Deadlines & Rates
IRS Interest Rates Hold Steady for the Fourth Quarter
The IRS announced that interest rates will stay put for the quarter beginning October 1, 2026. Individual overpayments and underpayments remain at 7% per year, compounded daily, with corporate overpayments at 6% and large corporate underpayments at 9%. Practically speaking, that 7% underpayment rate is the price of guessing low on estimated taxes — a good reason to true up your third-quarter payment before the September 15 deadline rather than waiting to settle up in April.
Source: IRS Newsroom (IR-2026-98)
IRS
New Tax Compliance Report Gives You Verifiable Proof You’re Current
The IRS launched a digitally authenticated Tax Compliance Report, available on demand through your IRS Individual Online Account. Each report carries an IRS-issued digital certificate, so a lender, licensing board, or government agency can confirm it’s genuine instead of taking a printout at face value. If you’ve ever been asked to prove you’re square with the IRS for a mortgage, a loan, or a contract bid, this replaces a slow request-and-wait process with a download.
Source: IRS Newsroom (IR-2026-97)
Security
A Written Information Security Plan Isn’t Optional for Tax Practices
The IRS and its Security Summit partners reminded tax and accounting professionals that federal law treats them as financial institutions under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act — which means a written information security plan is a legal requirement, not a best practice. A plan has to cover staff training, systems safeguards, and how the firm detects and responds to a breach, and it has to be reviewed and tested, not filed away. The IRS offers a fill-in template in Publication 5708 for firms that don’t have one yet. Worth asking any professional who handles your financial data whether theirs is current.
Source: IRS Newsroom (IR-2026-92)
Trump Accounts
Second Round of Trump Account Rules Covers What the Money Can Be Invested In
A week after proposing rules on employer contributions, Treasury and the IRS issued proposed regulations addressing eligible investments for Trump Accounts under the Working Families Tax Cuts. The guidance is still in proposed form, so nothing is locked in — but the shape of these accounts is filling in quickly. If you have minor children or you’re weighing whether to offer contributions through your business, this is the year to start planning rather than react.
Source: IRS Newsroom (IR-2026-96)
Indiana
State Approves a Second Gas Tax Holiday Reimbursement to Local Roads
The Indiana State Board of Finance unanimously approved roughly $130.45 million on August 18 to backfill road funding lost during the state’s temporary gasoline tax suspension, covering revenue that would have been collected in June. Counties, cities, and towns share about $43.8 million of that total. It doesn’t change anyone’s tax bill, but it’s a useful signal for local governments and road contractors budgeting around the holiday — and more reimbursement requests are expected at future board meetings.
Source: Indiana Capital Chronicle