#tax-credits
Federal and state tax credits to reduce your tax bill dollar for dollar
SECURE 2.0 Section 101 requires new 401(k) and 403(b) plans established after December 29, 2022 to auto-enroll employees at a 3-10% default deferral with 1% annual escalation. A 2026 compliance guide covering EACA notices, the four exemptions, QDIA selection, the 90-day permissible withdrawal, and the December 31, 2026 plan amendment deadline.
Sixteen US jurisdictions run mandatory paid family and medical leave programs in 2026, with new benefits live in Minnesota, Maine, and Delaware, a 23% Washington premium hike to 1.13%, and a permanent Section 45S federal credit. This guide covers which states require withholding, how private plan exemptions work, how PFML coordinates with FMLA and ADA, and the W-2 Box 14 codes that break payroll when miscoded.
A practical guide for small employers comparing the three IRS safe harbor 401(k) formulas — basic match, enhanced match, and 3% nonelective — alongside QACA auto-enrollment rules, SECURE 2.0 startup and contribution tax credits, notice deadlines, and the vesting and bookkeeping details that decide whether ADP, ACP, and top-heavy testing actually go away.
The AOTC is worth up to $2,500 per student with $1,000 refundable; the Lifetime Learning Credit caps at $2,000 per return. A 2026 walkthrough of Form 8863 and Form 1098-T covering when each credit wins, the Pell Grant election that unlocks the refundable AOTC, how to coordinate a 529 plan, and the four mistakes that can trigger a 2-to-10-year IRS ban.
Section 41 lets a qualified small business apply up to $500,000 of R&D credit per year against employer Social Security and Medicare taxes via Form 6765 and Form 8974. This guide explains the QSB tests, the four-part research test, the redesigned Section G that becomes mandatory in 2026, and how OBBBA's Section 174 reset changes the timing math.
Form 8867 due diligence carries a $650 penalty per credit in 2026 — up to $2,600 per return — plus EFIN, PTIN, and OPR risk. A practical breakdown of the four IRC §6695-2 duties, the red flags IRS examiners hunt for, and the file structure that survives a 25-return due diligence visit.
A 2026 LIHTC field guide for developers — how the 9% and 4% credits differ, how qualified basis and the 70%/30% present-value subsidies are calculated, the three overlapping compliance clocks, the IRS forms (8609, 8609-A, 8586, 8611), syndication mechanics, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act changes that cut the bond financing test from 50% to 25%.
A practical walkthrough of the New Markets Tax Credit — how the 39% federal credit flows from a CDE to investors and projects over seven years, who plays which role, what continuous compliance requires, and where deals most often break.
Tax year 2026 is the final year for the Saver's Credit, a nonrefundable credit worth up to $1,000 per person ($2,000 MFJ) for IRA and 401(k) contributions. This guide covers the 2026 AGI brackets, Form 8880 line by line, and what changes when the Saver's Match arrives in 2027.
Section 174A restores immediate domestic R&E expensing and lets small businesses with $31 million or less in average annual gross receipts amend 2022, 2023, and 2024 returns for refunds — but the retroactive election must be filed by July 6, 2026.
A per-component breakdown of Section 45X credit rates, the OBBBA phase-out schedule for wind, solar, battery, and critical minerals, the new Prohibited Foreign Entity Material Assistance Cost Ratio test, and how to claim direct pay or transferability without losing the credit to documentation gaps.
Section 47 of the Internal Revenue Code lets developers claim a 20 percent federal tax credit on qualified rehabilitation expenditures for certified historic structures, claimed ratably over five years since the TCJA. This guide walks through NPS three-part certification, the substantial rehabilitation test, what counts as a QRE, five-year recapture rules, and how syndication is structured under the Rev. Proc. 2014-12 safe harbor.
