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#compliance

Compliance

Navigate regulatory compliance and maintain audit-ready financial records

Section 170(h) Conservation Easement Deductions: Why High-Income Donors Face 40% Penalties, Automatic Audits, and a 6% Court Allowance Rate

Section 170(h) lets landowners deduct the value lost when they place a permanent conservation restriction on real property, but the IRS has labeled high-ratio syndicated structures listed transactions and now disallows over 90% of the claimed deduction in court. This guide explains the four-part qualification test, the 2.5x basis cap under Section 170(h)(7), the 40% strict liability penalty, Form 8283 requirements, the six-year statute of limitations, and the 2026 IRS settlement window.

Section 4942 Private Foundation 5% Payout Rule: How Form 990-PF Trustees Calculate Minimum Investment Return, Qualifying Distributions, and Avoid the 30% Initial Excise Tax

Private foundations must distribute 5% of average non-charitable-use assets each year as qualifying distributions or face a 30% initial excise tax under IRC Section 4942. A trustee's working guide to Form 990-PF Part XII, set-asides, five-year carryovers, and the 100% additional tax.

The $1 Million Single Audit Trap: Uniform Guidance, SEFA, and How Nonprofits and Governments Pass Federal Compliance

OMB raised the single audit threshold to $1 million in federal expenditures starting October 1, 2024. This guide explains the Subpart F audit under 2 CFR 200, SEFA reporting, four-step major program determination, the 40 and 20 percent coverage rules, and the nine-month Federal Audit Clearinghouse submission deadline for nonprofits and state and local governments.

Subpart F Income and Controlled Foreign Corporations: Why U.S. Owners Get Taxed on Foreign Profits Before the Cash Comes Home

Subpart F forces U.S. shareholders of a controlled foreign corporation to recognize foreign profits as current-year income, even when no cash is distributed. This guide covers the 10 percent threshold, the four triggering income categories, Section 958 constructive ownership traps, Form 5471 penalties, and how the 2026 OBBBA rewrite (NCTI, restored 958(b)(4), 40 percent Section 250 deduction) reshapes the rules.