#small-business
Small Business
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
IRS Raises the Business Mileage Rate to 76 Cents Mid-Year: How to Handle a Split-Rate 2026
Effective July 1, 2026, the IRS raised the standard business mileage rate from 72.5 to 76 cents per mile — only its second mid-year change since 2011. Here's how the split-rate year affects your deduction, what your mileage log must show, and when the new rate applies to reimbursements.
New Jersey's Medicaid Employer Assessment (A5324): What the First-in-the-Nation Law Means for Your Payroll
New Jersey's A5324, effective July 1, 2026, bills employers $325–$725 per year for each Medicaid-enrolled employee or dependent once 50 or more are enrolled — matched by the state, not self-reported. Here is how the tiered fees work, which workers are exempt now and in 2027, and how to prepare your books for a bill you didn't calculate.
Olive Oil Mill Bookkeeping: Custom Crush Fees, Yield-Driven COGS, and the Harvest Cash Cliff
How to keep books for an olive oil mill that earns most of its revenue in a six-to-ten-week harvest window — separating custom-crush milling fees from own-label inventory accounting, tracking extraction yields that swing from 50 to 200 pounds of olives per gallon, valuing bulk oil in tank storage, and handling Schedule F, cash-method, and UNICAP tax questions.
Pay by Bank: How Open Banking Invoice Payments Cut Card Fees for Small Businesses
Sage and GoCardless's new "Pay by Bank" invoicing feature cuts small-business transaction costs by roughly 54% versus card payments by moving money directly bank-to-bank, and QuickBooks and Stripe already offer similar ACH-based alternatives in the US.
The Quick Ratio (Acid-Test Ratio): The One Number That Catches a Cash Crunch Before It Happens
The quick ratio (acid-test ratio) strips inventory and prepaid expenses from current assets to test whether cash, receivables, and marketable securities alone can cover current liabilities. Includes the formula, a worked example where a 2.5 current ratio hides a 1.0 quick ratio, industry benchmarks, and the aged-receivables blind spot.
Quiet Quitting in 2026: What Employee Disengagement Costs Your Small Business
U.S. employee engagement sits at just 32% in 2026, and Gallup estimates disengagement costs the global economy $8.9–$10 trillion a year. Here is how small-business owners can recognize the warning signs of quiet quitting, why replacing an employee runs 50–200% of their salary, and which management levers — clarity, recognition, and growth — actually re-engage a team.
Rolling Forecast vs. Annual Budget: Which Should a Small Business Use?
A rolling forecast replaces each closed month with actuals and adds a new month to a fixed 12-month window, so plans never go stale. About 42% of organizations use one (AFP), most alongside — not instead of — an annual budget, and combined approaches improve planning accuracy 25–30%. Here's how the mechanism works, the mistakes to avoid, and a six-step build guide.
Section 174 R&D Capitalization in 2026: Why Small Businesses Must Amortize Research Costs Over 5 Years and How OBBBA's Retroactive Fix Changes the Math
Since 2022 research costs must be capitalized over 5 years — software included — midpoint in year one. Track domestic vs foreign, build the amortization schedule, and be ready for OBBBA's retroactive expensing.
Ski Resort Bookkeeping: How to Account for Season Pass Deferred Revenue
Season pass cash collected in September is a liability, not income. This guide covers ASC 606 deferred revenue for ski resorts: the debit-cash-credit-deferred-revenue entry, straight-line vs. usage-based recognition, weather-driven refund reserves, and the four bookkeeping mistakes small ski operations make most.
The Rule of 72: The Mental-Math Shortcut Every Business Owner Should Use Before Investing Retained Earnings
Divide 72 by an annual rate and you get the approximate years for money to double: $50,000 at 9% doubles in 8 years, while a 24% credit card balance doubles what you owe in 3. How business owners can use the Rule of 72 to compare investments, price debt, and gauge inflation's drag on idle cash.
Tire Retreading Bookkeeping: Why the Casing on Your Shelf Is Worth More Than the Rubber You Just Cured
How tire retreaders should book casing custody, core credits, and warranty adjustments — customer-owned casings stay off your inventory, core credits are an inventory purchase rather than an expense, and prorated warranty claims justify a monthly accrued reserve. Includes example beancount entries and a minimal chart of accounts.
Visa Just Cut Your Chargeback Tolerance by a Third: What the 1.5% VAMP Threshold Means for Small Merchants
On April 1, 2026, Visa's VAMP program cut the merchant fraud-and-dispute threshold from 2.2% to 1.5% in the US, Canada, EU, and Asia-Pacific. Here's how the (TC40 + TC15) ÷ settled transactions ratio works, the 1,500-event monthly floor, the $8-per-transaction penalty, and six concrete steps to stay under the line.