Your 2026 Year-End Tax Planning Checklist: A San Antonio CPA’s Guide

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Jessica Gonzalez, CPA | Published October 25, 2026

Most of what lowers a 2026 tax bill has to be done by December 31, 2026. This year-end tax planning checklist covers the five moves that matter most for San Antonio households, the deadlines through May 2027, what changed this year, and a list for your situation.

If you own a home in San Antonio, your 2026 property tax bill is probably already sitting on the kitchen counter. This year it may be a little higher: the City of San Antonio raised its tax rate for the first time in 33 years, to 56.288 cents per $100 of value. That bill is also a year-end tax decision, along with a short list of other moves that only count if they’re done by December 31.

2026 is the first year-end under several new federal rules. The charitable deduction works differently. The cap on state and local tax deductions is much higher. New deductions for seniors, tips, overtime and car loan interest are in their second year. Here is what to do, sorted by deadline and by who you are.

Key year-end deadlines for San Antonio taxpayers

Most moves have to be done by December 31, but a few deadlines run into 2027.

Add these deadlines to your calendar (an .ics file that works with Google Calendar, Outlook and Apple Calendar, with a reminder a week before each date).

What changed for 2026

The 2025 federal tax law, which the IRS now calls the “Working Families Tax Cuts,” changed several year-end decisions. These are the changes most likely to affect a San Antonio household or small business this year.

Figures are from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, IRS Notice 2025-67 and the IRS summary of the new law.

Start with a 2026 tax projection

Every move below depends on two numbers: your expected 2026 income and your tax bracket. A projection estimates your 2026 return now, while there’s still time to change it, using your year-to-date pay stubs, business books, and investment and retirement statements.

A projection tells you three things:

• Whether to itemize. For a married couple, itemizing only pays if your deductions top the $32,200 standard deduction ($16,100 single, $24,150 head of household).
• How close you are to an income line. That could be the next bracket, the senior-deduction phase-out, a Medicare premium tier or the ACA subsidy cliff.
• Whether you’ve paid enough tax. If not, there’s still time to fix it before penalties apply.

If your income comes mostly from a W-2, the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator is a good free start. If you own a business, have rental property, are retiring or sold something big this year, a CPA-prepared projection is worth more.

The San Antonio property-tax decision: itemize or take the standard deduction?

Texas has no state income tax, so for most San Antonio homeowners the state and local tax deduction comes down to property tax plus sales tax. With the cap now at $40,400, the real question is timing. Bexar and Comal County bills arrive in October and aren’t late until February. That means you can usually choose which tax year the payment lands in.

The trick is “bunching”: stack two years of property tax and charitable gifts into one year so you clear the standard deduction, then take the standard deduction the next year.

A worked example

A married couple in Stone Oak, both under 65, with $240,000 of AGI:

• They paid their 2025 Bexar bill of $9,600 in January 2026.
• Their 2026 bill of $9,800 arrived in October.
• They paid $10,500 of mortgage interest.
• Their sales-tax deduction from the IRS tables is $2,000.
• They usually give $5,000 a year to their church and local charities.

The example uses 2026 amounts for both years.

In this example, Plan B adds $4,500 of deductions over two years. That’s about $990 less federal tax in the 22% bracket. The couple can repeat the cycle: pay the 2027 bill in January 2028 and the 2028 bill in December 2028.

The math behind Plan B’s 2026 total:

• Property tax and sales tax: $21,400, well under the $40,400 cap.
• Mortgage interest: $10,500.
• Gifts: $8,800, after the 0.5% floor takes the first $1,200.

Before you write the check, confirm four things:

• Escrow. If your mortgage company pays your property tax, the deduction follows the date it actually pays. Ask your lender before assuming you can choose.
• Only assessed taxes count. Paying the 2026 bill in December works because it’s already been assessed. Prepaying a 2027 bill you haven’t received doesn’t.
• The math has to clear more than the standard deduction. People who don’t itemize can still deduct up to $2,000 of cash gifts ($1,000 single), and bunching gives that up in both years. If your bunched 2026 total is under about $36,000 (married) or $18,000 (single), pay on the normal schedule. If you’re both 65 or older, the bar is about $39,500 (about $20,000 single).
• Seniors. If you’re 65 or older, file for the over-65 exemption and freeze with your appraisal district first. A smaller bill changes the math.

For due dates, the half-payment plan, escrow and late penalties, see Should you pay your Bexar County property tax before December 31? Want a second opinion? I can run both plans with your actual figures in a year-round tax planning session.

Year-end checklists by who you are

Pick the sections that fit your household. Many families will use two or three.

Families and W-2 households

• Max out workplace retirement contributions through your last paychecks: $24,500, plus $8,000 if you’re 50 or older, or $11,250 if you’re 60 to 63.
• Spend down your health FSA. Most plans let you carry over only a small amount, up to $680 for 2026 plans, and the rest is lost.
• Raise your dependent care FSA during open enrollment. The limit rose to $7,500 in 2026, from $5,000. If you pay for daycare or after-school care, this is one of the simplest tax savings available.
• Check your HSA. You can contribute for 2026 until April 15, 2027. Starting in 2026, bronze and catastrophic marketplace plans qualify for an HSA.
• Confirm tips and overtime are on your W-2. The new deductions cover qualified tips and the extra “half” of time-and-a-half pay. Ask your payroll department now, not in February, how they’ll report them.
• Elect your child’s Trump account. Children born from 2025 through 2028 can get a $1,000 federal deposit. Parents elect with Form 4547 in their IRS Online Account.
• Run the withholding check. A big refund or balance due last year means your withholding needs adjusting.

Retirees and near-retirees

• Take your required minimum distribution by December 31. RMDs start at 73 for most current retirees. You can delay your first one to April 1, but then you’ll take two in the same tax year.
• Give from your IRA instead of your checkbook. At 70½ or older, a qualified charitable distribution of up to $111,000 can go straight from your IRA to a charity. It counts toward your RMD and never shows up in your income. The check must go directly to the charity, not to a donor-advised fund.
• Watch the senior deduction phase-out. The extra $6,000 per person shrinks by 6% of your income above $75,000 ($150,000 joint). In this range, every extra $1,000 of income also costs you $60 of deduction. In this example, a single retiree with $85,000 of income keeps $5,400 of the $6,000.
• Size any Roth conversion to an income line. A December conversion is taxed in 2026 and also counts toward your 2028 Medicare premiums, because Medicare looks back two years. Convert up to the top of your current bracket or the next Medicare tier, not past it. My Roth conversion guide walks through the trade-offs.
• Harvest gains at 0%. Long-term gains are taxed at 0% while taxable income stays under $98,900 joint ($49,450 single). In a low-income year, selling appreciated shares can reset your cost basis without any federal tax.
• File for the over-65 exemption and freeze. Texas homeowners 65 and older get an extra $60,000 school-tax exemption on top of the $140,000 homestead exemption, plus a school-tax ceiling. Apply with the Bexar or Comal appraisal district.

Small business owners and the self-employed

• Close your books through November now. Every other decision on this list depends on knowing your actual 2026 profit. If your books are behind, catching up is the first move. My monthly bookkeeping service can help, or I can work with your current bookkeeper. Clean books also carry straight into your small business tax return.
• Place needed equipment in service by December 31. Equipment, computers and qualifying vehicles bought and put to use in 2026 can be written off in full this year. The 2025 law made 100% bonus depreciation permanent, and the Section 179 limit is $2,560,000. Heavy SUVs have a $32,000 Section 179 cap.
• Time income and expenses on purpose. On the cash method, bills paid by December 31 count in 2026. Pull expenses forward only when this year’s rate is higher than next year’s.
• Set up or fund a retirement plan. A solo 401(k) with first-year employee deferrals can be set up, with the deferral made, by April 15, 2027. A SEP can be opened and funded up to your filing deadline, including extensions.
• Make your Q4 estimated payment by January 15, 2027. To avoid an underpayment penalty, pay at least 100% of your 2025 tax through withholding and estimates, or 110% if your 2025 AGI topped $150,000. Use IRS Direct Pay.
• Collect a W-9 from every contractor now. For payments made in 2026, you file a 1099-NEC only for contractors you paid $2,000 or more. Payments to attorneys still use $600. Forms are due February 1, 2027.
• File your Texas franchise report by May 17, 2027. (The usual May 15 date falls on a Saturday.) Businesses with revenue up to $2.65 million owe no franchise tax for 2026 and 2027 reports, but most still have to file an information report.

S corporation owners

• Run a reasonable salary through payroll before the last 2026 payroll. Owner distributions with little or no salary are one of the first things the IRS questions on an S corp return. Work with your payroll provider before the final December run.
• Put your health insurance on your W-2. If the S corp pays health premiums for a more-than-2% owner, those premiums have to be added to your W-2 wages for you to deduct them personally.
• Reimburse yourself under an accountable plan by December 31. That covers a home office, business mileage and a cell phone, paid from the company with records attached.
• Check the QBI wage limit. Above $403,500 of joint taxable income ($201,750 single), the 20% qualified business income deduction can depend on the W-2 wages your company pays.
• Plan for the Roth catch-up rule. If your 2026 wages from the S corp top $150,000, your 2027 catch-up contributions will have to go in as Roth.
• Thinking about an S corp for 2027? File Form 2553 by March 15, 2027 for the election to apply to the whole year. My S corporation services page explains when the switch tends to pay off.

Real estate agents

• Set aside tax on fall closings. Commissions from October through December count toward your January 15 estimated payment. My guide on how much agents should set aside has the math.
• Finish your mileage log. Total your 2026 business miles from your calendar and showing history now, while you still remember the trips.
• Pay 2027 renewals in December if it helps. On the cash method, MLS and board dues, E&O insurance, licensing and continuing education paid in December count for 2026. Use the agent deductions checklist.
• Check your brokerage 1099 against your records. Your 1099-NEC should arrive by February 1. Any difference from your own commission log is worth resolving before you file.
• Run the S corp numbers. Many agents are better off as an S corp once net commissions are steady. See when an S corp pays off for agents.

More for agents on my CPA for Realtors page.

Military families

Joint Base San Antonio is home to more than 33,000 active-duty members, and Bexar County has about 146,000 veterans. Military pay has its own year-end rules.

• Max out your TSP. The 2026 limits match a civilian 401(k): $24,500, plus $8,000 at 50 or older, or $11,250 at 60 to 63. If you earned tax-free combat pay this year, ask how putting it into the Roth TSP works for you.
• Keep every PCS receipt. Active-duty members moving on PCS orders can still deduct unreimbursed moving costs on Form 3903. The 2025 law ended this deduction for nearly everyone else.
• Remember what isn’t taxable. BAH and BAS aren’t income, and you can still deduct mortgage interest and property tax you pay with your housing allowance.
• Confirm your state of legal residence. If Texas is your legal residence, you generally don’t owe income tax to the state where you’re stationed. Military spouses may be able to claim the same residence. Check this before you file, especially after a move.

Investors

• Harvest losses to offset gains. Selling investments that are down can offset gains you’ve already taken, plus up to $3,000 of other income, with the rest carried forward. Research covering 1926 to 2018 found tax-loss harvesting added roughly 0.8% a year after wash-sale rules (Chaudhuri, Burnham & Lo, 2020).
• Respect the 30-day wash-sale window. If you buy the same or a substantially identical investment within 30 days before or after the sale, the loss is disallowed for now. That includes purchases in your IRA.
• Give appreciated stock instead of cash. If you itemize, donating shares you’ve held more than a year generally lets you deduct their full value and never pay tax on the gain.
• Use the 0% bracket if you qualify. Long-term gains are taxed at 0% while taxable income stays under $98,900 joint or $49,450 single.

Moves that no longer work in 2026

Some advice that still circulates online is out of date:

• “Buy solar panels or an EV before year-end for the credit.” The residential solar and home energy credits ended after 2025, and the EV credit ended for vehicles bought after September 30, 2025.
• “Give everything before the rules change.” That was 2025 advice. The 0.5% floor and the non-itemizer deduction are now permanent, so the question is how to time gifts across years.
• “Send a 1099 to anyone you paid $600.” For 2026 payments the threshold is $2,000. Attorney payments are the main exception.
• “Prepay next year’s property tax.” Only taxes that have been assessed can be deducted when paid. Paying the 2026 bill in December works. Paying an estimate of your 2027 bill doesn’t.

What the IRS looks for: a former Revenue Agent’s view

I spent a year as a Revenue Agent in the IRS Small Business/Self-Employed Division. The biggest lesson: most tax problems aren’t caused by bad decisions. They come from decisions nobody wrote down. December is the cheapest time to fix that.

• Mismatches come first. The IRS automatically compares the W-2s, 1099s and brokerage forms it receives with what you report. A gap usually produces a letter like a CP2000, not an audit. Reconcile your forms before you file.
• The new deductions need proof. Tips and overtime should match your W-2 and pay records. The car loan deduction needs the vehicle’s VIN. The senior deduction requires a valid Social Security number.
• Records made at the time count most. A mileage log written during the year is far more convincing than one rebuilt in April. The same goes for receipts and the reasoning behind an S corp salary.
• Big swings draw attention. A sharp drop in income or a jump in deductions isn’t wrong, but it should have a paper trail that explains it.

Here is a composite from my time examining returns, with the details changed. A self-employed contractor deducted the costs of a truck he really did use for work. The number on his return was probably close to right. The problem was that the only record of it was that number: no mileage log, no calendar, no job tickets with addresses. By the time the examination started, two years had passed. He could not show which trips were business, so the deduction did not hold up, and he paid tax on income a legitimate write-off should have offset.

What would have changed the outcome cost nothing: a mileage app started in January, or a calendar with job addresses in it. That is why the next few weeks matter. December is the last chance to create the 2026 records that will make your return hold up if anyone asks.

If a letter does arrive, don’t guess at it or ignore it. My IRS notice help starts with a $250 flat review, completed within 3–5 business days.

When to call a CPA before December 31

A checklist covers the basics. A projection matters most when the decisions interact. Consider a planning session if, in 2026, you:

• Started, sold or grew a business, or have an S corp.
• Are thinking about a Roth conversion, or retired this year.
• Are close to the senior-deduction phase-out, a Medicare premium tier or the ACA subsidy cliff.
• Sold a home, rental property or a large investment position.
• Moved, married, divorced, had a baby or lost a spouse.

I work with households and business owners across North San Antonio, Stone Oak and Sonterra, and Bulverde. A year-end planning session starts at $1,000 and includes four things: a 2026 projection built before we meet, from your 2025 return and this year’s numbers to date; one planning meeting; a written one-page action list; and follow-up questions by email for 30 days. Owners with several entities or a major transaction may be quoted higher, and the fee is fixed in writing before any work begins. For scale, the one timing decision in the worked example above was worth about $990 of federal tax. Whether a session is worth it for you depends on your numbers, which is exactly what the projection shows.

Not sure yet? Book a complimentary 15-minute fit call. Tell me what changed for you in 2026 and your nearest deadline, and I’ll tell you whether a session makes sense. No outcome is guaranteed, but you’ll know your options before the deadline passes.

Get the checklists

Want a printable version to work through before a fit call or your tax appointment? The Resources page will email you a PDF with the individual, small business and bookkeeping checklists, with space for notes and questions.

Sources

• IRS, Rev. Proc. 2025-32: 2026 standard deduction, brackets, capital-gains rates, Section 179
• IRS, Notice 2025-67: 2026 retirement limits, QCD limit, Roth catch-up wage threshold
• IRS, One Big Beautiful Bill provisions
• IRS, New and enhanced deductions for individuals
• IRS, Notice 2026-11: bonus depreciation
• IRS, Trump accounts
• IRS, 2026 Form 1040-ES: estimated tax safe harbor
• Texas Comptroller, Franchise tax
• Texas Comptroller, Property tax exemptions
• Bexar County, Property tax frequently asked questions
• Comal County, Property tax questions

Related: Pay Your Bexar County Property Tax in December? · Year-Round Tax Planning · Is a Roth Conversion Right for You? · How Much Should Agents Set Aside for Taxes?