#tax-compliance
Tax Compliance
Stay compliant with tax regulations and filing requirements
Form 1099-DA Arrives in 2026: A Crypto Investor's Guide to the IRS's First Digital Asset Reporting Form
U.S. digital asset brokers must issue Form 1099-DA for sales after December 31, 2024. This guide explains what each box reports, why 2025 forms cover only gross proceeds while 2026 forms add cost basis, and how to reconcile broker data with your own records on Form 8949.
Form 706 Portability and the DSUE: How Surviving Spouses Inherit Up to $30 Million of Federal Estate Tax Exemption
Filing IRS Form 706 to elect portability lets a surviving spouse inherit up to $15 million of unused federal estate tax exemption (the DSUE), shielding combined estates of up to $30 million from the 40% federal estate tax in 2026. Miss the nine-month deadline and Rev. Proc. 2022-32 still allows a late election within five years of death.
Form 990, 990-EZ, and 990-N: How Nonprofits Choose the Right Annual Return and Avoid Automatic Revocation
Nonprofits with gross receipts of $50,000 or less file Form 990-N; those under $200,000 receipts and $500,000 assets file 990-EZ; everyone else files the full 990. This guide covers thresholds, deadlines, late penalties up to $120 per day, and the three-year automatic revocation rule that quietly strips exempt status.
Form W-8BEN and W-8BEN-E: How US Businesses Pay Foreign Vendors Without Triggering 30% Withholding
US payers must collect a valid W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E from a foreign vendor before paying, or the IRS treats the payment as subject to 30% withholding plus Form 1042-S penalties. This guide walks through which form to use, how to claim treaty benefits, the three-year refresh cycle, FATCA classification, and the five documentation mistakes that turn routine vendor onboarding into an audit problem.
Hobby or Business? The IRS Section 183 Nine-Factor Test for 2026
How the IRS Section 183 nine-factor test decides whether your side activity's losses are deductible in 2026, what the three-of-five safe harbor really means, and what 2025's Young v. Commissioner reveals about the records that win in Tax Court.
IRS Statute of Limitations Under Section 6501: How Long the IRS Has to Audit, Assess, or Refund
Section 6501 gives the IRS three years from filing to assess tax — but the window stretches to six years for omissions over 25% of gross income or basis overstatements, and never closes at all for unfiled returns, fraud, or undisclosed foreign reporting. A practical guide to ASED, refund claim windows under Section 6511, the 10-year CSED, Form 872 consents, and what records to keep.
Marketplace Facilitator Laws in 2026: Why Amazon, Etsy, and Shopify Sellers Still Owe Sales Tax Filings
Marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy, and Shopify collect sales tax for you, but registration, zero returns, and economic nexus tracking are still your responsibility. A 2026 compliance routine for multi-channel sellers, with state thresholds and the six mistakes that trigger penalties.
Schedule H and the Nanny Tax: A Practical Guide for Household Employers in 2026
How household employers handle the 2026 nanny tax — $3,000 FICA and $1,000 quarterly FUTA thresholds, EIN setup, W-2 reporting, Schedule H filing, state SUI, and the 1099 misclassification trap that triggers back taxes with no statute of limitations.
Section 263A UNICAP Rules: How Small Manufacturers and Resellers Decide Which Costs Hit the P&L Now vs. Sit in Inventory
Section 263A UNICAP forces producers and resellers to attach indirect costs — rent, supervisor wages, depreciation — to inventory rather than expense them. This guide covers the 2026 $32M small-business exemption, the simplified production and resale methods, Form 3115 and the 481(a) adjustment, and the personnel-allocation mistakes that draw IRS attention.
Section 45B FICA Tip Credit: How Restaurants and Salons Recover Employer Payroll Tax with Form 8846
The Section 45B FICA Tip Credit returns 7.65% of employer payroll tax on reported tips above a frozen $5.15/hour floor for restaurants — and after OBBBA's 2025 expansion, salons, spas, and other personal-care employers can claim it on Form 8846 too.
Section 45Q Carbon Capture Credit: How Industrial and Direct Air Capture Projects Monetize Sequestration
Section 45Q pays $85 per ton for industrial carbon capture and $180 per ton for direct air capture, claimable for twelve years, transferable for cash, and exposed to recapture for up to seventeen years. This guide explains thresholds, disposal pathways, OBBBA changes, and the bookkeeping discipline that protects the credit.
Section 6166 Estate Tax Deferral for Closely-Held Businesses: The 14-Year Installment Election in 2026
How executors of closely-held business estates use IRC Section 6166 to defer federal estate tax across 14 years at a 2% rate, with the 2026 inflation-adjusted $1.94M base, the 35% eligibility test, election mechanics, and the acceleration events that kill the deferral.