#tax-planning
Strategic tax planning to minimize liability and maximize savings
How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act rewrote Section 1202 QSBS — a tiered 50/75/100% gain exclusion at three, four, and five years; a $15 million per-issuer cap; a $75 million gross asset threshold at issuance; and non-grantor trust stacking that can lift a founder's combined exclusion well past the single-taxpayer limit.
Section 280F caps 2026 first-year passenger auto depreciation at $20,300 with bonus, while heavy SUVs over 6,000 lb GVWR can deduct the full purchase price via the $31,300 Section 179 cap plus 100% bonus depreciation restored under OBBBA. This guide covers the math, the listed-property substantiation rules, and the recapture trap that catches owners whose business use drops below 50%.
How indie and hybrid authors should track royalties from KDP, ACX, IngramSpark, Patreon, and Kickstarter, classify editors and narrators as 1099-NEC contractors, capture foreign withholding tax under treaty terms, and apply ASC 606 to crowdfunded pre-orders.
How axe throwing venues should structure five distinct revenue streams—walk-in lanes, league memberships, corporate events, bar sales, and BYOB pour fees—under ASC 606, including pass-through IATF dues, refundable damage deposits, cost-segregation reclassifications of $40K–$100K of build-out, and the revenue-per-lane-hour KPI that signals when to expand.
Section 1202 lets founders, early employees, and angel investors exclude up to $15 million of capital gains from federal tax. This guide covers the OBBBA changes, the five eligibility gates, the new 3/4/5-year tiered holding period, Section 1045 rollovers, and stacking strategies that multiply the per-issuer cap across family members and non-grantor trusts.
A field guide to coordinating the Section 162(l) self-employed health insurance deduction with the Premium Tax Credit's circular calculation, HSA contributions, and the Augusta Rule (Section 280A(g)) — including Form 7206 mechanics, S-corp W-2 Box 1 reporting under IRS Notice 2008-1, Medicare Part B and D deductibility, and 2026 contribution limits.
A practical bookkeeping guide for full-time Twitch streamers and YouTubers — how Twitch splits payouts across 1099-MISC Box 2 and 1099-NEC, when to recognize sponsorship revenue under ASC 606, when to choose Section 179 over 100% bonus depreciation on a $20,000 studio buildout, how to defend a home office deduction under Section 280A, and the ARPS, eCPM, and cost-per-hour KPIs that separate a hobby channel from a viable creator business.
Internal Revenue Code Section 280A(g) lets a business owner rent a personal residence to their own S-corporation for up to 14 days a year and exclude every dollar from personal gross income while the business deducts the rent under Section 162. The Sinopoli case shows what survives an audit and what does not.
How small businesses use Form 3115 to fix prior-year accounting methods without amending returns — covering the Section 481(a) catch-up math, automatic vs. non-automatic consent under Rev. Proc. 2015-13, three worked examples (cash-to-accrual, cost segregation, repair regs), and the five filing mistakes that forfeit audit protection.
A 2026 bookkeeping guide for personal and private chefs covering ASC 606 principal-vs-agent grocery treatment, the 72.5¢ standard mileage rate, Section 179 equipment, cottage food law constraints, and quarterly estimated tax safe harbors for Schedule C filers.
Section 1361 sets five eligibility rules for S-corporations—domestic incorporation, 100-shareholder cap, eligible shareholders, one class of stock, and entity type. Routine business decisions like uneven distributions or a relocated shareholder can terminate the election; Section 1362(f) offers PLR-based relief that costs $30,000+ in user fees.
Since the Tax Court's 2023 Soroban decision, a state-law limited partner label no longer shields distributive share from 15.3% self-employment tax. This guide walks through the functional test under Section 1402(a)(13), the Renkemeyer line of cases, the 2024 proposed regulations, and the planning moves that still hold up for fund managers, LLC members, and operating partners in 2026.
