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Prior-year tax return
W-2s and 1099s
K-1s
1098 and property tax
Charitable receipts
Health insurance Form 1095
Bank statements or profit and loss
Vehicle log
Show my savings
$13,600–$18,450
This range includes items that can stand together. A SEP and a Solo 401(k) for the same business are not both included. A shared home office, one phone bill, and one child's wages are counted once. Vehicle miles stay with the business that logged them. Pending CPA review.
5 items are in this range. 5 were left out so the same dollar is not counted twice.
The card shows only the savings range. It has no name and no income figures.
If you were set up as…, you could potentially…
These examples describe a different setup. They are not added to the tax picture, and they do not repeat a savings number from the setup comparison. This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA.
Priya Design · Current setup
If you were set up as a sole proprietorship or single-member LLC
This is the setup you entered. The notes below describe that setup. They do not add a second deduction.
Profit goes on the owner's return. Self-employment tax applies to the net earnings.
A spouse who is a real employee can be part of a section 105 plan that reimburses family medical costs. That path is not available through an S corporation.
Wages paid to the owner's child under 18 for real work can be free of Social Security and Medicare tax when the only owners are the parents. Those wages stay on the hiring-children card. They are not counted again here.
There is no salary-and-distribution split, and no corporate board.
This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA. Pending CPA review.
Priya Design · Hypothetical
If you were set up as a partnership or multi-member LLC
This is a hypothetical. Nothing on this card is added to the tax picture.
The partnership files its own return. Each owner reports a share on a Schedule K-1.
A section 707(c) payment is pay a partner receives without regard to profits. It is ordinary income to that partner and is generally subject to self-employment tax. It is not a child's FICA exemption and it is not an S-corp wage.
Hiring a child under 18 is FICA-free only when the partners are that child's parents. A partner who is not a parent changes that. Ask your CPA.
The section 105 spouse plan used by a sole proprietorship is not the same arrangement inside a partnership with outside partners.
This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA. Pending CPA review.
Priya Design · Hypothetical
If you were set up as an S corporation
This is a hypothetical. Nothing on this card is added to the tax picture.
An owner who works in the business is discussed as taking wages, with the rest of the profit as a distribution. This card does not pick a salary. Any illustration stays on the setup card and is not added again here.
A person who owns more than 2% does not get the same health-insurance exclusion as other employees. Premiums generally have to be on the owner W-2 before a deduction is discussed.
Employee 401(k) deferrals go through payroll by December 31. They share the same deferral limit as any other 401(k).
The under-18 FICA exemption for a parent's sole proprietorship does not apply to an S corporation.
This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA. Pending CPA review.
Priya Design · Hypothetical
If you were set up as a C corporation
This is a hypothetical. Nothing on this card is added to the tax picture.
A C corporation can have a board of directors. Paying someone still requires real services, a reasonable amount, and records. Director fees for a family trip are not allowed.
Some health reimbursement arrangements under section 105, and some fringe benefits under section 132, are discussed for C corporation employees. Each benefit has its own test. This card does not price any of them.
Profit is taxed to the corporation. Dividends can be taxed again on the personal return. That 21% illustration, when profit is entered, stays on the C corporation strategy card and is not repeated as a savings number here.
An S election is a different path, with its own eligibility limits.
This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA. Pending CPA review.
Priya Design · Hypothetical
If you were set up with a holding company
This is a hypothetical. Nothing on this card is added to the tax picture.
An LLC owned by another company is not the same as a single-member LLC owned by a person.
An S corporation cannot be owned by a partnership or by a corporation. A chain of LLCs is a CPA question before any election.
No savings number is shown for a holding-company structure.
This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA. Pending CPA review.
Omar Carpentry · Current setup
If you were set up as a sole proprietorship or single-member LLC
This is the setup you entered. The notes below describe that setup. They do not add a second deduction.
Profit goes on the owner's return. Self-employment tax applies to the net earnings.
A spouse who is a real employee can be part of a section 105 plan that reimburses family medical costs. That path is not available through an S corporation.
Wages paid to the owner's child under 18 for real work can be free of Social Security and Medicare tax when the only owners are the parents. Those wages stay on the hiring-children card. They are not counted again here.
There is no salary-and-distribution split, and no corporate board.
This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA. Pending CPA review.
Omar Carpentry · Hypothetical
If you were set up as a partnership or multi-member LLC
This is a hypothetical. Nothing on this card is added to the tax picture.
The partnership files its own return. Each owner reports a share on a Schedule K-1.
A section 707(c) payment is pay a partner receives without regard to profits. It is ordinary income to that partner and is generally subject to self-employment tax. It is not a child's FICA exemption and it is not an S-corp wage.
Hiring a child under 18 is FICA-free only when the partners are that child's parents. A partner who is not a parent changes that. Ask your CPA.
The section 105 spouse plan used by a sole proprietorship is not the same arrangement inside a partnership with outside partners.
This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA. Pending CPA review.
Omar Carpentry · Hypothetical
If you were set up as an S corporation
This is a hypothetical. Nothing on this card is added to the tax picture.
An owner who works in the business is discussed as taking wages, with the rest of the profit as a distribution. This card does not pick a salary. Any illustration stays on the setup card and is not added again here.
A person who owns more than 2% does not get the same health-insurance exclusion as other employees. Premiums generally have to be on the owner W-2 before a deduction is discussed.
Employee 401(k) deferrals go through payroll by December 31. They share the same deferral limit as any other 401(k).
The under-18 FICA exemption for a parent's sole proprietorship does not apply to an S corporation.
This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA. Pending CPA review.
Omar Carpentry · Hypothetical
If you were set up as a C corporation
This is a hypothetical. Nothing on this card is added to the tax picture.
A C corporation can have a board of directors. Paying someone still requires real services, a reasonable amount, and records. Director fees for a family trip are not allowed.
Some health reimbursement arrangements under section 105, and some fringe benefits under section 132, are discussed for C corporation employees. Each benefit has its own test. This card does not price any of them.
Profit is taxed to the corporation. Dividends can be taxed again on the personal return. That 21% illustration, when profit is entered, stays on the C corporation strategy card and is not repeated as a savings number here.
An S election is a different path, with its own eligibility limits.
This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA. Pending CPA review.
Omar Carpentry · Hypothetical
If you were set up with a holding company
This is a hypothetical. Nothing on this card is added to the tax picture.
An LLC owned by another company is not the same as a single-member LLC owned by a person.
An S corporation cannot be owned by a partnership or by a corporation. A chain of LLCs is a CPA question before any election.
No savings number is shown for a holding-company structure.
This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA. Pending CPA review.
2026 topics
Each amount stays on its own card. A shared dollar, such as a car used for business, a Wisconsin credit given up for the retirement subtraction, childcare paid from a dependent-care FSA, or plan costs covered by a credit, is not added a second time. Pending CPA review.
High
Legit · Form 2441 and Wisconsin Schedule WI-2441
Child and dependent care credit
The federal credit can reach 50% of work-related care, after any dependent-care FSA.
Eligible expenses after the dependent-care FSA: $0. The 2026 top rate is 50%, which would be $0 before the phase-down. A full-year Wisconsin resident can ask about Schedule WI-2441. The Wisconsin formula is not computed.
Unverified, confirm with CPA. The federal phase-down by AGI and the Wisconsin add-on formula are unverified, confirm with CPA.
This is a possibility, not advice. Verify with your CPA before acting. Pending CPA review.
Dependent-care FSA dollars reduce these expenses. The FSA is not deducted again, and this credit is not added on top of the FSA exclusion.
Optional tax moves: if you did this, here's what it could mean.
These are hypothetical. Nothing in this section is added to the tax picture, so it cannot be counted twice. This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA.
Legit
If you bought an investment property
Depreciation, cost segregation, a short-term rental, and real estate professional status are separate tests.
If you bought an investment property and placed it in service, the building can be depreciated. Land is not depreciated.
A cost-segregation study can move some of the cost into shorter-life property. For property acquired after January 19, 2025, the draft bonus rate is 100% of that shorter-life part. Pending CPA review.
A short-term rental with an average stay of 7 days or less, plus material participation, is sometimes nonpassive. Real estate professional status is a separate hours test, generally more than half of working time and more than 750 hours.
Rental losses that stay passive are limited. The draft active-participation allowance is $25,000, phasing out between $100,000 and $150,000 of modified AGI. Pending CPA review.
No purchase price was entered, so there is no dollar illustration. This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA.
Legit
If you used a 1031 exchange
This defers gain on real property. It does not shelter business income.
A like-kind exchange defers gain on a sale of real property. It does not reduce ordinary business income.
The usual timing is 45 days to name replacement property and 180 days to close, using a qualified intermediary. Cash or other property taken out, called boot, is taxed in the year of the sale.
Wisconsin follows section 1031 and taxes only 70% of long-term capital gain that is recognized. Pending CPA review.
Enter a sale price and adjusted basis for a dollar illustration. This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA.
Legit
If you deferred gain in an Opportunity Zone
The deferral is for capital gain, not for profit from the business.
An Opportunity Zone investment defers eligible capital gain. It does not defer ordinary business income.
Gain deferred under the old rules is recognized on December 31, 2026. New zone designations start January 1, 2027.
Wisconsin has not adopted the newer Opportunity Zone changes. Ask your CPA before relying on a Wisconsin subtraction. Pending CPA review.
Rural Opportunity Zones use a 50% substantial-improvement test. That line is part of this card, not a second deferral.
Legit
If you sold on an installment plan
Gain is taxed as payments are collected. Recapture does not wait.
An installment sale under section 453 spreads profit on a sale as payments come in. It is a real method, not a scheme.
Depreciation recapture is generally recognized in the year of sale, even when the rest of the gain waits.
A sale to a related person who resells within two years can pull the gain back into the first year.
Enter the sale and the number of years for a dollar illustration. This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA.
Avoid
Deferred sales trusts, monetized installment sales, and abusive trusts
These are promoter patterns. This check does not estimate a tax benefit for them.
A deferred sales trust is not the same as a normal installment sale. Treat it as high risk until your own CPA reviews the papers.
The IRS has warned that monetized installment sales are abusive. Cash now plus a long tax deferral is the pattern to walk away from.
Abusive trusts, including some charitable remainder trusts sold as a way to get cash tax-free, are on the schemes list.
No dollar savings are shown. This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA.
Gray
A family board and director fees
An LLC does not have a board of directors unless the documents create one.
Paying a family member director fees so the business can deduct a trip is not allowed.
A fee still has to be for real services, at a reasonable amount, with records.
No deduction is estimated. This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA.
Itemized deductions or the standard deduction
One comparison. The tax picture uses the larger amount and does not stack them.
Legit
Itemizing or the standard deduction
Itemizing may not benefit you.
Homeowner's insurance and HOA dues on a personal home are not deductible.
Mortgage interest, property tax, state income tax, charity, and medical bills were not entered, so this draft keeps the standard deduction. Pending CPA review.
Health insurance
Eligibility decides whether a premium is in the tax picture.
Legit
Health insurance eligibility
The self-employed health insurance deduction is blocked in this draft.
No self-employed health insurance deduction is estimated because a premium paid by the household was not entered.
An after-tax premium that is not allowed here can still be a medical expense on Schedule A, above 7.5% of AGI, if you itemize. It is not also a self-employed health insurance deduction.
Wisconsin has a medical-insurance subtraction on Schedule SB. The same premium is not subtracted twice. The 2025 instructions are the source until 2026 is confirmed. Pending CPA review.
Hiring a spouse in a sole proprietorship and reimbursing family health costs under section 105 is a CPA question. That path is not available through an S corporation, because a spouse's ownership is attributed to the other spouse.
An HSA still requires a qualifying high-deductible plan. From 2026, bronze and catastrophic plans and direct primary care can be HSA-compatible, and pre-deductible telehealth is allowed. The HSA card is the only place that contribution is counted.
The premium in the tax picture uses this eligibility result once. This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA.
If your 2026 income ends up above 400% of the federal poverty level, you may have to pay back all advance premium tax credit. Starting in 2026 there is no cap on repaying excess advance credit. Whether any later extension of the enhanced credit became law is unverified, confirm with CPA.
Qualified business income
The deduction in the tax picture already reflects this.
Legit
Qualified business income, 2026
The tax picture already includes a draft QBI deduction. Bonus depreciation and section 179 reduce that base.
A sole proprietorship, partnership, or S corporation with profit can be eligible. A C corporation is not. Specified-service businesses phase out above the income threshold.
The draft threshold is $403,500 joint and $201,750 for other statuses. The phase-in width is $150,000 joint and $75,000 otherwise.
If the deduction would be smaller than $400 and active QBI is at least $1,000, the draft uses the minimum. Material participation is not tested.
Form 8995 is the short form at or under the threshold. Form 8995-A is the longer form above it. This app does not file either form.
No equipment cost is in the picture, so nothing was subtracted for section 179 or bonus on this card.
Wisconsin has no QBI deduction. This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA.
Did you know
Pointers to amounts that are already entered somewhere else.
Legit
Did you know: advertising and marketing
A website, ads, cards, and a sponsorship can be ordinary business costs.
Advertising is Schedule C line 8. Enter it in the advertising list once. Do not also type it as equipment or as a prepaid bill.
A personal hobby post or a gift over the gift limit is not advertising.
No advertising dollars were entered, so nothing is in the tax picture.
This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA.
Legit
Did you know: one-offs people miss
These already have their own cards or lines. This list does not add a second deduction.
An accountable plan is how a corporation repays an owner's business costs. See that card. Do not also deduct the same receipt on a personal return.
Paying a child for real work, the 14-day home rental, the home office, and the vehicle each have one card. The same miles, room, or wages are not priced twice.
Business meals are generally 50%. That rate is already on the everyday-expenses card.
Startup costs and the de minimis safe harbor are their own strategies. A purchase is one or the other, not both.
The saver's credit, an HSA, and Trump Accounts each have a narrow eligibility test. The HSA and Trump Account cards are the only dollar places.
Prepaying a bill the business already needs can be deductible under the 12-month rule. It is not a reason to buy something extra. The prepaid line is the only place that amount is counted.
A dependent care FSA has a draft 2026 household limit of $7,500. Enter it once on the tax step. Pending CPA review.
A return can often be amended for about three years. That is a CPA question, not a new deduction.
Retirement, side by side, pending CPA review: a SEP is often opened and funded by the return due date, including extensions. A SIMPLE employee deferral is $17,000, plus $4,000 at age 50, and the plan is generally opened by October 1. A Solo 401(k) for a sole proprietor with no employees can be opened after December 31, up to the original due date without extensions, for the first year of deferrals. S corporation deferrals still go through payroll by December 31. A defined benefit or cash balance plan uses an actuary. The draft annual benefit limit is $290,000.
A spouse on the business payroll does not save Social Security tax. FICA still applies. There is no FUTA on a spouse. The spouse's employee 401(k) deferral shares the same limit as a W-2 job.
This is not a recommendation. Ask your CPA.
Strategies
Home office
Priya Design · $150–$200
A space used regularly and exclusively for the business, and that is the principal place of business, may support a home-office deduction. This draft shows only the simplified method: $5 per square foot, up to 300 square feet. The regular method is a CPA question. W-2 employees cannot take this for a job.
Records: High
This area is often questioned when the records are thin.
Records to keep
A floor-plan sketch with the square feet measured
Photos and a short note of the business use
For the regular method, the expense records a CPA asks for
This meter is an estimate of how often this area draws questions. It is not a prediction of an audit. Pending CPA review.
Priya and Omar: Can we claim the home office if Omar also uses the shop bench?
S-corp election for 2027
Priya Design · Not estimated
A sole proprietorship or LLC with profit above a draft rule of thumb may want to ask whether an S-corp election for 2027 is worth the payroll, the tax return, and a reasonable salary. The rule of thumb is not an IRS threshold. This app does not estimate the savings, because that would require inventing a salary.
Records: High
This area is often questioned when the records are thin.
Records to keep
The profit projection used for the conversation
A quote or note on payroll and preparation costs
The entity documents a CPA would need for Form 2553
This meter is an estimate of how often this area draws questions. It is not a prediction of an audit. Pending CPA review.
Solo 401(k)
Priya Design · $6,150–$8,350
An owner-only 401(k) can allow an employee deferral plus an employer contribution. The deferral limit is per person across every 401(k), including a day job and a spouse's plan. A sole proprietor with no employees can open a first-year plan after December 31, up to the original return due date without extensions, for that year's deferrals. S corporation deferrals still go through payroll by December 31. A business with employees other than the owner and spouse generally cannot use a solo plan. Contributions do not reduce self-employment tax in this draft.
Records: Medium
This area needs a clear file, and a few facts are still open or the rules are easy to mix up.
Records to keep
Day-job 401(k) contributions year to date, for each person
Plan adoption paperwork and the payroll or funding records
Ages, because catch-up contributions depend on age
This meter is an estimate of how often this area draws questions. It is not a prediction of an audit. Pending CPA review.
SEP-IRA
Priya Design · $2,500–$3,400
A SEP-IRA lets a profitable business set aside retirement money, often up until the tax return due date including extensions. For a sole proprietor the draft math uses about 20% of net earnings after half of the self-employment tax. Contributions do not reduce self-employment tax in this draft.
Records: Medium
This area needs a clear file, and a few facts are still open or the rules are easy to mix up.
Records to keep
The profit figure used for the contribution
A list of employees and their eligibility
Records of contributions already made
This meter is an estimate of how often this area draws questions. It is not a prediction of an audit. Pending CPA review.
Vehicle
Omar Carpentry · $1,550–$2,100
A business vehicle can be discussed as standard mileage or as actual expenses. When miles and cash costs are entered, this draft compares them and shows which side is larger. Depreciation is not fully calculated. A corporation often uses an accountable plan instead of a Schedule C deduction.
Records: High
This area is often questioned when the records are thin.
Records to keep
A mileage log with dates, miles, and the business purpose
Or the actual expense records and the business-use percentage
This meter is an estimate of how often this area draws questions. It is not a prediction of an audit. Pending CPA review.
Home office
Omar Carpentry · $150–$200
A space used regularly and exclusively for the business, and that is the principal place of business, may support a home-office deduction. This draft shows only the simplified method: $5 per square foot, up to 300 square feet. The regular method is a CPA question. W-2 employees cannot take this for a job.
Records: High
This area is often questioned when the records are thin.
Records to keep
A floor-plan sketch with the square feet measured
Photos and a short note of the business use
For the regular method, the expense records a CPA asks for
This meter is an estimate of how often this area draws questions. It is not a prediction of an audit. Pending CPA review.
S-corp election for 2027
Omar Carpentry · Not estimated
A sole proprietorship or LLC with profit above a draft rule of thumb may want to ask whether an S-corp election for 2027 is worth the payroll, the tax return, and a reasonable salary. The rule of thumb is not an IRS threshold. This app does not estimate the savings, because that would require inventing a salary.
Records: High
This area is often questioned when the records are thin.
Records to keep
The profit projection used for the conversation
A quote or note on payroll and preparation costs
The entity documents a CPA would need for Form 2553
This meter is an estimate of how often this area draws questions. It is not a prediction of an audit. Pending CPA review.
Solo 401(k)
Omar Carpentry · $5,600–$7,600
An owner-only 401(k) can allow an employee deferral plus an employer contribution. The deferral limit is per person across every 401(k), including a day job and a spouse's plan. A sole proprietor with no employees can open a first-year plan after December 31, up to the original return due date without extensions, for that year's deferrals. S corporation deferrals still go through payroll by December 31. A business with employees other than the owner and spouse generally cannot use a solo plan. Contributions do not reduce self-employment tax in this draft.
Records: Medium
This area needs a clear file, and a few facts are still open or the rules are easy to mix up.
Records to keep
Day-job 401(k) contributions year to date, for each person
Plan adoption paperwork and the payroll or funding records
Ages, because catch-up contributions depend on age
This meter is an estimate of how often this area draws questions. It is not a prediction of an audit. Pending CPA review.
SEP-IRA
Omar Carpentry · $1,950–$2,650
A SEP-IRA lets a profitable business set aside retirement money, often up until the tax return due date including extensions. For a sole proprietor the draft math uses about 20% of net earnings after half of the self-employment tax. Contributions do not reduce self-employment tax in this draft.
Records: Medium
This area needs a clear file, and a few facts are still open or the rules are easy to mix up.
Records to keep
The profit figure used for the contribution
A list of employees and their eligibility
Records of contributions already made
This meter is an estimate of how often this area draws questions. It is not a prediction of an audit. Pending CPA review.
SEP-IRA and Solo 401(k), side by side
Household · Not estimated
A SEP is an employer contribution based on that business's earnings. It does not use the W-2 401(k) or 403(b) deferral limit, and it can often be opened and funded by the return due date, including extensions. A Solo 401(k) adds an employee deferral. That deferral is per person across every 401(k), including a day job and a spouse on payroll. A first-year sole proprietor with no employees can open the plan after December 31, up to the original due date without extensions. A SIMPLE plan has its own lower deferral and is generally opened by October 1. A defined benefit or cash balance plan is set by an actuary. Each unrelated employer's annual-additions limit is separate. This card does not tell anyone to switch plans.
Records: Medium
This area needs a clear file, and a few facts are still open or the rules are easy to mix up.
Records to keep
Year-to-date W-2 401(k) or 403(b) deferrals and any employer match
Business retirement plan type and contributions already made
A list of which person owns each business
This meter is an estimate of how often this area draws questions. It is not a prediction of an audit. Pending CPA review.
