Home Tools
These run live in your browser. Change any input and the numbers update instantly. They are estimates built on 2026 IRS and SSA constants, not tax advice, but they are real arithmetic.
If you run an S-corp, or are thinking about one
Three calculators that walk an owner from "is the election right for me" to "what salary clears the IRS reasonable-comp test." Built on the latest published 2026 IRS thresholds and BLS May 2025 wage data.
Sole prop, S-corp, partnership, or C-corp. Total federal tax at your profit level so the right structure is obvious, not assumed.
Texas-resident assumed (no state income tax). Non-SSTB QBI only. An estimate, not tax advice.
Given a defensible salary and profit, does the S-election clear the extra compliance cost. Includes the breakeven profit at your salary.
Pair with the Reasonable Salary calculator for a defensible salary input. An estimate, not tax advice.
BLS-anchored defensible salary range for an S-corp owner-operator. Output includes documentation language for the workpaper.
BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates with Texas-MSA adjustments. Refresh annually. An estimate, not tax advice.
Planning tools for the general case
Quarterly estimated tax for the self-employed, an R&D credit estimator for product companies, and a four-question overpayment benchmark that surfaces planning positions worth exploring.
For self-employed earners. Estimates federal income tax, self-employment tax, and what to send the IRS each quarter.
Includes a simplified QBI deduction. An estimate, not tax advice.
Built for SaaS and product companies in their first years of research spend. A three-minute estimate of the federal credit.
Simplified Alternative Simplified Credit, first-year basis. An estimate, not tax advice.
Four questions about your entity, income, and setup. Surfaces the planning positions worth exploring and a rough annual opportunity.
3 positions found. An estimate, not tax advice.
These calculators use the latest published 2026 IRS thresholds (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), the 2026 Social Security wage base from SSA, 2026 retirement plan limits, and BLS May 2025 OEWS wage data. They are for planning illustration only and not a substitute for a prepared return or personalized tax advice. Real numbers depend on the full picture, which is what the first call is for.
Questions I am answering this week
A running sample of what people actually ask. Each card opens a full written answer, the way I would explain it on a first call.
Start now. An S-election in effect means the IRS expects payroll-based salary across the whole year, not a December catch-up check.
Read the full answerUsually routine. A CP2000 is an automated mismatch notice, not an audit. Often the IRS is simply missing your cost basis and you owe nothing.
Read the full answerPossibly, and the timing is tight. If the average guest stay is seven days or less and you materially participate, the loss can reach your W-2 income.
Read the full answerAlmost certainly yes. Engineering wages, contractor costs, and cloud spend typically qualify, and a pre-profit company can take the credit as cash back.
Read the full answerYes. You can generally amend within three years, and a missed QBI deduction is worth up to 20 percent of qualified business income.
Read the full answerA November wedding makes you married for all of 2026. Joint wins for most couples, but medical bills or student loans can flip it.
Read the full answerTwo things before April. Reconstruct every transaction cost basis and holding period, and check whether the gain triggers an estimated payment.
Read the full answerUnusually clean on the personal side, since both states have no income tax. The real question is whether your LLC creates a nexus obligation in Tennessee.
Read the full answerFrom estimate to plan
If one of these tools surfaced a number that surprised you, that is exactly what the first call is for.