178 tagged with "Guides"
Step-by-step guides for accounting, bookkeeping, and financial tasks
IRS Form 433-B: A Complete Guide for Businesses Facing Tax Debt
IRS Form 433-B is required for corporations, partnerships, and LLCs negotiating payment plans, Currently Not Collectible status, or Offers in Compromise. This guide covers every section, required documents, and the five mistakes that most commonly derail applications.
IRS Form 7004: The Complete Guide to Business Tax Extensions
IRS Form 7004 grants businesses an automatic six-month filing extension—but it doesn't extend your payment deadline. Learn the 2026 deadlines by entity type, how to complete the form correctly, and the per-partner penalties that kick in when you miss the cutoff.
IRS Fresh Start Program: Complete Guide to Tax Debt Relief
The IRS Fresh Start Program offers four relief tools—Offer in Compromise, installment agreements, penalty abatement, and Currently Not Collectible status—that can reduce or defer tax debt for qualifying taxpayers. Here's how each works, who qualifies, and how to apply.
IRS Mileage Rates: The Complete Guide to Maximizing Your Vehicle Tax Deduction
The 2026 IRS standard mileage rate is 72.5 cents per mile—a $14,500 deduction for 20,000 business miles. This guide covers which miles qualify, how to choose between the standard rate and actual expense method, what your mileage log must contain, and the mistakes that get deductions disallowed.
IRS One-Time Forgiveness: How to Use First-Time Penalty Abatement to Eliminate Tax Penalties
The IRS First-Time Penalty Abatement program can eliminate failure-to-file, failure-to-pay, and failure-to-deposit penalties for taxpayers with a clean 3-year compliance history — no documentation required, often approved in a single phone call.
IRS Penalties: A Complete Guide to Types, Rates, and How to Get Relief
IRS penalties range from 0.5% to 75% of unpaid taxes depending on type—learn the six main categories, current 2026 rates, safe harbor rules, and how to request first-time abatement or reasonable cause relief.
Itemized Deductions: The Complete 2026 Guide to Maximizing Your Tax Savings
The 2026 SALT cap increase to $40,000 and a new 0.5% AGI floor on charitable giving change the math on itemizing. Here's who benefits, what qualifies on Schedule A, and how to maximize deductions—including bunching and donor-advised funds.
Online Bookkeeping Services: A Complete Comparison Guide for Small Businesses
A side-by-side comparison of six online bookkeeping services—Pilot, Bookkeeper360, Merritt, CapForge, RemoteBooksOnline, and Maxim Liberty—covering pricing ranges from $75 to $499/month, accounting method, software platform, and five key questions to ask before signing up.
The R&D Tax Credit: A Complete Guide for Businesses in 2026
The R&D tax credit (IRC Section 41) cuts your federal tax bill dollar-for-dollar for qualifying research expenses—yet fewer than one in five eligible businesses claim it. This guide covers the four-part test, QRE categories, the Alternative Simplified Credit calculation, and 2026 changes including restored Section 174 expensing and a $500,000 payroll tax offset for startups.
Schedule K-1 (Form 1120-S): A Complete Guide for S-Corporation Shareholders
A practical guide to Schedule K-1 (Form 1120-S) — how S-corporation shareholders report pass-through income, track basis, claim the QBI deduction, and avoid common errors that trigger IRS audits.
Tax Write-Offs Without Receipts: What You Can Deduct and How to Prove It
The IRS doesn't require receipts for every deduction—learn which business expenses you can claim without traditional receipts, what substitute documentation is accepted, and how to reconstruct records if you're audited.
Estimated Quarterly Tax Payments: A Complete Guide to Due Dates and Avoiding Penalties
A practical breakdown of estimated quarterly tax payments for 2026 — who owes them, the four due dates (April 15, June 16, Sept 15, Jan 15), how to calculate using Form 1040-ES, and the safe harbor rules that shield you from IRS underpayment penalties.