#tax-compliance
Tax Compliance
Stay compliant with tax regulations and filing requirements
Tutoring Center Bookkeeping: Prepaid Packages, Tutor Classification, and Score-Guarantee Refunds
How independent tutoring centers and test-prep businesses should book prepaid packages as deferred revenue under ASC 606, reserve for score-guarantee refunds, age school-district IEP receivables, and classify tutors as W-2 or 1099 under the 2024 DOL final rule.
Wine and Spirits Importer Bookkeeping: TTB Bonded Inventory, CBMA Refunds, Currency Hedging, and Depletion KPIs
How wine and spirits importers and beverage distributors build defensible books—segregating bonded vs. tax-paid inventory, accruing CBMA excise tax refunds under ASC 450, remeasuring foreign-currency payables under ASC 830, reconciling TTB Form 5000.24 to the general ledger, and tracking the cases-per-rep, depletion rate, and gross-profit-per-case KPIs the industry actually lives by.
Fertility Clinic and IVF Practice Bookkeeping: ASC 606, Refund Guarantees, and Donor Pass-Throughs
A practical guide to fertility-clinic accounting — applying ASC 606 across IVF cycle obligations, estimating refund-guarantee liabilities, treating donor and gestational-carrier fees as agent pass-throughs, recognizing cryostorage revenue ratably, and using Section 179 on embryology lab equipment.
Form 3115 for Small Businesses: A Practical Walkthrough of Section 481(a), Automatic Consent, and the Audit Protection Traps
How small businesses use Form 3115 to fix prior-year accounting methods without amending returns — covering the Section 481(a) catch-up math, automatic vs. non-automatic consent under Rev. Proc. 2015-13, three worked examples (cash-to-accrual, cost segregation, repair regs), and the five filing mistakes that forfeit audit protection.
Section 1361 S-Corporation Eligibility: The Hidden Rules That Can Quietly Terminate Your Election
Section 1361 sets five eligibility rules for S-corporations—domestic incorporation, 100-shareholder cap, eligible shareholders, one class of stock, and entity type. Routine business decisions like uneven distributions or a relocated shareholder can terminate the election; Section 1362(f) offers PLR-based relief that costs $30,000+ in user fees.
Section 1402(a)(13) After Soroban: The Limited Partner SE Tax Exemption in 2026
Since the Tax Court's 2023 Soroban decision, a state-law limited partner label no longer shields distributive share from 15.3% self-employment tax. This guide walks through the functional test under Section 1402(a)(13), the Renkemeyer line of cases, the 2024 proposed regulations, and the planning moves that still hold up for fund managers, LLC members, and operating partners in 2026.
The Section 199A QBI Deduction in 2026: A Permanent 20% Tax Break for Pass-Through Business Owners
OBBBA made the Section 199A pass-through deduction permanent and widened the 2026 phase-in to $201,750 single / $403,500 MFJ. Here is how the 20% QBI deduction, the W-2 wages and UBIA caps, the SSTB phase-out, the new $400 minimum, and Form 8995-A aggregation actually work for S-corps, LLCs, and partnerships.
The R&D Tax Credit in 2026: How OBBBA Restored Section 174 Expensing, the Section 41 Four-Part Test, and the $500,000 Payroll Tax Offset for Qualified Small Businesses
OBBBA restored immediate Section 174 domestic R&E expensing in 2026 and gives small businesses until July 6, 2026 to amend 2022–2024 returns. A practical guide to the Section 41 four-part test, the 14% Alternative Simplified Credit, the Section 280C reduced-credit election, and the $500,000 payroll tax offset for qualified small businesses.
Hard Cidery Bookkeeping: TTB Excise Tax, CBMA Credits, WIP Costing, and the Section 263A Orchard Trap
A practical bookkeeping guide for craft cideries — how to qualify for the $0.226 per wine gallon hard cider tax rate on TTB Form 5000.24, apply CBMA credits within the 750,000-gallon ceiling, track apple and pear inputs through WIP, segregate orchard costs under the Section 263A farming exception, and separate tasting room, DTC, wholesale, and self-distribution channels.
The Independent Used Car Dealer's Bookkeeping Playbook: Floorplan Notes, F&I Chargeback Reserves, Recon WIP, and the Buyers Guide That Costs $51,744 to Get Wrong
How independent used car dealers should book floorplan notes payable, capitalize reconditioning costs under IRC 263A, estimate F&I chargeback reserves under ASC 606, track BHPH notes receivable, and stay compliant with the FTC Buyers Guide rule and IRS Form 8300.
Form 1099-NEC Filing Season 2026: $2,000 Threshold, IRIS E-Filing, and How to Avoid Stacked Penalties
For tax year 2026, the 1099-NEC reporting threshold rises from $600 to $2,000 and the IRS replaces FIRE with the IRIS portal. A practical workflow for W-9 collection, TIN matching, backup withholding, e-filing, and avoiding per-form penalties that stack under §6721 and §6722.
How Long to Keep Business Records: A Plain-English Retention Schedule Tied to the IRS Statute of Limitations
The IRS retention clock varies by record type — three years for routine returns, four for employment tax, six when income is understated by more than 25%, seven for bad-debt and worthless-securities losses, and indefinite for unfiled or fraudulent returns. A defensible schedule built on the statute of limitations, Rev. Proc. 97-22 electronic-records rules, and DOL and OSHA overlays.