Personal tax prep fees are no longer federally deductible after the 2026 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but business owners and self-employed filers can still deduct the business portion on Schedule C, E, F, 1065, 1120-S, or 1120—if they allocate and document it correctly.
A precise 2026 guide to taxable income — which dollars the IRS counts (wages, tips, capital gains, cancelled debt), which are excluded (gifts, inheritances, Roth distributions, muni bond interest), the step-by-step AGI-to-taxable-income calculation, and seven legal strategies to reduce the final number, including new One Big Beautiful Bill Act deductions for tipped, overtime, and senior taxpayers.
A structural breakdown of Title 26—the Internal Revenue Code—covering how the tax code is organized, the 2026 changes most relevant to small businesses (permanent 100% bonus depreciation, a $2.5M Section 179 cap, expanded QBI), and the records you need to defend every deduction you claim.
A category-by-category breakdown of how small businesses deduct website costs in 2026 under Section 174A, including the OBBBA retroactive election deadline of July 6, 2026, and where each expense lands on Schedule C.
A 2026 guide to deducting business travel on Schedule C — covering the IRS tax home rule, the $178 CONUS per diem, 50% meal limits, 75% international business-day threshold, and the documentation habits that survive an audit.
The IRS applies a two-part test to personal appearance expenses: the item must be required by your work and unsuitable for everyday use. Most suits, makeup, haircuts, and gym memberships fail. This guide details what qualifies, with case law including Pevsner v. Commissioner and Hamper v. Commissioner.
The 2026 SALT cap rises to $40,400, restoring the property tax deduction for many homeowners in high-tax states. Here are the new rules, the MAGI phaseout starting at $505,000, the income-based deductions, and the bunching, recordkeeping, and rental-property strategies that maximize the benefit.
How to verify 501(c)(3) status through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, substantiate donations at the $250, $500, and $5,000 thresholds, and work with 2026's new 0.5% AGI floor and non-itemizer charitable deduction rules.
Schedule SE calculates the 15.3% self-employment tax (Social Security + Medicare) owed by anyone with $400 or more in net self-employment earnings. This guide walks through the 2026 wage base ($184,500), the 92.35% adjustment, the 50% above-the-line deduction, and the safe-harbor rules that prevent quarterly underpayment penalties.
The 2026 standard deduction is $16,100 for single filers and $32,200 for joint filers, plus a new $6,000 senior bonus deduction for taxpayers 65+. Here is how to decide whether to take it or itemize.
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