#accounting
Accounting
Master accounting fundamentals and best practices for plain-text bookkeeping
Functional Expense Allocation for Nonprofits: Form 990 Part IX, ASU 2016-14, and How to Defend Your Program Ratio
A practical guide to splitting nonprofit costs across program, management, and fundraising — covering ASU 2016-14 requirements, Form 990 Part IX, time studies, square-footage methods, the three-test joint cost rule, and the written cost allocation plan auditors expect to see.
ASC 740 Income Tax Provision for Private Companies: A Controller's Playbook for Current, Deferred, and the New ASU 2023-09 Disclosures Effective 2026
How private-company controllers build the ASC 740 income tax provision—current and deferred components, valuation allowances, UTBs, and the new ASU 2023-09 disclosures that take effect for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2025.
ASC 740 for Private Companies: A 2026 Guide to the Income Tax Provision and ASU 2023-09
How private company controllers can build a clean ASC 740 income tax provision in 2026 — current and deferred tax, Schedule M-1 reconciliation, valuation allowances, uncertain tax positions, and the new ASU 2023-09 disaggregated income-taxes-paid and qualitative rate disclosures.
The $141,000 Wound: How Small Businesses Catch Occupational Fraud Before It Ends Them
How small businesses can detect and deter occupational fraud — using the ACFE fraud triangle, segregation of duties, surprise audits, management review, and proactive data monitoring — with a 90-day plan tailored to a 20-person organization.
SEC Cybersecurity Incident Disclosure: Hitting the Four-Business-Day Clock on Item 1.05 in 2026
A 2026 operating guide to SEC Item 1.05 Form 8-K cybersecurity disclosure — when the four-business-day clock starts, how to make the materiality call without unreasonable delay, when the Attorney General can grant a delay, the Item 1.05 vs. Item 8.01 trap, and what Regulation S-K Item 106 requires in your annual 10-K.
Section 263A UNICAP: When Small Businesses Must Capitalize Indirect Costs Into Inventory
Section 263A forces producers and resellers above the $32 million 2026 gross-receipts threshold to capitalize warehouse rent, purchasing, and mixed service costs into inventory. Here is how the exemption, simplified methods, and Form 3115 method changes actually work.
The $1 Million Single Audit Trap: Uniform Guidance, SEFA, and How Nonprofits and Governments Pass Federal Compliance
OMB raised the single audit threshold to $1 million in federal expenditures starting October 1, 2024. This guide explains the Subpart F audit under 2 CFR 200, SEFA reporting, four-step major program determination, the 40 and 20 percent coverage rules, and the nine-month Federal Audit Clearinghouse submission deadline for nonprofits and state and local governments.
ASC 326 CECL Explained: Lifetime Credit Loss Estimation for Private Companies, Community Banks, and Credit Unions
ASC 326's Current Expected Credit Loss model requires private companies, community banks, and credit unions to book lifetime expected losses on receivables and loans from day one. This guide covers estimation methods (loss-rate, WARM, vintage, migration, DCF), pool segmentation, reversion approaches, and the July 2025 ASU 2025-05 practical expedient that lets entities skip forward-looking forecasts for current trade receivables.
ASC 350 Goodwill Impairment: A Private Company Guide to the Amortization Alternative and Triggering-Event Testing
ASC 350 lets private companies amortize goodwill over up to ten years and test for impairment only when a triggering event occurs. This guide walks through ASU 2014-02 and 2021-03 elections, the single-step Step One quantitative test after ASU 2017-04, and how to keep auditors and lenders aligned.
Schedule M-1 and M-3 Book-Tax Reconciliation: From GAAP Net Income to Form 1120 Taxable Income
Schedule M-3 kicks in at $10 million of year-end total assets and demands four-column detail on every book-tax difference; M-1 stays single-page below that line. A CFO walkthrough of how the reconciliation works, the recurring permanent and temporary differences, and the habits that keep the schedule clean.
Inventory Accounting Methods Compared: FIFO, LIFO, Weighted Average, and Specific Identification for Small Businesses
A practical comparison of FIFO, LIFO, weighted average, and specific identification — with IRS rules, Form 970 and Form 3115 mechanics, the LIFO conformity trap, and a five-step framework for picking the right inventory method in 2026.
ASC 842 Lease Accounting for Private Companies: Putting Operating Leases on the Balance Sheet Without the Headaches
ASC 842 requires private companies to record nearly every lease longer than 12 months as a right-of-use asset and lease liability. This guide covers the lease definition tests, operating versus finance classification, discount rate options including the risk-free rate election, the seven most common implementation pitfalls, and how the changes ripple through covenants, EBITDA, and audit work.