AB CPA, Inc.

02/20/2026

Your marital status affects many federal tax filing variables, including your standard deduction, credit eligibility and tax owed. If you’re currently “informally” separated from your spouse but still legally married, the IRS generally considers you married for the entire year (even if you’ve lived apart for many months). Unless you divorced or legally separated by Dec. 31, 2025, you must file as married filing jointly or married filing separately for the 2025 tax year. If, on the other hand, you finalized a divorce or legal separation in 2025, you should file as single or, if eligible, head of household. Call us at (708) 430-3232 if you have questions about filing your tax return.

02/18/2026

The cost of goods sold (COGS) drives your company’s bottom line, but its accuracy hinges on how well you track inventory. Even small miscounts and misclassifications can distort your margins and cloud decision-making. That’s where we come in. We can review your inventory methods for consistency, reconcile physical counts to your books and verify proper cost allocations. Identifying discrepancies early can help you catch errors and shrinkage before they escalate. With dependable COGS data, you’ll gain clearer insight into product performance, pricing strategy and cash flow. Contact us at (708) 430-3232 to learn more.

02/17/2026

Drip, drip, drip. That may be the sound of your business’s retirement savings plan “leakage.” Leakage refers to pre-retirement withdrawals made by plan participants (your employees). When a plan’s total assets and individual account sizes shrink, it tends to hurt administrative efficiency and raise costs. It could also indicate that your workers are experiencing financial difficulties, which can reduce productivity. Contact us at (708) 430-3232 to discuss possible solutions.

02/16/2026

Gifts that consist of hard-to-value assets, such as interests in a closely held business, can be risky. A defined-value gift may help you avoid unexpected tax liabilities. A defined-value gift is a gift of assets that are valued at a specific dollar amount rather than a certain number of stock shares or a specified percentage of a business entity. Structured properly, a defined-value gift won’t trigger gift taxes down the road. The key to this strategy is that the defined-value language in the transfer document is drafted as a “formula” clause rather than an invalid “savings” clause. Call us at (708) 430-3232 to learn more.

02/13/2026

The IRS and the Security Summit are warning taxpayers that during tax filing season identity thieves are poised to scam people into sharing personal information to file false tax returns and steal refunds. Specific threats include phishing emails and smishing texts, where the thief impersonates a legitimate organization in the tax community, such as the IRS, a state agency or a tax software company, to try to convince the target to provide personal information, click on harmful links or send money. Having an Identity Protection (IP) PIN can protect taxpayers from tax-related identity theft. Anyone with an SSN or an ITIN can get an IP PIN. For more information, contact us at (708) 430-3232.

02/10/2026

02/10/2026

The IRS considers a paper return that’s due April 15 to be timely filed if it’s postmarked by midnight. Sounds straightforward, but let’s say you mail your return with a payment on April 15, and the envelope gets lost. You don’t figure this out and refile until a couple of months later. Despite your efforts to timely file and pay, you can still be hit with both failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties. One way to minimize this risk is to use certified or registered mail or an IRS-approved private delivery service. A better way is to work with a tax professional who’ll e-file your return and help ensure you claim every break you’re entitled to while staying compliant with tax law. Contact us at (708) 430-3232 to start your 2025 return.

02/09/2026

Attention, small business owners: As you wrap up your 2025 tax filings and begin planning for 2026, remember that many previously temporary tax law provisions are now permanent. And new opportunities may be available to help reduce your tax burden. If you’re ready to take a smart, strategic approach to the year ahead, we’re here to guide you. Contact us at (708) 430-3232.

02/06/2026

When natural disasters strike, tax deadlines shouldn’t add to your stress. Generally, taxpayers have had three years from the April filing deadline for the tax year to claim a credit or refund for overpaid taxes. But when the IRS extended filing deadlines for disasters such as wildfires, floods or hurricanes, the three-year period didn’t always adjust accordingly. The Disaster Related Extension of Deadlines Act, signed into law on Dec. 26, 2025, addresses this issue. Now, when the IRS extends filing deadlines due to federally declared disasters, the period to claim refunds and credits is also extended. The new law also aligns payment deadlines with filing relief. Call us (708) 430-3232 at with questions.

02/04/2026

When you file your 2025 income tax return, you can deduct your charitable donations only if you itemize deductions. But beginning with donations made in 2026, people who take the standard deduction instead of itemizing can claim a charitable deduction of up to $1,000 ($2,000 for married couples filing jointly). Only “cash” donations qualify, but the definition may be broader than you think. It includes gifts made by debit or credit card, check, ACH, online payment platform and payroll deduction. Call us at (708) 430-3232 to discuss what you can deduct on your 2025 return and your donation strategy for 2026.

02/03/2026

In a divorce, a qualified domestic relations order (QDRO) allows retirement plan assets to be transferred to a spouse without dire tax consequences. A court issues a QDRO, which states a dollar amount or a percentage of assets that belongs to the spouse. It also specifies the number of payments to be made (or the length of time for the terms to apply). Contact us at (708) 430-3232 for details.

02/02/2026

When you’re running a business, it’s easy for the books to fall behind. But timely, accurate financial records are essential for a healthy operation. Reporting delays can lead to cash-flow surprises, cost overruns and missed opportunities. Contact us at (708) 430-3232 to get caught up and gain real-time insights that can help your business thrive.