By Jackie Meyer, CPA – Founder & President, TaxPlanIQ
Here is the question every tax professional should be asking this filing season: of the 2025 returns on your desk right now, how many have you checked against the new OBBBA provisions?
Your tax prep software already knows the Child Tax Credit went up to $2,200. It knows the standard deduction increased. If your client is 65 or older and under the income limit, the $6,000 senior bonus deduction calculates automatically. Those are real dollars.
Downloadable OBBBA Client Questionnaire (Word Format): (File downloads from CPAPracticeAdvisor.com.)
But the provisions worth the most money are the ones software cannot see. No system knows your client worked qualifying overtime unless you ask. No system knows they financed a new American-assembled truck, or that their S-Corp has three years of domestic R&D expenses sitting in amortization that could be deducted on amended returns. No system knows your client’s real state and local tax totals if they have been taking the standard deduction since 2018 and you stopped collecting those numbers six years ago.
Those all require a tax preparer who asks the right questions, flags the opportunity, and enters what the software could never find on its own. That is the difference between filing a return and proactive (even retroactive) tax planning.
The return would be “correct” without these items. It just would not be good.
OBBBA Tax Savings by the Numbers
According to the Tax Foundation, under the OBBBA tax changes, the average individual tax cut is $2,272 per taxpayer, with business provisions adding another $1,541. Combined, that is roughly $4,000 per filer on average.
Your software will find about half of that. The other half requires questions only a tax professional can ask.
For established business owners with meaningful capital expenditures, the numbers get dramatically larger. Under restored 100% bonus depreciation, a company that invested $5 million in equipment went from a $3 million deduction (60% under 2024 rules) to the full $5 million written off in year one. Section 179 expensing doubled from $1.25 million to $2.5 million. And businesses with domestic R&D expenses going back to 2022 can now amend prior returns and recover costs that were previously capitalized over five years.
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These are not projections. These are provisions on the books right now, applicable to 2025 returns being filed, extended, or amended today.
Filing, Extending, or Amending: All Roads Lead Here
I want to be clear about something. I am not just talking about returns filed before April 15, 2026.
Most of the tax strategies in this article are available no matter where your client is in the 2026 filing season. Filing the original return? Check the list before you hit e-file. Extending to October? You have even more runway for SEP-IRA and Solo 401(k) contributions. Already filed? Amended returns (Form 1040-X or 1120-X) can capture anything missed, with a three-year window from the original filing deadline.
Important exception: Roth IRA, Traditional IRA, and HSA contributions for 2025 have a hard April 15, 2026 deadline. These cannot be made late and cannot be captured on an amended return. If your client has not funded these yet, the clock is ticking now.
The retroactive small business R&D provision invites amended returns for 2022, 2023, and 2024. Congress built this one knowing firms would need to go back. The general election deadline under Rev. Proc. 2025-28 is July 6, 2026. But watch the statute of limitations: for 2022 returns originally filed by April 15, 2023, the three-year window closes April 15, 2026. That is days away. If you have clients with domestic R&D from 2022, this cannot wait.
Example 1: The Garcias, $7,200 in Savings Their Software Missed
Sarah (36) is an ER nurse earning $82,000 on her W-2, including $11,000 in overtime premium pay. She regularly picks up extra shifts. David (38) is a project manager at a commercial construction firm earning $98,000. They have two kids, ages 5 and 8. They own a rental condo purchased in 2020 (Schedule E) and have a small investment portfolio (Schedule D). They live in New Jersey and pay $24,000 in combined state income and property taxes. David bought a new Chevy Silverado (U.S. assembled) in March 2025 and paid $2,100 in loan interest. Neither has funded their 2025 IRA or HSA yet.
This is a typical CPA client: two W-2s, a rental property, investments, kids, a high-tax state. The kind of return where you are already doing real work. But without asking the right questions, here is what gets left behind:
| Strategy | Deduction | Source |
| SALT cap increase ($10K to $24K claimed)* | $14,000 | OBBBA |
| Overtime deduction (Sarah, $11K premium) | $11,000 | OBBBA |
| Auto loan interest (Silverado, VIN verified at NHTSA.gov) | $2,100 | OBBBA |
| HSA contribution (family, not yet funded, HARD 4/15 deadline) | $8,550 | Traditional |
| Roth IRA (both spouses, not yet contributed, HARD 4/15 deadline) | $14,000 | Traditional |
| Total additional deductions | $49,650 |
*The SALT increase auto-applies in the software, but only if the actual numbers are there. The Garcias have taken the standard deduction every year since 2018. Their CPA stopped asking for real property tax and state income tax amounts because it did not matter under the $10,000 cap. Now it matters. The question is not whether the $40,000 cap applies. The question is: do you even have the numbers?
The three discovery-dependent OBBBA items total $27,100 in deductions. At the 22% marginal rate, that is roughly $5,960 in federal tax savings the software would not have generated on its own. Add the HSA and Roth contributions (both due April 15, no extensions), and total additional tax benefit reaches roughly $7,200.
Every one of those items required someone to ask a question.
Example 2: Patel Engineering, How Bonus Depreciation Unlocked a Six-Figure QBI Deduction
Raj (52) owns an engineering consulting firm structured as an S-Corp. Engineering consulting is a specified service trade or business (SSTB) under Section 199A, which means the QBI deduction phases out entirely above certain income thresholds. Under the OBBBA, the married filing jointly phase-out range is $394,600 to $494,600 for 2025.
The firm grossed $2.8 million in 2025. Raj’s W-2 from the S-Corp is $320,000. Before accounting for the new bonus depreciation rules, the firm’s pass-through income would have put Raj’s taxable income above $500,000, wiping out his QBI deduction completely.
But the firm purchased $480,000 in survey and drafting equipment post January 19th, 2025. Under the OBBBA’s restored 100% bonus depreciation, the full $480,000 is deductible. That additional $192,000 in deductions dropped Raj’s taxable income below the SSTB threshold.
The result: Raj unlocked roughly $64,000 in QBI deduction that would have been zero without the restored bonus depreciation. That is the QBI/bonus depreciation interaction at work, and it may be the single most valuable planning move of this filing season.
Add the firm’s other OBBBA-eligible items, and the full picture comes into focus:
| Strategy | Deduction | Source |
| 100% bonus depreciation ($480K equipment) | $480,000 | OBBBA |
| QBI deduction (unlocked by bonus dep) | $64,000 | OBBBA |
| Full R&D expensing, 2025 ($185K domestic) | $185,000 | OBBBA |
| Retroactive R&D expensing, 2022-2024 (amend) | $390,000 | OBBBA |
| 163(j) EBITDA-based interest recalculation | $28,000 | OBBBA |
| Total additional deductions (2025 + amended) | $1,147,000 |
Well over $1.1 million in additional deductions across the current year and three amended returns. The equipment deduction alone went from $288,000 (60% under old rules) to $480,000 (100% under OBBBA), and that $192,000 swing is what unlocked the $64,000 QBI deduction.
Trap: This interaction works in reverse too. For non-SSTB businesses, 100% bonus depreciation directly reduces QBI and can drive it negative. Run the QBI calculation last, after all other depreciation and deduction decisions are modeled. This is the #1 trap of the season.
The planning window expanded after year-end. It did not shrink.
OBBBA Return Review Checklist for Tax Preparers
Below is every strategy still executable for 2025, whether you are filing, extending, or amending.
Individual Provisions
1. No Tax on Tips. Above-the-line deduction, up to $25K. W-2 reported. For self-employed, calculated net of 50% SE tax, SEHI, and retirement contributions per Notice 2025-62.
Ask: “Do you or your spouse receive tips? Were they reported?”
2. No Tax on Overtime. FLSA Section 7 premium only (the “half” of time-and-a-half), up to $12,500/$25K joint. Phases out above $150K/$300K.
Ask: “Did you work overtime in 2025?”
3. Auto Loan Interest. Up to $10K on new, U.S.-assembled, personal-use vehicles. First owner only. VIN required on return. Verify assembly at NHTSA.gov/VIN. Phases out above $100K/$200K.
Ask: “Did you buy a new car in 2025 with a loan?”
4. SALT Cap Increase. $10K to $40K for MAGI under $500K (2025-2029). Phase-down of 30% above $500K. Rerun standard vs. itemized for every client.
Ask: “What are your actual state income and property tax amounts? We may need to itemize for the first time since 2018.”
5. PTET Election. If your client owns an S-corp, partnership, or LLC in a state with a pass-through entity tax, confirm whether the election was filed for 2025. This directly affects Schedule A and interacts with the expanded SALT cap. A PTET election can change the federal itemized deduction picture significantly.
Ask: “Was a PTET election filed for 2025? Which state(s)?”
6. Dell Foundation. $250/child age 10 and under, born before 2025, in zip codes with median income under $150K. Roughly 75% of U.S. zip codes qualify.
7. Trump Accounts (babies born in 2025). Form 4547 files with the 2025 return. $1,000 government deposit into a tax-deferred account for each eligible newborn. Accounts open July 2026. The election is made now, on the return.
Ask: “Did you have a baby in 2025? We need to file Form 4547 with the return.”
8. Energy Credit Sunsets. EV credits ended for vehicles acquired after 9/30/25. Home energy credits ended after 12/31/25. Capture qualifying projects completed before those dates.
9. Gambling. 2025 is the last year losses fully offset winnings. Starting 2026, a 90% cap applies. Make sure losses are documented and fully claimed on the 2025 return.
Business Provisions
10. 100% Bonus Depreciation. Full write-off for property acquired and placed in service after 1/19/25. Was phasing down to 40% in 2025 under old law. “Placed in service” means operational, not just purchased. NOTE: Assets acquired or placed in service January 1-19, 2025, fall under old phase-down rates. Confirm exact dates.
Ask: “Assets purchased in 2025? Were they in use before year-end? Anything in the first 19 days of January?”
11. Section 179 Expensing. Maximum raised to $2.5M with $4M phaseout (up from $1.22M/$3.05M). Use Section 179 instead of bonus depreciation when you want to select specific assets (bonus applies to entire classes), when you need to avoid creating a net operating loss (179 cannot create an NOL, bonus can), or when state conformity matters (many states conform to 179 but not bonus depreciation).
12. Full Domestic R&D Expensing. Immediate deduction restored for domestic R&D starting 2025. Reverses the five-year capitalization from 2022. Foreign R&D still amortizes over 15 years.
13. Retroactive Small Business R&D. Gross receipts under $31M can expense domestic R&D back to 2022 via amended returns. General election deadline is 7/6/26 per Rev. Proc. 2025-28. But see the April 15 Hard Deadline section below for 2022-specific urgency.
Ask: “R&D expenses from 2022 forward? We need to look at this immediately.”
14. Section 163(j) Interest. EBITDA-based calculation restored permanently. Materially increases deductible interest for real estate and capital-intensive businesses. Check carryforwards from 2022-2024.
Ask: “Should I recalculate your interest limitation?”
15. QBI Deduction (now permanent). Made permanent with wider phase-in ranges. Model the bonus depreciation interaction carefully: for SSTB clients, bonus dep may push taxable income below the threshold and unlock the full deduction. For non-SSTB, bonus dep reduces QBI and can drive it negative. Run QBI last.
16. Section 1202 QSBS. For stock acquired after 7/4/25: exclusion expanded to $15M with prorated holding periods starting at 50% after 3 years, 75% after 4, and 100% after 5. Stock acquired before 7/4/25 follows prior rules ($10M, 5-year hold for full exclusion). C-corp formation now significantly more attractive for future exits.
Ask: “Are any of your capital gains from qualified small business stock? When was it acquired?”
17. Section 45B FICA Tip Credit. Expanded to hair salons, nail salons, barbershops, spas, and estheticians. Restaurants, bars, hotels, rideshare, and delivery already qualified under existing rules.
Ask: “Do you have tipped employees in a newly qualifying industry?”
18. Cost Segregation. Retroactive on qualifying commercial and rental properties. Combined with restored 100% bonus depreciation, this is more powerful than it has been in years.
19. Qualified Production Property (Section 168(n)). New 100% deduction for nonresidential real property used in the tangible production of goods in the U.S. Construction must begin after 1/19/25 and before 1/1/29. Must be placed in service before 1/1/31. Original use required. 10-year recapture period applies.
20. Qualified Opportunity Zones. Program made permanent. For 2025 returns: the rural substantial improvement threshold dropped from 100% to 50% (effective 7/4/25). Current TCJA-designated zones remain through 2028. New zone designations occur July 2026, effective January 1, 2027, with stricter eligibility criteria, new rural fund incentives, and rolling 5-year deferral periods. Start planning 2027 investments now.
April 15, 2026 Hard Deadlines
21. Roth IRA / Traditional IRA. Up to $7,000 ($8,000 if 50+). HARD DEADLINE: April 15, 2026. Cannot be made after this date. Cannot be captured on an amended return.
Ask: “Have you made your 2025 contribution?”
22. HSA Contributions. $4,300 individual / $8,550 family. HARD DEADLINE: April 15, 2026. Cannot be extended. Triple tax advantage.
Ask: “On a high-deductible health plan? Have you maxed your HSA?”
23. Retroactive R&D Amendment for 2022. If your client filed their 2022 return by April 15, 2023, the three-year statute of limitations for amending closes April 15, 2026. That is days away. This is a hard cutoff for capturing retroactive R&D expensing for the 2022 tax year specifically. Do not wait.
Ask: “Did you have domestic R&D expenses in 2022? We may have days left to amend.”
Available Through Extension (October 15, 2026)
24. SEP-IRA. Up to 25% of net SE income ($70K max). Due by filing deadline with extensions, which means October 15, 2026, for clients who extend.
Ask: “Self-employed? Have you funded retirement for 2025?”
25. Solo 401(k). Employer portion due by filing deadline with extensions. Combined limit $70K ($77.5K if 50+). New for 2025: SECURE 2.0 super catch-up allows $11,250 for ages 60-63, bringing total possible employee contributions to $34,750.
Note: This checklist covers the highest-impact provisions for the broadest range of clients. Additional niche OBBBA strategies may apply to specific situations, including adoption credit changes, farm sale installment options (sales after 7/4/25), completed contract method expansion for condo builders, and HSA eligibility changes related to telehealth. Review the full legislation or consult specialized guidance for client-specific scenarios.
The Challenge
Before you file another return this week, pull one off the stack and run it through this checklist.
For individuals, you will likely find $2,000 to $5,000 in savings from provisions the software missed. For business owners with significant equipment, R&D, or debt, the number could be six figures. According to the Tax Foundation, average combined individual and business tax cuts under the OBBBA are roughly $4,000 per filer. But those are averages. The clients who work with a CPA who reviews for these tax strategies will do dramatically better than average.
I have educated tens of thousands of tax professionals on these provisions on stage, on my podcast The Concierge CPA, and via webinars over the past year. The feedback is always the same: firms are hungry for clarity, and clients are sitting on savings they do not know about.
Your software handles the standard deduction and the CTC. But the strategies that require you to ask a question, listen, and enter what the system could never know? That is where a $2,000 tax cut becomes a $10,000 tax cut. That is the difference between a filed return and a client for life.
Go find it. I bet it is sitting on your desk right now. Then share this checklist with your team before they file another return.
Jackie Meyer, CPA, is the founder and president of TaxPlanIQ (taxplaniq.com), a tax planning software platform serving 650+ accounting firms with proactive tax planning tools and AI-powered client discovery. She is a CPA Practice Advisor Most Powerful Women in Accounting honoree and the author of The Balanced Millionaire Advisor Edition (CPA Trendlines, 2025).
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