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Loose Change in Your Couch and Maybe a Tax Break at Your Kitchen Table
A 2023 Tax Court decision upheld what many small business owners and tax practitioners have wondered about for some time. The court found that shareholders of an S corporation could exclude rental income paid to them by their S corporation for holding planning meetings in their homes. While the IRS and court found that the amounts charged by the shareholders were excessive, the court found the arrangement itself within the bounds of the law. This article examines this case and underlying law and when and how this is a planning idea worth pursuing, the limitations and unknowns involved, and the policy implications of this long standing exclusion. The case is Sinopoli, TC Memo 2023-105 involving the exclusion at IRC Section 280A(g).
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CURRENT EDITION
Form 1099 Reporting Thresholds Have Changed
The Form 1099 reporting thresholds have changed from the old, familiar $600 amount to $2,000 for 2026. But because nothing is ever easy or straightforward, the threshold hasn’t changed for “all” transactions that might end up on a 1099, particularly with Form 1099-MISC.
What Do You Ask Indie Game Developers at Tax Interviews?
When you take on a new client, the tax interview is one of the most crucial elements of ensuring that their tax documents are prepared correctly. Both individual and business clients should provide you with a road map for their current tax situation, what they expect it to look like in the near future, and how your tax planning and preparation skills will help them with their business or financial goals. To focus specifically on business clients, questionnaires that the client fills out beforehand can efficiently cut down on facetime. This allows you more time to ask focused questions and learn about your client’s business needs and environment. But if your client is a game developer, specifically an indie game developer, there’s some nuanced questions you should ask in person or as an addendum to your questionnaire after you’ve read about the basics of doing business with game developers.
Using AI In Your Tax Practice? Choose The Nuclear Option
I always know when something, especially something bad, is trending on social media. Why? Because I’m not on social media and I still hear about the issue. Lately, I’m getting disturbing reports of the cavalier attitude that many tax practitioners are taking towards the use of AI in their practices. Apparently even the IRS is catching on because in late June 2026 the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) sent a bulletin to practitioners reminding them of their obligations under Treasury Circular 230 and how the circular’s provisions apply to using AI in a tax practice. The bulletin includes a decent list of best practices, and I recommend reviewing the bulletin and the applicable sections of Circular 230 after you finish this article.
SIMPLIFIED TAX STRATEGIES &
PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION
Think Outside the Tax Box provides tax reduction strategies along with practical
implementation advice in order to reduce your clients’ federal tax bill with ease.
