Soundboard

Soundboard Self-employment taxes are overwhelming. Soundboard does your tax work, you focus on what you love.

05/28/2026

Real estate professional status is one of the most talked-about tax strategies online.

And yes, it can be very powerful.

But it’s also one of the areas where people get themselves into trouble because they don’t fully understand the qualification rules or properly track their time.

Owning rental properties, helping with some of the management, or having a real estate license does not automatically make you a real estate professional for tax purposes.

05/26/2026

If you’re 2–3 years behind on taxes, don’t automatically start with the oldest return.

That can actually cost you more.

In many cases, there can be a smarter way to prioritize the cleanup.

#1099

04/03/2026

Dr. Fernando Ovalle is a Florida-based, board-certified plastic surgeon.

Like many high-earning 1099 business owners, there came a point where doing it all himself was no longer worth the stress (and potential overpayment). Taxes had gotten more complex, and it was taking attention away from the work that mattered most.

Dr. Ovalle, thank you for trusting us with your business. Our goal is simple: help make taxes feel lighter, so you can stay focused on your craft and your patients.

03/27/2026

We have clients who are high earning self employed barbers, manicurists, nail technicians or hairdressers.

Most self-employed people don’t realize that it’s almost always forbidden to write off your nails, haircut, skincare or clothes.

They ask, “but it’s essentially required in my job”.

There’s the famous military haircut case from 1969 called Drake v Commissioner. At the time employees could deduct ordinary and necessary expenses that were not covered by the employer, enlisted soldiers had to get a haircut every 2 weeks. Drake wanted to deduct haircut costs for the year, and it was disallowed in court, claiming it was inherently personal grooming and the requirement of the job was not a valid test

The rule of thumb is that if it can benefit you outside of work in any way, then it’s not allowed

03/16/2026

Putting real estate in an S-Corp can be a trap: easy to get in, hard to unwind.

1) If you move appreciated property out of the S-Corp, the IRS can treat it as if the corporation sold the property at fair market value, which can trigger tax on the built-in gain.

2) Corporate debt usually does not increase your shareholder basis in an S-Corp unless you personally lend money to the company. Lower basis can limit losses and create other tax friction.

Not legal, tax, or accounting advice. General educational information only.

AI deepfakes are making IRS scam calls more convincing than ever.Scammers can now sound professional, authoritative, and...
03/12/2026

AI deepfakes are making IRS scam calls more convincing than ever.

Scammers can now sound professional, authoritative, and even reference partial personal details to make the call feel legitimate.

A few quick reminders:
• The IRS usually contacts taxpayers by mail first
• They don’t demand payment over the phone
• They don’t ask for gift cards or crypto
If something feels urgent or unusual, hang up and verify directly with the IRS or your tax professional.

Learn how to spot an AI deepfake call from the IRS.
Full article in bio.

03/09/2026

With the General Corporate Tax for S-Corps and the UBT tax for regular LLCs, NYC makes it particularly difficult to pay less taxes on your business income.

There are certainly things that can be done, and many of the regular, traditional strategies (such as pre-tax contributions, HSAs, etc.) still apply but you are generally more constrained than in other places.

Note: This is general educational content and not tax, financial, or legal advice. Please consult with your accountant for your specific situation.

Putting real estate in an S-Corp is like the Mafia. Easy to get in, very difficult to get out.This is general educationa...
03/06/2026

Putting real estate in an S-Corp is like the Mafia. Easy to get in, very difficult to get out.

This is general educational content, and not tax or legal advice. Consult with a tax professional for your specific situation.

03/02/2026

If the IRS already know how much we owe, then why do we have to do the math? 😤😒

Address

Boston, MA

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Soundboard posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Soundboard:

Shortcuts

Share