Failure to File vs. Failure to Pay vs. Failure to Deposit: IRS Penalties at 5%, 0.5%, and Tiered Rates, Explained
IRS failure-to-file costs 5% a month vs. 0.5% for failure-to-pay — file even when you can't pay, then check first-time abatement.
#tax-filing
Tax Filing
Tax filing procedures, deadlines, and best practices
Lacerte vs. ProSeries vs. Drake Tax vs. UltraTax CS: Which Professional Tax Software Fits Your Practice?
Drake Tax and Lacerte tied at 4.4/5 in the 2026 AICPA survey of 1,808 preparers filing IRS returns — match software to your volume and forms.
Refund Anticipation Loans and Refund Advances, Explained: What a 0% Tax-Time Loan Really Costs
A 0% IRS refund advance still costs the prep fee you paid to qualify — and you owe the full advance if your refund comes in short.
Do I Need to File a Tax Return? Federal Filing Requirements, the $400 Self-Employment Rule, and Why Filing Anyway Often Pays
File a federal return once gross income hits your threshold, or with $400 of self-employment earnings. Filing anyway can recover withholding and credits.
Failure-to-File vs. Failure-to-Pay: Why Filing Late Costs Ten Times What Paying Late Costs
The IRS failure-to-file penalty runs 5% a month — ten times the failure-to-pay rate. Filing on time when you cannot pay is the cheapest move.
1099 Filing Software Compared: Track1099 (Avalara) vs. Tax1099 vs. the Free IRS IRIS Portal
Tax1099 and Avalara start near $3 per form with volume tiers, while IRS IRIS e-files 1099s free — compare price, state filing, and W-9 tools.
Schedule C vs. Schedule E vs. Schedule F: Where Sole Proprietors, Landlords, and Farmers Each Report Income
Schedule C is for businesses, Schedule E for rentals and K-1s, Schedule F for farms — and the wrong schedule can cost 15.3% in self-employment tax.
Married Filing Separately vs. Jointly, Head of Household, and Surviving Spouse: A Small Business Owner's Guide to Filing Status
Joint IRS filing wins for most couples, but separate returns can cut loan payments and shield refunds — plus when head-of-household and surviving-spouse apply.
Your Teen's First W-2 Job: Filing Rules, W-4 Withholding, and the Roth IRA Head Start
A teen with only W-2 wages owes no IRS income tax under $16,100 for 2026 — file anyway to reclaim withholding, and fund a Roth IRA with 0%-taxed dollars.
Married Filing Separately vs. Jointly: When Business Owners Save by Filing Apart
Filing separately beats jointly when one spouse's medical bills clear the IRS 7.5% AGI floor or IDR loan payments drop — run both returns and compare.
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.
Farm Income Averaging on Schedule J: How Farmers and Fishers Smooth Tax Across Good and Bad Years
Schedule J lets farmers and fishers spread a bumper year's income across the prior three years' lower brackets — average savings topped $4,400 in one study.