Tax Guides
The rules behind the decisions.
Topic-based tax references connected to the stories in Money Meets Tax.
Maxing Out Your 401(k) Early: Paychecks, Taxes, and Employer Match
Reaching your 401(k) limit early can increase take-home pay, but it may also affect your employer match. Learn how contribution timing, taxes, and year-end true-ups work.
Beneficiary Designations vs. Wills: Who Actually Inherits Your Accounts?
A will does not necessarily determine who receives your retirement accounts, life insurance, or other assets. Beneficiary designations can control where money goes, while inherited assets may carry different tax consequences. Here's what families should review before those decisions are needed.
When Parents Abroad Help With a U.S. Home Down Payment: What Must You Report?
When parents living abroad help with a down payment on a U.S. home, the money generally isn't taxable income if it's a genuine gift. But Form 3520 reporting may still be required, and the gift must be documented for the mortgage lender. The donor's tax status, the source of funds, and whether the money is a gift or a loan all matter.
Business Mileage: Which Miles Can You Actually Deduct?
Driving for work does not automatically make every mile deductible. The tax result depends on where the trip starts, why you are driving, whether the trip is business or personal, and how you choose to calculate the vehicle deduction.
Home Office Deduction: When Does Your Workspace Actually Qualify?
Working from home does not automatically create a home-office deduction. The activity must first qualify as a business, and the workspace generally must satisfy regular-use, exclusive-use, and business-location requirements before the deduction becomes available.
Rental Property Losses: Why a Tax Loss May Not Reduce Your Other Income
A rental property can show a tax loss even when it is not losing the same amount of cash. Learn how depreciation, passive activity rules, the $25,000 special allowance, and suspended losses affect when a rental loss can actually reduce other income.
Hiring a Nanny or Babysitter: When Do Household Employment Taxes Apply?
Paying someone to care for a child in your home can turn a household into an employer. The key questions are whether the caregiver is your employee, how much you pay, and which federal and California payroll rules apply.
529 Plans: What Are the Tax Benefits and Trade-Offs?
A 529 can provide tax-free growth when the money is used for qualified education expenses. But contributions are not federally deductible, California does not follow every federal 529 rule, and the tax benefit comes with restrictions on how the money is used.
What Should You Do With an Old 401(k) After Leaving a Job?
Leaving a job does not mean you have to cash out or immediately move your 401(k). Learn how an old plan, a new 401(k), an IRA, direct rollovers, and future Roth planning fit together.
Childcare Costs: Credit vs. Dependent Care FSA
Paying for daycare can create more than one tax benefit, but the same dollars cannot always be used twice. Learn how the 2026 Child and Dependent Care Credit, dependent care FSA, timing rules, and California differences fit together.
Converting Your Home to a Rental: What Changes for Tax?
Moving out does not reset your home’s tax history. Here is what changes when a former residence becomes a rental, from depreciation basis and expenses to passive losses and a future sale.
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs): When Are They Taxed?
RSUs usually are not taxed when granted. Learn when they become wage income, what happens when you sell the shares, and why withholding may not equal your actual tax.