From First Brand Deal to S-Corp: A Content Creator's Tax Playbook for 2026
Creators owe 15.3% self-employment tax from $400 in net profit, plus quarterly estimates — and an S-corp election saves five figures past ~$60K profit.
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S Corp
S Corporation tax strategies, payroll, and accounting requirements
Business Tax Software Compared: How TurboTax Business, H&R Block, and TaxAct Handle 1065, 1120-S, and 1120 Returns for Small Entities
TurboTax Business guides first-timers, H&R Block bundles the 1040, TaxAct undercuts both — pick US entity software by forms, e-files, and support.
Who Paid the Premium Decides Who Pays the Tax: Disability Insurance Taxation for Employers and Employees
IRS rule: pre-tax disability premiums mean taxable benefits; after-tax premiums mean tax-free ones. Gross-up premiums into W-2 wages to protect employees.
One Lopsided Distribution Can Endanger Your S Election: The Single-Class-of-Stock Rule
An S-Corp loses its election if any share gets different distribution rights. Five IRS traps, plus the straight-debt safe harbor for shareholder loans.
Loan-Out Corporations for Actors and Performers: How Getting Paid Through Your Own Company Works
A loan-out corporation restores the business-expense deductions the IRS permanently denies W-2 performers — at $3,000 to $6,000 a year to run.
Mississippi's Franchise Tax Is Almost Gone: What the 2026 Rate Cut Means for Your Corporation
Mississippi's franchise tax falls to $0.50 per $1,000 of capital over $100,000 for 2026, then repeals in 2028 — S corps still owe it at the entity level.
Self-Employment Tax Pricing: How to Build the 15.3% Into Your Rates
US self-employment tax is 15.3% on 92.35% of net profit — about 14.1% effective. Price it in with a five-step rate formula, not salary divided by 2,080.
North Carolina's Corporate Tax Is Going to Zero. Your S-Corp Was Never Paying It.
North Carolina's corporate rate hits 0% in 2030, but S corporations never paid it — and the state imposes no built-in gains tax. Here's what actually changes.
Moving Your LLC to Another State: Redomestication vs. Foreign Qualification
Three ways to move an LLC across state lines — domestication keeps your EIN, contracts, and tax elections when both states allow it; foreign qualification suits businesses staying active in both states; dissolve-and-reform means a new EIN and a new S election — plus a 7-item tax and paperwork checklist for the transition year.
The Per-Partner, Per-Month Late-Filing Penalty: What a Late 1065 or 1120-S Really Costs You
A late Form 1065 or 1120-S costs $255 per owner per month for up to 12 months under IRC 6698/6699 — even when the entity owes zero tax. Here is how the math works, why first-time abatement does not apply, and how Revenue Procedure 84-35 can zero out the bill for partnerships with 10 or fewer partners.
Lending Money to Your Own S Corporation: How Stock Basis, Debt Basis, and Loan Paperwork Decide Whether Your Losses Are Deductible
An S corporation K-1 loss is deductible only up to your stock basis plus debt basis, and a personal guarantee of a corporate bank loan creates zero debt basis. This guide covers the two basis buckets, the $25,000 open-account-debt threshold, the repayment gain trap, and the documentation that keeps a shareholder advance from being reclassified as equity.
The 2½-Month Bonus Rule: Why Year-End Bonuses Must Be Paid by March 15 to Be Deductible
An accrual-basis employer can deduct year-end bonuses in the year earned only if employees actually receive the money within 2½ months after year-end — March 15 for calendar-year businesses. The deduction also requires a liability fixed by December 31 under the all-events test, and it fails for bonuses owed to related parties under Section 267 regardless of payment timing.