Many rental property owners are surprised to learn that federal tax law often restricts their ability to deduct losses, treating most rental activities as passive unless specific requirements are met. But if you can qualify for the real estate professional exception, you may be able to turn otherwise suspended losses into immediate tax savings.
Real Estate Improvements: Deduct Now or Later?
Commercial real estate usually must be depreciated over 39 years. But certain real estate improvements — specifically, qualified improvement property (QIP) — are eligible for accelerated depreciation and can even be fully deducted immediately. While maximizing first-year depreciation is often beneficial, it’s not always the best tax move.
Opportunity Zone Guidance Finalized
Final regulations were recently issued regarding details about investment in qualified opportunity zones (QOZ) that modified and finalized proposed regulations for QOFs and QOZ businesses that were previously issued on October 28, 2018, and May 1, 2019.
Helping a Family Member Buy a Home
Making a family loan isn’t the only way to assist a loved one with purchasing a home. If you aren’t concerned about being paid back, a straightforward option is gifting cash. In 2025, you can give up to $19,000 to anyone without federal gift tax consequences under the gift tax annual exclusion.
Are You a Tax-Favored Real Estate Professional?
The general rule for federal income tax is that rental real estate losses are passive activity losses (PALs). An individual taxpayer can generally deduct PALs only to the extent of passive income from other sources, if any. For example, if you have positive taxable income from other rental properties, that generally counts as passive income. You can use PALs to offset passive income from other sources, which amounts to being able to deduct them currently.
Tax Law for Real Estate Brokers: How You Can Benefit
The TCJA Taxes for Real Estate Brokers: What You Need to Know
When the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) became law in December 2017, real estate professionals immediately began contacting us with questions. Are there new breaks on taxes for real estate brokers? Will the TCJA increase taxes for real estate brokers?
Rehabilitation Tax Credit for Owners of Historic Buildings
If you own a historic building, you may be eligible for significant savings through the rehabilitation tax credit. This federal incentive encourages renovating and restoring historic or old buildings, preserving architectural history while promoting economic revitalization.
Understanding the details of the rehabilitation tax credit can help building owners maximize its benefits and ensure compliance with the program’s requirements.
Avoid IRS Audits: Fix the 1099 Prepaid-Rent Mismatch
Two questions:
- Are you prepaying your 2025 rent so that you have a big 2024 tax deduction?
- How do you identify in your accounting records the monies you put on your IRS Form 1099-MISC for the business rent payments to your landlord?
Unlocking Tax Savings: The Benefits of a Cost Segregation Study
A cost segregation study allows a business property owner to accelerate depreciation deductions. That, in turn, enables the owner to reduce current taxable income and increase cash flow.
Seniors: A Tax-Wise Alternative to Selling Your Appreciated Home
In recent years, the residential real estate market has surged in many areas. That means many homes have greatly appreciated, and the $250,000 home sale gain exclusion ($500,000 for joint filers) isn’t always sufficient to protect a home sale from federal income taxes.