Boost Your Tax Benefits with Section 179 for Commercial Rentals
With bonus depreciation declining to 40 percent this year, Section 179 expensing is a powerful alternative. It allows you to deduct up to the full cost of personal property and eligible improvements in the year you place them in service. For 2025, the maximum deduction is $1.25 million, with phaseouts beginning at $3.13 million. Eligible […]
How to Avoid Unwanted Partnership Tax Status
Suppose you’re involved in a real estate or investment venture with one or more other parties, perhaps co-owning property or collaborating on a business project. In that case, you might think you’re simply sharing ownership. But the IRS may see it differently. Without proper precautions, your arrangement could be classified as a partnership for federal […]
Protect Your Business with Section 530
It can cost you a bundle if you misclassify a worker as an independent contractor instead of an employee for federal employment tax purposes. Read further about that in our article about Worker Classifications & Why It Matters. The IRS can make you pay back payroll taxes plus penalties. In some cases, these can equal […]
Reduce Taxes on Your IRA Withdrawals with a QCD [Updated 2026]
If you have one or more traditional IRAs and are age 73 or older, you’re probably familiar with three of the most dreaded letters in the tax world: RMD, short for required minimum distribution. Starting the year you turn 73, the IRS requires you to withdraw a certain amount from your traditional IRAs annually. This […]
Tax-Free Home Sale: Home Sale Exclusion, When and Why to Report it to the IRS
You’re probably aware that when you sell your home, you may exclude up to $250,000 of your gain from tax if you’re unmarried (or married, filing separately) and $500,000 if you are married and file jointly. To claim the whole exclusion, you must have owned and lived in your home as your principal residence for an […]
Three Ways You Can Deduct Your Dog or Cat
Dogs, cats, and other household pets are expensive. Owners spend an average of $1,270 to $2,800 to own a dog. Can you ever deduct these costs from your taxes? The expenses for a family pet that provides you only with love and companionship are never deductible. They are purely personal expenses. But it is possible […]
IRS Penalties & Strategies for Relief
If you’ve recently been billed by the IRS with the claim that you owe a penalty for late filing, late payment, or missed employment tax deposits, we urge you to pause before making any payment. You may not have to pay that penalty at all. The IRS often imposes steep penalties for filing tax returns […]
Is Your Sideline Activity Considered a Business or a Hobby?
Do you have a sideline activity that you think of as a business? From this sideline activity, are you claiming tax losses on your Form 1040? Will the IRS consider your sideline a business and allow your loss deductions? If you have such an activity, we should have your attention. The IRS likes to claim […]
5 Rules for Turning Your Vacation into Tax-Deductible Business Travel
Here’s an idea: how about transforming your next vacation into business travel? With careful planning, your transportation to any destination could be fully deductible. This includes airfare—even first-class—luxury hotel stays, and cruise expenses. If you can tie your travel to business purposes, you can enjoy substantial tax savings, depending on your tax bracket. Two Main […]