Mike Thrift
Marketing Manager
IRS Audits Demystified: What Triggers Them, What to Expect, and How to Survive One
Fewer than 1% of individual returns are audited each year, and over 75% of audits are handled entirely by mail. This guide explains what triggers an IRS audit in 2026, the step-by-step process, how far back the IRS can look, and how to prepare records that hold up to scrutiny.
IRS Form 843 Explained: How to Claim a Refund or Request Penalty Abatement
IRS Form 843 is how taxpayers formally request a penalty abatement or a refund of interest and improperly assessed tax. This guide walks through eligibility, the three-year/two-year deadline rule, line-by-line instructions, and the documentation that separates an approved claim from a denial letter.
IRS Form 8821 Explained: How to Authorize Tax Information Access Without Giving Up Control
Form 8821 grants read-only access to your IRS tax information for lenders, accountants, and verifiers. Learn how it differs from Form 2848, when to use it, how to complete each of its six sections, the 120-day signature rule, and how to revoke it.
IRS Letter 1058: What to Do When You Get the Final Notice of Intent to Levy
Letter 1058 (LT11) is the IRS's final 30-day warning before it can levy wages, bank accounts, or property. Here are the four real options — pay in full, installment agreement, Offer in Compromise, or Collection Due Process hearing — and the exact steps to take before the deadline expires.
IRS Tax Payment Plans: How to Set Up an Installment Agreement When You Can't Pay in Full
A practical guide to IRS installment agreements in 2026 — four plan types, setup fees ranging from $0 to $178, eligibility rules for balances up to $50,000, and the common mistakes that trigger default.
Merchant of Record Explained: When You Should Stop Being the Seller
A Merchant of Record is the legal seller for your SaaS — handling sales tax, VAT, chargebacks, and PCI compliance in exchange for 4–8% per transaction. Here is when the math favors switching, how it compares to a payment processor, and how to pick a provider in 2026.
Missed the Tax Deadline? Here's Exactly What to Do Next
A step-by-step guide to filing late, halting penalties, and setting up IRS payment plans after missing April 15—covering the 5% monthly failure-to-file penalty, the 0.5% failure-to-pay penalty, interest at the short-term rate plus 3%, and the three-year window to claim a refund.
Non-Deductible Business Expenses: What You Can't Write Off in 2026
A practical breakdown of business expenses the IRS disallows in 2026—commuting, entertainment, fines, political spending, life insurance, and the gray areas that cause audit problems—with the Section 162 reasoning behind each rule.
Passing Credit Card Fees to Customers: What's Legal, What Works, and What to Avoid
A practical breakdown of the three legal ways U.S. businesses can recover credit card processing costs—surcharges, convenience fees, and cash discounts—including state-by-state bans (CA, CT, ME, MA, OK), card network rules, the 4% federal cap, and rollout tactics that keep customers.
Payment Reconciliation: A Step-by-Step Process Guide
A five-step payment reconciliation workflow that catches fraud, cleans up cash flow, and keeps books audit-ready—citing 2026 AFP data showing 76% of organizations faced payment fraud in 2025.
Pro Forma Invoices: The Quiet Tool That Stops Scope Disputes Before They Start
A pro forma invoice is a non-binding document that locks in scope, pricing, and payment terms before work begins, without hitting accounts receivable. Covers when to send one, what to include, international trade requirements, and the mistakes that erase its value.
Profitable But Broke: Why Businesses Run Out of Cash
A profitable P&L and an empty bank account are not a contradiction—they are a timing problem. A breakdown of the five silent cash drains (AR, inventory, loan principal, capex, owner draws) and how a 13-week forecast reveals them before they sink the business.