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Tax tips we'd give you across the desk
Six short reads on the questions that come up every filing season in our office, plus quick hits you can use today. Written for Indiana households and small business owners, with 2026 figures.
Articles
A big refund isn't a win
A $3,000 refund means about $250 a month you didn't get to spend, save or pay down debt with. We show you which lines of the W-4 fix it, and when a refund is actually the right call.
Read the hot take Self-employedQuarterly estimated taxes, without the penalty
The 100% and 110% safe-harbor rules, what happens when a due date lands on a weekend, and how a W-2 spouse can cover the gap with withholding.
Get the dates right Business ownersShould you elect S-corp status?
A worked example at $100,000 of profit, the reasonable-salary rule the IRS enforces, and the costs people forget about before they file Form 2553.
See the math IRS mailWhat to do first when an IRS letter arrives
How to tell a real notice from a scam, what CP2000, CP14 and CP504 mean, and why you compare before you pay.
Start with step one PaperworkHow long to keep tax records
A table of which papers can go after three years, which need six or seven, and which stay until you sell the house.
Clean out the cabinet Deadline tricksTax moves that still count after December 31
IRA, HSA and SEP contributions you can still make for 2026 in early 2027, and the ones that had to happen by New Year's Eve.
Check what's still openQuick hits
Short answers to things clients ask us over the phone.
Form 4868 moves your filing deadline to October 15. Any tax you owe was still due in April, and interest runs from then.
First contact about a balance comes by mail. A text, email or social message demanding payment is a scam. Don't click it.
Indiana has reciprocal agreements with Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Wages there are taxed by Indiana only, if you file the right exemption form with your employer.
Indiana county income tax is based on the county you lived in on January 1. Moving to Hamilton County in March doesn't change this year's county rate.
For most people now retiring, required minimum distributions from IRAs and 401(k)s begin at age 73. Missing one brings a penalty.
Business miles are hard to rebuild in April. A notebook in the glove box or a phone app with date, destination and purpose holds up.
Contributions to an Indiana529 account earn a 20% Indiana income tax credit, up to an annual cap. Ask us what applies to your return.
For 2026 you can give up to $19,000 per person without filing a gift tax return. Above that, a Form 709 is due, though tax is rarely owed.
Rather see your own numbers?
The refund estimator runs your income, withholding and children through the 2026 brackets. The S-corp calculator compares self-employment tax against payroll tax at your profit.
Open the tax calculators