“I make $400,000 on a W-2 and my friends with businesses pay almost nothing. What can I actually do — besides quit my job?” If you’re a high W-2 earner watching business-owner friends pay a fraction of what you do, the resentment is understandable — and there’s an honest answer that isn’t “just start an […]
“If I don’t have material participation, is there any benefit of acquiring a short-term rental (as opposed to a long-term rental) from a tax perspective?” Short-term vs long-term rental is the question every real estate investor agonizes over — and it’s the wrong question. Reframe it with the rule Laura uses for every investment decision, […]
“If I buy a short-term rental, I can just write off the losses against my W-2, right?” The short-term rental loophole is all over social media — buy a short-term rental, write the losses off against your W-2. It can work. But social media shows you the best case, not the two hurdles almost everyone […]
“My spouse doesn’t really work — can’t we just call her a real estate professional and wipe out my W-2 with the rental losses?” Calling a stay-at-home spouse a real estate professional to erase a W-2 with rental losses is one of the most repeated moves in real estate tax circles — and one of […]
“What does the IRS actually care about? Real questions from real business owners and high earners.” This live tax Q&A for business owners and high earners is the full June 2026 session, where CPA Laura Dohanes answered real questions from real owners and investors — no hypotheticals, no “it depends” non-answers, just the math, the […]
“Home offices today share exclusive use with personal use in terms of space and time — one computer, one room. Can’t we calculate the exclusiveness between floor space and time used for business to identify 100% business use?” The home office exclusive use rule is the one every freelancer and remote worker has tried to […]
“I personally manage our rental property held in an LLC. Can the LLC pay me a property management fee as a 1099 hire without triggering payroll tax or any other reporting requirement?” An LLC management fee paid to yourself is one of the more creative-sounding ideas circulating among landlords right now. The framework Laura uses […]
“With a 100% K-1 loss on a passive investment, can I write it off 100% if I have the same amount in capital gains from stocks or a windfall from a deal that did go well?” Can a K-1 passive loss offset a capital gain? It’s one of the most common — and most expensive […]
“If someone is working as a 1099 and using a business name and an EIN, do I still need to issue that person a 1099-NEC?” Do you send a 1099 to a contractor with an EIN? It’s one of the most common 1099 questions business owners get wrong — and the answer is the opposite […]