#tax-planning
Tax Planning
Strategic tax planning to minimize liability and maximize savings
Section 174A R&D Expensing Restored: A Small-Business Guide to Amending 2022-2024 Returns
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act's Section 174A restores immediate domestic R&D expensing starting in 2025, and small businesses under roughly $31 million in average gross receipts have until July 6, 2026 to amend 2022, 2023, and 2024 returns to recover taxes paid under the TCJA capitalization rules.
Section 179 vs. 100% Bonus Depreciation Under OBBBA: How Small Businesses Should Choose Their Equipment Write-Off Strategy in 2026
A 2026 decision guide for small businesses choosing between Section 179's $2.56M cap and OBBBA's permanent 100% bonus depreciation, with order-of-operations rules, hybrid examples, and state-conformity caveats.
Section 45F in 2026: How OBBBA Quadrupled the Employer-Provided Child Care Credit
Starting in 2026, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act expands Section 45F's Employer-Provided Child Care Credit from 25% to 40% (50% for businesses under $32M in average gross receipts) and lifts the annual cap from $150,000 to $500,000 ($600,000 for small businesses), with new explicit rules for intermediaries, pooled arrangements, backup care, and reserved-seat contracts.
See-Through Trust as IRA Beneficiary: How Conduit and Accumulation Trusts Work Under the SECURE Act 10-Year Rule
A see-through trust named on an IRA beneficiary form must navigate the SECURE Act 10-year rule. Conduit trusts pass every distribution through to the beneficiary by year ten, while accumulation trusts retain assets but face compressed trust brackets that reach the 37 percent federal rate at just $16,000 of retained income in 2026.
The Augusta Rule: How to Rent Your Home to Your Business for Up to 14 Tax-Free Days
Section 280A(g) — the Augusta Rule — lets business owners rent their personal residence to an S-corp, C-corp, or partnership for fewer than 15 days a year and exclude the entire rent from federal income tax. In Sinopoli v. Commissioner (2023), the IRS slashed roughly $290,000 of claimed rent down to $30,000 because documentation and fair-market rates were thin. Here is what 280A(g) actually requires, the five pillars of an audit-proof setup, and how to report the rent without triggering an IRS mismatch.
The HSA: The Stealth Retirement Account That Beats Your 401(k) on Tax Efficiency
How the 2026 Health Savings Account combines tax-free contributions, tax-free growth, and tax-free medical withdrawals — and how the shoebox strategy turns an $8,750 family limit into a six- to seven-figure retirement vehicle by age 65.
Cash Balance Plans for High-Income Solo Practitioners: How Doctors, Lawyers, and Consultants Defer Six Figures Tax-Free
U.S. cash balance pension plans let solo doctors, attorneys, and consultants deduct $100,000–$370,000 a year on top of a Solo 401(k). 2026 contribution limits, a worked example for a 54-year-old physician, and the actuarial commitments to weigh before signing.
Charitable Remainder Trust (CRUT vs CRAT): Tax-Free Asset Sales and Lifetime Income
How a Charitable Remainder Trust lets you sell appreciated assets without capital gains tax, take an immediate income tax deduction, collect lifetime income, and pass the remainder to charity—plus the math comparing CRUT, CRAT, NIMCRUT, and Flip CRUT structures under the May 2026 5.0% Section 7520 rate.
De Minimis Safe Harbor Election: Expensing Tangible Property Up to $2,500 Per Item Without Depreciation
The de minimis safe harbor election under Treasury Regulation 1.263(a)-1(f) lets businesses without audited financials immediately expense tangible property purchases up to $2,500 per item, skipping depreciation schedules and capitalization analysis.
Disability Insurance for Self-Employed and Small Business Owners: A Practical Income-Protection Guide
A working-age self-employed professional is roughly three times more likely to become disabled than to die before 65, yet most carry no disability coverage. This guide explains the four policy types, the clauses (own-occupation, elimination period, benefit period) that decide whether claims pay, 2026 premium ranges of 1–4% of income, and the after-tax-vs-deductible premium choice that can shift net benefits by six figures.
Section 461(l) Excess Business Loss Limitation: A 2026 Guide for Pass-Through Owners
Section 461(l) caps how much net business loss a noncorporate taxpayer can deduct against other income. For 2026, the OBBBA reset thresholds to $256,000 single and $512,000 joint—down from $313,000 and $626,000 in 2025. This guide explains the Form 461 calculation, the four loss-limitation gates, and planning moves for K-1 losses, bonus depreciation, and real estate.
Form 4797 Demystified: How Depreciation Recapture and Section 1231 Decide Whether Your Business Sale Is Ordinary or Capital
Form 4797 governs every business property sale outside Schedule D and decides whether your gain is ordinary or capital. This guide walks through Section 1245 and 1250 recapture, the Section 1231 five-year lookback rule, the 25% unrecaptured Section 1250 gain rate, and seven mistakes that trigger CP2000 notices.