20 strategies that may apply to your situation

Electing S-corporation status may reduce self-employment tax for owners with consistent profit, when paired with a reasonable salary. Whether it helps depends on profit level, payroll cost, and state treatment.

S-corp owners must pay themselves reasonable wages. Setting compensation defensibly is where S-corp planning is won or lost — too low invites scrutiny, too high gives back the benefit.

An accountable plan can let a business reimburse owners and employees for legitimate business expenses — home office, mileage, and more — in a documented, compliant way.

The Augusta Rule may allow a business to pay the owner for legitimate use of a personal residence for up to 14 days a year, with proper documentation and fair-market support. The benefit is the income reduction times your marginal rate — not a flat figure.

Paying family members for real work at reasonable wages can shift income and open retirement-saving options — when the work is genuine and documented.

The pass-through entity tax election may restore a state-tax deduction lost to the SALT cap for owners of pass-through entities. Availability and mechanics depend on your state.

The qualified business income deduction may provide up to a 20% deduction on qualified income, subject to income thresholds, business type, and wage/property limits.

A backdoor Roth may let high earners fund a Roth IRA indirectly. The pro-rata rule across pre-tax IRA balances is the trap that determines whether it's efficient for you.

If your 401(k) allows after-tax contributions and in-plan conversions, a mega backdoor Roth may move significant additional dollars into Roth. It depends entirely on your plan's features.

A cash balance plan may allow large, deductible retirement contributions for older, high-income owners — on top of a 401(k) — when cash flow and demographics support it.

An HSA may offer a deduction going in, tax-free growth, and tax-free qualified withdrawals — a rare triple advantage when paired with an eligible high-deductible plan.

Converting pre-tax dollars to Roth in lower-income years may reduce lifetime tax and future RMDs. The right amount depends on bracket, IRMAA thresholds, and timing.

The order you draw from taxable, tax-deferred, and Roth accounts may meaningfully affect lifetime tax. There is no single rule — it depends on your bracket and goals.

Income two years prior can trigger Medicare surcharges (IRMAA). Managing income around the thresholds may reduce surcharges — it depends on your full income picture.

A qualified charitable distribution may let you give directly from an IRA, potentially satisfying RMDs while excluding the amount from income — often more efficient than a cash gift.