Tax Reviewer

Review tax returns and identify potential savings. Flag commonly missed deductions, suggest tax-advantaged strategies, and help with year-round planning.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: This provides general tax information only, NOT professional tax advice. Always consult a qualified CPA or tax professional before making tax decisions.

When to Use

• User wants a review of their tax return
• User asks about commonly missed deductions
• User wants tax planning strategies
• User is self-employed and needs deduction guidance

When NOT to Use

• Filing taxes (use actual tax software)
• State-specific tax law questions (recommend a local CPA)
• International tax situations
• Business entity tax structuring

2026 Key Numbers (verify with webSearch — these change annually)

Item	2026 Limit	Notes
Standard deduction	$16,100 single / $32,200 MFJ / $24,150 HoH	Most filers don't itemize
401(k)/403(b)/TSP employee	$24,500	+$8,000 catch-up (50+); +$11,250 (age 60-63)
IRA (Trad + Roth combined)	$7,500	+$1,100 catch-up (50+)
Roth IRA phase-out	$153k-168k single / $242k-252k MFJ	Above → backdoor Roth
HSA	$4,400 single / $8,750 family	+$1,000 (55+). Requires HDHP.
SIMPLE IRA	$17,000	+$4,000 (50+)
Section 179	$2,500,000	Immediate expensing
Standard mileage	$0.70/mi (2025) — webSearch 2026 rate	Must keep contemporaneous log
QBI threshold (Form 8995)	$197,300 single / $394,600 MFJ	Above → Form 8995-A with wage/capital limits

Always verify:

webSearch("IRS {year} contribution limits")

— numbers above are Tax Year 2026.

Commonly Missed Deductions by Filer Type

W-2 Employees (limited since TCJA):

• Student loan interest — up to $2,500, above-the-line (no itemizing needed), phases out ~$80-95k single
• Educator expenses — $300 above-the-line for K-12 teachers
• HSA contributions made outside payroll — deductible on Schedule 1
• Traditional IRA — deductible if no workplace plan, or under phase-out ($81-91k single with plan)
• Saver's Credit — up to $1,000 credit (not deduction) for retirement contributions if AGI <~$39k single
• NEW 2025+: qualified overtime deduction (up to $12,500) and personal-use car loan interest — Schedule 1-A

Self-Employed / Schedule C (every missed $1 costs ~30-40¢ in income+SE tax):

• QBI (Form 8995) — #1 most missed. 20% of qualified business income, off the top. Check the return: if there's Schedule C/E/K-1 income and NO Form 8995, thousands were left on the table. Amendable 3 years back.
• Half of SE tax — Schedule 1 line 15. Auto-computed by software but verify it's there.
• Self-employed health insurance — 100% of premiums (self + spouse + dependents), Schedule 1 line 17. Above-the-line.
• Solo 401(k) / SEP-IRA — Solo 401(k) allows employee ($24,500) + employer (25% of net SE income) contributions. SEP is simpler, 25% of net up to ~$70k.
• Home office — simplified: $5/sqft × up to 300 sqft = $1,500 max. Regular method (Form 8829): actual % of rent/mortgage/utilities/insurance. Regular method also reduces SE tax — shifts expense from Schedule A to Schedule C.
• 100% bonus depreciation — restored for assets placed in service after Jan 19, 2025. Full first-year write-off for equipment.
• Business % of phone/internet, software subs, business meals (50%), professional development
• Tax prep fees — the portion for business forms (Schedule C, SE) is deductible on Schedule C itself

Investors:

• Tax-loss harvesting — realize up to $3,000/yr net capital loss against ordinary income; carry forward indefinitely. Mind 30-day wash-sale rule.
• Qualified dividends + LTCG — 0% rate up to ~$48k single / ~$96k MFJ taxable income. Tax-gain harvesting in low-income years.
• Foreign tax credit (Form 1116) — commonly missed on international ETF dividends
• Rental real estate: depreciation (27.5-yr straight line on building basis), and QBI may apply under the 199A safe harbor

Homeowners (only if itemizing > standard deduction — most don't):

• Mortgage interest (first $750k of acquisition debt), points in purchase year
• SALT up to $10k (property + state income/sales)
• Residential clean energy credit — 30% of solar/battery/geothermal cost, no cap (Form 5695)
• Energy efficient home improvement credit — 30% up to $1,200/yr for insulation/windows/doors, $2,000 for heat pumps

Tax-Advantaged Account Priority

1. HSA — triple tax-free (deduct in, grow free, withdraw free for medical). Acts as stealth IRA after 65.
2. 401(k) to match — 50-100% instant return
3. Roth IRA (if in 12-22% bracket) / Traditional (if 32%+). Over income limit → backdoor Roth (nondeductible Trad → convert).
4. Max 401(k) — mega backdoor Roth if plan allows after-tax contributions + in-service conversions
5. 529 — state deduction varies (some states give nothing); tax-free growth for education

Output Format

# Tax Review Summary

## Filing Overview
| Item | Current | Notes |

## Potential Savings

### High Confidence
1. **[Deduction]**: Potential savings $X,XXX

### Worth Investigating
1. **[Strategy]**: Potential savings $X,XXX

## Recommended Actions

## Disclaimer
Consult a CPA for personalized advice.

Review Checklist When User Shares a Return

1. Filing status — MFJ vs MFS (MFS rarely wins; check if student loans on IBR). HoH if unmarried with dependent.
2. Standard vs itemized — if Schedule A total < standard deduction, they itemized wrong (or could bunch charity/medical into alternate years)
3. Form 8995 present? — If Schedule C, E (rental), or K-1 income exists and no 8995, QBI was missed. Biggest dollar finding.
4. Schedule 1 adjustments — SE tax ÷ 2, SE health insurance, HSA, IRA, student loan interest all present?
5. Retirement contributions maxed? — If refund is large and 401(k)/IRA room remains, they're over-withholding instead of investing pre-tax
6. Credits vs deductions — Child Tax Credit, Saver's Credit, education credits (AOTC > LLC for undergrads), EV credit
7. Carryforwards applied? — prior-year capital losses, NOLs, unused credits

Best Practices

1. Lead with the disclaimer — this is education, not advice
2. Quantify every finding — "missed QBI" means nothing; "missed ~$4,200 deduction ≈ $925 refund at 22% bracket" means something
3. Flag aggressive positions — home office for W-2, hobby-loss rules, meals >50%: "discuss with a CPA, this gets audited"
4. Second-order effects — lowering AGI can unlock Roth eligibility, ACA subsidies, Saver's Credit. Model the cascade.
5. webSearch current-year limits — do not trust memorized numbers; the IRS adjusts annually

Limitations

• NOT professional tax advice. General information only. Always consult a CPA or EA before filing or amending — especially for self-employment, rentals, K-1s, or state issues.
• Cannot file or amend returns
• Cannot model all state rules (state conformity to federal law varies wildly)
• Tax law changes yearly — all figures require current-year verification