Plain-text accounting insights, tutorials, and updates from the Beancount.io team.
Incentive Stock Options and Non-Qualified Stock Options trigger taxes at different events and rates. This guide covers the AMT trap, qualifying vs. disqualifying dispositions, the $100,000 ISO vesting limit, and eight strategies tech workers use to lower the tax bill on equity compensation.
A walkthrough of the IRS's four core tax debt relief programs — installment agreements, Offer in Compromise, Currently Not Collectible status, and penalty abatement — including the 2026 shift to automatic first-time abatement, the 21% OIC acceptance rate from the 2024 IRS Data Book, and how to spot Offer in Compromise mills flagged on the IRS Dirty Dozen list.
A 2026 guide for family business owners on legally hiring their children: how a sole proprietorship can pay a child up to $16,100 federal-tax-free, when FICA and FUTA exemptions apply, the documentation the IRS expects, and how a Roth IRA stacks on top.
The 2026 Foreign Earned Income Exclusion lets qualifying Americans abroad exclude up to $132,900 of foreign-earned income on Form 2555. This guide details the physical presence and bona fide residence tests, the housing exclusion, FEIE vs. Foreign Tax Credit tradeoffs, and audit-ready documentation for expats and digital nomads.
How qualified versus disqualifying dispositions change the tax bill on a Section 423 ESPP, with worked examples covering ordinary income, adjusted basis, Form 3922 cost-basis fixes, and a decision framework for when holding two years actually pays off.
A 1099-C does not automatically mean a tax bill. This guide covers when canceled debt is taxable, the five Form 982 exclusions (bankruptcy, insolvency, qualified farm, real property business, principal residence), the 2026 expiration of the student loan and mortgage forgiveness exclusions, and the recordkeeping that proves insolvency to the IRS.
The Backdoor Roth IRA lets high earners contribute up to $7,500 a year to tax-free retirement growth by pairing a nondeductible traditional IRA contribution with a Roth conversion. Covers the five-step process, the pro-rata rule that derails most attempts, Form 8606 filing, and the recordkeeping that prevents being taxed twice.
A Section 83(b) election lets founders and early employees pay ordinary income tax on the grant-date value of restricted stock instead of on each vesting tranche, shifting future appreciation into long-term capital gains. The 30-day filing window is absolute and starts on the actual transfer date.
A practical guide to changing state domicile for tax savings—covering the difference between residency and domicile, the nine no-income-tax states, the 183-day statutory residency trap, and how high-tax states reconstruct your year from cell tower pings, EZ-Pass records, and credit card data.
In 2026, a self-employed person earning $100,000 can contribute about $18,587 to a SEP IRA versus $43,087 to a Solo 401(k). This guide compares 2026 contribution limits, Roth options, December 31 deadlines, and Form 5500-EZ filing thresholds so freelancers and consultants can choose the right plan.
A working guide to the three numbers that decide whether a restaurant makes money — prime cost, food and beverage COGS, and tip pooling — with 2026 benchmarks, FLSA rules, and a weekly accounting cadence.
Section 41 lets qualified small businesses offset up to $500,000 of annual payroll taxes with the federal R&D credit. This guide covers the four-part qualification test, qualifying wages and cloud spend, the QSB election on Form 6765, and what OBBBA changed for 2025 and 2026 filings.
