If you're a 1099-earning ER physician, the Qualified Business Income deduction—or QBI—can be a meaningful tax opportunity, but it comes with some very specific rules you need to understand. One of the biggest factors is whether your income is considered a Specified Service Trade or Business, or SSTB, which directly impacts whether the deduction is available at higher income levels.

In this episode, we'll break down how QBI works, why ER physicians almost always fall into the SSTB category, and because of this, what the most effective planning strategies are to get around this obstacle. We'll also walk through real examples to show how these rules play out in practice.