#bookkeeping
Bookkeeping
Modern bookkeeping techniques using plain-text and automated workflows
AI Bookkeeping Software in 2026: What Docyt, Zeni, and Rillet Actually Automate (and Where They Still Fail)
AI bookkeeping platforms like Docyt ($499-$999/month), Zeni ($549-$799/month), and Rillet automate transaction categorization, reconciliation, and forecasting, but compounding rule errors and industry-specific judgment calls still require human review.
Amazon DSP Bookkeeping: Tracking Chargebacks, Scorecard Bonuses, and True Driver Costs
Amazon DSP settlement statements bundle base route rates, per-package fees, scorecard bonuses, and 1-4% chargebacks into one net deposit, and owners who book that as a single revenue line miss chargeback creep and the 50-60% labor markup that separates a 2.5% margin from a 6%+ one.
Arcade Bar Bookkeeping: Why Barcades Fail the Regular Bar Playbook
A barcade runs two businesses with opposite cost structures — liquor at a 20–24% pour cost and games at near-zero marginal cost. How to split the chart of accounts, book token sales as deferred revenue with ASC 606 breakage, expense machines via Section 179 or bonus depreciation, and test whether blended margin beats a plain bar's 10–15% net.
Bitcoin Mining Bookkeeping: Why Every Mining Pool Payout Is Its Own Taxable Event
Under IRS Notice 2014-21, every mining pool payout is ordinary income at its fair market value on receipt — a daily-payout pool creates ~365 taxable events a year before you sell anything. This guide covers hobby vs. Schedule C classification, 15.3% self-employment tax, Section 179 vs. 100% bonus depreciation for ASICs, the 2026 per-wallet cost-basis rule, Form 1099-DA reconciliation, and the per-lot records mining books need to survive an audit.
Construction Retainage: How to Book It So Your Cash Flow Stops Lying to You
Retainage withholds 5-10% of every construction progress payment until project completion, and contractors who book it into regular AR/AP instead of separate Retainage Receivable and Retainage Payable accounts lose visibility into which "earned" revenue is actually collectible now versus locked up for months.
Esports Organization Bookkeeping: Prize Pools, Sponsorships, and the New 1099 Threshold
Esports organizations must separate prize revenue from player distributions, recognize sponsorship revenue under ASC 606 as obligations are delivered, and track the 2026 rise of the Form 1099-NEC/MISC filing threshold from $600 to $2,000 per payee.
Eyelash Extension Studio Bookkeeping: The Supply, Retail, and Depreciation Lines Most Lash Artists Get Wrong
A lash studio's costs don't fit one "supplies" line — service consumables, retail inventory, and depreciable equipment like lash beds and LED lamps each need their own account. This guide covers a six-category chart of accounts, the Section 179 deduction most lash artists miss, quarterly retail inventory counts, and booth-renter vs. employee classification.
Freelance Personal Stylist and Wardrobe Consultant Taxes: A Bookkeeping Guide
Client wardrobe advances are pass-through funds, not revenue — the bookkeeping distinction that determines whether a freelance stylist's books reconcile. Covers Schedule C, why work clothing is almost never deductible, the home-office exclusivity test, sales tax on markup resale, 1099-NEC vs 1099-K, and a minimal chart of accounts.
FreshBooks vs. Wave vs. Zoho Books: Which Fits a One-Person Business?
Wave is free but gates automatic bank feeds behind its ~$19/month Pro plan; FreshBooks Lite costs ~$19/month and caps you at 5 billable clients with no bank reconciliation; Zoho Books includes real double-entry accounting free under $50,000 annual revenue. Here is how the three compare for solo founders and freelancers, including the payment-processing fees that often exceed the subscription price.
HMRC Just Got the Legal Right to Inspect Your Cloud-Hosted Records: What the UK's Modernized Section 114 Powers Mean for Digital Bookkeeping
Draft Finance Bill 2026-27 clauses published on L-Day (July 13, 2026) modernize HMRC's Schedule 36 inspection powers to explicitly cover cloud-hosted accounting records, with consultation open until September 7, 2026. Here's how the change interacts with Making Tax Digital and what UK small businesses should do now.
How to Start a Bookkeeping Business in 2026: Certifications, Costs, Pricing, and Your First Clients
A solo bookkeeper with 15–20 clients on $300–$500 monthly retainers can earn $54,000–$120,000 a year, often with under $3,000 in startup costs. This guide covers certification tiers (free QuickBooks/Xero, NACPB CPB at $80–$100, AIPB CB at $479–$574), a realistic startup budget, 2026 retainer benchmarks by client size, niche selection, and the client-acquisition channels that work for new practices.
Indoor Climbing Gym Bookkeeping: Deferred Revenue, Punch Cards, and Wall Build-Out Costs
How climbing gyms should book memberships, punch cards, and day passes under ASC 606 — deferring prepaid revenue, estimating breakage on unused passes, and capitalizing a $100K–$500K wall build-out with 7–15-year depreciation instead of expensing it.