#tax-compliance
Tax Compliance
Stay compliant with tax regulations and filing requirements
Form 8697 Look-Back Interest: Who Files, How the Calculation Works, and What the New IRS Calculator Does
Form 8697 look-back interest settles the gap between estimated and actual results on long-term contracts reported under the percentage-of-completion method — the IRS recomputes prior-year income with final figures and charges or refunds interest only, without reopening those returns. This guide covers who must file under IRC Section 460, the three-step calculation, the separate-filing rule for interest refunds, and what the Excel PCM calculator the IRS released on May 29, 2026 does and doesn't do.
How to Get the IRS to Answer You in Writing: Private Letter Rulings and Determination Letters for Small Businesses
Oral advice from the IRS is not binding — a private letter ruling is. Under Revenue Procedure 2026-1, 9100 relief for a missed tax election generally costs about $14,500, with reduced tiers near $3,450 and $9,775 for smaller organizations, and the IRS must make contact within 21 days of a complete request. Here's when a ruling is worth the fee, what the request must contain, and the no-fee alternatives — Form SS-8, Form 3115, and Rev. Proc. 2013-30 — that cover most common cases.
When a Charity Becomes a Coffee Shop: The Operational Test Lessons of Milk Saving Starving Children Foundation v. Commissioner
In T.C. Memo. 2026-1, the Tax Court upheld the IRS's revocation of a Pennsylvania charity's 501(c)(3) status after it ran a cash-only café and rented storefronts while spending $0 of its $26,447 in 2018 income on its stated mission of feeding starving children. Here's how the operational test works — and a self-audit checklist to keep your nonprofit's books mission-honest.
The 1099 Threshold Is Now $2,000: What OBBBA Changes for Small Businesses in 2026
OBBBA raises the federal 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC filing threshold from $600 to $2,000 for payments made in 2026, with annual inflation indexing starting in 2027. The income stays taxable either way, some states still require reporting at $600, and per-contractor totals — not per-invoice amounts — determine whether you file.
QuickBooks Just Made Payroll Tax Withdrawals Automatic — Here's What It Does to Your Cash Flow
As of July 1, 2026, QuickBooks Online Payroll withdraws payroll tax funds the moment you run payroll — not on the IRS due date — with no opt-out. Here's who the change hits hardest, why the lost float matters, and five concrete steps to protect your cash flow.
The Section 122 Import Surcharge Expires July 24, 2026 — What Small Importers Should Do With the Week Left
The 10% Section 122 import surcharge expires automatically on July 24, 2026, when its 150-day statutory limit runs out — but expiration is not a refund, and Section 301 and Section 232 tariffs are already queued to replace it. Here's how small importers should tally what they paid, preserve refund rights, and model landed costs before the deadline.
Thermal Circuits v. Commissioner: When a Customer Pays for Your Factory Expansion, Is It Taxable Income?
In Thermal Circuits, Inc. v. Commissioner (T.C. Memo. 2026-29), the Tax Court held that $4.3 million a customer paid to fund a supplier's factory buildout was taxable compensation, not a Section 118 capital contribution — because the supplier, not the customer, owned the improvements. What the ruling means for contract manufacturers, franchisees, and tenants, and how to structure a customer-funded expansion correctly.
Garza-Laureles v. Lab Logistics: What a Medical Courier Lawsuit Teaches Every Small Business About Worker Misclassification
A 2026 FLSA class action, Garza-Laureles v. Lab Logistics LLC, alleges medical couriers were paid as 1099 contractors while the company set their schedules, routes, and uniforms. Here is the DOL's six-factor economic reality test, what misclassification costs — back overtime, doubled liquidated damages, and up to $25,000 per worker in California penalties — and a five-question self-check for small business owners.
IRS Contractor Data Security Failures: What the 2026 TIGTA Report Found — and How to Protect Your Tax Data
A 2026 TIGTA audit found 1,375 unauthorized entries into restricted taxpayer-document areas and critical vulnerabilities left unpatched an average of 223 days at IRS scanning contractors. Here is what the watchdog found, how the IRS responded, and the concrete steps — IP PIN enrollment, early filing, e-filing — that reduce your exposure.
How Should States Tax Partnership Income? Inside the MTC's Blended Apportionment Proposal
The Multistate Tax Commission's January 2026 white paper proposes a "blended" apportionment method that folds a partnership's sales, property, and payroll factors into each partner's own state tax calculation. Because states currently split between aggregate and entity sourcing theories, the same partnership dollar can be taxed twice — or not at all. Here's what multistate partnerships and multi-member LLCs should track now.
Your Amended Business Tax Return Now Takes Over a Year to Process — Here's Why, and How to Protect Your Cash Flow
The National Taxpayer Advocate's 2025 Annual Report to Congress found the IRS took over 13 months on average to process 1.6 million business amended returns, after a 27% workforce cut left the Small Business/Self-Employed division down nearly 38%. Here's what the report says and six concrete steps to shield your cash flow.
South Delta Planning v. United States: The Ruling That Lets ERC Clawback Fights Reach Court
On July 15, 2026, a Mississippi federal court ruled that a business fighting an IRS clawback of a previously-paid Employee Retention Credit refund does not need to file a second administrative refund claim before suing, and — because employment taxes are divisible by employee and quarter — can satisfy the Flora full-payment rule by paying the amount tied to a single employee rather than the entire reassessment.