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A resource guide for individuals, businesses, and the self-employed looking to better understand tax strategies, tax savings, and deductions. Each guide below breaks down what the law actually says, who it applies to, and what it means for you.
One Box on Your 2026 W-2s Decides Your Employees’ Overtime Deduction. Only You Can Fill It In.
Beginning with 2026 W-2s, the qualified overtime amount an employer reports in box 12, code TT is the entire deduction the employee can claim. Here is how to get the number right.
The Driver Per Diem Deduction Did Not Come Back in 2026. Here Is Where It Went.
The company driver's per diem deduction was supposed to return in 2026. It is now permanently gone, but the 80 percent rule is still in the code. Here is who can still use it.
The September 15 Deadline Just Passed. Here Is What a Late 1065 or 1120-S Actually Costs.
The late-filing penalty on a Form 1065 or 1120-S is $255 per owner per month whether or not the business owes tax. Here is the math, and the relief the IRS now applies automatically.
Tax Planning Guide for 1099 Contractors & Freelancers
A free guide from Deanna R. Ngueket, CPA, LLC If you are a 1099 contractor, freelancer, or independent professional here in the Houston, Humble, or Atascocita area, you already know that being your own boss comes with a freedom traditional employees do not have. It also comes with a responsibility they do not have: you...
Small Business Bookkeeping Basics: Getting Your Books Audit-Ready
A Houston CPA's free guide to audit-ready books: separating business from personal, the records to keep, monthly reconciliation, and the mistakes to avoid.
Behind on Quarterly Estimates? Two Provisions Still Available in September
A bigger check on September 15 does not undo the penalty already running on an underpaid April or June. Two provisions in IRC 6654 still can.
No Tax on Overtime
The headline says overtime is tax-free. The statute says something much narrower. Only the premium portion of overtime pay qualifies, only when the Fair Labor Standards Act required that overtime, and only within an annual limit that phases out at higher incomes. This guide walks through what IRC section 225 actually covers, which employees are excluded and why, what happens when an employer pays overtime voluntarily, where the qualifying amount appears on your W-2, and whether Texas or another state still taxes it.
Quarterly Taxes for 1099 Contractors
Nobody withholds anything from a 1099 payment, and the IRS doesn’t wait until April to collect what’s owed. This guide walks through why self-employment income is taxed on a running quarterly schedule, what the safe harbor rule actually protects you from, which deductions get missed most often, and how retirement contributions can lower this year’s bill while building next year’s cushion.
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