Form 709 Filing Mechanics: What Happens After the Gift Is Made
Filing Form 709 isn’t hard. Getting it right is. Most practitioners clear the initial hurdle: they know when a return is required. What trips up gift tax returns in practice is everything that happens inside the form. Schedule A is more involved than it looks. Schedule B errors carry forward indefinitely. Gift splitting creates parallel […]
401(k) Rules in 2026: The Roth Catch-Up Mandate, Updated Limits, and Nondiscrimination Testing
The 401k Roth catch-up 2026 mandate — a SECURE 2.0 provision that had been delayed — takes full effect January 1, 2026. Participants age 50 or older whose prior-year FICA wages from the plan’s sponsoring employer exceeded $150,000 can no longer make pre-tax catch-up contributions. Those contributions are now Roth-only. If the plan doesn’t offer […]
529 Plans in 2026: Gift Tax Mechanics, OBBBA Expense Changes, and the Roth IRA Rollover Rules
The 529 plan OBBBA 2026 landscape sits at the intersection of education savings, gift tax planning, and estate mechanics. The basic structure is straightforward: contributions grow tax-deferred, qualified distributions come out federal income tax-free, and the account owner retains control while assets pass out of the estate. Where CPAs earn their keep is in the […]
Section 1202 QSBS in 2026: Effective Date Lines, the 28% Rate Trap, and What Changes for Prior Stock
The Section 1202 QSBS OBBBA changes look generous on paper: a tiered holding period, a higher gain exclusion cap, a broader gross asset threshold. But the practical question for CPAs working with clients who hold qualified small business stock isn’t what the new rules offer — it’s which set of rules actually applies to the […]
HSA Eligibility and the 2026 Rule Changes: Getting It Right on Client Returns
Two things changed for HSA eligibility rules in 2026 under the OBBBA. The contribution limits moved up modestly. The eligibility rules, thanks to the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), changed in ways that matter a lot more for return preparation. IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-19 covers the limit adjustments. The OBBBA, signed July 4, 2025, […]