2026 Health Insurance Premiums May Spike — Plan Ahead with an HSA

Based on a recent survey of U.S. employers who offer health insurance to employees, consulting firm Mercer reports that 2026 health insurance costs are likely to rise steeply. Employers estimate an average 9% increase in costs if they don’t alter their insurance plans. This could mean higher out-of-pocket costs for covered employees. One way to […]

New 1099-DA Means It’s Time to Track Your Crypto Activity

IRS Form 1099-DA is a new tax form to be used by brokerage companies to report clients’ digital asset transactions, such as cryptocurrency and nonfungible token trades. The form is currently scheduled to be issued in early 2026, in time for the 2025 filing season. If you bought or traded digital assets in 2025, you […]

Temporary Tax Credit Expansions Had Big Impact, Says New Report

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 temporarily expanded the Child Tax Credit. For that year, low-income families were given access to the full amount of the credit. It also allowed the IRS to distribute half of the tax credit through monthly payments from July to December of 2021. The ARPA also temporarily expanded […]

Don’t Miss Your Refund — Prepare for the IRS Paper Check Phase-Out

The IRS reminded taxpayers that paper tax refund checks for individuals will be phased out beginning Sept. 30, 2025. The tax agency will publish detailed guidance for 2025 tax returns before the 2026 filing season begins. Until further notice, taxpayers should continue using existing forms and procedures, including those filing their 2024 returns on extension […]

Horses, Pecans, and Crabs — But No Profit?

Taxpayers who are in business to make a profit can generally deduct related expenses. The burden of proving a profit motive is on the taxpayer. Otherwise, the IRS might deem the activity to be a hobby and deductions may be limited. One married couple reported large losses year after year on their tax returns, based […]

IRS Updates Per Diem Rates for Meals, Travel, and High-Cost Areas

The IRS has released new 2025–2026 special per diem rates for ordinary and necessary business expenses incurred when traveling away from home. The guidance includes: 1) special transportation industry meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) rates, 2) the incidental expenses only deduction, and 3) a list of high-cost localities used in the high-low substantiation method. Although […]

Permanent Expansion of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Under OBBBA

One tax provision made permanent by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) is the availability of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). According to the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, this credit is “the most important resource for creating affordable housing in the United States today.” The OBBBA permanently increased 9% LIHTC […]

Paper’s Out, Digital’s In: IRS Takes Big Steps Toward Modernization

On Sept. 22, 2025, the U.S. Treasury Dept. updated the public on its IRS IT modernization initiatives. The goals are to improve taxpayer services, enhance cybersecurity, and strengthen compliance and filing season operations. To improve taxpayer services, the IRS has contracted with Salesforce to upgrade individual and business online accounts, various services, and customer contact […]

Drought-Driven Livestock Sales? IRS Offers Extended Tax Deferral

The IRS is providing tax relief to farmers and ranchers in applicable states and regions who sold or exchanged livestock because of drought conditions. Under the relief, eligible taxpayers may take more time to replace their livestock and defer tax on any gains from the forced sales or exchanges. Generally, livestock must be replaced within […]

Don’t Overlook the Kiddie Tax in Your Year-End Planning

As the fall season begins, thoughts turn to year-end tax planning. An overlooked area of the tax code is the “kiddie tax.” It generally applies to most unearned income of children under age 19 and of full-time students under age 24 (unless the students provide more than half of their own support from earned income). […]