Individuals
Filing an individual return, from a straightforward W-2 to self employment, investments, and rental property, and what changes the fee.
Capital gains, short term and long term, on Schedule D
The holding period is counted from the day after you bought, and one day short moves the whole gain to ordinary rates. The wash sale window is 61 days.
Depreciation on a rental, and why it matters when you sell
Skipping depreciation does not avoid the bill at sale. Recapture is calculated on what was allowable, not on what you actually claimed, so it is charged anyway.
Rental property on Schedule E, line by line
Most rental returns go wrong in one place: an improvement entered as a repair. The distinction has a three part test, and it decides the whole year.
What the standard deduction replaced, and when itemising still wins
Two new rules land on charitable giving in 2026, one for itemisers and one for everybody else. Both change the calculation people made last year.
The home office deduction, and who really qualifies
Exclusive use is the test most claims fail, and employees are out entirely. There is a simplified method, and there is a cost that lands when you sell.
1099-NEC, 1099-K, and what each one means for your return
The 1099-NEC threshold moved to 2,000 dollars for 2026, after seventy years at 600. Fewer forms will arrive, and the income is reportable either way.
Quarterly estimated payments, and how to size them
Tax on self employment income is due through the year, not with the return. The safe harbour removes the penalty by using a number you already know.
Which expenses a self employed person can actually deduct
The test is not whether an expense was real. It is whether it was ordinary, necessary, and recorded at the time, and whether the personal share was taken out.
What a Schedule C actually asks you for
Schedule C reports self employment income and the cost of earning it. What the form asks, which expenses survive, and what it does to the rest of your return.