Recently I polled my peers on a social media platform dedicated to tax professionals. My hope was to find a resource for tax rules on a state level for handling gambling sessions. I knew it would be an uphill battle to get the information needed for a comprehensive guide state-by-state. What surprised me was the response. A large percentage of tax professionals were either unaware of gambling sessions or were unclear on how gambling sessions were handled in their state. Since gambling sessions might be the best way to reduce taxes on gambling wins, a lot of money might be left on the table with clients paying the price. Even if the state a tax professional prepares most tax returns for does not have gambling, the likelihood a client travels to a state that does, gambles, and wins is high.

For charitable-minded taxpayers, several provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3 Act) will impact the tax reduction associated with their charitable giving starting next year in 2026. In one case, the change increases the deductible amount, but all other changes surprisingly reduce the value of charitable contribution deductions. This article will review how the OB3 Act changed the charitable contribution deduction landscape and strategies for tax year 2025 and beyond to maximize the tax reduction value from charitable contributions.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act relieves some of the tax burden that comes along with tip income for tax years 2025-2028. But not in some of the ways that it was initially explained. Yes, tip income is still taxable income. No, customers do not have to pay tips in cash for them to be deductible. But the tip does have to be voluntary, qualified, and reported to the IRS.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) marks the most sweeping overhaul of the tax code since 2017, reshaping rules across personal and business income, education, healthcare, and credits. To help you stay ahead of the curve, Think Outside the Tax Box is proud to share our Quick Reference Guide, designed to keep you and your clients informed, prepared, and proactive.

The good news is that none of the changes to the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, or other health-insurance-related tax items in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3A) were retroactive to the beginning of 2025. The bad news is that the first set of changes is coming in 2026. The worse news is that some changes that were not included in the final version of OB3A are included in a new Federal Rule – but the provisions of the Federal Rule are only temporary. Basically, what we have is some federal rulemaking that was designed to give Congress time to codify the rule’s provisions into law, but only some of the provisions were codified – which simply means the provisions are merely temporary, not invalid. This article is going to discuss some of the important provisions concerning healthcare coverage that are included in OB3A, one that didn’t make it into the law, but that is in the new Federal Rule, and two that kind of blew up on social media but aren’t in OB3A or in the new rule.

Enacted into law on July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is the biggest set of tax law changes since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The provisions discussed in this article impact individual taxpayers for tax year 2025 and must be considered immediately for proactive tax planning purposes, future tax withholding, and estimated tax payment calculations. Clients have questions, and we can generally give them the answers they seek; however, some will require future IRS guidance for complete clarity.

Taxes are scary enough, even without the threat of scammers involved. While technology has in some ways made taxes easier than ever, like any tool ever invented by humans, these new technologies have also become the plaything of scammers looking to pull off cons. Elderly clients who often have large life savings can be easy targets for scams, whether because of social isolation or emotional and cognitive problems, or maybe just because they didn’t keep up with the latest IRS or FBI warnings about being careful on the internet. Some elderly victims learn too late that it takes serious effort to resolve thefts of money – and potentially years to fix identity theft. These clients need to be extra vigilant. Here’s what to tell them.

Astronomical expenses crop up more than ever in our economy. From medical bills, business startups, a long-cherished artistic project, it feels like things are harder to afford now than ever. But the internet has also helped create a revolutionary way to raise large amounts of money for some of these causes: crowdfunding. But what does that mean for when the Tax Man comes calling?