Kevin E. Parker Agency

08/26/2026

Major Higher Education Tax Credits Now Require Valid SSN – Did You Know?

The American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) and Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC) help many Americans pay for higher education. For eligible students pursuing a degree or other recognized credential, the AOTC can cover up to $2,500 in tuition, required school fees and certain course materials per year. Meanwhile, the LLC can offset up to $2,000 per tax return for qualified education expenses for eligible students taking higher education courses for a variety of reasons.

Beginning with tax year 2026, the taxpayer claiming either the AOTC or LLC (and spouse, if filing jointly) must have a Social Security number (SSN) valid for work in the United States that was issued before the due date of the tax return, including extensions. If the eligible student is not the person claiming the credit (for example, if the student is that person's dependent or spouse), then the student must also have a valid SSN issued by that deadline. Other qualification requirements, such as income limits, remain in effect. A tax professional can help you determine whether the higher education expenses you pay for yourself, your spouse or a dependent qualify for a tax benefit.

08/21/2026

Seasonal Employers - Did You Know?

Summer is a peak time for many businesses to hire seasonal employees. In general, the same federal tax rules apply to these workers as to permanent staff. Employers typically must withhold federal income tax and F**A (Social Security and Medicare) taxes and pay the employer share of F**A. Employers subject to FUTA must also pay federal unemployment tax on taxable wages.

Seasonal employers often must file Form 941 (Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return) for quarters in which they pay wages. However, they generally do not need to file for quarters in which they paid no wages and have no employment tax liability. If this applies, check the "Seasonal Employer" box on every Form 941 you file.

Employment taxes generally must be deposited monthly or semiweekly, based on the applicable lookback period. FUTA follows separate deposit rules and generally must be deposited when accumulated FUTA tax exceeds $500 for a quarter. Federal tax deposits must be made electronically, including through EFTPS.

08/14/2026

08/13/2026

Expense Deduction Rules for Personal Property Used for Business – Did You Know?

Many self-employed people may qualify to reduce their taxable income by deducting business expenses. In general, you must allocate expenses related to mixed-use property based on your "percentage of business use." But how is this percentage calculated?

For many types of equipment, your business use percentage may be based on a reasonable measure such as time or output. For example, if you use your computer for 30 hours a week in your freelance work and 20 hours a week for personal purposes (total of 50 hours), then your business use percentage would generally be 30/50 = 60%. Meanwhile, if you have a printer and print 400 pages for business reasons and 100 pages for personal reasons (500 pages total), then your business use percentage would typically be 400/500 = 80%. Therefore, you could generally allocate 80% of shared costs like ink and paper to business use.

On the other hand, business percentages for vehicles should be based on mileage, not time. So if you drive your car 4,500 miles this year in the course of your self-employment work, and 10,500 miles for all other purposes (total of 15,000 miles), then your business use percentage would be 4,500/15,000 = 30%. Alternatively, if eligible, you may choose to use the standard mileage rate and calculate your vehicle deduction based on your qualifying business miles instead of deducting your share of actual vehicle expenses. Be sure to keep records that support your business use percentage, such as mileage logs, usage records, or other documentation showing how the property was used for business and personal purposes.

08/05/2026

New IRS Automatic Exemption from Penalty Program

Beginning in summer 2026, the IRS is implementing a new system that will waive certain failure-to-file, failure-to-pay and failure-to-deposit penalties for eligible taxpayers with a strong compliance history. To qualify for the Automatic Exemption from Penalty (AEP) program, a taxpayer generally must have met all filing and payment deadlines for the previous three years, or 12 consecutive quarters for quarterly filers.

Unlike First Time Abate, eligible taxpayers will not need to request AEP relief. The IRS will apply it automatically and send a notice. For eligible returns due on or after January 1, 2027, AEP will replace First Time Abate, although reasonable-cause relief will remain available.

Not all IRS penalties qualify for automatic relief. For example, information-return penalties and accuracy-related penalties generally will not qualify. AEP applies only to eligible penalties, not to the underlying tax or interest due.

07/29/2026

Charitable Cash Donation Deductions

Historically, only people who itemized deductions on their tax returns could deduct contributions to charities. However, beginning this year, taxpayers may now qualify to deduct up to $1,000 in cash donations (up to $2,000 for joint filers), regardless of whether they itemize or use a standard deduction.

Only contributions to qualified, tax-exempt charitable organizations (not individuals) are deductible. You can check the official IRS list of tax-exempt charities (link below) to verify an organization's eligibility to receive tax-deductible donations. For monetary contributions, save bank records, canceled checks and/or receipts showing each organization's name, along with the date and amount of each donation. The IRS requires a written acknowledgement from the charity for each individual contribution of $250 or more, showing both the donation amount and the value of anything you receive in return (such as tee shirts, totes, etc.).

You still need to itemize in order to deduct contributions of property, and must have detailed records showing how you determined reasonable dollar values for the donations. For valuable items like collectibles or artwork, you may need a professional appraisal.

Tax Exempt Organization Search: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations

07/23/2026

Form 1099-K – Did You Know?

If you receive a Form 1099-K, review it for payments that may not be taxable, such as reimbursements from friends or family. If these payments were mistakenly included, ask the payment processor to issue a corrected form. Keep in mind that some transactions involving personal items may still have tax consequences, particularly if you sold an item for more than you paid for it.

07/15/2026

Increased Standard Mileage Rates Starting July 1, 2026

Due to higher fuel prices, the IRS has increased the standard mileage rate for business driving to 76 cents per mile for mileage incurred on or after July 1, 2026. The rates for medical travel and eligible moving expenses have also increased to 23.5 cents per mile.

The charitable mileage rate remains unchanged at 14 cents per mile, while the previously announced 2026 rates continue to apply to mileage incurred before July 1.

06/15/2026

IRS Offer in Compromise Program – Did You Know?

People who cannot pay their tax bills in full may have options to resolve the situation. One of these options is the Offer in Compromise (OIC) program, which allows eligible taxpayers to settle their debts with the IRS for less than the full amount owed.

Anyone considering an OIC should first check whether they qualify using the IRS Pre-Qualifier tool online (link below). Eligible taxpayers may then submit an application. In most cases, the application must be accompanied by a $205 fee and an initial payment toward the tax debt, although these requirements may be waived for lower-income applicants.

An OIC application requires detailed financial information and must be carefully prepared. Beware of aggressive ads promising to settle tax debts quickly for a small fraction of the amount owed. Companies behind these ads, often referred to as OIC mills, may charge substantial fees while submitting applications for people who have little chance of qualifying. A trusted tax professional can help ensure that an OIC application is complete, accurate, and has a reasonable chance of acceptance.

OIC Pre-Qualifier Online Tool: https://irs.treasury.gov/oic_pre_qualifier/

05/11/2026

Receiving Online Payments - Did You Know?

If you are self-employed and receive payments through online payment processing platforms, take care to separate business and personal transactions. You can do this by setting up separate business accounts on the platforms, or by using features that allow you to specify the purpose of payments. Otherwise, the platforms may overreport your income.