#tax-compliance
Tax Compliance
Stay compliant with tax regulations and filing requirements
VEBAs Explained: How Employers Pre-Fund Tax-Free Welfare Benefits
A VEBA is a Section 501(c)(9) trust that lets employers pre-fund tax-free health and welfare benefits, but Sections 419 and 419A cap the deduction and Section 4976 imposes a 100% excise tax on reversions. Here is how a legitimate plan differs from an IRS-listed tax shelter.
ASC 805 Purchase Price Allocation: Acquired Intangibles, Earn-Outs, Pushdown Accounting, and Form 8594 Reconciliation
How acquirers execute a purchase price allocation under ASC 805 — identifying intangibles, handling bargain purchases and earn-out volatility, electing pushdown accounting, and reconciling the GAAP allocation to Form 8594 under Section 1060.
Tangible Personal Property Tax: A Small Business Guide to TPP Returns, Freeport Exemptions, and Ghost Assets
A practical guide to the tangible personal property (TPP) tax that 38 U.S. states require small businesses to file every January, covering de minimis thresholds in 12 states, freeport inventory exemptions in 8 inventory-tax states, ghost-asset overpayment, and the annual asset-register workflow that keeps your bill honest.
California AB5 and the ABC Test: Classifying Workers, Using the B2B Exemption, and Surviving an EDD Audit
A working guide to California AB5, the three-prong ABC test, the Borello and business-to-business exemptions, and EDD audit exposure that can reach $25,000 per willful misclassification — plus a practical compliance workflow for small businesses.
Circular 230 for Tax Professionals: Conflicts, Section 10.34 Standards, and Avoiding OPR Suspension
A practitioner's walkthrough of Circular 230—Sections 10.22, 10.29, 10.34, 10.36, 10.37, and 10.51—covering conflicts of interest, return-position standards, written-advice hygiene, and how OPR investigations actually proceed.
Crummey Letters and ILITs: How High-Net-Worth Families Keep Life Insurance Out of Their Taxable Estate
A working guide to ILITs and Crummey powers — covering Section 2042 incidents of ownership, the annual gift tax exclusion, the 5-or-5 rule, hanging powers, the Section 2035 three-year lookback, and the administrative discipline that keeps life insurance death benefits estate-tax-free.
Form 1099-DA in 2026: Reconcile Per-Wallet Crypto Cost Basis and Avoid Overpaying
Form 1099-DA reports gross crypto proceeds but often leaves cost basis blank, and filing it as-is defaults basis to zero — taxing the full sale price. Here is how per-wallet tracking and reconciliation against the form let you pay tax on your actual gain.
Form 1310 Demystified: How Surviving Spouses, Executors, and Heirs Cash a Deceased Taxpayer's Final Refund Without Triggering a Year-Long IRS Delay
Form 1310 is the IRS form survivors use to claim a deceased taxpayer's refund. This guide explains who must file, the three Part I claimant boxes, the documents to attach (and the one to keep), and how to avoid the 6–12 month delays that trap most paper filers.
Form 14457 and the IRS Voluntary Disclosure Practice: A Survival Guide for Willful Non-Filers, Crypto Whales, and Offshore Account Holders
How willful non-filers, crypto whales, and offshore account holders use IRS Form 14457 to trade criminal exposure for a defined six-year civil resolution under the Voluntary Disclosure Practice — including the December 2025 proposed framework, disqualifying traps, and when to choose Streamlined or DIIRSP instead.
Form 706-NA: The $60,000 Trap That Can Turn a Foreign Investor's U.S. Real Estate Into a 40% Estate Tax Bill
Nonresident aliens who own U.S. real estate, U.S. corporate stock, or other situs property get only a $60,000 estate tax exemption — not the $13.99 million citizens enjoy in 2026 — and pay up to 40% on the excess. A working guide to Form 706-NA, FIRPTA withholding, treaty relief via Form 8833, transfer certificates, and the blocker-corporation structures that actually work.
Form 8300: Reporting Cash Transactions Over $10,000 for Car Dealers, Jewelers, Real Estate, and Attorneys
Form 8300 requires businesses to report cash payments over $10,000 within 15 days. This guide covers who must file, what counts as cash (including cashier's checks under $10,000), the 24-hour and 12-month aggregation rules, structuring penalties up to $31,000 per form, and the industry traps that hit car dealers, jewelers, real estate operators, and attorneys.
Form 8858 for Foreign Disregarded Entities and Foreign Branches: A Practical Filing Guide for Expat Founders, Multinationals, and U.S. LLC Owners Abroad
Form 8858 reports foreign disregarded entities and foreign branches on a U.S. return, and missing one carries a $10,000 penalty per entity per year that can snowball to $50,000 after IRS notice. This guide covers who must file, Schedules C through M, Section 987 currency calculations, the Schedule K-2/K-3 box 11 connection for Category 6 filers, and the four paths back into compliance.