Mike Thrift
Marketing Manager
Why Your SaaS Can Owe State Tax on Sales You Never "Made" Anywhere: The Throwback and Throwout Trap
A throwback rule can push a home-state sales factor from 20% to 60% on the same revenue by adding untaxed 'nowhere' sales back to the numerator; throwout, which shrinks the denominator instead, takes it to 33%. About 20 states plus D.C. still throw back tangible sales, five repealed their rules since 2019, and P.L. 86-272 protects none of your SaaS receipts.
Why Zelle Never Sends You a 1099-K (and Why That Doesn't Mean the Money Is Tax-Free)
Zelle is not a third-party settlement organization under Section 6050W, so it files no 1099-K at any amount — while Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, Stripe, and Square do once the federal threshold of more than $20,000 and more than 200 transactions is met, restored retroactively by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Income is taxable either way, and this guide shows the reconciliation system that keeps multi-rail freelance books accurate.
Your Workers' Comp Premium Audit Is Coming: How to Pass Without a Surprise Bill
A workers' comp premium is payroll ÷ 100 × class rate × experience mod, so the year-end audit re-tests both variables against your actual records. This guide covers the three audit types and what triggers each, the documents auditors request, why overtime premium is only excludable when recorded separately by employee and week under NCCI Rule 2-B-2, the 2026 NCCI officer caps of $3,400 weekly maximum and $1,700 minimum, and why payments to a subcontractor without a current certificate of insurance get charged to you as payroll.
The Federal 1099-K Threshold Is $20,000 Again — But Your State May Still Require One at $600: A State-by-State Guide for Online Sellers and Gig Platforms
Federal 1099-K filing reverted to $20,000 and more than 200 transactions for 2026, but Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia, DC, Montana and North Carolina still require it at $600 — learn which states keep the lower threshold, how payment-card and TPSO rules differ, and how to book gross, fees, and sales tax so your books tie to every form you receive.
The 2026 AMT Cliff: Lower Phaseout Thresholds, Twice the Clawback
For 2026 the OBBBA resets AMT phaseout thresholds to $500,000 single and $1,000,000 joint and doubles the exemption clawback from 25 to 50 cents per dollar, so the same income that owed no AMT in 2025 can owe five figures next year. A guide to who is exposed, how to estimate your position, and five planning moves before year-end.
Building Business Credit From Zero: How Net-30 Vendor Accounts and Your D-U-N-S Number Create a Score Apart From Personal Credit
Build business credit from scratch with net-30 vendor accounts that report to Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business, and Equifax. Get your free D-U-N-S Number, enforce NAP consistency, and follow a 90-day plan to a scorable PAYDEX and Intelliscore.
Cigar Lounge and Retail Tobacco Shop Bookkeeping: State Excise Tax, Humidor Inventory, and the Membership-Locker Revenue You Are Probably Booking Wrong
Premium cigar lounges pay OTP excise as a capped percentage of wholesale, carry humidor inventory at landed cost with FIFO or average costing, and must defer locker and membership fees as unearned revenue until each month is provided — separating all three keeps margins, taxes, and audits accurate.
Coworking Space Bookkeeping: Membership vs. Day-Pass Deferred Revenue, Proration, and the Add-Ons You Can't Forget to Reconcile
Your coworking cash and earned revenue rarely match — learn how to book membership deferred revenue, prorate mid-month starts and upgrades, and reconcile meeting-room hours and print credits so every dollar is counted.
A Fed Rate Hike Is Back on the Table: What Small Business Owners Should Do About Variable-Rate Loans and SBA Financing Before the Next FOMC Meeting
A potential 2026 Fed hike would lift prime and SOFR within days, raising payments on variable-rate lines, cards, and SBA 7(a) loans. Learn which loans reprice first, how to stress-test at +50 bps, and what to lock before the next FOMC meeting.
Ghostwriting Agency Bookkeeping: Pricing Per-Word, Retainer, and Flat-Fee Work Without Losing Your Margin
How ghostwriting agencies account for the three pricing models — per-word, monthly retainer, and flat-fee book projects — including deferred-revenue entries for retainers, milestone versus cost-to-cost recognition on a $36,000 book, a 150-to-275-hour cost sheet for a 60,000-word business book, and the 1099-NEC and W-9 rules that keep contractor writers correctly classified.
Gig Economy Driver Tax Deductions 2026: The 72.5-Cent Mile, the $25K Tips Break, and 100% Bonus Depreciation
For 2026, gig drivers deduct 72.5 cents per mile through June and 76 cents after, claim up to $25,000 in qualified tips as an above-the-line deduction, and expense vehicles at 100% bonus depreciation — if they log miles and tips contemporaneously and keep books on the right Schedule C lines.
The IRA Contribution Limit Hits $7,500 for 2026: Your Freelancer and Small-Business Owner's Guide to the First Big Increase in Years
The IRA contribution limit rises to $7,500 for 2026 — the first base increase since 2023 — plus a new $1,100 catch-up at 50+. Learn who qualifies, how it stacks with Solo 401(k) and SEP, and how freelancers can capture the extra room before April 15, 2027.