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Guides · US Tax

US Tax guides

743 plain-English guides on us tax, each one ending in what to do next.

All Cross-BorderUS TaxCanadian TaxSmall Business & BookkeepingCFO & AdvisoryTax Planning

Page 23 of 31, newest first.

US Tax

Hotel Tips, Service Charges, and Payroll Tax: FICA Tip Credit and Reporting Rules

Housekeeping, bellstaff, valets, and servers each face different tip-reporting and FICA rules. The tip credit can cut the hotel's payroll tax.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Section 179D for Hotels: Energy-Efficient Building Deductions, HVAC, and Prevailing Wage Rules

Section 179D lets hotel owners deduct up to $5.94 per square foot for qualifying energy upgrades, but the OBBBA cuts off new projects after June 30, 2026.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Hotel Food and Beverage Operations: Cost of Goods Sold, Comp Meals, and Tax Deduction Rules

Hotel F&B runs like a restaurant with extra rules layered on top: department-level cost of goods sold, employee meal limits under IRC 119 and 274.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Hotel Franchise Fees, Key Money, and Management Agreements: Tax Treatment Under IRC 197

Hotel franchise fees, management company payments, and key money each carry different tax treatment. How IRC 197 amortization applies.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Hotel Property Improvement Plans (PIP): Capital Expenditure Treatment and Repair vs. Improvement Analysis

A franchise PIP letter is a construction scope, not a tax category. A PIP is a franchise requirement, not a tax classification.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Hotel Ownership Structures: LLCs, Limited Partnerships, and REIT Qualification

How hotels get owned, from a single-asset LLC to a multi-investor LP to a REIT holding the real estate through a taxable REIT subsidiary.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Hotel Revenue Recognition: RevPAR, Room Revenue, Ancillary Income, and Occupancy Tax Accounting

RevPAR tells you how a hotel is performing. It doesn't tell you when revenue should hit the books. Room revenue is recognized under ASC 606 as the guest.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Hotel Lodging Tax Compliance: Transient Occupancy Taxes, Tourism Districts, and OTA Marketplace Rules

How lodging tax compliance scales across a multi-property, multi-state portfolio. Multistate lodging tax compliance is a registration and reconciliation.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Law Firm Associate Compensation: Partner Track, Buy-In, and the W-2 to K-1 Transition

How associate compensation works (salary, bonuses, origination credit), what changes when an associate makes partner. Associates are W-2 employees whose.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Law Firm Client Costs: Advanced Litigation Expenses, Capitalization, and Bad Debt Write-Offs

Costs that a law firm advances on behalf of a client with an expectation of repayment are not deductible business expenses under IRC 162.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Contingency Fee Income Recognition: When the Fee Is Earned, Cash vs. Accrual Timing, and Advance Costs

When a contingency fee becomes taxable income, how cash and accrual methods produce different timing results, how to handle advanced litigation costs.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Law Firm Deductions from A to Z: Malpractice, Cyber Insurance, Bar Dues, CLE, Technology, and Home Office

All insurance premiums (malpractice, cyber, general liability, workers' comp) are fully deductible under IRC 162. Bar dues.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Law Firm Entity Structure: LLP, PLLC, PC, S-Corp Election, and the SSTB Problem

Law firms are pass-through entities. The real decision is between partnership taxation (LLP or PLLC taxed as a partnership.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Law Firm Mergers and Acquisitions: Capital Accounts, Goodwill, Tail Coverage, and the Tax Consequences Partners Need to Understand

Law firm mergers differ from corporate M&A: no stock changes hands, and most structures produce partner-level gain, not entity-level gain.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Law Firm Partner Compensation: Guaranteed Payments, Profit Allocations, Draws, and SE Tax

Guaranteed payments under IRC 707(c) are payments to a partner for services (or capital use) that are determined without regard to partnership income.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Law Firm Retirement Plans for Multi-Partner Firms: 401(k), Cross-Tested Plans, and Cash Balance Stacking

Multi-partner law firms with associates and staff can defer $200,000 to $350,000+ per partner per year by combining a 401(k) with a cash balance plan.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Law Firm Trust Account and IOLTA Accounting: Compliance, Three-Way Reconciliation, and Audit Readiness

How to set up IOLTA trust accounting correctly, run a three-way reconciliation every month, handle interest reporting, and prepare for a state bar audit.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Law Firm WIP and Unbilled Time: Valuation, Realization Rates, and Revenue Recognition

WIP (work-in-progress) in a law firm is time recorded but not yet billed. It is distinct from accounts receivable (time.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Cost Segregation for Manufacturing Facilities: Reclassify Building Components and Accelerate Depreciation

Manufacturing plants contain specialized electrical, HVAC, flooring, cranes, and pollution control equipment that can be reclassified from 39-year to 5.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Entity Structure for Manufacturing Businesses: LLC, S-Corp, or C-Corp?

How to choose the right entity structure for a manufacturing business, comparing C-Corp retained earnings, S-Corp QBI deduction, LLC flexibility.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Manufacturing Equipment Depreciation: Section 179, Bonus Depreciation, and MACRS Classes for Heavy Machinery

Manufacturers can expense equipment up to $2,560,000 under Section 179 or use bonus depreciation. MACRS classes for heavy machinery explained.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

International Tax for Manufacturers: IC-DISC, FDII, Transfer Pricing, and Export Incentives

US manufacturers who export can cut their effective tax rate with an IC-DISC or the FDII deduction. Transfer pricing rules for related-party sales.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

Manufacturing Inventory Accounting and UNICAP: What IRC 263A Requires You to Capitalize

How UNICAP rules under IRC 263A force manufacturers to capitalize direct and indirect costs into inventory, the simplified production method.

Sep 4, 2026
US Tax

The R&D Tax Credit for Manufacturers: IRC 41 Qualification, Calculation, and the Return of Immediate Expensing

How manufacturers qualify for the R&D tax credit under IRC 41, the four-part test, qualified research expenses. - The R&D tax credit under IRC 41.

Sep 4, 2026