Mike Thrift
Marketing Manager
Collecting W-9s and Avoiding 24% Backup Withholding: A Vendor-Onboarding Playbook for 1099 Compliance
A practical vendor-onboarding playbook for collecting W-9s, passing IRS TIN matching, handling CP2100 and B notices, and avoiding 24% backup withholding and 1099 penalties in 2026.
Beancount.io's Ask AI Can Now Write Entries and Read Receipts
Beancount.io expanded its Ask AI assistant from a read-only Q&A tool into an action-capable agent that drafts and writes ledger entries, reads uploaded receipts and bank-statement screenshots, and commits nothing without explicit user approval — live at /agent.
Beancount MCP: Connect Your Ledger to Claude, Cursor, and Any AI Assistant
The Beancount MCP server connects your plain-text ledger to Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible AI client over OAuth 2.1 — ask questions, run BQL queries, and commit ledger edits without leaving your AI tool.
Passing Credit Card Fees to Customers: Surcharges, Cash Discounts, and Dual Pricing in 2026
Surcharging, cash discounts, and dual pricing are the three legal ways to pass card fees to customers in 2026—surcharges cap at 3% (Visa) and are banned in CT, ME, and MA, while cash discounts and dual pricing are legal in all 50 states and skip the 30-day network notice.
Buy Now, Pay Later Is Quietly Breaking Your Books: A Merchant's Guide to Accounting for Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay
BNPL providers pay merchants the full sale price minus a fee, then report gross volume on a 1099-K — so recording only the net deposit understates revenue and triggers IRS underreporter notices. Record gross sales through per-provider clearing accounts to keep fees, reserves, and 1099-K totals reconciled.
Cash vs. Accrual Accounting: How to Choose the Right Method (and When the IRS Forces Your Hand)
Cash accounting records revenue when money is received and expenses when paid; accrual accounting records revenue when earned and expenses when incurred. IRS Section 448 mandates the accrual method once a business's three-year average gross receipts exceed the $32 million threshold for 2026, and changing methods later requires Form 3115 plus a Section 481(a) adjustment.
Cryptocurrency Miner, Staking Validator, and DeFi Yield Farmer Bookkeeping: The 2026 Tax and Recordkeeping Guide
A practical 2026 guide for independent crypto miners, Ethereum validators, and DeFi liquidity providers covering entity selection, Form 1099-DA basis reporting, Rev. Rul. 2023-14, OBBBA Section 174 R&D expensing, FBAR/Form 8938 thresholds, and KPI tracking.
Bookkeeping for Independent House Cleaners and Solo Maid Services: A Practical 2026 Guide
A 2026 bookkeeping playbook for solo and small residential cleaning operators — ASC 606 deferred revenue on recurring plans, OBBBA tip deductions up to $25,000, W-2 vs 1099 ABC-test pitfalls, care/custody/control insurance, and the KPIs that predict retention.
The Short-Term Rental Loophole in 2026: How W-2 Earners Offset Income with Material Participation and 100% Bonus Depreciation
A walkthrough of the Section 469 seven-day rule, the three realistic material participation tests, and how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's permanent 100% bonus depreciation lets short-term rental owners offset W-2 income — plus the bookkeeping habits that survive an IRS audit.
State Tax Residency Audit Defense After Moving to a No-Tax State
A practical guide to surviving California FTB and New York residency audits after moving to Florida, Texas, or Nevada — the domicile and statutory residency tests, day-count documentation, equity compensation traps, and the convenience-of-the-employer rule.
ADA Title III Website and Mobile App Accessibility in 2026: A Practical WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance Guide for Small and Mid-Size Businesses
In 2025, plaintiffs filed 3,117 federal ADA Title III website accessibility lawsuits and an estimated 35,000–50,000 private demand letters reached U.S. businesses. This guide explains what WCAG 2.1 Level AA actually requires, why the Robles v. Domino's Pizza ruling and the DOJ's 2024 Title II rule made it the de facto standard, and how small and mid-size businesses can build a five-phase remediation roadmap and defensible paper trail before a demand letter arrives.
Bouncy House Rental Bookkeeping: ASC 606 Deposits, ASTM F2374 Wind Rules, and Section 179 for Inflatable Operators
How inflatable rental operators record customer deposits as deferred revenue under ASC 606, apply Section 179 to PVC inflatables and trailers, enforce ASTM F2374 wind thresholds (15 mph sustained operational shutdown), and track KPIs like revenue per truck-day, unit utilization, and refund rate.