#tax-filing
Tax filing procedures, deadlines, and best practices
A practical breakdown of Form 4506-T, Form 4506-C, Form 8821, and the five IRS transcript types — what mortgage and SBA lenders need before first disbursement, and how borrowers can avoid identity holds, name mismatches, and no-record errors that stall closings.
Form 8865 makes U.S. persons report controlled foreign partnerships, property contributions, and 10-percentage-point interest changes. Missing it triggers $10,000 per partnership per year, plus a 10% foreign tax credit haircut and stacking 30-day penalties up to $50,000.
The federal $7,500 clean vehicle credit ended September 30, 2025 under the OBBBA—seven years early. Section 30D's binding contract exception, dealer transfer recapture risk, Form 8936 filing for 2025 acquirers, state replacement programs, and what 2026 EV buyers should expect.
The AOTC is worth up to $2,500 per student with $1,000 refundable; the Lifetime Learning Credit caps at $2,000 per return. A 2026 walkthrough of Form 8863 and Form 1098-T covering when each credit wins, the Pell Grant election that unlocks the refundable AOTC, how to coordinate a 529 plan, and the four mistakes that can trigger a 2-to-10-year IRS ban.
Form 2290 funds federal highway maintenance through an annual excise tax on vehicles with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more. Owner-operators and fleets owe up to $550 per truck and must file by August 31 — late filings trigger a 4.5% monthly penalty and DMV registration suspension.
How non-willful US taxpayers use the IRS Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures to catch up on FBAR, Form 8938, and three years of late returns—zero penalty under SFOP for taxpayers abroad, a one-time 5% miscellaneous offshore penalty under SDOP for domestic filers, plus what the non-willfulness certification must demonstrate.
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.
A Solo 401(k) crosses into mandatory Form 5500-EZ filing once combined plan assets exceed $250,000 on the last day of the plan year. Late filings cost $250 per day up to $150,000 annually, but Rev. Proc. 2015-32 caps catch-up filings at $1,500 per plan if no penalty notice has been issued.
Self-employed filers can claim the federal Earned Income Tax Credit on Schedule C net earnings, with a 2025 maximum of $8,046 for families with three or more children. This guide covers eligibility thresholds, how to compute earned income (including the half-SE-tax adjustment), the documentation that survives an audit, and the pitfalls that disqualify otherwise valid claims.
A six-week framework for small business owners to catch up unreconciled books, assemble a standardized year-end financial package, and hand off cleanly to an accountant—anchored by the 2026 federal filing deadlines.
A step-by-step walkthrough of business tax filing by entity type — Schedule C for sole props, Form 1065 for partnerships, 1120-S for S-corps, and 1120 for C-corps — with 2026 deadlines, document checklists, audit triggers, and when DIY software stops being enough.
A working guide to IRS Form 1065 for multi-member LLCs and partnerships—what the information return reports, who must file, the March 16, 2026 deadline, the $260-per-partner monthly late penalty, and the bookkeeping habits that prevent K-1 errors.
