A recent federal court decision, Kwong v. United States, may create an opportunity for some taxpayers to seek refunds or other relief for certain IRS penalties and interest connected to the COVID-19 period. While the law in this area is still developing, July 10, 2026 may be a critical deadline for preserving those claims or … Read more
Annual gifts can be a powerful tool for trimming down a future estate. When structured correctly, they can pass to recipients without triggering gift taxes, thanks to the annual exclusion as well as the separate exclusions for qualified education and medical expenses. Annual Gift Tax Exclusion For 2026, the Federal annual gift tax exclusion is … Read more
Last year, a new income tax deduction for qualified cash tips went into effect under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The break is scheduled to expire after 2028. In September 2025, the IRS released proposed regulations to provide guidance for taxpayers. The IRS has now published final regs that largely mirror the proposed regs … Read more
With the April 15 tax filing deadline in the rearview mirror, you’re likely to turn your attention to other things. But before you do, it’s in your best interest to tie up a few tax-related loose ends. IRS statute of limitations Generally, the IRS’s statute of limitations for auditing a tax return is three years from the … Read more
A new but temporary special depreciation allowance for qualified production property (QPP) was created by last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). It’s available for certain manufacturing-related real property placed in service after July 4, 2025, and before January 1, 2031. Under previous law, taxpayers had to depreciate such property over a 39-year period. The OBBBA … Read more
The many tax-related provisions that went into effect last year after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was signed into law are affecting 2025 federal income tax returns being filed now. However, some OBBBA provisions aren’t taking effect until this year. Plus, some changes under previous legislation are also taking effect in 2026. Here’s … Read more
With Notice 2025–67, the IRS has issued its 2026 inflation-adjusted retirement plan contribution limits. Although the changes are more modest than in recent years, most retirement-plan-related limits will still increase for 2026. Depending on your plan, these adjustments may provide extra room to boost your retirement savings. Type of limitation 2025 limit 2026 limit Elective … Read more
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) shifts the landscape for year-end tax planning. The law has significant implications for some of the most tried-and-true tax-reduction measures. It also creates new opportunities for businesses to reduce their 2025 tax liability before December 31. Here are potentially some of the most beneficial ones. Investments in capital assets … Read more
On March 25, 2025, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14247, mandating that all federal payments, including tax payments made to the IRS, be made via electronic funds transfer. This requirement was generally to go into effect for payments made after September 30, 2025. Currently, trusts and estates cannot use IRS Direct Pay, which is … Read more
A Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) is part of the federal tax code for tax-deferred retirement accounts, indicating the minimum amount that must be withdrawn annually from certain retirement accounts, such as traditional IRAs (including SEP or SIMPLE IRAs), 401(k)s, 403(b)s, or other pre-tax workplace retirement plans. RMDs are not required for Roth IRAs or Roth … Read more