AI Tax Research

Section 1202 QSBS Exclusion: How CPAs Shelter Startup Gains for Founder Clients

The Section 1202 QSBS exclusion can eliminate up to $10 million — or more — in federal capital gains tax for a single founder. Most CPAs only learn about a client's equity position at exit, far too late to capture the full benefit. This guide walks through eligibility testing, holding period…

SALT Deduction Cap Workarounds: How CPAs Reduce State Tax Burden for High-Income Clients

The $10,000 SALT cap continues to punish high-income clients in California, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois — but CPAs have more levers than ever to push back. This guide delivers a tactical playbook covering PTET elections, charitable offset structures, entity restructuring, and multi-state…

Wash Sale Rules: How CPAs Protect Clients From Disallowed Loss Traps

Wash sale rules trip up even experienced CPAs when clients trade frequently, use robo-advisors, or hold crypto. This practitioner guide covers the 30-day mechanics, substantially identical securities tests, post-2025 crypto ambiguity, and how to adjust cost basis on Schedule D without drawing IRS…

Net Investment Income Tax: How CPAs Minimize Exposure for High-Income Clients

Most articles explain what the 3.8% net investment income tax is. This guide shows CPAs how to reduce it — covering threshold modeling for clients near the $200k/$250k boundary, grouping elections under Reg. 1.469-11, real estate professional status, and how to document every planning decision for…

R&D Tax Credit for CPAs: How to Identify and Claim It for Clients

Most R&D tax credit articles are written for business owners, not the CPAs serving them. This guide flips that — covering how to identify eligible clients across your book, apply the four-part qualified research test, build airtight documentation, and file Form 6765 correctly. Plus: how…

Roth Conversion Strategy: How CPAs Build Year-End Tax Plans for Clients

Most Roth conversion content is written for investors. This guide is written for CPAs — covering how to screen your client roster for conversion candidates, model bracket impact at scale, time conversions around key life events, and package the analysis as a recurring advisory service with defined…

Allocation and Apportionment of Deductions to Foreign Source Income: New IRS Proposed Rules

The IRS published proposed regulations on September 11, 2026 that overhaul how deductions are allocated and apportioned to foreign source Section 951A category income and deduction eligible income. Small and mid-size CPA firms with clients operating abroad through foreign or domestic corporations…

Phantom Income Tax: How CPAs Protect Partnership Clients From Surprise Bills

Phantom income tax catches partnership clients off guard and erodes CPA-client trust overnight. This operational playbook shows CPAs how to identify at-risk K-1 clients, communicate proactively, and build an AI-assisted flagging workflow that surfaces phantom income scenarios before year-end…

Partnership Basis Adjustment: How CPAs Apply Section 754 Elections for Clients

Section 754 elections are among the most consequential — and most operationally complex — elections a CPA can make on behalf of a partnership client. This guide walks through exactly when the election is triggered, how to compute inside-versus-outside basis discrepancies under Sections 743(b) and…

Section 898(c) Transition Rule for Allocating Foreign Taxes: What CPA Firms Must Do Now

On August 31, 2026, the IRS published a correction to proposed regulations REG-115145-25 in the Federal Register, amending rules on the Section 898(c) transition rule for allocating foreign taxes and the Section 960(d)(4) foreign tax credit disallowance. CPA firms with clients holding interests in…

Pro Rata Share of Subpart F Income, Tested Income, or Tested Loss: What CPA Firms Must Do Now

The IRS published proposed regulations on August 26, 2026 that reshape how U.S. shareholders must calculate their pro rata share of Subpart F income, tested income, or tested loss from controlled foreign corporations. The rules affect any CPA firm with clients who hold CFC interests — including…

Installment Sale Reporting: How CPAs Handle Principal and Interest Splits for Clients

Installment sale reporting is one of the most workflow-intensive annual tasks a CPA can inherit — gross profit percentages that travel across years, depreciation recapture that hits in Year 1 regardless of cash received, and related-party resale traps that can accelerate a client's entire gain…

Foreign Currency Gain or Loss of Controlled Foreign Corporations: What CPA Firms Must Do Now

Treasury and the IRS published proposed regulations on August 14, 2026 that reshape how controlled foreign corporations compute and recognize foreign currency gain or loss on QBU remittances. CPA firms with international clients need to assess exposure now and document their review before comments…

Bonus Depreciation 2026: How CPAs Maximize Section 168 for Business Clients

Bonus depreciation is phasing out under the TCJA schedule, but 2026 still offers a meaningful deduction window for business clients who act before year-end. This guide walks CPAs through the mechanics of Section 168(k), the Section 179 interaction decision tree, and how AI-native practice…

Qualified Opportunity Zone Investing: How CPAs Guide Clients Through Tax Deferral

Qualified opportunity zone investing offers clients a powerful capital gains deferral strategy — but the compliance burden on CPAs is substantial. This workflow-first guide covers eligibility screening, deferral calculations, IRC 1400Z-2 documentation requirements, and how AI-native practice…

Nexus Study for CPAs: When to Order One and How to Charge for It

A formal nexus study is one of the highest-value advisory services a CPA can offer a fast-growing client — yet most firms undercharge for it or skip the conversation entirely. This guide walks through the triggers that should prompt a recommendation, how to scope and price the engagement as a…

Section 199A Deduction: How CPAs Maximize the QBI Benefit for Pass-Through Clients

The Section 199A deduction remains one of the most valuable — and most frequently miscalculated — benefits available to pass-through entity clients. This guide walks CPAs through the full calculation workflow, SSTB boundary analysis, W-2 wage and UBIA property limitations, and how AI-assisted…

Inherited IRA Distribution Rules: What CPAs Must Tell Clients Now

The SECURE 2.0 Act and the IRS's 2024 final regulations reshaped inherited IRA distribution rules in ways that still catch clients — and some CPAs — off guard. This guide breaks down the 10-year rule, beneficiary categories, annual RMD requirements, and, critically, how to systematize inherited…

Information Reporting and Transfer for Valuable Consideration Rules: What CPA Firms Must Do Now

The IRS published final regulations on July 9, 2026 that extend information reporting and transfer for valuable consideration rules to Section 1035 exchanges of life insurance contracts. Small and mid-size CPA firms with individual and business clients holding life insurance policies need to act…

TaxGPT vs Bloomberg Tax vs Checkpoint: How CPAs Choose an AI Tax Research Tool

CPAs evaluating AI tax research tools in 2026 face a real choice: purpose-built AI tools like TaxGPT versus legacy platforms like Bloomberg Tax and Checkpoint. This guide cuts through the marketing noise with a side-by-side comparison of accuracy, pricing, and workflow integration so your firm can…

Automatic Exemption from Penalty: What CPAs Must Know After IRS Replaces First Time Abate

The IRS has replaced the familiar First Time Abate process with a new automatic exemption from penalty system — and many CPAs are still relying on outdated FTA playbooks. This guide breaks down exactly what changed, how the new automatic relief process works, and what penalty abatement strategies…

Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust Listed Transaction: What CPA Firms Must Do Now

The IRS published final regulations on July 9, 2026, officially designating certain charitable remainder annuity trust (CRAT) transactions as listed transactions. CPA firms with high-net-worth clients, nonprofit advisees, or estate planning engagements face immediate disclosure obligations and…

IRS Standard Mileage Rate Mid-Year Change: What CPAs Must Do Now

A mid-year IRS standard mileage rate adjustment is rare — and it forces CPAs to apply two separate rates to a single tax year's business miles. This guide walks through the split-year calculation methodology, client communication steps, and how AI-native practice tools can reduce the manual burden…

Qualified Domestic Trust Regulations Under Section 2056A Revised by IRS

The IRS published final regulations on July 10, 2026, revising the Qualified Domestic Trust rules under Section 2056A to eliminate outdated references and modernize filing procedures. CPA firms with clients who have noncitizen spouses in estate plans need to review open files now. Here is what…

Increase in Threshold for Requiring Information Reporting

On July 2, 2026, the IRS published a hearing notice for proposed regulations (REG-113229-25) that would raise the dollar thresholds triggering 1099 information reporting and backup withholding for trade or business payments. CPA firms serving self-employed clients, S-corps, partnerships, and…

Nonprofit Audit Preparation: How CPAs Streamline Form 990 and Compliance Reviews

Nonprofit audit preparation is one of the most document-intensive engagements a CPA firm handles — combining Form 990 accuracy, Uniform Guidance compliance, and board governance reviews into a single high-stakes workflow. This guide walks through the full nonprofit audit lifecycle and shows how…

CAF Number for CPAs: What It Is, How to Get One, and Why It Matters

Your CAF number is more than a one-time IRS registration — it is the foundation of every client authorization your firm will ever file. This guide explains what the centralized authorization file number is, how to obtain it through Form 2848 and IRS e-services, and how growing CPA firms use…

Offer in Compromise: How CPAs Negotiate IRS Debt Settlement for Clients

An Offer in Compromise is one of the most complex — and lucrative — engagements a CPA firm can take on. This guide breaks down the full OIC workflow from reasonable collection potential analysis to IRS correspondence tracking, and shows how AI-native tools eliminate the manual burden at every stage.

Returns Relating to Sales or Exchanges of Certain Partnership Interests: What CPAs Must Do Now

The IRS published final regulations on May 20, 2026 modifying information reporting obligations for sales or exchanges of certain partnership interests — specifically those holding inventory or unrealized receivables. CPA firms with partnership clients need to review engagement scope, update…

Passive Activity Rules: What CPAs Must Know to Protect Client Deductions

IRC Section 469 passive activity rules are among the most commonly misapplied provisions in individual and business tax returns — especially for real estate investors, limited partners, and multi-entity business owners. This guide walks CPAs through the seven material participation tests, real…

Agentic AI for Accounting Firms: What It Means When AI Acts, Not Just Assists

Most accounting software automates what you tell it to do. Agentic AI is different — it observes context, makes decisions, and acts without a human triggering each step. This guide explains what agentic AI accounting means in plain CPA language and shows seven real-firm scenarios where autonomous…