Your 2026 tax strategy
September advisory report updated with February through September consulting income.
Your updated annual position
Your advisor confirmed $120,487.63 of February through September 1099 income. Adding the separate $60,000 October through December forecast produces $180,487.63 of annual consulting revenue. This replaces the earlier Q4 only model.
| Planning measure | Updated result |
|---|---|
| Confirmed YTD consulting revenue | $120,487.63 |
| Additional Q4 consulting forecast | $60,000.00 |
| Annual consulting revenue | $180,487.63 |
| Annual deductible expense assumption | $70,000.00 |
| Business profit before retirement | $110,487.63 |
| Federal reserve illustration, before QBI benefit | $56,321 |
| Less projected federal withholding | $24,436 |
| Federal gap before estimates and QBI | $31,885 |
The decision has changed
Positive annual profit requires a federal payment review, a supported entity comparison and a business retirement contribution review. The previous $10,000 loss, $7,247 federal withholding excess and zero business contribution capacity are superseded.
The federal reserve assumes no QBI deduction pending its separate review. Illinois remains a part year allocation analysis; no final combined tax or remittance amount is established.
Implementation and decision record
Status reflects the evidence documented on this page. In progress means preliminary work exists and further verification is needed. Completed requires supporting evidence; no election, payroll launch or retirement funding is marked complete.
| Deliverable | Status | Owner | Next action | Target | Completion evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verify the baseline | In progress | Advisor; client only for missing items | Review uploaded records first. Reconcile payroll, deposits, dated expenses, residency and tax payments. | Before final recommendations | Reconciled worksheet with sources, assumptions and missing items identified. |
| Federal and Illinois payments | In progress | Advisor | Complete QBI, residency allocation, withholding, estimates and retirement scenarios. | After baseline verification | Separate dated recommendations showing amount, timing and credits applied. |
| Entity and payroll decision | In progress | Advisor | Quantify supported compensation, feasible timing and net benefit after all taxes and actual operating fees. | Before any election or payroll approval | Written proceed or defer recommendation with benefit, costs and implementation steps. |
| Retirement selection | In progress | Advisor + plan provider | Compare suitable plan options, affordable funding and provider setup and annual costs. | Before plan approval or funding | Written comparison with contribution target, full tax effects, provider quote and deadlines. |
| Action and cost approval | Awaiting decision package | Advisor prepares; client approves | Present one sheet separating included coordination, outside services, tax payments and retirement funding. | After recommendations and quotes | Recorded client decisions; each approved action has an owner, cost and deadline. |
| Approved implementation | Awaiting approval | Advisor + client + providers | Coordinate approved setup, elections, payroll and retirement steps as applicable; track blockers and follow up. | October through December, subject to applicable deadlines | Relevant filing, setup, payment or funding confirmations; unresolved dependencies documented. |
| December close and 2027 roadmap | Scheduled for year end | Advisor | Update projections and summarize completed actions, remaining items and 2027 priorities. | By December 31, 2026 | Delivered implementation summary, updated projections and preliminary 2027 roadmap. |
Targets depend on complete records, client approval and provider availability. Applicable filing and provider deadlines take precedence. No appointment or approval is implied.
Your engagement and implementation costs
| Cost category | Treatment | Current status |
|---|---|---|
| Included advisory and coordination | Covered by the engagement fee above. | No separate fee shown for included coordination. |
| Outside services | Payroll processing, bookkeeping, entity/legal services, return preparation, plan administration and actuarial services are separately priced where applicable. | Quotes not yet documented. Present setup and annual costs before commitment. |
| Tax payments | Payments toward your tax obligations; separate from service fees. | Final federal and Illinois recommendations pending verification. |
| Retirement contributions | Money contributed to your retirement plan; separate from setup and administration fees. | Plan choice and approved funding amount pending. |
Any additional service outside the included scope requires a clear quote and agreement before work begins. Provider charges and funding amounts are not included in the $2,000 advisory fee. Payment receipt and outstanding balance are not verified by this tracker.
Before you approve an action
Each recommendation will show expected benefit, upfront cost, annual cost, cash required, provider, owner, deadline and completion evidence. Approvals and confirmations will be recorded as they occur.
Concluding summary
Your financial position. Confirmed February through September consulting income of $120,487.63 plus the $60,000 Q4 forecast produces $180,487.63 in projected annual consulting revenue. Assuming $70,000 of allowable expenses, business profit is $110,487.63 before retirement contributions.
Protect your cash for taxes. The federal reserve illustration is $56,321 before any QBI benefit. After projected withholding of $24,436, the planning gap is $31,885 before estimated payments, credits and new retirement deductions. This is a reserve benchmark, not an instruction to pay that amount. Illinois must be calculated separately using actual residency, receipt and expense dates, then reduced by state payment credits.
Use the retirement opportunity. Positive business earnings support an illustrative employer contribution of approximately $21,104, subject to final eligible earnings and plan rules. Review this alongside remaining workplace deferral room and cash needs. Compare the full tax effects, including QBI and Illinois, before choosing an affordable contribution.
Our recommendation. First reconcile payroll, dated expenses, income allocation and payments. Then issue separate federal and Illinois payment recommendations and a coordinated retirement plan. Implement the approved amounts and carry the final year end position into your 2027 roadmap.