Sandra Tapia, CPA, PLLC

05/29/2026

Q2 estimated taxes are due June 15.

If you're self-employed or own a business, keep this in mind:

📌 Skipping it doesn't go away in April. The IRS charges underpayment penalties from the missed due date.
📌 Your payment should reflect how your year has actually gone, not just what you paid last quarter.
📌 A strong Q1 and Q2 means your estimate may need to be adjusted upward, don't let that gap compound through Q3 and Q4.

Not sure what you owe? We're here to help.

05/29/2026

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙭𝙚𝙨?

If you rent out your home, apartment, or spare room to guests, income taxes may not be the only tax issue on the table.

Occupancy taxes are taxes charged on the rental price paid by your guest. They’re sometimes called tourist tax, hotel tax, room tax, or lodging tax.

They’re different from income tax, which is based on your profit.

The confusing part is that occupancy tax rules can change depending on your city or county. And if the tax isn’t collected and sent in correctly, the penalties can be a real problem.

Have a short-term rental or thinking about starting one? Comment “RENTAL” to get help with the tax obligations.

05/28/2026

Building something takes years. Losing it can happen faster than most people expect. Here's 3 ways you can protect what you've built.

1. Separate every business asset from your personal life. Dedicated business bank account. Business credit card. Contracts signed in the business name. The moment these lines blur your LLC's liability protection starts to weaken and everything you've built becomes more exposed than it should be.

2. Build a cash reserve equal to at least three months of operating expenses. Not for growth. For stability. A cash cushion is what keeps a slow quarter or an unexpected expense from becoming an existential problem. Build it deliberately and don't touch it for anything other than a genuine emergency.

3. Know your insurance coverage and review it annually. General liability, professional liability, cyber coverage - as your business grows, your risk exposure grows with it. Coverage that was adequate at year two may be dangerously thin by year five.

Protection isn't exciting to think about. It's very exciting to have when you need it.

05/28/2026

𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙭𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚?

If your business deducted tariff payments as an expense in prior years, you may not be able to treat the refund as tax-free money when it comes back.

Most of the refund will likely need to be reported as taxable income in the year you receive it.

There’s another piece to watch too: CBP may include interest with the refund.

For tax reporting, you’ll need to separate:
• The refund principal
• The interest paid on the refund

Don’t just plan for the cash coming in. Plan for how it may show up on your tax return too. DM us if you want help getting that plan in place.

05/27/2026

Want a business loan?

Lenders aren't just looking at your idea. They're looking at your financial story.
Here's what that story needs to include:

📋 Clean financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow) for 2-3 years
📋 Personal and business tax returns, filed and aligned with your financials
📋 Strong cash flow, not just strong revenue
📋 Solid personal credit score
📋 At least two years of operating history for most traditional lenders

The business owners who get approved quickly and on favorable terms aren't always the most profitable but they are the most prepared.

05/27/2026

Google's updates to its search bar are really interesting: https://www.techbrew.com/stories/google-it-while-you-still-can

And you might be tempted to ask all kinds of tax questions with the new features. And the thing is, the answer might sound definitive in the results but actually still be wrong for your situation.

Tax questions need details that AI agents don't think to ask for.

Maybe your income changed. Maybe you got an IRS notice. Maybe you’re asking about a deduction, but the real issue is how your business is set up.

Don't rely on quick answers from Gemini when it comes to your IRS obligations.

Ask a professional you can trust (we're right here).

05/27/2026

What could you do with the hours you spend on payroll and bookkeeping every month?

Serve more clients.
Close more business.
Lead your team more intentionally.
Actually take a weekend off without a reconciliation waiting for you Monday morning.

The financial admin of running a business has to happen. But it doesn't have to happen on your time.

When payroll and bookkeeping are handled by professionals who do this every single day, you get accuracy you can trust and hours you can spend on something that actually moves your business forward.

05/26/2026

𝘿𝙤 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙭𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢?

If you’re charging people to stay in your house, apartment, or even just a spare bedroom, that income may need to be reported on your tax return.

In the eyes of the IRS and state taxing authorities, you’re acting as a landlord once guests are paying to stay there.

But the tax treatment depends heavily on your personal use of the space.

Two questions to think about:
1. How many days did guests stay there?
2. How many days did you use the property yourself?

So if you’re renting out part or all of your home, don’t just look at how much money came in.

Your guest days and personal-use days matter too.

05/26/2026

Why Tariff Refund Claims Get Delayed for Texas Small Business Owners https://stapiacpa.com/2026/05/26/why-tariff-refund-claims-get-delayed-for-texas-small-business-owners/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-tariff-refund-claims-get-delayed-for-texas-small-business-owners&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=Sendible&utm_campaign=RSS

Navigate 2026 tariff refund claims successfully. Avoid rejections with tips on portal setup, multi-broker tracking, audit risks, and tax implications.

05/25/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17mcyBq82M/

“Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices.”
–Harry S. Truman.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲.

For those who never came home and for the families who feel that absence every day, we honor you.