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Tax
Tax strategies, planning, and compliance for individuals and businesses
Form 911: Escalating Stalled Refunds, Wrongful Levies, and Identity Theft to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
Form 911 opens the door to the Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent IRS office that intervenes in stalled refunds, wrongful levies, and identity-theft cases under IRC Section 7811. This guide explains the four hardship categories, how to file, and what to write so a case gets expedited rather than queued.
IFTA Quarterly Fuel Tax Returns: A Filing and Audit Guide for Owner-Operators
IFTA returns are due quarterly on April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31, and tax follows the miles you drove, not the fuel you bought. This guide shows owner-operators how to calculate fleet MPG, net taxable gallons, and surcharges, and which record-keeping habits survive an audit.
The NYC Tax Most Freelancers Don't Know Exists Until They Owe It
New York City's 4 percent Unincorporated Business Tax applies to freelancers, consultants, and partnerships with NYC gross receipts above $95,000. A full credit eliminates the tax at $95,000 or less of taxable income, while an S-corp election can move higher earners out of the regime entirely.
Quarterly Estimated Taxes for the Self-Employed in 2026: Safe Harbors, Form 1040-ES, and the Annualized Income Method
A working guide to the 2026 quarterly estimated tax rules for freelancers and self-employed earners — the two IRS safe harbors (90% current year, 100%/110% prior year), the four uneven due dates, Form 1040-ES, the annualized income method for lumpy earners, EFTPS vs Direct Pay, and the mistakes that trigger penalties at the 6–7% federal rate.
Give It Now or Leave It Later? The Basis Trap That Quietly Costs Families Hundreds of Thousands in Capital Gains Tax
Lifetime gifts under IRC Section 1015 carry over the donor's basis, while inheritance under Section 1014 steps it up to fair market value at death — a difference that can shift a family's after-tax outcome by six figures on a single appreciated position under the 2026 $15 million federal exemption.
Section 119 Meals and Lodging for the Convenience of the Employer: How Hospitality, Hospital, and Caretaker Employers Keep On-Premises Housing and Cafeteria Meals Out of Wages
Section 119 lets employers exclude on-premises meals and required-residence lodging from employee wages, with no FICA and no income tax withholding. This guide walks through the convenience-of-the-employer test, the "more than half" safe harbor, qualified campus lodging, the Kowalski cash rule, and what the 2026 Section 274(o) deduction sunset does and does not change.
Section 119: How Employers Give Workers Tax-Free Meals and Housing on the Business Premises
Section 119 lets employers furnish meals and lodging tax-free when they are on the business premises and for the employer's convenience — and lodging must also be a condition of employment. Qualifying value is also excluded from FICA and FUTA wages.
Section 199A Rental Real Estate Safe Harbor: How Landlords Log 250 Hours, Avoid the Triple Net Lease Trap, and Lock In the 20% QBI Deduction
Revenue Procedure 2019-38 lets landlords treat rental real estate as a trade or business for the 20% QBI deduction if they log 250 hours of qualifying services, keep contemporaneous records, avoid triple net leases, and file a signed election — now permanent under the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The Section 199A Rental Real Estate Safe Harbor: A Guide for Schedule E Landlords
Rev. Proc. 2019-38 lets landlords claim the 20% QBI deduction if a rental enterprise logs 250+ hours of rental services a year with contemporaneous records and a signed election. Triple net leases and personal-use property are excluded.
Section 302 Stock Redemptions: Sale vs. Dividend Treatment in Closely-Held C Corporations
A practical guide to Section 302 stock redemptions in closely-held C corporations — when a buyback gets capital gain treatment versus dividend treatment, how Section 318 family attribution disqualifies most family redemptions, and how the four 302(b) tests plus the 302(c)(2) waiver preserve sale treatment.
Section 382: Why Acquirers Lose a Target's Net Operating Losses
Section 382 caps how fast an acquirer can use a target's net operating losses after an ownership change — annual limit equals the loss corporation's equity value times the long-term tax-exempt rate (about 3.58% in early 2026). Here is what triggers it and the legitimate workarounds.
Section 461(h) Economic Performance and the Recurring Item Exception: When Accrual-Basis Liabilities Are Actually Deductible
Section 461(h) layers an economic performance test on top of the all-events test, so accrual-basis taxpayers cannot deduct a liability until the underlying activity actually happens. The recurring item exception accelerates deductions for predictable expenses when economic performance occurs within 8½ months of year-end and four specific conditions are met.