S Corp Shareholder Basis, AAA, and Form 7203
October 4, 2026
How S corporation shareholder basis works, the ordering rules, debt basis, the accumulated adjustments account, and when Form 7203 must be filed.
Read more →Guides
Straight answers, written by the people who’d file it.
1,407 plain-English guides on cross-border moves, US and Canadian returns, and small-business money. Each one ends in what to do next, and says when a written Position Check is the smarter first step.
CROSS-BORDER
A Canadian Corporation With a U.S. Shareholder
1,407 guides
- What applies to you
- What it costs if you wait
- What to do next
SaaS Bookkeeping: Deferred Revenue, MRR, and the Tax Gap
October 4, 2026
SaaS bookkeeping and revenue recognition: recognizing subscriptions ratably and recording deferred revenue, annual prepayments, monthly recurring revenue and churn, capitalizing sales commissions, research and development costs, sales tax on software by state, stock compensation, the difference between book revenue and tax revenue, and the advance payment deferral.
Read more →Sales Tax Nexus: When Another State Makes You Collect
October 4, 2026
Sales tax nexus after Wayfair: physical and economic nexus, the $100,000 and transaction thresholds, marketplace facilitator laws, taxability of services and software, registration and filing, voluntary disclosure, and Florida's rules.
Read more →Sales Tax on Services: Where It Applies and Where It Doesn't
October 4, 2026
Sales tax on services by state: the general rule that services are exempt unless listed, the states that tax most services, commonly taxed categories (repairs, cleaning, digital products, software, amusements), bundled transactions, sourcing and nexus for remote services, and the taxable services in Florida.
Read more →Seasonal Businesses: Cash Flow and Tax in the Off-Season
October 4, 2026
Seasonal business cash flow and tax planning: the 13-week forecast and the off-season reserve, annualized estimated taxes, timing equipment purchases and expenses, seasonal employees and unemployment tax, deposits and deferred revenue, inventory timing, a line of credit before it is needed, and the fiscal year option.
Read more →Section 1035: Swapping Insurance Policies Without Tax
October 4, 2026
Section 1035 exchanges: permitted swaps among life insurance, annuities, and long-term care contracts, the direct-transfer requirement, basis carryover, loans and cash as taxable boot, partial annuity exchanges, modified endowment contract status, surrender charges, and business-owned policies.
Read more →Section 174A: Research Costs Are Deductible Again
October 4, 2026
Section 174A explained: immediate deduction of domestic research and software development costs from 2025, the transition for unamortized 2022–2024 costs, the small-business retroactive election, foreign research under Section 174, and coordination with the research credit.
Read more →Section 179 or Bonus Depreciation: Choosing the Write-Off
October 4, 2026
Section 179 versus bonus depreciation: dollar and income limits, asset-by-asset versus class-wide elections, 100 percent bonus after January 19, 2025, qualified improvement property and nonresidential building systems, vehicles, state conformity, ordering, and recapture.
Read more →Section 179D Before It Ends: The Building Energy Deduction
October 4, 2026
Section 179D energy-efficient commercial building deduction: who qualifies (owners, tenants, and designers of government and tax-exempt buildings), the 25 percent energy savings test, the per-square-foot amounts and the prevailing wage bonus, certification, the basis reduction, and termination for construction beginning after June 30, 2026.
Read more →Tax-Free Reorganizations: Section 368 Basics
October 4, 2026
Tax-free reorganizations under Section 368: the main types (statutory merger, stock-for-stock, assets-for-stock, divisive, recapitalization, and change of form), continuity of interest and business enterprise, business purpose, boot, carryover basis, loss limitations, and the F reorganization used before selling an S corporation.
Read more →Section 409A: Rules for Deferred Compensation Plans
October 4, 2026
Section 409A for small businesses: what counts as nonqualified deferred compensation, election timing, permitted payment events, no acceleration, the short-term deferral exception, stock options at fair market value and the valuation safe harbor, severance exceptions, phantom stock and bonus plans, and the 20 percent penalty.
Read more →The 83(b) Election: Paying Tax Early on Restricted Stock
October 4, 2026
The Section 83(b) election: restricted stock and vesting, tax at grant versus tax at vesting, the 30-day filing deadline, capital gain and holding period benefits, the QSBS clock, the risk of forfeiture, profits interests in an LLC, and Form 15620.
Read more →Health Insurance Deduction When You Work for Yourself
October 4, 2026
The self-employed health insurance deduction: who qualifies, what premiums count, the income limit, the employer-plan rule, Form 7206, and S corporation W-2 reporting.
Read more →Renting Property to Your Own Business: The Self-Rental Rule
October 4, 2026
The self-rental rule under the passive activity regulations: net income recharacterized as non-passive, net losses that remain passive, the grouping election for a rental and the business it serves, the net investment income tax, fair market rent, lease documentation, and the sale of a self-rented building.
Read more →Selling the Building Your Business Owns: What Gets Taxed
October 4, 2026
Selling business real estate: Section 1231 netting, unrecaptured Section 1250 gain at 25 percent, Section 1245 recapture on cost-segregated components, land, the net investment income tax, installment sales, 1031 exchanges, and selling the building separately from the business.
Read more →Keeping Business Money Separate: Why It Matters for Tax
October 4, 2026
Separating business and personal finances: substantiation in an audit, the LLC liability shield and commingling, cleaner bookkeeping, how owners properly move money between the two (draws, distributions, salary, reimbursements, loans), and building business credit.
Read more →Shopify Bookkeeping: From Gross Sales to the Bank Deposit
October 4, 2026
Shopify and e-commerce bookkeeping: recording gross sales rather than net payouts, processor and platform fees, refunds and chargebacks, sales tax collected as a liability, gift card liabilities, multi-channel reconciliation with Amazon and Etsy, inventory and cost of goods sold, Form 1099-K reconciliation, foreign currency, and the monthly close.
Read more →Bookkeeping That Is Ready for the Tax Return
October 4, 2026
Small business bookkeeping basics: a chart of accounts mapped to tax lines, separate accounts, cash versus accrual, monthly reconciliation, owner draws versus expenses, assets versus expenses, payroll and sales tax liabilities, and the year-end close.
Read more →Solo 401(k) vs SEP IRA vs SIMPLE IRA
October 4, 2026
Solo 401(k), SEP IRA, and SIMPLE IRA compared for small business owners: 2026 contribution limits, employee rules, Roth options, setup deadlines, and which fits.
Read more →Starting a Nonprofit: Form 1023 or 1023-EZ
October 4, 2026
Starting a 501(c)(3): state incorporation and the required purpose and dissolution clauses, EIN, Form 1023 versus the streamlined 1023-EZ and its eligibility limits, user fees, the organizational and operational tests, private benefit and inurement, public charity versus private foundation, the determination letter, retroactive exemption, state registrations, and annual filings.
Read more →State Franchise Taxes: The Fee for Existing in a State
October 4, 2026
State franchise taxes for small businesses: taxes on the privilege of doing business measured by net worth, capital, or gross receipts rather than income, the main examples (Texas, Delaware, California, Tennessee, and others), minimum amounts, who must file, foreign-qualified companies, and Florida's position.
Read more →Stepped-Up Basis at Death: What Resets and What Doesn't
October 4, 2026
Stepped-up basis under Section 1014: fair market value at death, alternate valuation, assets that do not step up (IRAs and other income in respect of a decedent), joint tenancy and community property, gifts within one year of death, trusts and the 2023 ruling, business interests and the Section 754 election, and planning under the $15 million exemption.
Read more →Fringe Benefits Employees Don't Pay Tax On
October 4, 2026
Tax-free fringe benefits for small business: health, retirement, education assistance, dependent care, group-term life, commuter, de minimis and working-condition benefits, and the owner limits.
Read more →Harvesting Losses Without Tripping the Wash Sale Rule
October 4, 2026
Tax-loss harvesting and the wash sale rule: offsetting capital gains, the $3,000 ordinary income limit, the 61-day window, substantially identical securities, IRA and spouse accounts, basis adjustment, and losses on business assets.
Read more →The content on this page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional tax, accounting, or legal advice. See our full legal disclaimer.