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Healthcare practices

Practices bill third-party payers at contracted rates, invest in clinical equipment and are often personal service corporations.

  • 1 book rules
  • 3 tax rules
  • 4 forms identified
  • Stated as at November 2026
Two sets of rules

How the books treat it, and how the return treats it.

Books Book accounting · US GAAP

  • Patient service revenue

    Revenue is recognized at the amount expected to be collected, net of contractual adjustments and implicit price concessions.

    ASC 606; ASC 954-605

Tax Tax accounting · Internal Revenue Code

  • Qualified personal service corporation

    A QPSC may use the cash method regardless of gross receipts; status depends on activity and ownership tests applied each year.

    IRC §448(d)(2)

  • Clinical equipment

    Medical, dental and laboratory equipment is generally 5-year property; §179 and bonus elections determine the year’s deduction.

    Rev. Proc. 87-56; IRC §179, §168(k)

  • Practice acquisitions

    Purchased patient records, goodwill and non-competition agreements are amortized over 15 years.

    IRC §197

The differences between the two are Schedule M-1 adjustments.

And they are where examinations tend to look first.

In development
Specialist knowledge

What the agents load for this industry

Each industry has a knowledge pack that sits in the stable, cached part of every prompt, so most of its cost is incurred once per return rather than on every round. Knowledge packs are in development.

  • Payer remittance and contractual adjustments
  • QPSC tests
  • Personal versus enterprise goodwill
Forms commonly involved
  • Form 1120
  • Form 1125-E
  • Form 4562
  • Form 8594 (acquisitions)
Examiner agent

Questions it raises first

  • Does the practice still meet the QPSC tests?
  • When was the equipment placed in service?
  • Is compensation reasonable?
Valuation

Capitalized earnings, separating personal from enterprise goodwill.

Stated as at November 2026 for general information only; not tax, legal or accounting advice. Rules change and their application depends on facts. NGTAX.AI currently prepares Form 1120 only; other forms listed are identified for the reviewing professional and may not yet be prepared by NGTAX.AI. See the disclaimer.

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