The top federal income tax rate has historically been higher — much higher

Debt Forgiveness Could Create a Tax Bill

Debt forgiveness may result in taxes owed. Under federal tax law, gross income generally includes cancellation of debt income when a lender forgives all or part of a debt. However, there are exceptions. Debt discharged as part of a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy case is generally excluded from income. Also, it may be […]

An IRS Letter Doesn’t Always Mean Bad News — But You Should Read It

If you receive a letter from the IRS, don’t discard it! Most IRS letters or notices relate to federal tax returns or tax accounts. A letter may reference changes to your account, taxes owed, a payment request, or a specific issue or credit on a tax return. You don’t need to respond unless the notice […]

IRS releases guidance on new depreciation deduction

A new but temporary special depreciation allowance for qualified production property (QPP) was created by last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). It’s available for certain manufacturing-related real property placed in service after July 4, 2025, and before January 1, 2031. Under previous law, taxpayers had to depreciate such property over a 39-year period. The OBBBA […]

IRS Offers Limited-Time Settlement Opportunity for Conservation Easement Cases

The IRS is offering a limited-time settlement opportunity for eligible taxpayers involved in conservation easement disputes. A conservation easement generally restricts the use of property to preserve land or meet other conservation goals and may qualify for a charitable tax deduction based on the easement’s value. However, the IRS continues to challenge abusive transactions involving […]

New Proposed Rules Could Expand Employer Fertility Benefits

The IRS and other federal agencies have proposed new rules that could expand employers’ ability to provide fertility benefits to employees as early as plan years starting Jan. 1, 2027. If finalized, the rules would create a new category of “limited excepted benefits” for fertility care, allowing services such as IVF, fertility medications, and infertility […]

Your post-tax-filing checklist

After you’ve filed your 2025 tax return, what’s next? It’s easy to move on to other things, but taking a little time to address some tax-related items now can help you stay organized and avoid issues later. Here are a few to-dos. Check your refund status If you’re getting a tax refund and haven’t received […]

Waiting on a Tariff Refund? Check Your Banking Information Now

Importers awaiting tariff refunds should ensure their banking information is up to date, because some payments are on hold pending account verification. Approximately $35.5 billion in refunds is currently being issued to importers who filed for refunds after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled certain tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) were […]

Caring for a Loved One? Your Medicaid Waiver Payments May Be Tax-Exempt

Do you care for a relative or someone else and receive Medicaid waiver payments (MWPs) as compensation? These payments are generally tax-exempt. For you to exclude MWPs from income, the payments must be issued by your state’s MWP program, you need to live in the home with the Medicaid patient and you must not care […]

Options for forfeited employee FSA balances

Many businesses offer health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSAs) as part of their employee benefits package. These plans provide valuable tax savings to employees and payroll tax savings to employers. If your company operates a calendar-year FSA with a 2½-month grace period, employees have until March 15 to incur eligible expenses for their […]