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Expense reimbursements are generally not taxable when paid under an IRS-compliant accountable plan, but they are taxable under a non-accountable plan. The difference comes down to whether your reimbursement process meets specific IRS requirements around documentation, timing, and returning excess funds:

• Accountable plan: Not taxable when IRS rules are met
• Non-accountable plan: Fully taxable as wages

If you’re looking for broader context on how reimbursements work operationally, see this guide on expense reimbursement. This article by Ramp focuses specifically on when reimbursements become taxable income and how finance teams can stay compliant.

What is an accountable plan under IRS rules?

An accountable plan is the IRS classification that allows employee reimbursements to be excluded from taxable income. To qualify, the reimbursement arrangement must meet all IRS requirements. If even one requirement is missed, the reimbursement is treated as taxable wages.

Business connection requirement

The expense must have a clear business purpose and be incurred while the employee is performing their job. Common examples include travel to a client meeting or the purchase of supplies needed to complete a work assignment. Personal expenses or costs that aren’t directly related to business activity don’t meet this requirement and can’t be reimbursed tax-free.

Substantiation requirement

Employees must substantiate each expense with receipts, invoices, or other adequate records. Documentation should show the amount, date, place, and business purpose of the expense. Digital receipts and expense reports are acceptable as long as they capture the required details and are retained for audit purposes.

Return of excess requirement

If an employee receives an advance or reimbursement that exceeds their actual expenses, they must return the excess amount to the company. Any excess that isn’t returned becomes taxable income. This rule applies even if the original expense would otherwise qualify as non-taxable under an accountable plan.

Reasonable time requirements

The IRS defines a “reasonable period of time” for substantiating expenses and returning excess funds under the 30/60 rule:

• Substantiation deadline: Within 60 days of incurring the expense
• Return of excess deadline: Within 120 days of receiving the advance

If these timing rules are met, reimbursements paid under an accountable plan aren’t subject to income or payroll taxes.

What is a non-accountable plan?

A non-accountable plan is any reimbursement arrangement that fails to meet one or more IRS accountable plan requirements. Under a non-accountable plan, the full reimbursement amount is treated as taxable wages and is subject to income tax withholding and payroll taxes.

Even if your

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Hair grows in cycles, alternating between growth, rest, and shedding phases. Stress can disrupt this natural cycle, pushing more hair follicles into the shedding phase prematurely. This disruption often leads to noticeable hair thinning or patchy loss.

In this story, Doctronic explains how stress affects hair growth and what the treatment is for those experiencing stress-related hair loss.

Key Takeaways

• Stress can trigger several types of hair loss, including telogen effluvium and alopecia areata.
• Hair loss from stress is often temporary but can be distressing and impact self-esteem.
• Understanding how stress affects hair growth helps in managing symptoms and seeking appropriate care.
• Effective treatment may combine stress reduction, medical evaluation, and telehealth consultations.

Telogen Effluvium: The Most Common Stress-Related Hair Loss

Telogen effluvium occurs when significant stress causes hair follicles to enter the resting phase too early. Normally, about 85%-90% of hair follicles are in the growth phase, but stress can increase the number entering the shedding phase to 30% or more. This results in diffuse hair thinning, usually appearing two to three months after the stressful event. The condition can be triggered by various stressors, including major life changes, illness, or even hormonal fluctuations, making it essential to identify and manage the underlying causes of stress to promote healthier hair growth.

Interestingly, the body’s response to stress involves the release of hormones such as cortisol, which can have a profound impact on hair follicles. Chronic elevation of cortisol levels can lead to inflammation and disrupt the delicate balance of nutrients necessary for hair health. Therefore, addressing stress not only aids in preventing hair loss but also contributes to overall well-being.

Alopecia Areata: An Autoimmune Reaction Triggered by Stress

In some cases, stress can trigger alopecia areata, where the immune system attacks hair follicles, causing sudden, patchy hair loss. This condition may require medical treatment and can be more challenging to manage without professional guidance. Alopecia areata is particularly perplexing as it can affect individuals of any age and is often accompanied by other autoimmune disorders, indicating a deeper connection between stress and immune function.

Research suggests that the psychological impact of alopecia areata can also exacerbate feelings of anxiety and depression, creating a vicious cycle that further affects hair health. Support groups and therapy can be invaluable for those dealing with this condition, providing emotional support and coping strategies to help manage both the psychological and physical aspects of hair loss.

Trichotillomania: Stress-Induced Hair Pulling

Another stress-related cause is trichotillomania, a psychological condition where individuals pull out their own hair in response to anxiety or tension. This behavior leads to uneven hair loss and requires

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Layoffs keep rippling through the workforce, pushing many displaced people into a job market defined by longer timelines and greater uncertainty. But there are things professionals can do to stand out and increase their chances of success, according to a new job report.

Toptal’s High-skilled Job Report for Q4 2025 notes that the job market is changing in fundamental ways, in part due to the rapid adoption of AI across industries and companies. These changes are causing a skills mismatch between the workers who are available and the jobs companies need to fill. As more tasks become automated, especially in tech and other white-collar jobs, the report shows that employers are concentrating investment in roles where human judgment is indispensable, particularly when work involves ambiguity, trade-offs, and business context.

In compiling the report, Toptal calculated QoQ and YoY market strength scores based on new job postings, median advertised compensation, and hiring activity for technology and professional services personnel with at least five years of experience, as reported by Lightcast. Other trends have been calculated based on data from Staffing Industry Analysts, Hacker News, LinkedIn, Indeed, Layoffs.fyi, and We Work Remotely.

This article explores insights from the report and other recent research, and shares advice for employment-seekers on how to succeed in a tough job market.

The Scope of Recent Job Cuts

Employers in the United States announced 108,435 layoffs last month, more than three times the number announced in December, according to the global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Historical data from the past several years, however, shows that overall levels are relatively stable and far from approaching the surge seen during the COVID-19 pandemic recession.

Toptal

Even so, some segments of the economy have been hit harder than others. Job cuts at technology companies, for example, are significantly higher than a few years ago. Setting aside the unusual spike when COVID-19 hit in early 2020, tech firms averaged about 5,800 global layoffs per quarter from 2020 to 2022, according to Toptal’s job report. But in the fourth quarter of 2025 alone, that figure climbed to more than 28,000 worldwide.

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Each year, the BRIT Awards act as a barometer for how British music connects with audiences at home and internationally. Beyond trophies and televised performances, the shortlist reflects months of listener behavior across streaming platforms, video services, and radio. As the 2026 ceremony approaches, the nominations bring together established names, recent breakouts, and songs that have driven conversation throughout the eligibility period.

Alongside critical reception and cultural impact, awards season now unfolds in parallel with a large volume of measurable audience data. Streaming trends, video consumption, and broadcast exposure offer additional context for understanding how nominated artists and tracks performed in the months leading up to the BRITs.

In this article, Viberate Analytics examines performance patterns among nominees in two major BRIT Awards 2026 categories—Artist of the Year and Song of the Year—using music analytics to compare audience reach, growth, and late-period momentum. The analysis does not aim to predict voting outcomes or assess artistic merit. Instead, it provides a data-led snapshot of how audiences engaged with the nominated artists and songs during the awards cycle.

How the analysis was conducted

To ensure comparability, all nominees were evaluated using the same datasets, platforms, and time frames. Only sources with consistent coverage across every nominee were included, and all metrics were assessed within clearly defined windows. This approach avoids favoring artists with longer catalogs or songs released earlier in the year.

For Artist of the Year, performance was assessed across three platforms: Spotify, YouTube, and radio airplay. Together, these sources capture on-demand listening, video engagement, and broadcast reach. TikTok data was reviewed but excluded from normalized comparisons because it was not consistently available for all nominees.

The eligibility cutoff was defined as the latest complete month available at the time of analysis, January 2026. Artist performance was measured over a rolling 12-month period from February 2025 through January 2026 to reflect sustained reach, alongside a focused 30-day window in January to capture late momentum heading into awards season.

For Song of the Year, shorter time frames were used to reflect the faster life cycle of individual tracks. Daily Spotify data over the final 30 days was used to assess short-term momentum, while a 70-day overlapping window provided a view of sustained performance that was available for all nominated songs. Lifetime totals from Spotify, YouTube, and Shazam were used as contextual indicators of scale but were not allowed to outweigh recent trends.

Across both categories, all metrics were compared only within the nominee groups. Results were expressed in relative terms rather than precise scores, emphasizing comparative standing while avoiding false precision.

Artist of the Year: Reach, growth, and late momentum

The Artist of the Year shortlist included Olivia Dean, Dave, PinkPantheress, Fred again.., Lily Allen, L

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Early in the year is a popular time to set financial goals and resolutions. But before you can plan where you want to go, it’s important to know where you’re starting from.

Wealth Enhancement highlights financial vital signs that can help you assess your current financial situation and determine which areas may be worth setting goals in. Once you’ve done your financial health checkup, you’ll be well-prepared to set your financial goals for the new year.

Why Starting Your Financial Year With a Checkup Matters

A financial health checkup allows you to get a pulse on how your personal finances are doing. Have you made progress from last year? Are there any areas you’re really excelling in? Any that may need some extra attention?

Unfortunately, it’s a step that many people skip. A financial checkup offers plenty of key benefits, including helping you identify key problem areas and set your financial goals for the new year.

Once you’ve done a financial checkup, you may find that your financial stress is lower. You’ll feel more confident about where your finances sit today, as well as surer in your ability to reach your goals.

What a Financial Health Checkup Actually Is

Think of a financial health checkup like your annual checkup with your doctor. It’s a comprehensive review of every area of your financial wellness, including your budget, savings, income, debt, insurance coverages, credit score, investments, estate plan, and taxes (along with anything else unique to your situation).

This financial checkup tells you where exactly your finances stand today, making it easy to see where you are compared to one year ago and compared to where you want to be.

For example, let’s say you do a financial health checkup every January. Maybe you do your checkup and see you have $15,000 in savings. You might feel discouraged if that’s less than your goal. But if you look back and see that you only had $5,000 in savings at this time last year, then you’ll feel confident and proud of your improvement.

In addition to helping you see how far you’ve come, your financial health checkup will show you problem areas that may need some extra attention this year.

Regardless of whether you have specific financial goals you’re reaching toward, it’s critical to assess your financial health annually to make sure you’re in a good place.

Core Financial Vital Signs to Measure

Many people aren’t sure where to start when assessing their financial health. There are 10 key vital signs to look at to help you get an idea of where your finances are.

1. Net Worth

Your net worth, which serves as a snapshot of your financial situation at a given point in time, is the difference between your assets and your liabilities (aka debts).

For example, let’s say you have $150,000 in your workplace 401(k) plan, another $80,00