Strategic business tax planning and filing guides for S-Corps, C-Corps, LLCs, and Partnerships. Explore tax optimization strategies tailored to every stage of your business growth.
What is the Subchapter V debt limit in 2026? About $3.4 million in aggregate noncontingent, liquidated secured and unsecured debt. The temporary $7.5 million cap expired on June 21, 2024 and has not yet been restored. The subchapter v debt limit is set by 11 U.S.C. § 1182, with pending legislation that would make the…
How do I open a US business bank account from Korea without an SSN or ITIN? After an EIN comes in, a US business bank account is the first real spending tool for the entity, and in 2026 a non-resident founder can realistically open one online in one to three weeks with the right documents…
Can a crypto staking trust still qualify as a grantor trust in 2026? Yes — if it meets the fourteen conditions in IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-20. The new revenue procedure gives a crypto staking trust a safe harbor to stake its digital assets without losing investment-trust status under 26 CFR 301.7701-4(c). Every quarter we hear…
How much does US business formation cost in 2026? For a one-person company, state filing fees in 2026 range from about $100 (Wyoming, Florida) to $425+ (New York with publication). The us business formation cost you actually pay in Year 1, however, is driven more by annual state taxes and the registered agent than by…
Did IRS First Time Abate help you — or cost you? Sometimes it does both. First Time Abate often removes an IRS penalty before anyone at the IRS has decided whether your reasonable cause story was good enough. The penalty disappears, the file looks closed, and a safety net you may need in the next…
Does the Section 351 ETF conversion still work after Rev. Rul. 2026-20? Not the way it has been sold. The IRS now treats a planned transfer of securities to a new ETF followed by an authorized-participant redemption of those same securities as a single taxable exchange, not a tax-free diversification. The Section 351 ETF conversion…
If my Korean parent only wants to watch the US market, is a representative office enough — or do I already need a branch? A US representative office that limits itself to market research, information gathering, and liaison work typically falls outside the US “trade or business” definition under IRC §864(b), so it files no…
How does crypto international tax structuring work for a global group? A US-founded crypto business has to align entity classification, controlled-foreign-corporation rules, transfer pricing, IP ownership, and digital-asset reporting with how it actually operates. Crypto international tax is not a jurisdiction search; it is a documentation discipline. A protocol launches with founders in Los Angeles,…
What employee tax benefits can my business offer in 2026? The federal tax code pays for a surprising share of a competitive benefits package. The right employee tax benefits can lower a small employer’s net cost of paid leave, education, child care, retirement savings, and even a new Trump Account, through credits and exclusions that…
Does the US-Korea tax treaty actually reduce the 30% default withholding on a software royalty paid to a Korean licensor? Yes — a US payer must generally withhold 30% on a US-source royalty, but the Korea tax treaty royalty article can cut the rate to 10% or 15% depending on the royalty type, provided the…
How fast is US LLC formation time in 2026? The state filing itself can be as short as a few hours (Delaware expedited, Wyoming online) or as long as several weeks (New York with publication, California by mail), but the full path to a running business — including EIN and a bank account — usually…
What are the new IRS per diem rates for 2026–2027? Notice 2026-60 sets the high-low per diem rates at $329 for high-cost localities and $230 elsewhere in CONUS, effective October 1, 2026. Transportation-industry M&IE is $80 CONUS and $86 OCONUS, and the incidental-only rate stays at $5 per day. Every October, a wave of expense-policy…
How do I get an EIN without an SSN as a foreign founder? You file IRS Form SS-4 by fax or by calling the International EIN line at +1-267-941-1099. An SSN or ITIN is not required for the responsible party if none exists — write “Foreign” on line 7b instead. Plan on roughly 4–8 weeks…
Do I get more time to replace drought-sold livestock under the 2026 IRS notice? If the county where you sold, or any contiguous county, is on the Notice 2026-54 Appendix, yes. The IRS treats the 12-month period ending August 31, 2026 as not a drought-free year, so the section 1033(e) four-year replacement period is extended…
How much U.S. corporate tax will my company actually pay in 2026? A U.S. C corporation pays a flat 21% federal corporate income tax under Internal Revenue Code §11(b), plus a state corporate income tax that ranges from 0% (Wyoming, Nevada, South Dakota) up to about 11.5% (New Jersey, at the top surtax bracket) depending…
Does the California cybersecurity audit rule apply to my business? A California business is in scope if it either earned at least 50% of its revenue from selling or sharing personal information, or exceeded roughly $26.625 million in annual gross revenue and processed the personal information of at least 250,000 California consumers or households (or…
Does California’s digital products sales tax apply to my software business? Starting January 1, 2027, prewritten software — including Software-as-a-Service and remote-access licenses — is a taxable digital product under California’s new digital products sales tax rule enacted by Senate Bill 122. Custom software and several digital-media categories stay outside the rule. A short email…
Should our corporation apply to the IRS CAP program for 2027? The IRS opened the 2027 application window in September 2026 with an Oct. 30, 2026 deadline. The IRS CAP program resolves material tax issues in real time before the return is filed — but only for corporations that clear a strict eligibility bar. If…
Are ICE Endex futures Section 1256 contracts now? Yes — for contracts entered into on or after September 1, 2026. In Rev. Rul. 2026-16, the IRS determined that ICE Endex, a Netherlands regulated exchange, is a qualified board or exchange under § 1256(g)(7)(C), so its futures and futures options get mark-to-market and 60/40 capital-gain treatment…
Does the IRS finally have an automatic-consent path for OBBBA R&E and residential construction changes? Yes. IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-32 opens the automatic OBBBA method change for § 174, § 174A, and § 460(e), waives the usual eligibility bars through 2027, and gives one transition window that closes November 15, 2026. On September 4, 2026,…
How do founders keep QSBS treatment through a recapitalization? A Section 368(a)(1)(E) tax-free recap can preserve QSBS under Section 1202(h)(4)(A), but only if the reorganization requirements are met, the aggregate gross assets threshold is respected, and Section 305 does not turn the recap into a taxable deemed distribution. Many of our founder clients organize as…
Are the SBA size standards really changing before September 21, 2026? Yes — SBA has proposed the biggest rewrite of sba size standards since it adopted NAICS in 2000. The proposal collapses roughly 1,000 standards to 338, defaults to employment-based measures, and adjusts receipts standards for productivity growth. Comments close September 21, 2026, and the…
Does the new SBA quality of earnings rule apply to my deal? If you are using an SBA 7(a) loan to buy a business or expand into one for $3 million or more, yes. Starting October 1, 2026, lenders must obtain an independent SBA quality of earnings report before the loan can close on that…
What changes for a dental practice acquisition in 2026? If you are buying with an SBA 7(a) loan of $3 million or more, an independent quality of earnings report becomes mandatory on October 1, 2026 — and the lender has to engage the provider before your loan number is issued. Most dentists buying a practice…
Who can now use the IRS Business Tax Account? As of 2026, the IRS Business Tax Account covers partnerships, tax-exempt organizations, Indian tribal governments, and federal, state, and local governments, alongside the sole proprietors and corporations who had access before. Inside the account, entities can view digital notices, download CP575 EIN verification, and pay against…
Who handles foreign artist withholding when a California venue books an international act? You do. The payer is the withholding agent for 30 percent federal tax on the gross fee and 7 percent California tax on payments over $1,500. Foreign artist withholding drops only when the artist hands you an IRS Central Withholding Agreement letter,…
Can I still claim the §45Q credit if EPA drops subpart RR reporting? Yes — the IRS just answered that question. Under the new 45Q safe harbor in Notice 2026-50, taxpayers who cannot rely on subpart RR of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program can still document secure geological storage for the §45Q credit, and the…
What California state tax changes should I prepare for? The largest is a sales tax on electronically delivered prewritten software starting January 1, 2027. Alongside it: an extended business tax credit limitation, a wave of states decoupling from federal research expensing, and an amnesty window that closes October 31, 2026. State tax moves faster than…
Which 2026 federal tax changes affect my small business? The ones with a date attached: an August guidance package implementing the 2025 reconciliation law, backup withholding on payment-app settlements, the employer paid leave credit, and a September 30 federal funding deadline that decides how fast the IRS answers you this fall. Most tax headlines never…
How much of my business interest is deductible after the OBBBA? The IRS just refreshed its answer. In August 2026, the IRS reissued its Section 163(j) FAQs to reflect the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act. The core rule still caps the business interest deduction — but the way you calculate the cap, who qualifies as…
