#guides
Guides
Step-by-step guides for accounting, bookkeeping, and financial tasks
The Section 199A Rental Real Estate Safe Harbor: A Guide for Schedule E Landlords
Rev. Proc. 2019-38 lets landlords claim the 20% QBI deduction if a rental enterprise logs 250+ hours of rental services a year with contemporaneous records and a signed election. Triple net leases and personal-use property are excluded.
Section 509(a) Public Support Test: How Nonprofits Stay Public Charities
The Section 509(a) public support test requires 501(c)(3) nonprofits to draw more than one-third of support from the public over a rolling five-year window. Fail it twice and you tip into private foundation status—facing a 1.39% excise tax on investment income, mandatory 5% annual payout, and donor deduction limits that drop from 60% to 30% of AGI.
Form 6252 and Installment Sales: A Working Guide to Section 453
A practical guide to Section 453 installment sales and Form 6252 — how the gross profit ratio defers capital gains across years, when depreciation recapture forces year-one recognition, how the Section 453A interest charge applies above the $5 million threshold, and when electing out beats deferral.
Form 6166 and Form 8802: How U.S. Residents Cut Foreign Withholding by Certifying Tax Residency
Form 6166 is the IRS letter that lets U.S. taxpayers claim treaty rates on foreign royalties, dividends, and services. This guide walks through the Form 8802 application, eligibility rules, common rejection traps, and the timing required to get withholding right at the source.
Innocent Spouse Relief: A Guide to Form 8857 and Section 6015
Innocent spouse relief under IRC Section 6015 lets divorced or separated taxpayers escape joint liability for a spouse's tax misconduct via Form 8857. This guide covers the three types of relief—traditional, separation of liability, and equitable—plus deadlines, evidence requirements, and the common reasons the IRS denies claims.
PCI DSS 4.0.1 in 2026: The Small Merchant's Guide to SAQ A, Script Tampering, and MFA
PCI DSS v4.0.1 governs every 2026 assessment, and FAQ 1588 has narrowed who qualifies for SAQ A. This guide walks small merchants through the new script-tampering rules (6.4.3 and 11.6.1), the 12-character password and MFA requirements, what non-compliance actually costs, and a 12-step checklist for getting it right.
Schedules K-2 and K-3: The Domestic Filing Exception, the 1-Month Rule, and the $250,000 Small-Entity Carve-Out for 2026
How U.S. partnerships and S corporations qualify for the Schedule K-2/K-3 domestic filing exception, manage the 1-month-date partner request rule, and use the new small-entity exception for entities with under $250,000 in total receipts.
Section 197 Intangibles: 15-Year Amortization for Goodwill, Customer Lists, and Non-Competes
Section 197 requires buyers in a taxable asset acquisition to amortize acquired intangibles — goodwill, customer lists, workforce in place, covenants not to compete — straight-line over 180 months. This guide walks through Form 8594 purchase price allocation, the anti-churning rules for related-party deals, the no-loss rule on dispositions, and Form 4562 reporting across the full 15-year cycle.
Single Audit Compliance Under 2 CFR Part 200: Why $1 Million in Federal Funds Triggers a SEFA Audit
A practical walkthrough of the Single Audit Act, the new $1 million federal expenditure threshold effective for fiscal years beginning on or after October 1, 2024, the SEFA's role, the four-step risk-based major program selection, the 12 compliance areas auditors test, and the steps nonprofits and local governments should take before crossing the threshold.
Subpart F Income and Controlled Foreign Corporations: Why U.S. Owners Get Taxed on Foreign Profits Before the Cash Comes Home
Subpart F forces U.S. shareholders of a controlled foreign corporation to recognize foreign profits as current-year income, even when no cash is distributed. This guide covers the 10 percent threshold, the four triggering income categories, Section 958 constructive ownership traps, Form 5471 penalties, and how the 2026 OBBBA rewrite (NCTI, restored 958(b)(4), 40 percent Section 250 deduction) reshapes the rules.
ASC 350 Goodwill Impairment: A Private Company Guide to the Amortization Alternative and Triggering-Event Testing
ASC 350 lets private companies amortize goodwill over up to ten years and test for impairment only when a triggering event occurs. This guide walks through ASU 2014-02 and 2021-03 elections, the single-step Step One quantitative test after ASU 2017-04, and how to keep auditors and lenders aligned.
DCAA Audit Compliance for Government Contractors: SF 1408, Timekeeping, and Incurred Cost Submissions
A practical guide to the three audits every cost-reimbursable federal contractor faces — the SF 1408 pre-award accounting system survey, daily timekeeping compliance, and the Incurred Cost Submission due six months after fiscal year-end — with a 90-day preparation plan and the five most common audit findings.