Blog - Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

Real Growth Doesn’t Come From Doing More. It Comes From Building the Right Team.

If you own a small or mid-sized business, ask yourself honestly: Could your business run smoothly for two weeks without you? Not just survive, actually run. Serve clients well. Make good decisions. Move forward.

If the answer is no, you don’t have a business problem. You have a people and systems problem.

The Hidden Cost of Being Irreplaceable

Many owners wear their indispensability like a badge of honor:

“Nobody cares like I do.”

“It’s easier if I just do it myself.”

“I can’t afford to make a bad hire.”

These statements feel true, but they’re actually warning signs.

Here’s what being irreplaceable really costs:

Your time: Evenings, weekends, and mental bandwidth consumed by work that should run without you

Your growth: Revenue plateaus because everything flows through you – you can only serve so many clients, approve so many decisions, solve so many problems

Your options: You can’t sell, transition, or step back because the business is you

Your people: Talented employees leave because there’s no room to grow or own outcomes

One business owner put it this way: “I’m working 60 hours a week and my business hasn’t grown in three years. I thought I needed better marketing. Turns out I needed better […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2026-01-21T15:23:57+00:00January 21st, 2026|Advisor|0 Comments

Welcome to Tax Season 2026 – Let’s Get Started!

It’s that time of year again! Tax season is officially underway, and we’re ready to make this as smooth and stress-free as possible for you.

Your organizers and engagement letters are on their way. If you don’t receive yours within the next week or two, please give us a call—we want to make sure nothing gets lost in the shuffle.

Key Deadlines to Keep in Mind

To ensure we have enough time to prepare your returns (or file extensions if needed), please have your tax documents to us by:

February 2, 2026 – Business entities
March 1, 2026 – Individual returns, trusts, C-corps

These cutoffs give us the runway we need to review everything carefully and reach out with any questions before filing deadlines hit.

What You Can Do Now

Start gathering your documents. W-2s, 1099s, mortgage interest statements, charitable contribution receipts, investment summaries—the usual suspects. If you’re not sure what we need, your organizer will have a checklist.

Upload securely through your client portal. This is the fastest, safest way to get documents to us. If […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2026-01-19T15:53:19+00:00January 19th, 2026|deadline, tax planning|0 Comments

Key Employee Payroll and Tax Changes for 2026 (OBBBA)

The Overtime and Benefit Balance Act (OBBBA) represents one of the most significant payroll and tax law changes for employees in recent years. Whether you earn overtime, receive tips, or use transit benefits, these updates could put real money back in your pocket—or at least reduce what you owe come tax time. We’ve distilled the key provisions below so you know what to expect and how to plan. As always, the details matter, so reach out if you’d like to discuss how these changes apply to your specific situation.

Overtime Deduction: Employees may deduct up to $12,500 ($25,000 if married filing jointly) of the “half” portion of FLSA overtime premium pay on their personal tax return (Form 1040, Schedule 1). This deduction is subject to income phase-outs and does not reduce Social Security or Medicare (FICA) taxes withheld from your paycheck. The deduction is taken at year-end and reduces your taxable income for federal income tax purposes only.
Tip Income Deduction: Employees in IRS-listed tipped occupations may deduct up to […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2026-01-16T18:49:18+00:00January 16th, 2026|employee, News, payroll|0 Comments

Checking Off RMDs on the Year-End To-Do List

You likely have a lot of things to do between now and the end of the year, such as holiday shopping, donating to your favorite charities and planning get-togethers with family and friends. For older taxpayers with one or more tax-advantaged retirement accounts, as well as younger taxpayers who’ve inherited such an account, there may be one more thing that’s critical to check off the to-do list before year end: Take required minimum distributions (RMDs).

Why is it important to take RMDs on time?

When applicable, RMDs usually must be taken by December 31. If you don’t comply, you can owe a penalty equal to 25% of the amount you should have withdrawn but didn’t.

If the failure is corrected in a “timely” manner, the penalty drops to 10%. But even 10% isn’t insignificant. So it’s best to take RMDs on time to avoid the penalty.

Who’s subject to RMDs?

After you reach age 73, you generally must take annual RMDs from your traditional (non-Roth):

IRAs, and
Defined contribution plans, such as 401(k) plans (unless you’re still an employee and not a 5%-or-greater shareholder of the employer sponsoring the plan).

An RMD deferral is available […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2025-12-10T17:30:09+00:00December 10th, 2025|year-end|0 Comments

New Law Eases the Limitation on Business Interest Expense Deductions for 2025 and Beyond

Interest paid or accrued by a business is generally deductible for federal tax purposes. But limitations apply. Now some changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will result in larger deductions for affected taxpayers.

Limitation basics

The deduction for business interest expense for a particular tax year is generally limited to 30% of the taxpayer’s adjusted taxable income (ATI). That taxpayer could be you or your business entity, such as a partnership, limited liability company (LLC), or C or S corporation. Any business interest expense that’s disallowed by this limitation is carried forward to future tax years.

Business interest expense means interest on debt that’s allocable to a business. For partnerships, LLCs that are treated as partnerships for tax purposes, and S corporations, the limitation on the business interest expense deduction is applied first at the entity level and then at the owner level under complex rules.

The limitation on the business interest expense deduction is applied before applying the passive activity loss (PAL) limitation rules, the at-risk limitation rules and the excess business loss disallowance rules. For pass-through entities, those rules are applied at the owner level. But the limitation on the business interest expense […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2025-12-10T17:26:18+00:00December 10th, 2025|business, deduction, deductions, New Tax Laws|0 Comments