Business Owner Tax Strategy Posts
Entity structuring, owner compensation, and the deductions and credits available to operating businesses — including LLC vs. S Corp decisions and the mistakes that cost owners thousands each year.
Sept. 15, 2026
EIDL Loan Default Consequences: Can the Treasury Seize Your Personal Tax Refund?
When the Treasury Department takes over collection of a defaulted COVID-era EIDL loan, it can intercept federal tax refunds, garnish wages up to 15 percent, and tack on a 30 percent collection fee—all without ever stepping foot in a courtroom. Busin…
Sept. 7, 2026
Do You Still Have to Use Percentage of Completion on Residential Construction Contracts?
TL;DR: If you build residential property with more than four units to a building, and you signed the contract in a tax year that began after July 4, 2025, you are no longer required to report that job on the percentage of completion method. Congress…
Sept. 3, 2026
What Is Form 6765, and What Changed for 2026?
TL;DR Form 6765 is the form that carries the federal R&D tax credit onto your return. For tax years beginning after 2025, a section of it called Section G stops being optional. Section G makes you report the credit project by project instead of as …
Sept. 2, 2026
Who Gets the Cost Segregation Deduction in a Partnership?
TL;DR: Nobody at the entity level. Who gets the cost segregation deduction in a partnership is answered by the operating agreement, which splits the depreciation and sends each piece out on a K-1. Whether a partner can actually use their piece is a …
Aug. 31, 2026
The 95 Percent Line Between Expensing Your Whole Factory and Carving It Up
TL;DR: Section 168(n) lets a manufacturer expense the building itself, not just the equipment inside it. IRS Notice 2026-16, released February 20, 2026, explains how. Buried in it is a 95 percent de minimis election. Clear 95 percent of "physical sp…
Aug. 22, 2026
What Happens to R&D Credits in a Tax Audit?
TL;DR The IRS does not examine your R&D credit as one number. It goes project by project, asking four things about each. The paperwork you skip at filing is the paperwork you produce in an exam. Key Takeaways Examiners test each business compon…
Aug. 12, 2026
The BOI Requirement Is Gone: Here's What That Actually Means for Your Entities
TL;DR: FinCEN's final rule permanently removes the beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirement for U.S. companies and U.S. persons under the Corporate Transparency Act. Previously filed data will be deleted. Foreign entities still f…
July 27, 2026
The R&D Tax Credit You Earned Might Expire Before You Use It
TL;DR: Earning an R&D tax credit and actually using it are two separate events. Carryforward provisions protect unused credit value, but the rules vary wildly between federal and state levels. Federal credit carries forward 20 years. State rules ran…
July 23, 2026
The Carwash Tax Advantage Is Real. The Deal Still Has to Work.
TL;DR: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act permanently restored 100% bonus depreciation in 2025, and carwash properties are built to take full advantage of it. These assets regularly qualify for large first-year tax deductions through cost segregation. A…
July 13, 2026
The $120,000 Tax Credit Architecture Firms Keep Missing
TL;DR: Most architecture firms qualify for the federal R&D Tax Credit based on their everyday technical project work, and most of them have never claimed it. A firm with $2 million in qualifying payroll is looking at $120,000 to $160,000 in annual r…
July 11, 2026
The Augusta Rule: How to Rent Your Home to Your Business for 14 Days Tax-Free (And Why Most People Get It Wrong)
TL;DR: Section 280A(g) (The Augusta Rule) lets business owners rent their personal residence to their own business for up to 14 days per year, keeping every dollar completely tax-free. The business deducts the payment. The homeowner excludes the inc…
July 9, 2026
The Tax Strategy Most Business Owners Never Use
TL;DR: Most business owners focus on tax preparation (filing correctly) instead of tax strategy (planning ahead). Preparation looks backward at what you already did. Strategy looks forward and structures decisions to legally reduce your tax bill. Th…
July 7, 2026
The R&D Tax Credit Most Startups Don't Know They Can Use
TL;DR: Pre-profit startups doing product development, software work, or technical problem-solving likely qualify for the R&D Tax Credit, and they don't need income tax liability to benefit. The PATH Act of 2015 created a payroll-tax offset that turn…
July 5, 2026
R&D Tax Credits for Small Business: The Complete Guide for 2026
TL;DR:R&D tax credits give you a dollar-for-dollar reduction in taxes owed for technical work you're already doing. Most small businesses qualify but never claim it. Software development, manufacturing improvements, construction engineering, food fo…
June 28, 2026
Your Business May Qualify for a Six-Figure Tax Refund But Only If You Act Before July 6, 2026
TL;DR: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act lets small businesses amend 2022-2024 tax returns to claim immediate R&D expense deductions instead of spreading them over five years. This could mean six-figure refunds, but you must file by July 6, 2026. There…
June 21, 2026
Bonus Depreciation vs. Section 179: Which Accelerates Real Estate Tax Savings
TL;DR: Bonus depreciation typically delivers larger first-year tax deductions for real estate investors compared to Section 179 because of no dollar caps, broader asset eligibility (including land improvements), and fewer income restrictions. The On…
May 7, 2026
R&D Tax Credit Myths: What Business Owners Still Get Wrong in 2026
TL;DR: The federal R&D tax credit under Internal Revenue Code Section 41 is not reserved for software companies and pharmaceutical labs. It rewards businesses that solve technical problems through trial and error, which describes a lot of manufactur…
April 30, 2026
Section 179D Explained: Your Key to Unlocking Over $1M in Tax Savings
Introduction: The Power of Section 179D for Commercial Property Owners Welcome back to the blog, and if you just tuned into our latest podcast episode, welcome to you as well! This week, we’re diving deep into a topic that has the potential to put …
April 23, 2026
Demystifying the 2025 Tax Bill: A Small Business Owner's Guide
Welcome back to the podcast, and to the blog! In our latest episode, we dove deep into the eagerly anticipated 2025 Tax Bill, affectionately (and perhaps a little ironically) dubbed "One Big Beautiful Bill." As promised, this blog post is here to un…
March 24, 2026
Beyond the LLC: Understanding the True Tax Impact of Your Business Entity
Welcome back to the blog, fellow investors and business builders! In our latest podcast episode, we dove deep into a topic that many business owners, especially those in real estate, grapple with: the choice of business entity, LLC vs S Corp, and it…