The Tax Playbook
The Tax Playbook: win tax season like it’s March.
Brackets, deductions, credits, and deadlines, drawn up the way a coach would. Free from Studle, with tax filing handled next door by Studle & Associates.
The playbook
Five pages. Four quarters.
Tax Brackets and Deductions (the court and the free throw line), Run the Plays and Avoid Fouls, Key Tax Dates, an itemized-deduction checklist, and the Scoring Buckets that tie tax prep to retirement planning.
What’s inside
Know your zones
How brackets work, and why moving up one doesn’t tax all your money at the higher rate.
Free throws vs. three-pointers
When the standard deduction is enough and when itemizing pays.
Avoid the fouls
Sloppy records, wrong withholding, missed deadlines: the free points people hand the IRS.
The three buckets
Tax me now, tax me later, tax me never, and why a good roster uses all three.
The court has zones
Your income moves up the court, and each zone has its own rate. Crossing into a higher zone only taxes the part of your income in that zone, not all of it.
| Zone | 2026 rate | Single filer taxable income |
|---|---|---|
| The low post | 10% | $0 – $12,400 |
| 12% | $12,401 – $50,400 | |
| Mid-range | 22% | $50,401 – $105,700 |
| 24% | $105,701 – $201,775 | |
| Top of the key | 32% | $201,776 – $256,225 |
| 35% | $256,226 – $640,600 | |
| 37% | Over $640,600 |
The free throw everyone gets: the 2026 standard deduction is $16,100 for single filers, $24,150 for heads of household, and $32,200 for married couples filing jointly. When mortgage interest, medical costs, and charitable giving add up past that, itemizing is the three-pointer.
Brackets for married couples and heads of household are different. Figures are for tax year 2026 (returns filed in 2027) and change every year.
Scoring buckets
Spreading your money across all three is like drafting a roster with different players for different situations.
Tax me now
Taxed as it comes in: wages, interest and dividends, short-term gains, bonuses and commissions.
Tax me later
Taxed when you take it out: traditional 401(k)s and IRAs, deferred annuities, pensions.
Tax me never
Generally not taxed when used the right way: qualified Roth withdrawals, many municipal bond interest payments, and HSAs or 529s used for qualified expenses.
Key tax dates
| Date | What’s due |
|---|---|
| January 15 | Fourth-quarter estimated payment (self-employed and others who pay quarterly) |
| January 31 | Employers send W-2s and most 1099s |
| March 15 | S-corporation and partnership returns or extensions (Forms 1120-S and 1065) |
| April 15 | Individual returns (Form 1040) or extensions, plus first-quarter estimated payment |
| June 15 | Second-quarter estimated payment |
| September 15 | Third-quarter estimated payment |
| October 15 | Extended individual returns due |
An extension moves the filing deadline, not the payment deadline. Dates shift when they land on a weekend or holiday.
Why we made taxes a basketball game
Tax season lands right in the middle of basketball season, so we drew up the plays the way people actually talk. Taxes aren’t hard because the ideas are hard. They’re hard because nobody explains them in order.
Credits beat deductions
A deduction lowers the income you’re taxed on. A credit cuts the tax bill itself. Knowing which ones apply to you, like the Child Tax Credit or the Earned Income Credit, changes the score directly.
Good teams play all year
Retirement contributions, withholding, and where your money sits all move your tax bill, and most of those moves have to happen before December 31. That’s where tax prep and retirement planning meet, and it’s the part of the conversation we have on the Studle Financial side.
Who this is for
Working families, retirees and almost-retirees, farmers, and small business owners in Kentucky and Tennessee, the people Studle has worked with since 1985.
Related
Tax filing — Studle & Associates
Book a tax appointment next door.
Inherited IRAs
When you take the money decides how much you keep.
Tax preparation and filing services are provided by Studle & Associates. Tax outcomes depend on your individual circumstances. Nothing on this page is legal or tax advice for your specific situation.
This page is educational. It uses simplified examples and is not a recommendation for your specific situation. Numbers used in examples across the site are illustrations, not projections of what you’ll experience.
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Studle Financial Services provides financial guidance and insurance products to families and businesses in Kentucky and Tennessee. Information on this website is for educational purposes and is not individualized advice. Your situation is unique — please talk with a licensed professional before making financial decisions.
Tax preparation and filing services are provided by Studle & Associates. Studle Foundation is the charitable arm of the Studle family of companies.
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