The IRS Doesn't Need Your Books to Audit You: How Examiners Reconstruct Cash-Business Income
With missing records, the IRS rebuilds income from bank deposits, net worth, markup and unit volume — reconciled books keep the audit on specific items.
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IRS reporting requirements for cryptocurrency and investments
Starting Your HDHP in December? How the HSA Last-Month Rule Lets You Contribute the Full Year
Covered by an HDHP on Dec. 1? The IRS last-month rule allows a full-year HSA contribution — but fail the 13-month testing period and owe tax plus 10%.
Your Refund Is on Hold and the IRS Wants Documents: How to Answer a CP05A Notice
An IRS CP05A notice holds your refund until you send W-2s, 1099s and pay stubs — reply within 30 days, allow 45–60 days more, and escalate with Form 911.
You Won a Hackathon (or a Sweepstakes, or a Car): How the IRS Taxes Prize Winnings and the One Legal Way to Refuse One
US prize winnings are ordinary income at fair market value — report them on Schedule 1 even when no 1099-MISC arrives under the 2026 $2,000 threshold.
Run IRS TIN Matching Before 1099 Season: Catch Name/TIN Mismatches While They're Still Free to Fix
IRS TIN Matching is free and catches name/TIN mismatches before you file 1099s — each bad return can cost up to $340 plus 24% backup withholding.
Form W-4P in 2026: Stop Letting the Wrong Default Shrink Your Pension Check
Form W-4P defaults new pension payments to single status with no adjustments, not 10%. Check the Step 1 box to elect zero IRS withholding.
Form W-3 Reconciliation: Why Your Four Quarterly 941s Must Match Your W-2 Totals Before the SSA Flags a Mismatch
The IRS and SSA cross-check your four Forms 941 against your W-3 totals — run seven line-by-line comparisons before filing or expect a CAWR notice.
Furniture Flipping Isn't a Hobby to the IRS: A Reseller's Guide to COGS, Mileage, and the 2026 1099-K Rules
Flipping furniture is a Schedule C business, not a hobby: deduct per-piece COGS and 2026's split IRS mileage rate; expect no 1099-K under $20,000/200 sales.
You Paid Customers to Send You Customers: When Referral Rewards Trigger 1099-MISC Reporting in 2026
IRS referral rewards are taxable income with no purchase required; for 2026 you must file Form 1099-MISC once one customer tops $2,000.
Got a 1099-SA for Your HSA? What the Distribution Codes Mean, How Form 8889 Reports Withdrawals, and When the 20% Penalty Hits
Your 1099-SA Box 1 total isn't a tax bill: Form 8889 nets it against qualified medical expenses, and nonmedical withdrawals under age 65 draw the extra 20%.
Paid to Care for Family at Home? Those Medicaid Waiver Payments May Be Tax-Free
Medicaid waiver payments under IRS Notice 2014-7 are excludable difficulty-of-care income when the recipient lives in your home — but the W-2 still arrives.
The 10-Year IRS Collection Clock: When Tax Debt Legally Expires
The IRS generally has ten years from assessment — not filing — to collect. Offers, payment-plan requests, CDP hearings and bankruptcy all pause that clock; here is how to reconstruct your real CSED from transcripts.