Post-Filing Season: IRS Business-Related Things You Should Know
Post-Filing Season: IRS Business-Related Things You Should Know
2026 Standard mileage rate:
• 72.5 cents per mile for business travel
• 20.5 cents per mile for medical
• 14 cents per mile for charitable purposes
Missing your tax refund?
In an under-the-radar IRS policy change, the Service announced last year that it will no longer issue tax refunds via paper check for individual tax returns (Form 1040) that have missing, rejected, or erroneous bank account information.
How will I know? If this applies to you, chances are you either have or will receive an IRS letter (CP53E) asking you to supply your bank account information. Don’t ignore this correspondence. There are limited exceptions, but for most taxpayers who do not meet the limited exceptions, the IRS will only send your refund electronically.
Source: https://www.irs.gov/refunds/about-refunds
Reminder: Trump Account Election
Through the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, enacted on July 4, 2025, Trump Accounts allow parents, guardians, and other authorized individuals to establish a new type of individual retirement account for their children.
These savings accounts can be established for any child who has not reached age 18 by the time the account is opened and who has a valid Social Security number.
A one-time $1,000 pilot program contribution from the Department of the Treasury is available for eligible children born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, who are U.S. citizens with a valid Social Security number.
Source: IRS-2026-68, May 28, 2026)
**Beware: Timely postmarked may not mean timely filed.
So, you dropped off your tax documents in the mailbox by the published due date. Your document is considered “timely filed”, right? Maybe, maybe not.
In a quiet move announced by the Postal Service and IRS, the timely-mailed-timely-filed rule-of-thumb may no longer apply to tax filings.
Specifically, the new IRS rule clarifies that the date your document(s) are considered timely postmarked will be the date the postal service marks your document as “processed”.
What Does This Mean to a Small Business Owner?
Bottom line, it means that your tax document is not considered officially mailed until the Postal Service actually processes it with a postmark. Unfortunately, the date of processing is often several days after you dropped it in the mailbox.
How to Guarantee Same-Day Postmark
To ensure a postmark is applied on the same day a document is released to the USPS:
Get a Counter Postmark: Go inside the USPS post office counter and request an over-the-counter postmark or a Postage Validation Imprint.
Use Certified Mail: Always send your returns via Certified Mail and retain the date-stamped receipt as definitive proof of timely filing.
Leverage Private Couriers: Use an IRS-designated Private Delivery Service (such as FedEx, UPS, or DHL Express). These private carrier receipts establish a reliable, verifiable ship date.
File Electronically: The safest way to guarantee timely filing is to file online, as electronic submissions are logged instantly when completed by midnight on the deadline date.
The information contained herein is general in nature and is not intended as legal, accounting or tax advice or opinion as provided by National Write Your Congressman. The reader should seek professional guidance prior to taking any action based upon this information. National Write Your Congressman shall have no obligation to inform the reader of any changes in tax laws or other which may affect the information provided.
