The Social Security Administration just raised the taxable wage base to $192,300 for 2027 — a $7,800 jump from 2026's $184,500 — alongside a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment for benefits. For most employees, that change is barely noticeable on a pay stub. For business owners who cover both halves of the tax, whether through payroll or self-employment tax, it is a real line-item increase in the cost of running a Read More

Texas just made it easier for more small businesses to owe nothing on their franchise tax. For report years 2026 and 2027, the Texas Comptroller raised the "No Tax Due" threshold from $2,470,000 to $2,650,000 in total annualized revenue — meaning a business can bring in significantly more before it owes a single dollar of franchise tax. Colorado has no franchise tax at all, but that is not the same thing as no tax: Read More

Texas just made its research and development tax credit bigger, simpler, and — for the first time — refundable. Colorado didn’t touch its R&D credit at all this year, and the two states’ approaches are now further apart than ever. Starting with franchise tax reports originally due on or after January 1, 2026, Texas businesses that do qualifying research get a credit nearly 75% larger than before, with Read More

Texas just made it dramatically cheaper to own business equipment — and Colorado didn't. Starting with the 2026 tax year, Texas exempts the first $125,000 of a business's equipment, furniture, and fixtures from property tax at every location it operates. Colorado's exemption, by contrast, is still capped at $56,000 per county, and it works very differently: go a dollar over that line and the entire amount becomes Read More

Colorado voters will decide two competing tax measures this November, and the outcome could reshape how business owners in Denver plan for years to come. Initiative 195 would scrap the state's flat income tax rate in favor of a six-tier graduated system, while a competing measure, Initiative 232, would lock the current rate in place instead. For pass-through business owners — S corporations, partnerships, and Read More

Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for good, and the IRS has now issued the guidance business owners need to actually use it. Under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), Congress made the full first-year write-off for equipment and other qualified property permanent, reversing a phase-down that was set to drop bonus depreciation to 40% this year and disappear entirely by 2027. That is real news for any Read More

The federal deduction for state and local taxes — the SALT cap — just went from $10,000 to $40,000, indexed up to $40,400 for 2026. It is one of the biggest changes to itemized deductions in years, and the timing matters if you are doing year-end tax planning. But how much this actually helps you depends heavily on where your business operates, and the answer looks very different in Houston than it does in Read More

The Q3 2026 estimated tax deadline — September 15, 2026 — is only two weeks out, and it is one of the easiest dates to lose track of when you are running a business. If you are self-employed, own a pass-through entity, or otherwise receive income that is not subject to withholding, this is the payment that keeps you out of penalty territory before the year is over. The Q3 2026 Estimated Tax Deadline Is Read More

What Is the Section 45S Paid Family and Medical Leave Credit? For years, the federal tax credit for employers who offer paid family and medical leave (PFML) was a temporary provision that Congress had to keep renewing, which made it hard for business owners to plan around. The Working Families Tax Cuts changed that: the Section 45S credit is now permanent, and the IRS issued Notice 2026-28 on August 5, 2026, to Read More

What Is the "No Tax on Overtime" Deduction? Since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act took effect, employees who earn qualified overtime compensation have been able to deduct a portion of that pay on their federal income tax return. The deduction is available whether or not the employee itemizes, but it comes with real limits: up to $12,500 per year for single filers, or $25,000 for married couples filing jointly, and it Read More