Paul S. Hamann, Author at Think Outside the Tax Box

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

Paul S. Hamann

Paul Hamann is an expert on determining Reasonable Compensation for closely-held business owners. He has educated more than 80,000 tax advisors and valuators on the topic of Reasonable Compensation and has been published in numerous national and state journals.

Paul, along with other experts in their own fields founded RCReports in 2010. RCReports cloud software determines reasonable compensation for Closely-Held Business Owners and is used by CPA’s, EA’s, Tax Advisors, Valuators, Forensic Accountants and Attorneys when they need to determine a Reasonable Compensation figure for a client.

When Paul isn’t in the office, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two chocolate labs, hiking Colorado’s back country or paddling its scenic lakes and rivers.

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Live Event! Reasonable Compensation for S Corps Webinar

A TOTTB Live Webinar Event sponsored by our friends at RCReports! For two decades the IRS has been preparing an assault on reasonable compensation for S Corps. Their arsenal is now fully locked and loaded. In it, there is everything from commonsense tools to obscure memos. We will explore key court cases, IRS guidelines, preparer penalties and some of the obscure weapons the IRS has put in place. We debunk common myths and fiction on how reasonable compensation should be calculated and replace it with facts and methodologies that the IRS relies on.

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IRS Tech Targets S Corp Officer Compensation

The IRS is deploying technology and big data to combat compensation under-reporting. What does this likely mean for you and your S Corps? That Reasonable Compensation challenges will likely occur outside the traditional exam process. A challenge may come from the ongoing Employment Tax Program or the recently launched CIP.

From our polling, we find most tax advisors and their S Corp clients are dangerously unprepared for an IRS reasonable compensation challenge. If you are working with S corps, here’s the news you need to know…

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How Are You Determining Reasonable Compensation – Legal Fact or Convenient Fiction?

Accountants are facts and figures folk. Accountants rely on data and analysis, not myths and tales.

Well, not always. In 2020, we asked 4,671 tax advisors whether the IRS recognized rules of thumb such as a 50/50 split between distributions and reasonable compensation. Thirty-three percent said yes.

The IRS “rule of thumb” is a myth. But it’s a fact that we found 1,555 professional accountants who relied on this myth.

It’s not that they didn’t have the facts. All of those surveyed had just attended a continuing education class on reasonable compensation that walked them through, step by step, recent court cases, the IRS’s definition, rules, guidelines, and criteria for determining reasonable compensation. Nowhere in the class were they taught that the IRS accepts “rule of thumb” or “safe harbor” calculations based on percentage of distributions, sales, or revenue.

So, what gives? Why do so many accountants believe these rules of thumb are actually “rules”? And more importantly, does the IRS follow the same?

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CURRENT EDITION

OBBBA Rundown: Provisions Affecting Individuals for 2025

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.

OBBBA Rundown: Provisions Affecting Businesses for 2025

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 business 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.

Big, Beautiful, and Oh So Salty: SALT and the OBBBA

The SALT cap has been one of the most argued pieces of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as it has been making its way toward passage. Actually, tax professionals and politicians have been talking about the SALT cap (and looking for ways around it) since it was enacted as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. As most of you are aware, most TCJA provisions were set to expire at the end of 2025, including the SALT cap. We take a look at where they stand now.

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  • Observations on the House-Passed OBBB

    This article focuses on the OBBB from the House offering a variety of observations to help understand the range of changes, relevance to compliance and planning, process considerations and some unexpected provisions. While the final OBBB will not include all of the House provisions or will modify some of them, there are lessons to learn to understand the tax legislation process and results now and in the future.

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    Summertime Marketing in Your Tax & Accounting Firm

    Tax season is prosperous, summer is dry until extension season. Do you find yourself in that cycle? Clients are “easy” to get during tax season when taxes are top of mind. Then the direct deposits go dry by June, and you are looking for what’s next. Stop the search, you don’t have to add another service. You need better marketing to highlight the service that you offer and specialize in. This will allow you to have a predictable client pipeline. You can do tax preparation, planning, and or representation all year long.

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    TAX COURT ROUNDUP – July 2025

    Something old, something new, is the usual product of Tax Court, and this month is no exception. New: Equitable tolling is applied to out-of-country petitioners (maybe), an abandoned corporate merger escapes Section 1234A capital loss treatment of a break-up fee, the discounted cash flow method of valuation is rejected for valuing conservation easements, and the S.E.C. v. Jarkesy Eighth Amendment controversy continues. Old: Erroneously addressed Notices of Deficiency, witness testifying remotely, sealing witness testimony, CDP is a snapshot, and debt-vs-equity.

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    Campaign Promises and the OBBBA: Always Read the Fine Print

    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act makes good on several promises President Trump made on the campaign trail. Of course, tax legislation, unlike campaign sloganeering, rarely lends itself to sound bites. It is the opposite of pithy and the opposite of memorable. Even the bill’s title pushes the boundaries of memorability. If you’re looking for the tax promises section of the OBBBA it is in Title VII–Finance, Subtitle A–Tax, Chapter 2–Delivering on Presidential Priorities To Provide New Middle-Class Tax Relief. We take a closer look in this article.

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    Big, Beautiful, and Oh So Salty: SALT and the OBBBA

    The SALT cap has been one of the most argued pieces of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as it has been making its way toward passage. Actually, tax professionals and politicians have been talking about the SALT cap (and looking for ways around it) since it was enacted as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. As most of you are aware, most TCJA provisions were set to expire at the end of 2025, including the SALT cap. We take a look at where they stand now.

    Read More

    OBBBA Rundown: Provisions Affecting Businesses for 2025

    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 business 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.

    Read More
    Client Alert

    OBBBA Rundown: Provisions Affecting Individuals for 2025

    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.

    Read More
    Client Alert
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