates, and retirement plan limits
Commissions Assigned as S Corporation Management Fees, Exposed
Everyone seems to know some salesperson who earns commissions personally and then runs them through an S corporation to cut self-employment taxes. Here’s a true story on how Jack, an insurance agent, proposed to make this happen.
Why Serious Landlords Rely on the 1031 Exchange
Want to grow your real estate portfolio without paying capital gains taxes? Learn how a Section 1031 exchange lets you trade up into bigger, better-performing properties, defer taxes for life, and potentially pass millions to your heirs tax-free—if you follow the rules.
Desktop Reference—2026 Retirement Plans for You, the Owner
Are you maximizing your retirement savings? With our “Retirement Plans – 2026” desktop reference, you’ll have everything you need—clear contribution limits, tailored strategies for business owners, and updates from the SECURE Act 2.0—to make smarter savings decisions and better secure your future.
Do the Section 318 Attribution Rules Expose You to Trouble?
Section 318’s attribution rules can make you the “owner” of stock you never actually bought, drastically affecting tax treatment, related-party status, and reporting duties. Even small direct holdings can balloon through family or entity connections, triggering unexpected dividends, denied losses, or foreign-company reporting penalties.
Deducting a $225,000 Termination Commission Payment
Don’t assume a big termination payout to a salesperson or vendor has to be written off slowly as a capital asset. This article explains why a $225,000 termination commission can be currently deductible, when the IRS might push for capitalization instead, and how to structure and document your deduction.
The No Tax on Tips Deduction for 2025
The IRS has made it much easier for tipped workers to claim the No Tax on Tips deduction for 2025 by delaying until 2026 the requirement that tips be reported to the IRS by employers or payors before they can be deducted. The IRS is also delaying, until 2026 or even later, the rule that employees of specified service trades or businesses can’t claim the deduction. Independent contractors that are specified service trades or businesses may also claim the deduction for 2025 and possibly 2026.
December 2025
Form 1099-DA Is Here—How It Will Impact Your Crypto Taxes
The IRS’s new crypto reporting rules mean your transactions will soon be reported on Form 1099-DA—whether you’re ready or not. Starting in 2026, brokers must also report your cost basis, which directly affects how much tax you owe. Avoid surprises.
Only Seven Months Left to Secure Your EV Charger Credit
Unlock a generous federal tax credit that can help pay for your EV charger or alternative fuel refueling equipment—but act fast. A recent law wipes out this valuable benefit for anything placed in service after June 30, 2026, and strict location rules mean many taxpayers will miss out if they don’t plan ahead. Here’s what you need to know now to claim the credit while there’s still time.
IRC Section 1563: The Controlled Group Trap
Think forming multiple corporations multiplies your tax breaks? Think again. The IRS combines your businesses into what it calls a “controlled group” under IRC Section 1563. Your best deductions and credits, like Section 179 and R&D, must be shared across the whole group. What you thought looked like smart structuring can unexpectedly slash your tax benefits. Find out how these hidden rules connect your corporations—and how the right planning helps you sidestep this costly trap.
Do Pass-Through Entity Taxes Still Pay Off after OBBBA?
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act increases the deduction for state and local taxes to $40,000. Even so, owners of pass-through business entities, such as partnerships and multimember LLCs, still have the option of having their entity pay their business’s state income taxes instead of paying them personally. Electing to pay such state pass-through entity taxes is still worthwhile for many pass-through owners.
The Hidden Benefits of Filing a Gift Tax Return
Think gift tax returns are just tedious paperwork? Think again. Filing Form 709 can unlock powerful protections and long-term tax benefits you don’t want to miss.
Home Builder Alert: Seven Months Left for Tax Credit
A lucrative tax credit for energy efficient homes is about to disappear—and builders have only months left to act. Here’s what you need to know before the window closes.
Start-up and Acquisition Costs after a Deal Falls Apart
Thinking about buying a business? A failed deal can leave you with more than disappointment—it can create surprising tax consequences. Learn how to salvage deductions, preserve start-up costs, and turn a blown acquisition into valuable tax savings.
The Pitiful and Outdated Tax Code Business Gift Limit
Discover why the IRS still limits business gift deductions to just $25 per recipient—a rule untouched since 1962—and what smart business owners can do about it today.
IRS Moves Toward All-Electronic Refunds: What You Need to Know
The IRS has officially begun phasing out paper refund checks, and taxpayers will soon need to rely on electronic payment methods. Learn what this change means for your 2025 return and the simple steps you should take now to avoid delays.
November 2025
2025 Last-Minute Year-End General Business Income Tax Deductions
Your year-end tax planning doesn’t have to be hard. This article takes your daily business activities and identifies easy, year-end tax-planning moves you can make today. Our six strategies will increase your tax deductions, which will reduce your taxable income so the government gets less of your 2025 cash.
2025 Last-Minute Year-End Retirement Deductions
Does your business have a retirement plan for you and, if applicable, your employees? It should. The tax code gives you good reasons to get your retirement plan in place and perhaps make changes in existing plans.
OBBBA Enhances 2025 Last-Minute Vehicle Purchases to Save on Taxes
Here’s an easy question: Do you need more 2025 tax deductions? If so, continue reading. Next easy question: Do you need a replacement business vehicle? If so, you can simultaneously solve or mitigate both the first problem (needing more deductions) and the second problem (obtaining a replacement vehicle), but you must get your replacement vehicle in service on or before December 31, 2025. This article helps you find the right vehicle for the deduction you desire.
2025 Year-End Tax Strategies for Crypto Investors
2025 has been another banner year for cryptocurrency owners, but with profits come taxes. Fortunately, there are many things crypto owners can do before year-end to reduce the taxes they owe on their crypto profits, including harvesting losses (if any), selling and repurchasing crypto to step up their basis, donating crypto to charity, gifting crypto, or establishing a self-directed IRA or solo 401(k) for crypto.
2025 Year-End Tax Deductions for Existing Vehicles after OBBBA
December 31 is just around the corner. That’s your last day to find tax deductions available from your existing business and personal (yes, personal) vehicles that you can use to cut your 2025 taxes. In this article, you will learn how to find and release tax deductions that the tax code trapped inside your existing business cars, SUVs, trucks, and vans. And you will learn how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act makes it possible for you to find a big deduction from your existing personal vehicle (note the terms “existing” and “personal”).
2025 Last-Minute Year-End Tax Strategies for Your Stock Portfolio
When you take advantage of the tax code’s offset game, your stock market portfolio can represent a little gold mine of opportunities to reduce your 2025 income taxes. The tax code contains the basic rules for this game, and once you know the rules, you can apply the correct strategies. In addition to saving taxes with the game of offset, you can avoid paying taxes on stock appreciation by gifting stock to charity, your parents, and your children who are not subject to the kiddie tax.
2025 Last-Minute Year-End Medical Plan Strategies
Have you reimbursed your employees (including your employee-spouse) as stipulated in your health reimbursement arrangements? And if you operate as an S corporation, do you have your health insurance set up correctly for your best tax deduction? In this article, we help with these matters and more
2025 Last-Minute Tax Strategies for Marriage, Kids, and Family
Are you thinking of getting married or divorced? If so, you need to consider December 31, 2025, in your tax planning. Here’s another question: Do you give money to family or friends (other than your children who are subject to the kiddie tax)? If so, you need to consider the zero-tax planning strategy. And now, consider your children who are under age 18. Have you paid them for work they’ve done for your business? Have you paid them the right way? You’ll find the answers here.
2025 Last-Minute Section 199A Tax Reduction Strategies
Remember to consider your Section 199A deduction in your 2025 year-end tax planning. If you don’t, you could end up with a useless $0 for your deduction amount. We’ll review three year-end moves that simultaneously reduce your income taxes and boost your Section 199A deduction.