#tax-preparation
Organize financial records and prepare tax filings accurately and on time
The IRS cut its Enrolled Agent exam fee from $99 to $66 per part in 2026, but new vendor PSI charges $251 versus Prometric's $168 — raising the total to $317 per part. The switch also brings a March–June testing blackout, a 200–800 scoring scale, and first-time remote proctoring for U.S. candidates.
Form 8697 look-back interest settles the gap between estimated and actual results on long-term contracts reported under the percentage-of-completion method — the IRS recomputes prior-year income with final figures and charges or refunds interest only, without reopening those returns. This guide covers who must file under IRC Section 460, the three-step calculation, the separate-filing rule for interest refunds, and what the Excel PCM calculator the IRS released on May 29, 2026 does and doesn't do.
IRS Direct File will not return for the 2026 filing season; IRS Free File, FreeTaxUSA, Cash App Taxes, VITA, and MilTax remain free options, but only some fully support Schedule C for freelancers and small business owners.
NerdWallet's 2026 test of ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity found all three chatbots nearly aced IRS exam-style tax questions but made costly errors on personalized advice — misstating the standard deduction by nearly $3,000, claiming an ineligible EV credit, and recommending the wrong filing state — showing AI is reliable for factual lookups but not for case-specific tax decisions.
A practical guide for HOA boards, treasurers, and small-firm CPAs on the Section 528 election, the four Form 1120-H eligibility tests, the 30% flat rate trade-off versus Form 1120, and why every association should record an annual Revenue Ruling 70-604 vote.
Section 25C's 30% federal credit for heat pumps, insulation, windows, and other home efficiency upgrades ends with the OBBBA sunset on December 31, 2025, making the 2025 return the last chance to claim up to $3,200 per household — provided you supply a valid 4-character QMID on Form 5695.
When two spouses each fill out a default W-4, their employers withhold as if each job were the household's only income — causing systematic under-withholding. Step 2 of the 2026 W-4 closes that gap with three options: the checkbox, the Multiple Jobs Worksheet, and the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.
Form 1099-B Box 1e shows your broker's cost basis, but Box 5 determines whether the IRS sees it. A working guide to covered vs. noncovered securities, Form 8949 adjustment codes (B, W, Q, O, T), and the RSU/ESPP basis corrections that prevent double-taxation.
A plain-English walkthrough of Form W-4 Step 2(a), 2(b), and 2(c) for two-earner households and side-hustlers — including the higher-paying-job rule, side-hustle income on Step 4(a), and the 90%/100%/110% safe-harbor numbers that prevent an April tax bill or penalty.
Section 7508A lets the IRS postpone almost any tax-related deadline by up to one year after a federally declared disaster. This guide explains who qualifies as an affected taxpayer, how postponement interacts with Form 4868, what happens to penalties already accruing, and when to elect a prior-year casualty loss under Section 165(i).
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 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.
