#startup
Essential accounting and finance guidance for startup founders
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.
D&O insurance for startups in 2026 typically runs $3,500–$10,000 per year for $1M–$3M of coverage; Series A term sheets routinely require $3M–$5M within 60–90 days of close. The most common claims at sub-100-person companies come from employment disputes, not securities allegations.
Track the SaaS metrics that win term sheets in 2026: LTV, CAC, NRR, churn, CAC payback, and Rule of 40. Includes benchmarks and calculation traps to avoid.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act's Section 174A restores immediate domestic R&D expensing starting in 2025, and small businesses under roughly $31 million in average gross receipts have until July 6, 2026 to amend 2022, 2023, and 2024 returns to recover taxes paid under the TCJA capitalization rules.
A 409A valuation is the IRS-recognized appraisal that sets the strike price on every option grant. Without one, founders risk 20% federal excise penalties, premium interest, and California's 5% piggyback tax — all falling on the employee.
Profits interests let LLCs grant equity to service providers tax-free under IRS Rev Proc 93-27.
A working guide to Rollover as Business Startup (ROBS) arrangements — the five required steps, why only a C corporation qualifies, the Form 5500 and prohibited-transaction rules, IRS-documented failure rates, and when alternatives like SBA loans or 401(k) participant loans make more sense.
ASC 718 requires startups to recognize the grant-date fair value of equity awards as compensation expense over the vesting period, even when no cash changes hands. This guide covers measurement, recognition, forfeitures, modifications, disclosures, and the audit pitfalls that derail funding rounds.
A SAFE is a contract granting future equity with no maturity or interest, while a convertible note is a loan with 4–8% interest and an 18–24 month maturity that becomes due if no priced round closes — and Y Combinator's 2018 post-money SAFE locks each investor's ownership at Investment ÷ Cap, dilution that hits founders, not prior SAFE holders.
ASC 350-40 (350/40) капитализиране-срещу-разход в една таблица: разход за подготвителния етап, капитализиране за разработката, разход за следвнедряването — плюс ASU 2025-06.
A Section 83(b) election lets founders and early employees pay ordinary income tax on the grant-date value of restricted stock instead of on each vesting tranche, shifting future appreciation into long-term capital gains. The 30-day filing window is absolute and starts on the actual transfer date.
Incentive Stock Options and Non-Qualified Stock Options trigger taxes at different events and rates. This guide covers the AMT trap, qualifying vs. disqualifying dispositions, the $100,000 ISO vesting limit, and eight strategies tech workers use to lower the tax bill on equity compensation.
