How to Check Your IRS Refund Status (and What to Do When It's Late)
The IRS issues most e-filed refunds within 21 days — track yours with Where's My Refund using your SSN, filing status, and exact refund amount.
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Guides
Step-by-step guides for accounting, bookkeeping, and financial tasks
Never Filed a Business Return? Why the IRS Has No Deadline to Audit You
No return means no time limit: the IRS can assess unfiled years anytime, then bill you through an SFR with zero deductions.
Your S Corporation Can't Deduct Your December Bonus Until It Pays You
Section 267 delays your S corp's bonus deduction until the year you're actually paid — run shareholder payroll by December 31.
Heirs Property: How Dying Without a Will Puts Your Family Land at Risk of a Forced Sale
Any co-owner of US heirs property can force a sale of the whole parcel. How partition sales work, what the Uniform Act changed, and how USDA loans help.
The Taxpayer Bill of Rights: Your 10 IRS Rights in Audits, Appeals, and Collection
The IRS must honor 10 codified taxpayer rights. Know the 30-day appeal, 90-day Tax Court and 30-day CDP deadlines, and when to call the Taxpayer Advocate.
Washington's Small-Business B&O Tax Credit Is Set to More Than Double in 2029 — If Its Funding Survives
Washington's small-business B&O credit rises to $375/$125 monthly in 2029 — unless voters repeal its funding on Nov 3 or courts strike it.
How to Appeal Your Property Tax Assessment: Comparable Sales, Unequal Appraisal Claims, and the Evidence That Actually Wins Reductions
Win a US property tax appeal with evidence: fix record errors, file 3-5 arm's-length comps, and add an unequal-appraisal claim before the 30-60 day deadline.
The Equity Method of Accounting, Explained: How to Book a 20–50% Ownership Stake
Under ASC 323, dividends from a 20–50% stake are not income — they reduce the investment. Here are the three journal entries and the basis-difference trap.
The IRS Says You Didn't File: What Notice CP59 Means and How to Respond
Notice CP59 means the IRS has no record of your prior-year return. File the missing return, show you already filed, or explain on Form 15103 why none is due — and file your own return before the IRS prepares a substitute one without your deductions.
Starting a Tax Preparation Business: The PTIN, the EFIN Suitability Check, the E-File Mandate, and the Due-Diligence Rules You Need Before Taking Your First Paying Client
A PTIN, an EFIN after a 45-day IRS suitability check, and Form 8867 diligence on every credit return — the federal startup checklist for paid preparers.
FinCEN Delayed the Investment Adviser AML Rule to 2028. The Clock Is Still Running.
FinCEN moved the investment adviser AML rule's effective date from January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2028, covering roughly 20,000 SEC-registered advisers and exempt reporting advisers. Here's what the rule requires — SARs at $5,000, CTRs above $10,000, travel-rule recordkeeping at $3,000 — and a 24-month plan to build the program before the deadline.
Can the IRS Drain Your Bank Account Without a Court Order? Levies, the 21-Day Freeze, and Your CDP Hearing Rights
The IRS can levy bank accounts and wages without a court order under Section 6331, but must send a Final Notice (LT11/Letter 1058) and offer a 30-day Collection Due Process hearing under Section 6330. Banks must hold levied funds 21 days under Section 6332(c), giving owners time to prove hardship or propose an alternative.