#bookkeeping
Bookkeeping
Modern bookkeeping techniques using plain-text and automated workflows
Australia's Instant Asset Write-Off: The $20,000 'Permanent' Threshold That Isn't Law Yet
Australia's May 2026 Budget proposed making the $20,000 instant asset write-off permanent from 1 July 2026, but until the enabling Bill passes Parliament the legislated threshold reverts to $1,000 per asset. What qualifies, the car-limit and capital-works exclusions, and how to time purchases while the law is still pending.
The CRA Already Has Your Gig Income Data: Canada's Platform Reporting Rules, Explained
Since 2024, Part XX of Canada's Income Tax Act requires Uber, Airbnb, Etsy, and other platforms to report sellers with 30+ transactions or over $2,800 CAD directly to the CRA — including names, SINs, gross payouts, and fees. With two reporting cycles now on file and penalty relief expired, here's who gets reported, what data the CRA matches against your return, and how to reconcile before the next January 31 deadline.
How Bookkeeping-Native Banks Like Found Automate Freelancer Tax Set-Asides — and Where They Fall Short
Freelancers owe 15.3% self-employment tax plus income tax with no automatic withholding, and skipping quarterly payments triggers IRS penalties around 7% annually. Bookkeeping-native banking apps like Found earmark 25–30% of every deposit automatically — here's what they solve, where their tax estimates break down, and why your books should live in a format you own.
Flipping Houses in 2026: Why the IRS Taxes Your Profit as Ordinary Income, Not Capital Gains
House flippers are almost always IRS "dealers," not investors — flip profits are ordinary income on Schedule C plus 15.3% self-employment tax, often a combined rate over 40% versus the 15–20% capital gains rate flippers expect. How the Winthrop factors decide dealer status, why rehab costs must be capitalized into COGS, and four strategies (including an S corp election) that reduce the hit.
Kenya's KRA Now Auto-Validates Tax Returns Against eTIMS Invoices: What Changes in 2026
Starting with 2025 year-of-income returns filed in 2026, Kenya's KRA automatically cross-checks declared income and expenses against eTIMS invoices, withholding tax records, and customs data — expenses without a matching electronic invoice are reclassified as taxable profit. Here's who's affected, the exempt categories, and a compliance checklist.
Laundromat Bookkeeping: Reconciling Coin and Card Revenue Against Utility Usage to Catch Shrinkage
Laundromat utilities run 20–25% of gross revenue, which makes water and gas meters a second independent ledger — convert metered consumption into an implied cycle count and revenue figure, compare it to coin-box counts, and a persistent gap over 5–8% flags theft, leaks, or miscalibrated machines. Includes a weekly-to-annual checklist covering multi-stream income accounts and Section 179 equipment expensing.
Liberia's GST-to-VAT Transition: What Small Businesses Must Do Before the 2026 Registration Deadline
Liberia replaces its 13% GST with an ~18% VAT on January 1, 2027, with mandatory registration running July 1 to December 31, 2026. Here's how GST and VAT differ, why the change forces businesses to track input and output tax separately, and a practical bookkeeping checklist to get compliant before the deadline.
Orthodontic Practice Bookkeeping: Contracts Receivable, Deferred Revenue, and Insurance AR Explained
Contracts receivable — typically 55–60% of trailing twelve-month production in a healthy orthodontic practice — is a distinct metric from accounts receivable, and tracking it correctly requires ASC 606-style deferred revenue schedules, monthly insurance write-off reconciliation, and a chart of accounts that separates production, collections, and write-offs.
Bookkeeping for Professional Puppet Makers: Pricing Commissions, Deposits, and Design Rights
Custom puppets sell for $500–$1,500 yet take 20–100 hours to build, so untracked labor quietly destroys margins. How professional puppet makers should price commissions with the materials + labor + overhead + profit formula, book 50% deposits as deferred revenue instead of income, separate design-licensing from fabrication revenue, and handle post-Wayfair sales tax on interstate theater clients.
Return on Equity (ROE) Explained: What It Measures, What Counts as Good, and How to Break It Down
Return on Equity (ROE) divides net income by owner's equity — a 15% ROE means the business earned 15 cents per dollar of the owner's capital. This guide covers healthy benchmarks (12–15% baseline, 15–20%+ strong), the three-part DuPont breakdown of margin, asset turnover, and leverage, and the pitfalls — debt-inflated returns, negative equity, one-time items — that distort the ratio.
South Africa's 2026 VAT Threshold Jump: What the New R2.3 Million Line Means for Your Small Business
South Africa's 2026 Budget raises the compulsory VAT registration threshold from R1 million to R2.3 million effective 1 April 2026, lifts voluntary registration to R120,000, and adds a R600,000 tax-free band to turnover tax — here's who should consider deregistering, who shouldn't, and how to keep the bookkeeping clean through the transition.
Your Auditor Will Soon Have to Prove Your Cash Actually Exists — Even If You Never See It
AICPA SAS No. 150, issued July 2026 and effective for periods ending on or after December 15, 2028, requires auditors to externally confirm cash held by third parties — payment processor reserves, PEO payroll trust accounts, and escrow balances — unless narrow risk-based conditions are met. Here is what changes for audited businesses and how to prepare your books.