#bookkeeping
Bookkeeping
Modern bookkeeping techniques using plain-text and automated workflows
WARN Act 60-Day Notice Requirements: An Employer's Guide to Mass Layoffs, Plant Closings, and State Mini-WARN Laws
How the federal WARN Act triggers a 60-day notice clock at 100 employees, the three narrow exceptions, the back-pay and $500-per-day penalties, and the state mini-WARN laws (NY, NJ, CA) that quietly raise the bar to 90 days, 25 employees, or mandatory severance.
Agentic AI in Bookkeeping 2026: Autonomous Agents in Month-End Close, AP, and Reconciliation
A 2026 field guide to agentic AI in finance — where autonomous agents are cutting month-end close cycles by up to 55%, where they still fail, and how to adopt them without losing the audit trail.
ASC 606 for SaaS Startups: The Five-Step Model, Deferred Revenue, and the Mistakes That Sink Audits
ASC 606 requires SaaS companies to recognize revenue as the service is delivered, not when cash is collected. This guide walks through the five-step model, the deferred revenue schedule auditors scrutinize, and the six recurring mistakes that trigger restatements during fundraising diligence.
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.
The 24% Backup Withholding Trap: A Small Business Guide to W-9s, CP2100 Notices, and Form 945
Backup withholding forces payers to deduct 24% from contractor payments after a missing W-9, refused TIN, or CP2100 notice — here is the 15-day and 30-day cure clock, Form 945 deposit rules, and the onboarding setup that keeps small businesses out of the trap.
Form W-8BEN and W-8BEN-E: How US Businesses Pay Foreign Vendors Without Triggering 30% Withholding
US payers must collect a valid W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E from a foreign vendor before paying, or the IRS treats the payment as subject to 30% withholding plus Form 1042-S penalties. This guide walks through which form to use, how to claim treaty benefits, the three-year refresh cycle, FATCA classification, and the five documentation mistakes that turn routine vendor onboarding into an audit problem.
The Post-Filing Tax Retrospective: A 30-Day Debrief That Makes Next April Boring
A 30-day post-filing playbook for small business owners — read last year's return line by line, log friction points while they hurt, recalculate quarterly estimates against real-time P&L, fix one workflow per pain point, and evaluate S-corp election, Solo 401(k), Section 179, and Augusta Rule moves while your CPA is still in fresh-mind mode.
QSEHRA vs. ICHRA in 2026: How Small Employers Without a Group Plan Can Reimburse Workers for Individual Health Insurance—Tax-Free
For 2026, QSEHRA caps tax-free reimbursements at $6,450 self-only and $13,100 family for employers under 50 FTEs, while ICHRA has no IRS cap and lets any-size employer vary contributions across 11 federal employee classes—provided the 9.96% affordability test, MEC requirement, and 90-day notice are all met.
Section 263A UNICAP Rules: How Small Manufacturers and Resellers Decide Which Costs Hit the P&L Now vs. Sit in Inventory
Section 263A UNICAP forces producers and resellers to attach indirect costs — rent, supervisor wages, depreciation — to inventory rather than expense them. This guide covers the 2026 $32M small-business exemption, the simplified production and resale methods, Form 3115 and the 481(a) adjustment, and the personnel-allocation mistakes that draw IRS attention.
Section 45B FICA Tip Credit: How Restaurants and Salons Recover Employer Payroll Tax with Form 8846
The Section 45B FICA Tip Credit returns 7.65% of employer payroll tax on reported tips above a frozen $5.15/hour floor for restaurants — and after OBBBA's 2025 expansion, salons, spas, and other personal-care employers can claim it on Form 8846 too.
The 13-Week Rolling Cash Flow Forecast: A Direct-Method Guide for Small Businesses
A practical playbook for building a 13-week rolling cash flow forecast using the direct method—how to model receipts, disbursements, and weekly variance so small businesses spot liquidity gaps four to twelve weeks before they hit.
The Accountable Plan: How S-Corp Owners Reimburse Themselves Tax-Free for Home Office, Mileage, and Travel
A working IRS-compliant accountable plan lets S-Corp owners reimburse home office, 72.5¢/mile mileage, internet, and travel tax-free—turning otherwise-lost expenses into deductible corporate spending. This guide covers the three §1.62-2 requirements, a worked $3,126 home office calculation, the five mistakes that get plans reclassified as wages, and the monthly bookkeeping rhythm that keeps it audit-proof.