538 tagged with "Tax"
Tax strategies, planning, and compliance for individuals and businesses
The ISO AMT Trap in 2026: How Tech Employees Get Hit With Six-Figure Tax Bills on Stock They Can't Sell
Exercising and holding ISOs adds the bargain element to AMTI on Form 6251 Line 2i, which can produce a six-figure tax bill before a single share is sold. A 2026 guide to the tightened AMT exemption phase-out ($500K single / $1M MFJ at 50¢ per dollar), the qualifying disposition rules under IRC §422, and the planning moves — AMT crossover exercise, §83(b) early exercise, same-year disqualifying sale, and multi-year laddering — that keep tech employees out of the trap.
Innocent Spouse Relief: How Form 8857 Unwinds Joint Tax Liability After Divorce
Form 8857 lets a spouse seek relief from joint tax liability under IRC Section 6015. This guide walks through the two-year deadline, the three relief categories—traditional, separation, and equitable—and how divorced, separated, or abused taxpayers build a record that survives IRS and Tax Court review.
Innocent Spouse Relief: A Guide to Form 8857 and Section 6015
Innocent spouse relief under IRC Section 6015 lets divorced or separated taxpayers escape joint liability for a spouse's tax misconduct via Form 8857. This guide covers the three types of relief—traditional, separation of liability, and equitable—plus deadlines, evidence requirements, and the common reasons the IRS denies claims.
Section 1061 Carried Interest Three-Year Holding Period: How Hedge, PE, and VC Fund Managers Lose Long-Term Capital Gains Without It
Section 1061 recharacterizes carried interest gains from long-term to short-term unless the underlying asset was held more than three years — a 17-point federal rate swing for hedge, PE, and VC fund managers. A practitioner guide to applicable partnership interests, Worksheet A and B reporting, the capital interest exception, and 2026 planning moves.
Section 1212 Capital Loss Carryover: The $3,000 Annual Cap, Indefinite Carryforward, and Why Character Survives Across Tax Years
A practical guide to IRS Section 1212 for individual investors: the $3,000 annual ordinary-income cap, indefinite carryforward, short-term vs. long-term character preservation, the Schedule D ordering rules, and how wash sales interact with carryovers.
Section 1244 Small Business Stock: How Founders Convert a Failed Startup Into a $50,000 Ordinary Loss
Section 1244 lets eligible founders and early investors convert up to $50,000 ($100,000 joint) of capital loss on failed C-corporation stock into ordinary loss deductible against W-2 wages, freelance income, or interest. This guide covers who qualifies, the $1 million capital ceiling, Form 4797 reporting, and the formation steps that keep the deduction defensible.
Section 170(h) Conservation Easement Deductions: Why High-Income Donors Face 40% Penalties, Automatic Audits, and a 6% Court Allowance Rate
Section 170(h) lets landowners deduct the value lost when they place a permanent conservation restriction on real property, but the IRS has labeled high-ratio syndicated structures listed transactions and now disallows over 90% of the claimed deduction in court. This guide explains the four-part qualification test, the 2.5x basis cap under Section 170(h)(7), the 40% strict liability penalty, Form 8283 requirements, the six-year statute of limitations, and the 2026 IRS settlement window.
Section 179 vs. 100% Bonus Depreciation Under OBBBA: How Small Businesses Should Choose Equipment Write-Offs in 2026
OBBBA permanently restored 100% bonus depreciation and raised the Section 179 cap to $2.56M for 2026. A practical framework for small businesses to choose between them — covering taxable-income limits, state decoupling, SUV caps, and the new Section 168(n) qualified production property deduction.
Section 263A UNICAP: When Small Businesses Must Capitalize Indirect Costs Into Inventory
Section 263A forces producers and resellers above the $32 million 2026 gross-receipts threshold to capitalize warehouse rent, purchasing, and mixed service costs into inventory. Here is how the exemption, simplified methods, and Form 3115 method changes actually work.
Section 368 Tax-Free Reorganizations: How Type A Mergers, Type B Stock Swaps, and Type C Asset Deals Defer Tax in Strategic M&A
Section 368 defines seven reorganization types (A through G) that defer corporate and shareholder tax in M&A. This guide covers the 40% Continuity of Interest test, Type A statutory mergers, Type B stock-for-stock swaps with the 80% control requirement, Type C asset deals, and forward/reverse triangular merger structures with their consideration limits.
Section 83(i) Explained: A Five-Year Tax Deferral for Private-Company RSUs and NSOs
Section 83(i) lets qualified rank-and-file employees at eligible private companies defer federal income tax on RSU vests and NSO exercises for up to five years, but FICA is still due at vesting, the 30-day election window is unforgiving, and the 80 percent broad-based grant rule keeps most startups from offering it.
Self-Employed Health Insurance Deduction Under Section 162(l): The Above-the-Line Write-Off That Beats Itemizing for Sole Proprietors and S-Corp Owners
Section 162(l) lets sole proprietors, partners, and more-than-2% S-corp shareholders deduct 100% of medical, dental, vision, and long-term care premiums above the line on Schedule 1, Line 17—if they clear the earned-income cap, the spouse-employer rule, and the W-2 reporting choreography on Form 7206.