Free Tax & Bookkeeping Resources for Small Business Owners

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Running a small business means wearing about twelve hats, and "tax department" is the one nobody asked for. This page is the stuff I find myself looking up or sending to clients over and over — refund trackers, payment links, and the 2026 reference numbers I keep on my own desk. Fair warning: I'm a very thorough person, so it's a long page. Bookmark it.

Everything here is general information, not individualized tax advice. Every business is different — when in doubt, ask your CPA before you act on it.

The stuff everyone Googles. These are the official IRS and state portals — never pay a third party to do what these do for free.

- Check your federal refund — IRS Where's My Refund (irs.gov/refunds)
- Check your SC refund / pay your SC taxes — SC MyDORWAY (mydorway.dor.sc.gov)
- Pay the IRS directly from your bank account — IRS Direct Pay (irs.gov/payments/direct-pay)
- Pay federal estimated taxes — EFTPS (eftps.gov) — enroll once; after that it's the fastest way to pay quarterly estimates
- IRS online account — irs.gov, "View your account" — transcripts, balances, payment plans

- IRA contribution (under 50): $7,500
- IRA catch-up (50+, total): $8,600
- IRA deduction phaseout, covered by workplace plan — Single/HoH: $81,000–$91,000
- IRA deduction phaseout, covered by workplace plan — MFJ: $129,000–$149,000
- Roth IRA phaseout — Single/HoH: $153,000–$168,000
- Roth IRA phaseout — MFJ: $242,000–$252,000
- 401(k)/403(b)/457 elective deferral: $24,500
- 401(k) catch-up (50+, total): $32,500
- SIMPLE IRA deferral: $17,000

HSA limits (2026) — Source: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-19. You need a qualifying high-deductible health plan to contribute.
- Self-only coverage: $4,400
- Family coverage: $8,750
- Catch-up (55+, per person): $1,000

Other 2026 numbers worth knowing
- Standard mileage rate: 72.5¢/mile
- Social Security wage base: $184,500
- SALT deduction cap (OBBBA): $40,400
- §461(l) excess business loss limit — Single: $256,000
- §461(l) excess business loss limit — MFJ: $512,000

South Carolina (2026) — 2026 is the first year of the new flat-ish system under Act 110.
- SC starts from federal AGI. Rate: 1.99% on SC taxable income under $30,000; 5.21% on income $30,000 and over, minus $966.
- SCIAD (SC individual income tax adjustment deduction, replaces standard/itemized): $15,000 Single / $22,500 HoH / $30,000 MFJ, phasing out over higher incomes.
- Dependent exemption: $4,930.
- Two-wage-earner credit: 0.7%, max $350.

Everything a DIY business owner needs to keep their books straight and stop leaving tax money on the table: the 15-minute monthly routine, how quarterly taxes and self-employment tax actually work, the deductions owners miss, what's new for 2026, and 4 printable worksheets. Written by a CPA who does this for a living.

Free: New Business Tax Checklist — one page, $0
Just started (or thinking about starting) a business? This one-page checklist covers the decisions that matter in year one: entity choice, EIN, separate bank account, quarterly estimates, and the records you'll thank yourself for keeping. Free when you join the email list — I send one useful tax email a month, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.

- S-corp: A corporation (or LLC taxed as one) that passes its profits through to the owners' personal tax returns. Owners who work in the business must take a reasonable salary, and profits above that salary are not subject to Social Security and Medicare tax.
- QBI deduction: The 20% qualified business income deduction. If you run an S-corp, sole proprietorship, or partnership, you may get to deduct 20% of your business profit before calculating income tax. Income limits and rules apply.
- Safe harbor (estimated taxes): Pay at least 100% of last year's tax (110% if your income was over $150,000) through withholding and estimated payments, and you will not owe an underpayment penalty — even if you end up owing more in April.
- Self-employment tax: The 15.3% Social Security and Medicare tax on your net self-employment earnings. It is the tax owners forget about, and it is why a $100,000 profit does not feel like $100,000.
- Bonus depreciation: Lets businesses deduct the full cost of qualifying equipment in the year they buy it instead of spreading the deduction over several years.
- 1099 filing threshold: $2,000 — starting 2026, you only need to file a 1099-NEC for contractors you paid $2,000 or more in the year (up from $600).