1,423 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.
October 4, 2026
Using W-2 withholding to pay side business tax: withholding deemed paid evenly through the year, adjusting Form W-4 with an additional amount, year-end catch-up withholding, the safe harbor amounts, self-employment tax on side income, the additional Medicare tax, and when estimated payments are still needed.
Read more →October 4, 2026
Tax deductions for freelance web and software developers and small development shops: computers and equipment, the software and hosting stack, the home office, contractors and subcontractors including foreign developers and Form W-8BEN, research costs under Section 174A for a product the developer owns, education and conferences, platform fees and Forms 1099-K, income from clients abroad, and sales tax on custom versus prewritten software.
Read more →October 4, 2026
Entity structure and estimated taxes for developers and development shops: the freelancer's LLC and the S election at a senior engineer's salary, why a product with investors or a planned sale belongs in a C corporation and the qualified small business stock exclusion, keeping services and product in separate entities, clients in many states and market-based sourcing, estimated taxes on retainers and milestone payments, and foreign clients.
Read more →October 4, 2026
Tax deductions for welders and small fabrication shops: welding machines, plasma cutters, and the mobile rig truck, cylinder rental versus purchase, rod, wire, gas, and abrasives as supplies, steel and materials for fabrication jobs, certification testing and renewals, personal protective equipment, hot work insurance, the shop lease and ventilation, and Florida sales tax on fabrication labor versus real property installation.
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Entity structure and estimated taxes for welders and fabrication shops: the LLC for liability on structural work, the S election once a second welder's rig produces profit beyond the owner's hours, project-based income and progress payments, estimated taxes when a large industrial job pays in one quarter, long-term fabrication contracts and the completed contract method, employees versus subcontracted welders, and Florida workers' compensation for construction-classified work.
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When to hire an accountant for a small business: the break-even between your time and the fee, the triggers (an S election, employees, inventory, sales in other states, a loan or sale, an IRS notice), the three levels of service (bookkeeping, tax preparation, advisory), what to expect from each, and what to ask before engaging.
Read more →October 4, 2026
Tax deductions for window cleaning companies: water-fed poles and deionization systems as equipment, squeegees and supplies, ladders, lifts, and rope access gear, vans, crews as employees, recurring commercial route contracts, high-rise insurance, and Florida's sales tax on nonresidential window cleaning versus exempt residential work.
Read more →October 4, 2026
Entity structure and estimated taxes for window cleaning companies: the LLC for falls and broken glass, the S election once recurring commercial route income exceeds an operations manager's salary, technicians as employees, books that separate taxable commercial from exempt residential revenue, estimated taxes on steady route income with a spring residential peak, and the high-rise contract that brings new insurance and classification.
Read more →October 4, 2026
Tax deductions for window tinting businesses: film as inventory, plotters, heat guns, and the bay as equipment and build-out, vans for mobile work, the three Florida sales tax treatments (auto tint as a taxable installation on tangible property, residential and commercial flat-glass tint generally as a real property improvement, and retail film sales), film manufacturer dealer agreements, technicians, and Florida's visible light transmission limits.
Read more →October 4, 2026
Entity structure and estimated taxes for window tinting shops and mobile tinters: the LLC for the damaged vehicle and the failed film, the solo mobile tinter as a sole proprietor, the S election once a multi-bay shop's profit exceeds a shop manager's salary, technicians on payroll, books that track automotive and flat-glass lines with different sales tax, estimated taxes on steady auto work with a seasonal flat-glass peak, and film manufacturer dealer programs.
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The Work Opportunity Tax Credit: target groups, the 25 and 40 percent rates based on hours worked, wage caps by group, Form 8850 and the 28-day deadline, Form 5884, interaction with the wage deduction, and the credit's authorization period.
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Year-end bonuses: the two-and-a-half-month rule for accrual-method employers, the all-events test and fixed liability, the related-party rule for owner bonuses, cash-method timing, supplemental withholding at 22 percent, Social Security wage base planning, and S corporation owners.
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Year-end tax planning for small businesses: timing income and expenses, equipment purchases, retirement plan deadlines, owner salary and reimbursements, estimated tax true-up, QBI thresholds, inventory and bad debts, and entity changes.
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Tax deductions for yoga and fitness studios: the leased studio and its build-out as qualified improvement property, mats, blocks, and props, instructors as employees versus contractors, music licensing, studio management software, teacher training for the owner, retail mats and apparel as taxable inventory, insurance, and when Florida's sales tax applies to memberships as admissions to a physical fitness facility — and when instruction-only class fees fall outside it.
Read more →October 4, 2026
Entity structure and estimated taxes for yoga and fitness studios: the LLC for the injury in class, the S election once profit exceeds a studio director's salary, annual memberships and class packs as advance payments under the cash and accrual methods, estimated taxes around the January and September sign-up peaks, instructors on payroll, the admissions tax liability in the books, and selling a studio with a membership base.
Read more →October 1, 2026
Accidental Americans explained: Canadians who are U.S. citizens by birth in the United States or through a U.S. parent, why the IRS considers them taxpayers, the bank FATCA letters that surface it, the streamlined catch-up, and the renunciation option with its exit tax exceptions.
Read more →October 1, 2026
The Canada–U.S. treaty's Article XIII(7) election explained: how a new U.S. resident who paid Canadian departure tax elects to treat property as sold and repurchased in the United States too, aligning the U.S. basis with the Canadian departure value so the same gain isn't taxed twice.
Read more →October 1, 2026
The first U.S. tax year for a Canadian who moves south explained: the residency starting date, the dual-status return or the elections that avoid it, the basis election for departure-taxed property, accounts to close or report before the move, and the first year's new filings.
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The branch profits tax explained: the 30 percent second-level tax on a foreign corporation's U.S. branch earnings, the dividend equivalent amount, the treaty's 5 percent rate and the Canadian C$500,000 exemption, and why most Canadian companies use a subsidiary instead.
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California residency when moving to Florida explained: the temporary-or-transitory-purpose test and the closest connection factors, the 546-day employment-contract safe harbor (and why it rarely helps), California-source income after the move, installment sales and deferred compensation, and the Franchise Tax Board's audits.
Read more →October 1, 2026
What happens to the Canada child benefit when a family moves to the United States: eligibility ends with Canadian residency, how to notify the CRA, the overpayment trap, the exception for a parent who stays a resident, and the U.S. child tax credit that may replace it.
Read more →October 1, 2026
Canada's alternative minimum tax explained: the parallel calculation that limits tax benefits from capital gains, stock options, and certain deductions and credits, the changes effective in 2024 (higher rate and exemption, broader base), who it hits, and the seven-year carryforward.
Read more →October 1, 2026
A Canadian contractor taking a U.S. job — an installation, a construction project, a specialty trade subcontract — performs its work on U.S. soil, and the treaty has a specific rule for construction sites: a site that lasts more than twelve months is a permanent establishment. Shorter projects are protected from federal tax, but the states, the contractor licensing boards, the workers' U.S. tax and immigration, and the client's withholding all still apply. Here is each.
Read more →October 1, 2026
Canadian private corporations often invest their retained earnings in U.S. stocks — and the U.S. dividends arrive with withholding, the corporation's W-8BEN-E decides whether it's 15 percent or 30 percent, and the treaty's limitation-on-benefits test decides whether the corporation can claim the treaty at all. On the Canadian side, the U.S. dividends are foreign investment income taxed at the high refundable rate, with the foreign tax credit rules for a corporation. Here is each layer, and the U.S. estate tax question the corporation helps answer.
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.
