How Do I Check the Status of My Return With the Firm?
Where your return actually stands, how to ask so the answer comes fast, and why this firm answers status questions in writing — with your reference number attached.
THE TAX CUTTERY® Letter
What's happening in tax law now
A national question, argued to a thesis, cited to primary law. A few letters are free. The rest is for subscribers.
From the Letter — the three-part series
Start here if you want the house style in one sitting.
- Part 1 — The 30-Year Thread: fiber, Greenspan, the GFC, pandemic money, and the loop →
- Part 2 — The Blast Radius: Mag-7 concentration and the tax moves a drawdown opens →
- Part 3 — Where's the Next Tail? The repricing arrives →
Earlier writing
Guide-derived articles. Archive — not the live dispatch.
No, the QBI Deduction Did Not Go to 23% — Something Better Happened
Half the internet says OBBBA raised the Section 199A deduction to 23%. It did not — what passed is 20%, permanently. The correction, with legislative history.
The Tax Problems I See Most Often — and How to Stay Out of All of Them
The most common tax problems — deduction abuse, missed write-offs, late filing, non-filing, and preparer fraud — and how to avoid each one.
No, You Can't Deduct That Fine: Why Penalties Never Reduce Your Tax Bill
Government fines and penalties aren't deductible — not as business expenses, not on Schedule A. Here's the rule, the reasoning, and the narrow exceptions.
New Baby, New Exception: Taking $5,000 From Retirement Without the 10% Penalty
Each parent can withdraw up to $5,000 from an IRA or 401(k) penalty-free within a year of a birth or adoption — and repay it later. How the exception works.
What Actually Gets a Small Business Audited (From Someone Who Represents the Audited)
Income mismatches, outsized deductions, and unreported cash are the IRS audit triggers small businesses hit most — how each works and how to stay off the list.
Cost Segregation: Turn Your Building Into Front-Loaded Deductions
How a cost segregation study accelerates depreciation on commercial and rental property — and why permanent 100% bonus depreciation makes it more powerful than ever.
How to Give Money Away Without Giving the IRS a Cut
Give $19,000 per person per year with zero gift-tax consequences; the lifetime exclusion is now a permanent $15 million. How the gift tax works in 2026.
Selling Property With a Big Gain? An Installment Sale Can Keep You Out of the Top Brackets
A large capital gain in one year can trigger the 20% rate plus the 3.8% net investment income surtax. Spreading it with an installment sale is often the fix.
The IRS Notice of Deficiency (CP3219A): What It Means and Exactly What to Do Next
A Notice of Deficiency means the IRS's records don't match your return — and starts a hard deadline for Tax Court. Here's how to respond whether you agree or not.
Do You Qualify for an IRS Offer in Compromise? The Honest Version
An Offer in Compromise lets qualifying taxpayers settle IRS debt for less than they owe — and acceptance is more common than the folklore says. Who qualifies.
The IRS Will Never Call You First — How to Spot Every IRS Impersonation Scam
The one rule that defeats nearly every IRS phone and email scam, plus the phishing patterns and identity-theft traps to watch for.
Stop Paying IRS Underpayment Penalties — the Safe Harbor Rules That Protect You
How the pay-as-you-earn system works, why self-employed people face underpayment penalties, and the safe harbor rules and year-end withholding trick.
Foreign Accounts, Draconian Penalties: Who Actually Has to File the FBAR and Form 8938
The $10,000 FBAR trigger, Form 8938 thresholds, the foreign accounts people miss, and the penalties that make noncompliance so expensive.
An IRS Notice Is Not an Accusation — Here's How to Handle One Without Losing Sleep
Why the IRS sends notices, the three mistakes that turn a routine letter into an expensive problem, and how a federally licensed tax practitioner handles it.
The 'Queen of Tax Fraud' Got 21 Years — and Her Facebook Posts Did Half the Prosecution's Work
Rashia Wilson stole millions in fraudulent refunds, then bragged about it on Facebook. What her case teaches about identity theft and the IRS's long memory.
Innocent Spouse Relief: The Three Conditions That Get You Off the Hook for a Spouse's Tax Mess
When a joint return hides a spouse's errors, the IRS can hold both signers liable — unless you qualify for innocent spouse relief. The three tests explained.
Installment Sales: Spread the Gain, Spread the Tax — What Property Sellers Need to Know
How installment sales let property sellers spread capital gains over years, the four structures, and the traps — depreciation recapture and election rules.
Offers in Compromise: How Tax Debts Actually Get Settled for Less — and Who Qualifies
The real rules of the IRS Offer in Compromise: the three grounds, filing prerequisites, and how the IRS calculates what it thinks you can pay.
AGI, MAGI, Marginal Rate, AMT: The Tax Terms You Need Before Any Tax Conversation Makes Sense
Common IRS tax terms in plain English — filing status, AGI, MAGI, taxable income, marginal rates, deductions, credits, and the AMT.
Side Hustle Income and Form 1099-K: What the Rules Are Now — and Why the Form Was Never the Point
The 1099-K threshold is back to $20,000 and 200 transactions, but side hustle income was always taxable — form or no form. What actually matters.
Have an EIN? You Owe the IRS a Heads-Up Within 60 Days of Changing Your Address or 'Responsible Party'
IRS rules give businesses 60 days to report a change of address or responsible party on Form 8822-B. Skipping it is how identity-theft problems fester unnoticed.
That IRS Letter: Real, or a Scam? How to Tell Before You Panic
How to tell a legitimate IRS letter from an impersonation scam, the most common reasons the IRS writes to you, and what to do next.
IRS Notices Decoded: What Each One Means and What to Do Next
CP2000, CP504, Final Notice of Intent to Levy — what the common IRS notices actually mean, the myths around them, and the step-by-step response that protects your rights.
IRS Penalties: What Triggers Them — and How to Get Them Reduced
The five IRS penalties that catch individuals and small businesses most often, what triggers each, and the relief options — including first-time abatement.
The Underpayment Penalty: How the IRS Charges You Interest for Paying Your Own Taxes Too Late
The estimated-tax underpayment penalty is an interest charge that hits self-employed people and investors hardest. The safe harbors and year-end workarounds.
IRS Wage Garnishment: Why It Happens and Four Ways to Stop It
How an IRS wage levy actually unfolds — the notice sequence, the deadlines that matter, and the four proven ways to stop garnishment before or after it starts.
Is the Interest You Pay Deductible? It Depends Where the Money Went
Personal, investment, mortgage, business, passive, and student loan interest follow different deduction rules — tracing rules follow the money, not the loan.
What Michael Jackson's $700 Million IRS Fight Teaches Every Taxpayer
Michael Jackson's estate fought the IRS over a billion-dollar valuation gap. Lessons on valuation, complex assets, and timely filing for far smaller estates.
The Mega Backdoor Roth: How High Earners Put $70K+ a Year Into Tax-Free Growth
Locked out of Roth IRA contributions by income limits? The mega backdoor Roth moves after-tax 401(k) money into tax-free territory. How it works in 2026.
Required Minimum Distributions: The Retirement Withdrawal the IRS Won't Let You Skip
RMDs start at age 73 — 75 if born in 1960 or later — and missing one triggers a penalty of up to 25% of the shortfall. How the rules work and how to stay clear.
The Failure-to-File Penalty Does Not Work the Way Most People Think
The IRS late-filing penalty is not a flat fee — it compounds monthly and is calculated on unpaid tax, not total income. Here is the actual formula.
S-Corp Reasonable Compensation — What the IRS Actually Looks For
The IRS publishes no formula for reasonable compensation, but the audit factors are well documented. What an S-corp owner needs to know before setting a salary.
The 15.3% Leak — Why 1099 Contractors Overpay More Than Anyone Else
Self-employment tax is the single largest tax burden for independent contractors, and most of them do not know it can be reduced legally through entity structure.
Three Years of Back Taxes — The Resolution Path That Actually Works
Unfiled tax returns are not the end. There is a structured process for getting current, and the IRS is more cooperative than most people expect.
Why We Publish From a Treatise
Most tax blogs are content farms. Ours is drawn from a 564-page treatise on federal income taxation, and that difference is the whole point.