By the time April rolls around, your best tax planning opportunities have already closed. The moves that matter most all share one thing: they need to happen before December 31. Here's what we encourage clients to bring to their CPA now.

Use this year's gift and estate exemption. The exemption sits at $15 million per individual in 2026 ($30 million per couple), and it won't stay this high forever. You can also move $19,000 per recipient ($38,000 per couple) tax-free every year through the annual gift exclusion, no return required. If a larger transfer is on the table, ask whether a SLAT or GRAT still makes sense.

Harvest gains or losses. Long-term gains are taxed at 15% or 20%, plus 3.8% for higher earners, so realized losses offset real money. Some years it's worth recognizing gains on purpose, too, ahead of a bracket change or a known law shift.

Consider a Roth conversion. The right year depends on income and markets. A common strategy is converting just enough to fill your current bracket (for a married couple in 2026, the 24% bracket runs to $211,400). If you earn too much to contribute to a Roth IRA directly, a backdoor conversion may still work.

Give through a donor-advised fund. Contribute cash or appreciated stock, take the full deduction this year, and decide on the actual grants later. It's an easy way to bunch several years of giving into one higher-income year.

Max out retirement accounts. In 2026: $24,500 for a 401(k), plus an $8,000 catch-up (or $11,250 if you're 60–63); $7,500 for an IRA, plus $1,100 catch-up; up to $72,000 total if your plan supports a mega backdoor Roth; and $4,400/$8,750 for an HSA. These are easy to let slide, worth a specific check-in rather than an assumption.

Revisit state residency. If you split time between states, your CPA can walk through what determines domicile: day counts, primary home, voter registration, before it becomes a question you're answering under audit.

Ask what's changing next year. Tax provisions that feel permanent sometimes aren't. A direct question about January 1st can surface a lot.

None of this belongs to your CPA alone, or to us alone. The best outcomes come from your tax, legal, and investment advisors looking at the same picture at the same time. If it's been a while since that group sat down together, year-end is the moment to change that.