Austin EA Guide: Equity Compensation, Creative 1099s, and Texas Business Taxes
Last reviewed: 2026-07-21. Local claims below link to the agency or public dataset that owns them.
An Austin return can arrive with an RSU statement, a California move date, three music-platform 1099s, and an LLC somebody formed online at midnight. The useful local advantage is not knowing every answer instantly. It is knowing which facts change the federal return and which belong on a Texas business-tax checklist.
Two Austins often share one tax folder
The salaried tech economy brings equity compensation and multistate moves; the creative and service economy brings irregular receipts, equipment, travel, and estimated-tax problems. BLS Austin data helps size occupations, while the Texas Comptroller owns state tax guidance. Neither source promises that a new EA will have clients.
Practice on these Austin-shaped stories
- A new Texas resident whose former state still appears on payroll and whose equity vested on both sides of the move.
- A musician or production freelancer separating ordinary supplies, durable gear, travel, meals, and personal spending.
- A small agency owner who assumes no personal state income tax means no Texas filing obligations at all.
No individual income tax is not no tax system
Texas administers franchise tax and many sales and use taxes. An EA candidate should learn to spot the issue and route it to the proper state workflow; federal credentialing alone is not a reason to guess at entity reports or taxable services.
Build one clean Austin lane
- Choose either relocation/equity or creative Schedule C work as the first deep niche; do not market both before you can review them.
- Create an intake worksheet that captures vest dates, work states, entity names, 1099 sources, and business-use evidence.
- Use mixed Part 1 and Part 2 practice, then explain each missed rule aloud without looking at the choices.
Austin working set
- Texas Comptroller franchise tax — entity-level state guidance.
- Texas sales tax — permits, rates, and taxable-item guidance.
- Austin Small Business Division — city training and assistance.
- IRS self-employed filing center — federal obligations.
- EA Dojo equity and basis practice — test the federal layer.
The federal checkpoint before you book anything
The testing administrator changed in 2026, so skip old testing-vendor walkthroughs. Start with the IRS EA FAQ, then confirm the current scheduling link, test window, fees, and identification rules there. Use the EA cost breakdown for a line-item budget and free verified practice to find the rules you actually need to repair.
Austin rewards preparers who separate the layers: federal income tax, former-state sourcing, and Texas business obligations. Put each on its own page in the workpapers.