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On February 20, 2026, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling on Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, a case challenging President Trump’s authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). In a 6-3 vote, the US Supreme Court ruled that IEEPA does not permit the President to impose tariffs.

Tariffs imposed under IEEPA

Prior to this ruling, the Trump Administration imposed significant tariffs under IEEPA. This law authorizes the President to act to address any unusual or extraordinary foreign threat that endangers national security, foreign policy, or the economy in the US if a national emergency is declared. President Trump declared such an emergency on April 2, 2025, citing the trade deficit and illegal immigration. The subsequent tariffs include:

• 10% minimum tariff on most imports
• 50% tariff on copper, steel, and aluminum
• 20 – 40% tariffs on most goods from Brazil, India, Canada, Mexico, and China

How can importers request refunds?

These tariffs are estimated to generate $175 billion in refunds for affected importers. Although the Court’s decision does not provide guidance on how importers should be refunded for these previously paid tariffs, it is expected that a refund procedure will be established through either the US Court of International Trade or US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). To prepare for these refunds, importers should:

• Compile entries and payment records related to IEEPA duties.
• Submit CBP Form 19 protests within 180 days of each entry’s liquidation, if not done so already. This 180-day deadline may be waived when refund procedures are established.
• Prepare for possible litigation in the US Court of International Trade.

What's next? 

While this is a significant “win” for US importers, Trump has asserted that he will continue to impose tariffs via alternative statutes that allow him to act. While these statutes may authorize the President to impose tariffs, these authorities are limited by time-based restrictions or approval from other governmental parties.

How BerryDunn can help

Our dedicated audit, tax, and consulting professionals understand the impact of tariffs and can assist with developing strategies for refunds as they become available. Learn more about our team and services. 

Read this article if you are the owner/investor, accounting manager, controller, or CFO at a SaaS company. 

Many software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies operate on a subscription-based model with large payments due up front. This article explores how these companies can manage the significant timing differences between financial reporting and IRS tax requirements.

The "tax surprise" in SaaS billing 

For SaaS companies, collecting three years of cash upfront is great for liquidity but creates a significant tax acceleration. While US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) allow you to spread that revenue over the full three-year term as you deliver the service, the IRS generally only allows a one-year deferral. This means in year two, you may be taxed on the entire remaining contract balance, even though you haven’t "earned" it yet for financial reporting purposes.

Understanding the book and tax gap 

Under US GAAP, specifically ASC 606, revenue is recognized only as the service is actually delivered to the customer. Therefore, if a company receives payment of $600,000 for a three-year subscription on December 31, 2024, it has only "earned" the first year of that agreement by December 31, 2025. As a result, $200,000 is recognized as revenue, while $400,000 remains as "deferred revenue" on the balance sheet—representing services the company is still obligated to provide in the future. 

For financial reporting, this upfront cash helps with immediate operations, while the deferred revenue reflects the health of future recurring income. Unfortunately, the IRS views taxable income differently. 

The tax impact: IRC Section 451(c) 

While US GAAP focuses on when the service is earned through performance, federal tax law generally operates under the "all events test." For tax purposes, the IRS often considers income "fixed" the moment you have the right to the money or receive the payment. 

When payment is received up front, the law generally only allows you to pause tax recognition for one year. In the example above, you can defer the revenue for 2024. However, in 2025, the company must recognize the entire remaining balance ($600,000) as taxable income. This creates an additional $400,000 of taxable income in year two that hasn't been recognized for book purposes yet. 

The difference eventually reverses in 2026 and 2027, and the sudden tax acceleration in year two often catches businesses off guard. 

Strategic tax accounting and compliance 

Managing these timing differences requires proactive structuring. Key considerations include: 

• Deferral method election: Under IRC Section 451(c), taxpayers can elect to defer the recognition of advance payments to the year following receipt, rather than reporting it all immediately. 
• Accounting method changes: Moving to a deferral method typically requires filing IRS Form 3115 to formally change your tax accounting approach. 
• Applicable Financial Statements (AFS): Your ability to use these deferral methods often depends on whether your firm produces an "applicable financial statement," such as an audit or a review. 
• Contract structuring: If your company does not strictly need 100% of the cash on day one, structuring contracts with annual billing can eliminate the gap between book and tax reporting.

BerryDunn can help 

While "cash in hand" is usually the best option, it is vital to understand the tax ramifications that come with it. The accounting and tax experts in BerryDunn’s technology practice have advised many clients on navigating these multiyear contracts. Please reach out to your contact at the firm when entering into these agreements to ensure your tax planning stays ahead of your revenue growth. Learn more about our team and services. 

In 2025, our team completed projects in seven states and kicked off new work in 17 states, partnering with communities ranging from fewer than 12,000 residents to more than one million. These projects reflect the core of what our Parks, Recreation, and Libraries team does: helping agencies improve operations, drive innovation, identify improvements based on community need, and strengthen their brand and image. 

From master plans to feasibility studies to strategic and operational assessments, our 2025 work offered a clear look at what agencies are prioritizing—and where the field is heading. Here are the key trends we saw, along with what they mean for your agency. 

1. Sustainability is becoming a planning non‑negotiable 

Across communities in Colorado, North Carolina, Nevada, and beyond, agencies are increasingly incorporating sustainability into capital, operational, and master planning decisions. This aligns with our team's master planning approach, which integrates infrastructure assessments, levels of service analysis, and long-term operational considerations to build more resilient systems.  

What this means for agencies: 

• Consider lifecycle cost analysis for both new facilities and renovations. 
• Integrate sustainability and climate-resilience metrics into future master plans. 
• Use feasibility studies to evaluate long-term operational implications of amenities. 

2. Data-driven decision-making is accelerating 

Communities are increasingly turning to data to support transparent decision-making and long-term planning. Many 2025 projects—including fee studies, strategic plans, and PROST plans—highlighted the importance of diagnostic data collection, analysis, and community needs assessment so agencies can make informed decisions grounded in facts and local context.  

How this helps agencies: 

• Centralize the data you already collect (registration, attendance, maintenance). 
• Use data stories to better communicate funding needs to governing bodies. 
• Apply GIS mapping tools to identify equity gaps or underserved areas. 

3. Workforce resilience remains a top priority 

Staffing challenges, burnout, and shifting workforce needs emerged repeatedly throughout 2025—both in projects and in conversations at conferences. Many communities sought organizational assessments or strategic plans specifically to address staffing constraints, workload distribution, and long-term talent development. 

This trend aligns with our team’s emphasis on operational assessments and improving organizational effectiveness to help agencies create more sustainable internal systems and staff structures that support mission delivery.  

What agencies can do: 

• Revisit job descriptions to ensure they match current responsibilities. 
• Use organizational assessments to evaluate staffing structure and workload. 
• Invest in leadership development to build internal capacity. 

4. Community expectations are rising—and evolving 

Residents continue to voice strong expectations for transparency, access, and inclusivity in parks and recreation services. This aligns with our team’s strong emphasis on robust community engagement, which includes prioritizing needs, facilitating equitable input, and linking community feedback directly to planning recommendations.  

How agencies can respond: 

• Use engagement tools that reach a broad audience (mobile surveys, pop-up events). 
• Share “what we heard” summaries to build trust and accountability. 
• Ensure engagement findings directly inform budget and capital priorities. 

5. “One size fits all” planning no longer works 

In 2025, our team worked with communities ranging from small rural towns to large metropolitan regions. These widely different contexts confirm what our master planning methodology is built on: planning must be tailored to each community, grounded in local data, demographic realities, facility and system assessments, and achievable implementation strategies.  

How this helps agencies: 

• Use right-sized planning: mini master plans, targeted system reviews, or operational assessments. 
• Align planning scope and budget with your community’s capacity. 
• Use implementation tools like timelines, KPIs, and action plans to ensure follow-through. 

As you plan for the rest of the year, these patterns can help you benchmark your agency’s current priorities, consider emerging needs, and identify where additional planning, assessment, or visioning may support your goals. 

About BerryDunn

BerryDunn's parks, recreation, and libraries consultants work with you to improve operations, drive innovation, identify improvements to services based on community need, and elevate your brand and image―all from the perspective of our team’s combined 100 years of hands-on experience. We provide practical park solutions, recreation expertise, and library consulting. Learn more about our team and services.   

Read this article if you are a member of an accounting/finance department or executive team and want to ensure your accounting firm is keeping pace with the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation technologies. 

The accounting profession is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in its history. Advances in AI, automation, data analytics, and enhanced cloud-based platforms are reshaping not only how accounting work is performed, but also the value that CPAs deliver to their clients. The critical question is no longer whether technology is changing accounting—but whether your CPA is continuing to invest in education, innovation, and forward-thinking strategies to keep pace. This article outlines key questions you need to ask your CPA firm about AI and automation.

1. How are you responsibly adopting new technologies to keep pace with your clients? 

It's no longer optional for a CPA firm to merely stay attuned to emerging technologies—it is essential. Adopting innovative solutions allows a firm to operate more efficiently. More importantly, it enables a CPA firm to deliver timely compliance, deeper insight, and proactive advisory services that help clients make faster, better-informed decisions.   

Is your CPA firm doing the following on an ongoing basis?: 

• Evaluating new and emerging technologies 
• Enhancing internal processes through automation and optimization 
• Training its professionals and educating clients 
• Ensuring technology is adopted responsibly, securely, and with purpose 

You want a firm that is positioned to not only adapt to change, but to lead you through it. This requires a commitment to investing in digital transformation, supporting continuous learning for team members, and strengthening innovation governance.

2. How are you using automation and AI to improve speed, accuracy, and insight? 

The accounting profession is rapidly evolving due to technologies such as AI, intelligent automation, advanced analytics, and integrated digital platforms. 

"What if you could close your books in a day instead of weeks due to innovation?" —David Stone, BerryDunn Senior Manager

Let’s say innovation enables you to close your books in a day instead of weeks. Can your CPA firm keep up while also delivering compliance services faster and providing elevated, forward-looking insight?  

“Technology alone doesn’t improve speed or accuracy—people do,” said Dan Bednarski, BerryDunn Senior Manager. “Automation and AI are only effective when professionals are trained to use them thoughtfully and responsibly. Without proper education, these tools are simply underutilized software." 

3. How does technology enhance your compliance services beyond meeting deadlines? 

Automation and integrated systems improve accuracy by reducing manual data entry, while analytics help identify anomalies and risks earlier in the process. Standardized digital workflows strengthen consistency and documentation, and real-time access to data enables more proactive planning and issue resolution. 

4. How are your professionals embracing change and new technologies in a rapidly evolving profession? 

Confirm that innovation is a core part of your CPA firm’s culture. When it is intentionally integrated in the daily lives of team members, it gives them the ability to explore how technology like AI can improve workflows, processes, and more.  

“For technology to have real impact, innovation has to be embedded in everyday work—not treated as a side initiative,” said Marc Scribi, BerryDunn Manager. 

This type of culture promotes openness to change and exploration. 

“When professionals are given the time and support to explore how tools like AI can improve workflows and processes, it encourages curiosity, strengthens judgment, and drives meaningful efficiency,” noted Danielle Bedard, BerryDunn Senior Manager. 

Ultimately, a commitment to innovation ensures that technology enhances professional judgment, strengthens quality, and elevates the client experience.

Preparing for the next five years—and beyond

Five years ago, the accounting profession looked vastly different than it does today. Cloud adoption was still gaining momentum, automation was limited, and artificial intelligence had yet to make a meaningful impact on day-to-day accounting operations. What will it look like five years from now? 

BerryDunn can help

If you are looking for a CPA firm that views innovation as a strategic differentiator, not simply a tool for efficiency, reach out. Learn more about our team and services. 

The BerryDunn Assurance, Tax, & Advisory Team’s Innovation Solutions Committee is dedicated to exploring, evaluating, and implementing new technologies and innovative solutions to enhance the audit, tax, and advisory processes. The committee’s mission is to support excellent client service, maximize productivity through technology, and implement processes and procedures that align with overall firm goals and resources. This includes integrating the tax and advisory teams within the innovation focus and renaming the committee to reflect this broader scope.  

David Stone, Marc Scribi, Danielle Bedard, and Dan Bednarski contributed to this article and are members of the committee. 

Read this article if you are a renewable energy developer or investor.

Enacted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), the foreign entity of concern (FEOC) requirements are designed to reduce US reliance on certain foreign suppliers in the renewable energy sector. These rules bar projects with prohibited foreign entity (PFE) ties from claiming clean energy tax credits and take effect for projects initiated after December 31, 2025. 

PFEs include entities with direct or indirect ties to the covered nations that include China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran, with a particular focus on China due to its dominant role in renewable energy supply chains.

Limits on material assistance from PFEs 

Projects must now meet minimum sourcing requirements for components from non-prohibited foreign entities. Central to this is the material assistance cost ratio, with increasing thresholds over time for the proportion of project costs that must be sourced from non-prohibited foreign entities.  

US-based suppliers may be classified as PFEs if they rely heavily on PFE capital, components, raw materials, or intellectual property. 

Restrictions on ownership, debt, and management involvement 

An entity cannot claim tax credits if it has excessive PFE equity, debt, or management involvement. Both specified foreign entities (SFEs) and foreign influenced entities (FIEs) are considered PFEs and are not entitled to tax credits. SFEs are entities controlled by foreign individuals or governments from the covered nations, while FIEs are entities influenced by the covered nations. 

Contracts with PFEs 

Existing contracts and technology licenses with PFEs need to be identified and scrubbed of any provisions that grant the counterparty effective control over the taxpayer or project. New contracts with PFEs are high-risk and should be structured carefully so that they clearly do not grant control or influence. New technology licenses with PFEs are automatically treated as giving the licensor effective control and the related project will not be eligible for tax credits.  

Additional guidance from the IRS is expected before December 31, 2026. 

Penalties for non-compliance with FEOC 

The IRS has six years to challenge whether a project improperly benefited from material assistance from PFEs. The penalties for failing to comply with the FEOC requirements are severe: 

• There is a 100% disallowance of tax credits if the requirements are not met. 
• Investors face a 20% penalty based on the underpayment of their tax liability if violations are found. 

Navigating FEOC requirements  

To navigate these new rules, entities should: 

• Obtain clear representations from equipment vendors and EPC contractors confirming they are not PFEs. 
• Secure certificates from suppliers stating that products were not made by PFEs and that the supplier does not know or have reason to know of any such entities in their supply chain. 
• Evaluate ownership, debt, and management each year to ensure the company is not controlled or influenced by the covered nations.  
• Avoid embedded technology licenses in equipment procurement contracts, which could create indirect foreign control. 
• Be aware of the 10-year recapture provision. For projects placed in service in 2028 or later, the full Investment Tax Credit (ITC) must be repaid if any contractual arrangements give PFEs effective control.

While further IRS guidance is expected in 2026, the intent of the new FEOC requirements is to reduce US dependence on foreign suppliers from covered nations and to prevent prohibited foreign individuals and entities from controlling or benefiting from clean energy tax credits. Early identification of affected contracts and proactive compliance will be essential for developers and investors. Berry Dunn’s renewable energy team has a deep understanding of the FEOC requirements and can assist with navigating these changes. Learn more about our team and services.