5 Tax Trends (for MN & Beyond) Your Local Accountant Wishes More People Knew

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Tax season comes around every year, but the advice that actually saves you money rarely makes the headlines. Here's what we wish more of our clients knew before they sat down to file. Here's what SBS saw this tax season in MN and beyond.

1. AI Can Get Your Taxes Wrong. We Know Because We Checked.

Artificial intelligence tools are everywhere right now, and plenty of people are using them to answer tax questions. The problem is that AI can state something confidently and be completely wrong.

While putting together this very article, an AI tool told us that Minnesota has a tax reciprocity agreement with Wisconsin.

It doesn't.

That agreement ended in 2010, and Minnesotans who commute across the St. Croix for work and rely on that assumption could be filing incorrectly and facing real consequences for it.

AI can be a useful starting point for a lot of things, but tax law is jurisdiction-specific, changes regularly, and the stakes of getting it wrong will always cost you. We definitely saw an uptick in this tax trend during the 2025 tax season. The most reliable source for current, accurate tax guidance is an accountant who understands your states unique tax laws or an enrolled agent who works in the same tax environment you do.

2. We Love Technology. Just Not for Everything.

We are champions of using smart tech to automate and streamline bookkeeping and recordkeeping. Maybe it's our generation, maybe it's just what we've seen work, but at SBS it's something we care about deeply. Tools like QuickBooks Online and automated receipt tracking can genuinely transform how a small business owner manages their books day to day, and we actively help our clients find and use the right ones. What that does is free up the conversation when we actually sit down together. Instead of sorting through a shoebox of receipts, we're talking about your goals, your growth, and your next move.

Think of good bookkeeping technology as the thing that makes your accountant more valuable, not less necessary.

3. Is Your Passion Starting to Pay? Talk to an Accountant Before Tax Season Finds You First.

Side hustles, passion projects, and small ventures have a funny way of quietly becoming real businesses before their owners are ready for what that means at tax time. Whether you are selling handmade goods online, picking up freelance work, renting out a property, or turning a weekend hobby into something that actually earns, the way you set things up on the front end matters more than most people realize.

Separate banking, basic expense tracking, the right business structure. None of it is complicated, but all of it becomes a clear and usable road map when tax season arrives.

And here is something people do not always know: even if you have not turned a profit yet, tracking your expenses and losses is not just good practice, it can actually work in your favor when you file.

No matter how small or new your endeavor is, a conversation with a local accountant early on will almost always save you money, stress, and time down the road. You do not need to have it all figured out before you reach out. That is what we are here for.

4. Avoidance Turns Mole Hills Into Mountains.

A Good Accountant Turns Them Back.

We have seen it time and time again. Individual tax clients, bookkeeping clients, business owners who show up feeling behind, stressed, and sometimes even scared, because they stopped looking. The unopened mail, the unreconciled months, the return that did not get filed, the feeling that it has gone on too long to fix. We want you to know that none of that is as permanent or as catastrophic as it feels when you are carrying it alone.

Finding a trusted accounting partner who will look at it with you, make a plan, and take real actionable next steps is one of the most relieving things you can do for yourself.

We have helped people work through far more than they thought was fixable, and we will not make you feel judged for where you are starting from. You deserve to feel supported in a non-judgmental environment.

Whether you're a small business owner in Stillwater, a freelancer filing for the first time, or a client we've never met who found us from across the country, we work with people wherever they are, and we bring the same care to every conversation. If anything in this article sounds familiar, we'd love to hear from you. And if you have worked with us before, we'd be honored by your vote for Favorite Accounting Firm, Favorite Tax Preparation, and Favorite Financial Services in the Stillwater Gazette Reader's Choice Awards.

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Stillwater Business Solutions is run by Karolyn and Bryan, a tech-savvy and community-focused team who believe bookkeeping should feel collaborative and empowering—not confusing. Whether you're looking to simplify your systems or get support you can trust, we're here when you're ready. No pressure. Just people-first accounting that fits your business.