Mike Thrift
Marketing Manager
Form 8865 Foreign Partnership Reporting: The Four Categories of Filers, $10,000 Penalty Trap, and How U.S. Persons Stay Compliant in 2026
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.
Form 8889 in 2026: HSA Reporting Without Triggering the 6%, 10%, or 20% Penalty
A 2026 walkthrough of Form 8889 — HSA contribution limits ($4,400 self-only, $8,750 family), the triple tax advantage, the last-month rule's 13-month testing period, the Medicare six-month retroactive enrollment trap, and the six most common filing mistakes that trigger the 6% excess-contribution excise tax, 10% recapture, or 20% non-qualified-distribution penalty.
Form 8975 and Schedule A: A Practical Guide to U.S. Country-by-Country Reporting for Multinationals in 2026
U.S. multinational groups with $850 million or more in consolidated revenue must file Form 8975 with one Schedule A per tax jurisdiction. This guide walks through the four-part threshold test, the Schedule A line items, the Pillar Two transitional safe harbor that now relies on CbCR data, and the five filing mistakes that most often trigger audits in the 2026 cycle.
Form 8975 Country-by-Country Reporting in 2026: The $850M Threshold, Schedule A Mechanics, and the Pillar Two Safe Harbor
U.S. multinationals with $850M+ in consolidated revenue file Form 8975 with Schedule A per jurisdiction. In 2026 the report also gates the OECD Pillar Two transitional safe harbor at a 17% simplified ETR — making CbC data accuracy a strategic, not clerical, priority.
HSA vs FSA vs HRA in 2026: Stack a Limited-Purpose FSA With Your HSA and Beat the Use-It-or-Lose-It Trap
2026 rules for HSAs, FSAs, and HRAs — contribution limits, who owns each account, when each one wins, how to stack a Limited-Purpose FSA with an HSA without breaking eligibility, and how employees and employers avoid forfeitures.
HSA vs FSA vs HRA in 2026: The Practical Playbook for Picking, Stacking, and Not Forfeiting Your Health Dollars
A 2026 walk-through of HSA, FSA, and HRA rules with the new contribution limits, the limited-purpose FSA stack that adds up to $7,800 of pre-tax room, and how small employers can use ICHRA and QSEHRA to compete with corporate benefits.
Loan Covenants for Small Business Borrowers: How DSCR, FCCR, and Tangible Net Worth Decide When a Performing Loan Can Be Called
Loan covenants—DSCR, fixed charge coverage, tangible net worth, and leverage limits—can put a small business borrower in default while every payment is current. A practical breakdown of affirmative, negative, and financial covenants, cure periods, waiver requests, and what to negotiate before signing a credit agreement.
The Mega Backdoor Roth Playbook: How High Earners Can Funnel an Extra $47,500 Into Tax-Free Retirement Accounts in 2026
The mega backdoor Roth routes up to $47,500 of after-tax 401(k) contributions into a Roth bucket for 2026, on top of the standard $24,500 employee deferral, by converting after-tax dollars through an in-plan Roth conversion or in-service distribution to a Roth IRA. The IRS Section 415(c) total cap of $72,000 ($80,000 if age 50+) covers contributions from all sources combined, and converting promptly keeps the taxable earnings drag near zero.
The NIL Tax Trap: What College Athletes (and Their Parents) Owe on Endorsement, Collective, and Revenue-Sharing Income
How NIL endorsements, collective payouts, and House v. NCAA revenue sharing are taxed in 2026—Schedule C mechanics, the 15.3% self-employment tax, multi-state jock-tax filings, and the planning moves that keep April manageable for college athletes and their families.
The $141,000 Wound: How Small Businesses Catch Occupational Fraud Before It Ends Them
How small businesses can detect and deter occupational fraud — using the ACFE fraud triangle, segregation of duties, surprise audits, management review, and proactive data monitoring — with a 90-day plan tailored to a 20-person organization.
PEO vs CPEO vs ASO vs EOR: 2026 Small Business HR Outsourcing Guide
How small businesses should choose between a PEO, CPEO, ASO, or EOR—covering co-employment mechanics, the FICA wage base restart trap that doubles Social Security tax on a mid-year switch, joint-employer lawsuits under the FLSA and Title VII, and the contract terms to verify before signing.
Personal Goodwill in C-Corp Asset Sales: Martin Ice Cream, Norwalk, Bross Trucking, and Howard
Personal goodwill carve-outs let C-corporation shareholders pay 23.8% capital gains instead of 40%+ combined tax on a portion of an asset sale. Martin Ice Cream, Norwalk, and Bross Trucking show when the allocation survives; Howard shows when an employment-and-noncompete agreement quietly destroys it.