538 tagged with "Tax"
Tax strategies, planning, and compliance for individuals and businesses
Form 8308 and Section 751 Hot Assets: Why Selling Your Partnership Interest Often Costs More Than You Think
Selling a partnership interest can convert expected capital gain into ordinary income under Section 751, raising the federal tax bill on the recharacterized slice from 23.8 percent to 37 percent. This guide explains Form 8308, hot-asset categories, the January 31 partner statement deadline, and what sellers, buyers, and partnership administrators need to do for 2025 and 2026 transfers.
Form 6166 and Form 8802: How U.S. Residents Cut Foreign Withholding by Certifying Tax Residency
Form 6166 is the IRS letter that lets U.S. taxpayers claim treaty rates on foreign royalties, dividends, and services. This guide walks through the Form 8802 application, eligibility rules, common rejection traps, and the timing required to get withholding right at the source.
The U.S. Exit Tax in 2026: How Form 8854 and Section 877A Tax You on the Way Out
Section 877A treats covered expatriates as if they sold every asset the day before leaving the United States. For 2026 the net-tax threshold is $211,000, the net-worth test sits at $2 million, and the gain exclusion is $910,000 — here is how Form 8854 decides whether you pay.
Form 8865 Foreign Partnership Reporting: The Four Categories of Filers, the $10,000 Penalty, and How U.S. Persons Stay Off the IRS Radar
Form 8865 is the U.S. information return for foreign partnership interests, with $10,000 per-partnership per-year penalties for non-filing. This guide breaks down the four filer categories under Sections 6038, 6038B, and 6046A, the constructive ownership rules that catch most surprise penalties, and the schedules each category must include.
Form 8889 in 2026: HSA Reporting Without Triggering the 6%, 10%, or 20% Penalty
A 2026 walkthrough of Form 8889 — HSA contribution limits ($4,400 self-only, $8,750 family), the triple tax advantage, the last-month rule's 13-month testing period, the Medicare six-month retroactive enrollment trap, and the six most common filing mistakes that trigger the 6% excess-contribution excise tax, 10% recapture, or 20% non-qualified-distribution penalty.
Form 8975 Country-by-Country Reporting in 2026: The $850M Threshold, Schedule A Mechanics, and the Pillar Two Safe Harbor
U.S. multinationals with $850M+ in consolidated revenue file Form 8975 with Schedule A per jurisdiction. In 2026 the report also gates the OECD Pillar Two transitional safe harbor at a 17% simplified ETR — making CbC data accuracy a strategic, not clerical, priority.
HSA vs FSA vs HRA in 2026: Stack a Limited-Purpose FSA With Your HSA and Beat the Use-It-or-Lose-It Trap
2026 rules for HSAs, FSAs, and HRAs — contribution limits, who owns each account, when each one wins, how to stack a Limited-Purpose FSA with an HSA without breaking eligibility, and how employees and employers avoid forfeitures.
The Mega Backdoor Roth Playbook: How High Earners Can Funnel an Extra $47,500 Into Tax-Free Retirement Accounts in 2026
The mega backdoor Roth routes up to $47,500 of after-tax 401(k) contributions into a Roth bucket for 2026, on top of the standard $24,500 employee deferral, by converting after-tax dollars through an in-plan Roth conversion or in-service distribution to a Roth IRA. The IRS Section 415(c) total cap of $72,000 ($80,000 if age 50+) covers contributions from all sources combined, and converting promptly keeps the taxable earnings drag near zero.
The NIL Tax Trap: What College Athletes (and Their Parents) Owe on Endorsement, Collective, and Revenue-Sharing Income
How NIL endorsements, collective payouts, and House v. NCAA revenue sharing are taxed in 2026—Schedule C mechanics, the 15.3% self-employment tax, multi-state jock-tax filings, and the planning moves that keep April manageable for college athletes and their families.
Personal Goodwill in C-Corp Asset Sales: Martin Ice Cream, Norwalk, Bross Trucking, and Howard
Personal goodwill carve-outs let C-corporation shareholders pay 23.8% capital gains instead of 40%+ combined tax on a portion of an asset sale. Martin Ice Cream, Norwalk, and Bross Trucking show when the allocation survives; Howard shows when an employment-and-noncompete agreement quietly destroys it.
Personal Goodwill in M&A Asset Sales: How Martin Ice Cream and Norwalk Help Owners Avoid Double Taxation
Personal goodwill, anchored in the Martin Ice Cream and Norwalk Tax Court decisions, lets closely held C corporation owners shift a portion of an asset-sale price out of the corporate tax layer and onto the shareholder as long-term capital gain. This guide explains the doctrine, when it works, the documentation that survives an IRS audit, and the mistakes that have sunk allocations.
Personal Holding Company Tax Under Section 541: The 20% Surtax That Quietly Ambushes Closely-Held C Corporations
Section 541 layers a 20% federal surtax on closely-held C corporations that fail both the stock ownership and 60% passive income tests. This guide walks through Schedule PH mechanics, the dividends-paid deduction, and four ways — cash, throwback, consent, and deficiency dividends — to zero out the tax before it hits.