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Tax
Tax strategies, planning, and compliance for individuals and businesses
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.
The Netherlands Is Cutting the Zelfstandigenaftrek Again: What ZZP Freelancers Should Budget for in 2026 and 2027
The Dutch zelfstandigenaftrek drops from €2,470 in 2025 to €1,200 in 2026 and €900 in 2027 — an 88% reduction since 2020's €7,280. For a ZZP freelancer with €50,000 profit, the 2026 cut alone adds roughly €400–€480 in tax, compounded by the MKB-winstvrijstelling falling to 12.70%. Here's the full phase-down schedule and five concrete budgeting steps.
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.
Texas R&D Franchise Tax Credit Jumps to 8.722% — and Becomes Refundable for Small Businesses in 2026
Effective January 1, 2026, Texas SB 2206 raises the R&D franchise tax credit from 5% to 8.722% (10.903% for university-partnered research), makes it refundable in cash for businesses under $2.65M revenue and new veteran-owned businesses, aligns definitions with federal Form 6765, and repeals the R&D equipment sales tax exemption.
Trump Account Gift Tax Rules: The IRS Safe Harbor That Spares Most Families From Form 709
IRS Revenue Procedure 2026-25 (June 29, 2026) creates a gift tax safe harbor for Trump Account contributions: individual donors whose total gifts to a child stay under the $19,000 annual exclusion owe no Form 709 filing, resolving the future-interest question raised by the accounts' lock-up until age 18.
Washington Just Doubled the B&O Tax Filing Threshold — Here's What Actually Changes for Your Business
Effective July 1, 2026, Washington raised the B&O tax filing threshold from $125,000 to $250,000 in annual gross income and increased the small business credit caps to $375/month for service businesses and $125/month for nonservice businesses — here's who can stop filing, who still owes nothing, and what obligations remain.
Wepplo v. Commissioner: The Tax Court Case That Could Refund COVID-Era IRS Interest
The U.S. Tax Court is weighing whether IRC Section 7508A(d) barred the IRS from charging interest between January 20, 2020 and July 10, 2023. Building on Abdo and Kwong, Wepplo v. Commissioner gives taxpayers with a Tax Court decision a one-year Rule 261 window to seek interest redetermination — independent of the July 10, 2026 protective refund claim deadline.
Whigham v. Commissioner: Why Home Equity Can Sink a 'Currently Not Collectible' Claim With the IRS
In Whigham v. Commissioner (T.C. Memo. 2026-55), the Tax Court upheld an IRS levy against a taxpayer with a genuine hardship story because he held over $190,000 of equity across four properties and offered no proof it was inaccessible. This guide explains how Reasonable Collection Potential values real-estate equity at roughly 80% of fair market value, why bare hardship assertions fail Currently Not Collectible reviews, and what documentation self-employed taxpayers need before a CDP hearing.
Autónomo Taxes in Spain: Cuotas by Real Income, IRPF Withholding, and the €80 Flat Rate Explained for 2026
Spain's autónomo cuota is income-based across 15 tiers (roughly €205 to €1,606/month at a 31.5% rate), reconciled after your annual tax return via regularización. New freelancers can pay a flat €80/month for 12 months and withhold IRPF at a reduced 7% instead of 15% — but choosing 15% once forfeits the reduced rate. Here's how the 2026 rules fit together.
Besicorp v. Commissioner: Why the IRS Couldn't Collect a $380 Million Penalty — and What a CDP Hearing Can Do for Your Business
In Besicorp Group v. Commissioner (June 29, 2026), the Second Circuit blocked IRS lien-and-levy collection of $380 million in tax-shelter penalties because the Appeals Officer never verified written supervisory approval under IRC § 6751(b) — even though the penalties were already final after Tax Court. Here is how the Collection Due Process hearing works, what the ruling does and doesn't change, and the five steps a small business should take after a lien or levy notice.
How to Account for Credit Card Cash Back and Points: Contra-Expense vs. Other Income
Business credit card cash back is a rebate, not taxable income — unless it's a no-spend sign-up or referral bonus. This guide shows the two ways to book rewards (contra-expense vs. other income), with journal entries, the earned-vs-redeemed timing choice, and the IRS logic behind each.