#compliance
Compliance
Navigate regulatory compliance and maintain audit-ready financial records
Regulation Crowdfunding: How Founders Raise Up to $5 Million From the Public Without Hiring Wall Street
Reg CF lets non-reporting U.S. companies sell securities to the public up to $5 million per rolling 12 months through an SEC-registered funding portal. This guide walks through the $124,000 investor limits, Form C disclosure, bad-actor checks, tombstone advertising, ongoing C-U and C-AR filings, and the bookkeeping for SAFEs, offering costs, and escrow that founders most often get wrong.
Section 267 Explained: Related-Party Loss Disallowance and the Matching Rule
Section 267 disallows losses on sales between related parties and defers deductions on accrued payments to related cash-basis payees. A practical guide to who counts as related, how constructive ownership works, the 267(d) gain offset, the 2.5-month payment safe harbor, and the bookkeeping habits that keep family businesses and partnerships audit-ready.
Section 45L Before the Lights Go Out: How Builders and Developers Can Still Claim $2,500 to $5,000 Per Unit Before June 30, 2026
Section 45L pays builders and developers $500 to $5,000 per energy-efficient home, but the One Big Beautiful Bill Act ends the credit for homes acquired after June 30, 2026. A practical guide to ENERGY STAR versus Zero Energy Ready certification, prevailing wage rules on multifamily, the LIHTC basis carve-out, and the Form 8908 mechanics that decide whether the credit survives audit.
State Auto-IRA Mandates in 2026: CalSavers, Illinois Secure Choice, and OregonSaves Compliance Guide
Twenty-two states now require small employers to offer retirement savings or face penalties up to $750 per employee. A practical guide to CalSavers, Illinois Secure Choice, OregonSaves, headcount thresholds, registration deadlines, exemption rules, and the compliance traps that trigger non-compliance notices in 2026.
From Cash to Accrual Without a Tax Shock: Form 3115, Section 481(a), and the De Minimis Safe Harbor
A small-business guide to the forced cash-to-accrual switch: how Form 3115 works, how the Section 481(a) catch-up is calculated and spread over four years, and why the de minimis safe harbor is an annual election rather than a method change.
Collection Due Process Hearings: How a 30-Day Letter Stands Between Your Small Business and an IRS Bank Levy
A timely Form 12153 filed within 30 days of IRS Letter 3172 or LT11/L-1058 triggers a Collection Due Process hearing under IRC Sections 6320 and 6330 — suspending levy action, preserving Tax Court appeal rights, and giving small business owners a statutory chance to negotiate installment agreements, lien withdrawal, innocent spouse relief, or offers in compromise before the IRS drains the operating account.
Form 3520-A: The March 15 Deadline, Substitute Filings, and the 5% Section 6677 Penalty
Form 3520-A is the annual information return for a foreign trust with a U.S. owner, due March 15. If the foreign trustee does not file, Section 6677 imposes an initial 5% penalty on trust assets plus $10,000 per 30-day continuation period — payable by the U.S. owner. Covers who files, the substitute filing path, the reasonable-cause defense, and how to clean up multi-year non-compliance.
Gift Card Breakage: How to Account for Unredeemed Balances Under ASC 606
Gift card breakage is the value customers never redeem. Under ASC 606, the proportionate method recognizes breakage revenue alongside redemptions—but state escheatment laws can override your right to keep the money.
ASC 205-40 Going Concern: Documenting Substantial Doubt, Mitigating Plans, and Audit Opinions
A step-by-step guide to ASC 205-40 — how management evaluates substantial doubt about going concern within one year of issuance, which mitigating plans qualify, what to disclose under each of the three outcomes, and how to coordinate with auditors under AU-C 570 and PCAOB AS 2415 to land an unmodified opinion.
The Interest-Free Loan That Isn't: How Section 7872 Imputes Interest on Family and Shareholder Loans
A below-market loan triggers Section 7872, which treats forgone interest as taxable income to the lender even when no cash changes hands. This guide covers the $10,000 and $100,000 de minimis exceptions, the gift tax connection, and how charging the AFR avoids the whole problem.
NIL Collectives and 501(c)(3) Status: What IRS Memorandum AM 2023-004 Means for Donors
IRS Memorandum AM 2023-004 holds that most nonprofit NIL collectives fail the 501(c)(3) operational test because compensating student-athletes is substantial private benefit, not charitable activity — meaning donor contributions are often not deductible.
Why Most NIL Collectives Aren't Real Charities (and Your Donation Isn't Deductible)
The IRS memorandum AM 2023-004 concluded that NIL collectives paying 80-100% of donations to athletes confer substantial private benefit and fail the operational test for 501(c)(3) status, so contributions to them are generally not tax-deductible.