IRS Small Business Penalty Overhaul for 2026: New Rates and Automatic Relief
For 2025 tax year returns filed in 2026, the IRS charges partnerships and S-corps $255 per partner or shareholder per month for late Forms 1065 and 1120-S, plus $330 per late Schedule K-1, while a new automatic relief program forgives first-time penalties for taxpayers with three years of clean compliance history.
Payroll Tax Deposit Lookback Period: Monthly vs Semiweekly Depositor Guide
The IRS payroll tax deposit lookback period runs from July 1 of the second preceding year through June 30 of the prior year; employers reporting $50,000 or less in that window deposit monthly, those above it deposit semiweekly, and accumulating $100,000 or more in liability on a single day triggers a next-day deposit requirement and semiweekly status through the following year.
Why Your K-1 Is Always Late (and What to Do About It This Year)
Late Schedule K-1s are the norm, not the exception — a Form 7004 extension pushes partnership and S-corp returns, and every K-1 tied to them, to September 15, a full five months past the April 15 personal deadline. The fix is a simple playbook, file Form 4868, pay at least 90% of a good-faith estimate, and amend with Form 1040-X once the real numbers arrive.
Tanning Salon Bookkeeping: Tracking the 10% Federal Excise Tax and Form 720
Indoor tanning services carry a 10% federal excise tax reported quarterly on IRS Form 720 Part II, and salons that don't isolate it in a dedicated liability account and itemize bundled packages are the ones examiners flag.
IRS FIRE System Shutdown: What 1099 and W-2 Filers Need to Know About IRIS
The IRS retires the FIRE e-filing system on December 31, 2026, requiring all 1099 and W-2 filers to switch to IRIS for tax year 2026 returns, and a new Transmitter Control Code alone can take 45 or more days to approve.
The Sales Tax Vendor Discount: A Small-Business Guide to Getting Paid for Filing on Time
About 30 U.S. states let businesses keep a percentage of the sales tax they collect — a vendor discount or collection allowance — for filing and paying on time, with Colorado eliminating its discount and South Dakota suspending its own heading into 2026.
Section 30C EV Charger Credit Before the June 30, 2026 Cliff: Census Tracts, Prevailing Wage, and Form 8911
The Section 30C credit returns 30% of EV charger cost — up to $1,000 per port for homeowners and $100,000 per port for businesses — but sunsets after June 30, 2026. A line-by-line guide to census tract eligibility, prevailing wage and apprenticeship rules, depreciation interaction, recapture, and Form 8911.
Form 3520-A: The March 15 Deadline, Substitute Filings, and the 5% Section 6677 Penalty
Form 3520-A is the annual information return for a foreign trust with a U.S. owner, due March 15. If the foreign trustee does not file, Section 6677 imposes an initial 5% penalty on trust assets plus $10,000 per 30-day continuation period — payable by the U.S. owner. Covers who files, the substitute filing path, the reasonable-cause defense, and how to clean up multi-year non-compliance.
Section 7508A Disaster Tax Relief: How FEMA-Declared County Residents Get Postponed Deadlines, Coordinate With Form 4868, and Decide on a Prior-Year Casualty Loss
Section 7508A lets the IRS postpone almost any tax-related deadline by up to one year after a federally declared disaster. This guide explains who qualifies as an affected taxpayer, how postponement interacts with Form 4868, what happens to penalties already accruing, and when to elect a prior-year casualty loss under Section 165(i).
Section 7508A: How Federally Declared Disaster Relief Postpones Your Tax Deadlines
Section 7508A lets the IRS postpone tax deadlines up to one year for taxpayers in federally declared disaster counties—usually automatically by address. A Section 165(i) election can also move a casualty loss to the prior year's return for a faster refund.
Texas Franchise Tax 2026: Filing the Public Information Report and Avoiding Forfeiture
Texas raised the franchise tax no-tax-due threshold to $2.65 million for 2026 and 2027 reports, but LLCs and corporations still owe a Public Information Report by May 15. Missing it triggers forfeiture, personal liability for officers, and loss of access to Texas courts.
Quarterly Estimated Taxes for the Self-Employed in 2026: Safe Harbors, Form 1040-ES, and the Annualized Income Method
A working guide to the 2026 quarterly estimated tax rules for freelancers and self-employed earners — the two IRS safe harbors (90% current year, 100%/110% prior year), the four uneven due dates, Form 1040-ES, the annualized income method for lumpy earners, EFTPS vs Direct Pay, and the mistakes that trigger penalties at the 6–7% federal rate.