Commuting vs. Business Mileage: When Your Drive Is Deductible and When It Never Is
Home-to-work driving is never deductible, but a qualifying home office or temporary site flips the same miles to IRS business mileage at 76 cents each.
#tax-deductions
Tax Deductions
Maximize tax deductions and reduce your tax liability legally
Starting Your HDHP in December? How the HSA Last-Month Rule Lets You Contribute the Full Year
Covered by an HDHP on Dec. 1? The IRS last-month rule allows a full-year HSA contribution — but fail the 13-month testing period and owe tax plus 10%.
Tearing Down a Building? Why Section 280B Adds Demolition Costs to Your Land Basis Instead of Giving You a Deduction
Section 280B puts demolition costs and a razed building's leftover basis into land, not a deduction. The 75% renovation safe harbor can preserve write-offs.
Tarot Reader and Astrologer Bookkeeping: Per-Reading Rates, Party Pricing, and Fortune-Telling Laws
Four states ban paid fortune-telling and Massachusetts requires a license. Price tarot readings and parties, track cash, and meet IRS quarterly tax rules.
Are Frequent Flyer Miles Taxable? What IRS Announcement 2002-18 Says About Your Business-Travel Rewards
Miles earned by flying or card spending are tax-free rebates under IRS Announcement 2002-18; bank-account bonuses and cash conversions are taxable income.
Hair Transplant Clinic Bookkeeping: Per-Graft Pricing, FUE Equipment, and the 15-Surgery Capacity Benchmark
Price grafts from cost, not the market: FUE runs $4–$12 per graft, deposits are liabilities, and the IRS treats transplants as nondeductible cosmetic surgery.
Why Hemp-Derived CBD Shops Escape the IRS's Harshest Tax Rule (and Cannabis Dispensaries Don't)
Hemp-derived CBD shops deduct rent, payroll, and marketing like any retailer — cannabis dispensaries cannot under Section 280E. The 0.3% THC line decides.
Loan-Out Corporations for Actors and Performers: How Getting Paid Through Your Own Company Works
A loan-out corporation restores the business-expense deductions the IRS permanently denies W-2 performers — at $3,000 to $6,000 a year to run.
Hop Farm Bookkeeping: Why Your $12,000-Per-Acre Trellis Depreciates Differently From the Bines
Hop yard buildout runs $12,000-$15,000 per acre, and the trellis depreciates as 7-year farm equipment while IRS Section 263A decides the plants.
How Sports Betting Winnings Are Taxed: W-2G Thresholds, the Session Method, and State Taxes on Out-of-State Bets
W-2Gs report single wagers, not net profit. IRS lets you net wins per session, deduct losses only if you itemize under the 90% cap, and file where you bet.
CPR and First-Aid Training Business Bookkeeping: Equipment Costs, Card Fees, and Pricing That Holds Margin
AHA eCards run $11.50–$22.50 per student, so a $75 US first-aid seat nets under $49. Price CPR classes off the per-student stack and book cards as COGS.
The $5,000 Disabled Access Credit Most Small Businesses Miss: How Form 8826 Pays for Half Your ADA Upgrades
Section 44 gives eligible small businesses a 50% credit up to $5,000 on Form 8826 for ADA access spending — plus a $15,000 Section 190 deduction.