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Small Business

Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners

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12 min read

Section 199A QBI Aggregation Election Under Reg 1.199A-4: How Pass-Through Owners Combine Commonly Controlled Trades or Businesses to Beat the W-2 Wage and UBIA Limits

The Section 199A aggregation election under Reg 1.199A-4 lets pass-through owners combine commonly controlled trades or businesses before applying the W-2 wage and UBIA of qualified property limitation. This guide walks through the five eligibility tests, the Form 8995-A Schedule B disclosure, the irrevocable consistency rule, and when pooling QBI across an operating-and-leasing or multi-entity structure actually unlocks more deduction.

Mike Thrift

tax-planningtax-deductionss-corp
13 min read

Section 274(n) and 274(o) in 2026: The 50% Business Meal Rule, the New Office-Snacks Cliff, and Audit-Proof Documentation

The OBBBA's new Section 274(o) eliminates the deduction for employer-provided office meals starting January 1, 2026, while Section 274(n)'s 50% rule still covers client and travel meals. Here is the full 50%/100%/0% map, the documentation auditors expect, and the four-account bookkeeping setup that keeps year-end clean.

Mike Thrift

taxtax-deductionstax-compliance
11 min read

SECURE 2.0 Section 101: Mandatory Auto-Enrollment for New 401(k) and 403(b) Plans (2026 Compliance Guide)

SECURE 2.0 Section 101 requires new 401(k) and 403(b) plans established after December 29, 2022 to auto-enroll employees at a 3-10% default deferral with 1% annual escalation. A 2026 compliance guide covering EACA notices, the four exemptions, QDIA selection, the 90-day permissible withdrawal, and the December 31, 2026 plan amendment deadline.

Mike Thrift

retirement-planspayrollcompliance
14 min read

State PFML Programs in 2026: A Multi-State Employer's Guide to Withholding, Private Plans, and the Section 45S Credit

Sixteen US jurisdictions run mandatory paid family and medical leave programs in 2026, with new benefits live in Minnesota, Maine, and Delaware, a 23% Washington premium hike to 1.13%, and a permanent Section 45S federal credit. This guide covers which states require withholding, how private plan exemptions work, how PFML coordinates with FMLA and ADA, and the W-2 Box 14 codes that break payroll when miscoded.

Mike Thrift

payrollcompliancemulti-state-tax
14 min read

Surety Bonds for Construction Contractors: How the Miller Act and SBA Guarantee Program Open Public Works to Small Builders

Public construction contracts above the FAR $150,000 threshold require performance and payment bonds under the Miller Act, with state Little Miller Acts setting thresholds from $25,000 to $500,000. The SBA Surety Bond Guarantee Program—which guaranteed $10.6 billion in bonds for 2,200+ small businesses in FY2025—lets approved sureties write bonds for small contractors by absorbing 80–90% of loss risk.

Mike Thrift

constructionsbasmall-business
14 min read

The IC-DISC: How Closely Held Exporters Cut Federal Tax on Export Profits to 23.8%

The IC-DISC is the only permanent federal tax incentive dedicated to U.S. exporters that is available to pass-through entities. It routes export commissions through a tax-exempt paper corporation and back out as qualified dividends, cutting the effective federal rate on export profits from roughly 40% to 23.8% for closely held manufacturers, distributors, software vendors, and engineering firms.

Mike Thrift

taxtax-planninginternational-tax
13 min read

The IC-DISC Export Tax Strategy: How Closely-Held U.S. Exporters Cut Their Tax Rate on Foreign Sales to 20 Percent

An IC-DISC is a paper-only U.S. C corporation authorized by IRC Sections 991–997 that lets closely-held manufacturers, distributors, and growers convert qualifying export profit from ordinary income rates (up to 37%) into qualified dividend rates (20–23.8%), with typical setups producing $50,000+ in annual federal tax savings on $5M of qualifying export sales after Section 199A's 2026 sunset widened the rate spread.

Mike Thrift

tax-planningtax-complianceinternational-tax
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