September 19, 2026 at 4:26 AM PDT
State income tax rules in 2026 still vary widely, from nine states with no tax on wages to California’s 13.3% top rate, with bracket thresholds and local taxes often mattering as much as the headline rate.
A Sept. 17 report highlighted how Realty Income’s monthly REIT dividend can be shielded from federal tax inside a qualified Roth IRA, while the same payments in a taxable account are generally taxed at ordinary income rates.
The higher SALT deduction cap opens a larger federal write-off for some homeowners in high-tax areas, but a phase-down above $500,000 of MAGI and regional gaps sharply limit who benefits.
An art broker who spent a partner's unrestricted wire on a separate painting owed tax on the money in the year it arrived, the court held, because nothing at the time made it a loan or a deposit.
Fidelity's record count of 769,000 401(k) millionaires puts a spotlight on pretax balances that required distributions will force out at 73 or 75, often alongside taxed Social Security and higher Medicare premiums.
The Fourth Circuit ruled a businessman recklessly failed to report Hong Kong and Swiss accounts, and that a penalty near 30% of the statutory maximum was not grossly disproportional.
Companion rulings in Bruyea and Christensen say neither the U.S.-Canada nor U.S.-France tax treaty lets a foreign tax credit offset the net investment income tax, exposing expatriates to double taxation on investment income.
A Tax Foundation survey found 24 of 35 European countries levy an estate, inheritance or gift tax, some above 80 percent, a stark contrast for American families with heirs or assets abroad.
A Fortune analysis found billionaires who left California for Florida ahead of a proposed wealth tax may have taken roughly $29 billion in potential state revenue with them, a case study in domicile timing.
The one-time 5% levy on net worth above $1 billion reaches back to a January 2026 residency date, taxes former residents and trusts, and could struggle in court, the analysis argues.
With more than $160 billion of noncash donations claimed for 2023, examiners are denying deductions for technical failures rather than fighting over what art, private stock or IP is worth.
In Prezioso v. Commissioner, the Tax Court focused less on the size of the deductions than on the pattern of concealment, from home renovations to a boat and a Ferrari lease.
In Beveled Edge Insurance, the court said the codified economic substance doctrine can strip a captive's tax benefits without erasing the whole arrangement, and left penalties on the table for trial.
The IRS left the estate-planning hurdle rate unchanged for a second month, a level that squeezes annuity trusts while making charitable remainder trusts and residence trusts cheaper to fund.
With the $15 million per-person estate exemption confirmed in effect for 2026, wealthy families are funding dynasty trusts and SLATs this year rather than waiting, even without the old deadline pressure.
PLR 202625012 says a private foundation has no interest in family business shares until a trustee irrevocably names it, which lets relatives and the company buy stock without self-dealing.
The fund industry has asked Treasury for guidance on Section 351 ETF conversions after officials discussed labeling some of the deals a tax-avoidance "transaction of interest."
The IRS 2025 Data Book shows audit exposure rising steeply with income, with the sharpest jump above $5 million, and about $175,000 of proposed tax per closed audit at the very top.
Anthropic's confidential IPO filing, made after a $65 billion round at a $965 billion valuation, gives current and former staff a narrowing window to settle basis, QSBS and residency questions.
The 4% surtax on income above $1 million has now overshot its original $2 billion revenue projection for a third straight year, fueling interest from other states in copying the approach.
Early 2026 filing-season data shows refunds up 11%, overtime deduction claims double the projection, and the SALT cap increase delivering roughly a quarter of the new law's tax cuts to high-income households.
New York's estate tax exemption does not phase out gradually. Cross 105% of it and the whole estate is taxed from dollar one, a design that can cost a family hundreds of thousands more than staying just under the line.
Republicans are debating a follow-up to last year's tax overhaul, with defense and border funding competing against Ways and Means for a seat in any new package.
Comment letters filed by February 20 ask Treasury to open Trump Accounts to competing IRA providers, fix a rollover glitch and confirm fees, shaping where a child's account will actually live.