J.R. Helms & Associates, P.C.

10/21/2026

𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗚𝗣𝗧 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗜𝗥𝗦 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝗜 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗼𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘁?

ChatGPT usually defaults to basic math (dividing your equity in half), but figuring out how much home equity the IRS can actually count toward your settlement is far more complex.

An AI tool can't accurately calculate this because it can't evaluate:
1. Your actual mortgage balance and payoff terms
2. Priority liens filed against the property
3. How your deed is titled and your spouse's legal ownership interest
4. IRS-specific valuation rules (like the Quick Sale Value discount)
5. State property laws governing marital assets (such as Tenancy by the Entirety or Community Property)

Those details matter because the IRS uses strict formulas to determine available equity.

If ChatGPT gets your available equity wrong, you could submit an offer the IRS rejects outright. Or worse, offer thousands of dollars more than the IRS is legally entitled to collect.

An AI chatbot can't read your deed or verify county records. When I review a potential settlement, I analyze the actual property and lien records before determining what equity should legally count.

If you're considering an IRS settlement and own property with a spouse who doesn't owe the tax debt, comment 𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗧𝗬 below. We can review how your ownership and property equity will actually affect the amount you offer the IRS.

10/20/2026

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁?

A good starting point is enough cash to cover three to six months of essential operating expenses. You'll also want to set aside money for taxes, based on what you expect to owe.

But the exact amount depends on how your business brings in money.

If you have predictable, recurring revenue (like monthly retainers or subscriptions), three months of expenses may be enough.

If you carry inventory, work on large projects, or experience big seasonal swings, you'll likely need closer to six months.

As for taxes, for most pass-through entities (LLCs, sole props), a good starting point is transferring 𝟮𝟱%–𝟯𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 into a dedicated tax account to cover both income and self-employment taxes.

Remember, the IRS expects quarterly estimated payments, so you'll be emptying that reserve four times a year. (We can help you dial in your exact percentage.)

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦?

10/20/2026

J.R. Helms & Associates, P.C.'s Take: How Much Cash Should A Business Have On Hand? https://www.helmscpa.com/j-r-helms-associates-p-c-s-take-how-much-cash-should-a-business-have-on-hand/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=j-r-helms-associates-p-c-s-take-how-much-cash-should-a-business-have-on-hand&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=Sendible&utm_campaign=RSS

How much cash should a business have on hand? Learn how to calculate 3 to 6 months of fixed overhead while keeping your tax reserves separate.

10/19/2026

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁?

Mistakes happen, whether a return was prepared by tax software or another preparer. We can take a second look, identify errors or missed opportunities, and amend the return when a correction is needed.

Comment 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 so we can set up a time to talk.

10/16/2026

𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗥𝗦 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗜 𝗼𝘄𝗲?

Yes, if you qualify for the IRS's Offer in Compromise (OIC) program, you might be able to settle your tax debt for less than the full amount. But getting approved isn't easy.

In 2025, fewer than 1 in 6 Offers in Compromise were accepted.

To determine if you qualify, we would need to review your...
• income
• expenses
• assets
• tax debt
• ability to pay

If these match up, we can help you prepare the required financial documentation and present your case based on the criteria the IRS uses to evaluate offers.

𝗗𝗠 𝘂𝘀 if you have tax debt and want to determine your eligibility for an OIC.

10/15/2026

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗲?

Your business can show a profit on paper even when you haven't actually collected all of that money from your customers.

If you use accrual-basis accounting, revenue gets recorded when you issue an invoice, not when the customer actually pays you.

That means your Profit & Loss statement can include revenue you haven't collected yet.

So you might see a healthy profit number while a chunk of that money is still sitting in Accounts Receivable.

This is why your P&L and bank balance tell you different things about your business.

Your P&L shows financial performance based on your accounting method. Your bank account shows the cash you actually have available.

If there's a big gap between the two, pull your Accounts Receivable aging report and look at how much of your revenue is tied up in unpaid invoices, especially those that are 90+ days past due.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴?
DM us if you want clearer visibility into your true cash position.

10/14/2026

Top financial moves in the last few months of the year...GO

10/13/2026

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝘅𝗲𝘀?

Employment taxes aren't like regular vendor bills. When you run payroll, you're holding federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare in trust for your employees.

Because that money belongs to the government, the IRS moves fast when deposits are late. Penalties add up. Interest piles on. Even worse, business owners can be held personally responsible for unpaid trust fund taxes, putting your personal assets at risk.

Instead of trying to sort through IRS notices alone, let us handle it. We'll pull your official transcripts and pinpoint exactly which quarters were missed. We'll check if you qualify to get penalties waived, then build a clear plan to resolve the debt and protect your business.

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗔𝗬𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗟 if you want us to review your situation privately and help you figure out the next step in handling your payroll tax problem.

10/12/2026

Did you know...
• The IRS is navigating “significant workforce reductions”
• Only 21% of calls reached an IRS assistor during the 2026 filing season
• Taxpayers waited an average of 45 minutes just to reach someone on the Installment Agreement/Balance Due line

Before calling the IRS, see if you can find the answer on your IRS Online Account or the "Where's My Refund" tool.

If you do have to call, make sure you have all of the relevant paperwork right in front of you (𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘹 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘐𝘙𝘚 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘚𝘚𝘕/𝘐𝘛𝘐𝘕, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯).

Plan to call later in the week. Wait times are typically shorter Wednesday through Friday now that filing season is over.

Your best option, though, is to 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 for you.

We have access to practitioner-only IRS support lines and can often get answers and responses much faster.

10/09/2026

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁?

Your 2026 schedule is based on the payroll tax liability your business reported during an earlier four-quarter period, called the 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥. For businesses that file Form 941, it runs from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.

To check which schedule applies to you in 2026, add up Line 12 on your Forms 941 for:
• Q3 and Q4 of 2024
• Q1 and Q2 of 2025

If the total is $50,000 or less, you’re generally a monthly depositor. If it’s over $50,000, you’re a semiweekly depositor.

If your schedule changed and you kept depositing on the old one, you may have incurred failure-to-deposit penalties.

Unsure which schedule applies, or already facing a penalty? Message us. We can check your filings and deposits, then review whether penalty relief is available.