The Pain of Tax Season!

“The difference between death and taxes is death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.”

Will Rogers

No matter how you look at it, tax season is NEVER fun, but there are some things you should know about changes that came as a result of the “One Big Beautiful Bill for 2025” that, at least for small business owners, has some benefits.

I am NOT a tax expert, but I have a great relationship with my accountant and make sure I ask the right questions.I looked at several online resources, but this site, Housecall Pro, was one of the easiest to understand. Keep in mind their target audience is home service business owners, but there are so many common denominators with photographers. Plus, this post is meant to get you thinking about the 2025 tax season, not have all the answers. 

Here are a couple of examples of how they show the highlights, along with video explanations.

• Bonus Depreciation had been phasing down, 80% in 2025, 60% in 2026, and so on, until Congress slammed on the brakes and reset the rate to a full 100%. The rule generally applies to original-use assets, but may apply to some purchases that meet certain requirements.
• Bigger Standard Deduction: The baseline deduction for taxpayers who don’t itemize rises roughly 5% for 2025—about $15,750 for single filers and $31,500 for joint filers—and, crucially, the bump is permanent with annual inflation indexing. Seniors age 65 and older get an extra $6,000 on top of the new standard deduction, but that senior boost is temporary and sunsets after 2028. 
• SALT Cap: The personal cap on state and local tax deductions (SALT) leaps from $10,000 to $40,000 for tax years 2025 through 2029. The bigger cap is especially valuable for individuals in high‑tax states who pay large property‑tax bills on their homes in addition to state income tax.

Reminding you about taxes and your deductions is something I post about every year at this time. I know I’ve shared this in the past, but it’s tax season and so relevant: