The Pattern Lab
Every TCP question is one of 14 recurring patterns. Learn to spot each one, run its playbook, and clear them all. Each pattern has a recognition guide and a cross-topic drill.
Patterns cleared
0 / 14Advanced individual taxation
Layering the individual bill through capital-gain stacking and the surtaxes and AMT, then paying owners across entities without triggering payroll tax or constructive dividends.
The Surtax and AMT Stack
Build the individual bill in layers: stack ordinary then gains, take NIIT on the lesser-of, and owe AMT only when tentative minimum tax tops regular tax.
8 questions
The Compensation and Fringe Plan
Pay owners by the entity rulebook: reasonable S-corp wages, no excessive C-corp pay, guaranteed payments deducted, and 2-percent-shareholder fringes taxed.
8 questions
Personal financial and wealth planning
Retirement vehicles and required distributions, the gifting and education toolkit, and the unified transfer tax that links lifetime gifts to the taxable estate.
The Retirement Vehicle
Match the account to the rate: Roth grows tax-free with no lifetime RMDs, traditional defers then is taxed, and conversions fill the low brackets.
8 questions
The Gifting and Education Plan
Move wealth to the next generation cleanly: exclude present-interest gifts, superfund a 529, pick the right credit, and watch the kiddie tax.
8 questions
The Wealth Transfer Plan
Unify gifts and estate under one 15,000,000 exemption and 40 percent rate, then shelter growth with the marital deduction, portability, or a bypass trust.
8 questions
Advanced entity taxation
C corporation special deductions and penalty taxes, S corporation basis and distributions, partnership allocations, and the character of formations, distributions, and liquidations.
The C Corporation Plan
Run the C corporation at 21 percent: take the DRD by ownership tier, cap the NOL at 80 percent, and weigh double taxation against 1202 QSBS.
8 questions
The S Corporation Plan
Keep S status clean, then run the mechanics in order: increase basis before decreasing, deduct losses to stock then debt, and route distributions through AAA.
8 questions
The Partnership Allocation
Track outside basis the partnership way: add the share of liabilities, run distributions for gain, and carve out 751 hot assets and 736 payments.
8 questions
The Distribution and Liquidation Plan
Character follows the exit path: 351 boot caps formation gain, E&P orders a distribution, and the redemption tests decide sale versus dividend.
8 questions
Property transaction planning
Setting basis by how property arrives, stacking cost-recovery deductions, characterizing dispositions, and timing income through accounting methods and nonrecognition.
The Basis Planner
Set basis by how property arrived: donor carryover for gifts (with a dual loss basis), date-of-death step-up for inheritances, and add-back for wash sales.
8 questions
The Cost Recovery Plan
Stack the write-offs in order: section 179 first (income-capped), then 100 percent bonus (can create a loss), then MACRS on any basis left.
8 questions
The Disposition Plan
Net first, then character: a 1231 net gain is capital and a net loss ordinary, 1245 recaptures depreciation, and 1031 and 121 defer or exclude.
8 questions
The Timing and Method Plan
Control when income lands: spread installment gain by gross-profit percentage, use the gross-receipts test to unlock exemptions, and spread a positive 481(a).
8 questions
Multi-jurisdiction and exempt entities
Apportioning income across state lines under nexus rules, and the qualification, reporting, and unrelated-business-income limits on tax-exempt organizations.