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Plain-text accounting insights, tutorials, and updates from the Beancount.io team.

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10 min read

Illinois Signed America's Toughest AI Safety Law: Your Startup's Compliance Playbook for 2027–2028

Illinois's Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act, signed July 6, 2026, requires frontier AI developers with over $500M revenue to publish catastrophic-risk frameworks, pass annual independent audits, and report safety incidents within 72 hours starting January 1, 2028. This guide breaks down the five obligations, audit costs of $25,000–$150,000+, and a 16-month preparation timeline for startups.

Mike Thrift

aicompliancestartup
9 min read

Your Card Processor Just Got Bought for $24 Billion — Here's What to Check on Your Next Statement

Global Payments closed its $24.25 billion Worldpay acquisition in January 2026, and processor mergers routinely bring migration fees, contract reassignments, and quiet rate creep. Learn how to compute your effective rate (total fees ÷ card volume), the seven statement lines where costs hide, and a 15-minute quarterly audit that flags overpaying above 3%.

Mike Thrift

paymentssmall-businessexpense-management
10 min read

Georgia Rewrote Its Specialty Contractor Licensing Law: What Your Shop Must Fix Before the Next Job

Georgia's SB 553 (Act 472) rewrote Chapter 14 contractor licensing effective July 1, 2026 — one year of experience now means 2,000 documented hours, license lending is explicit grounds for discipline, and advertising regulated trade services without a license counts as evidence of unlicensed practice. A record-keeping checklist for electrical, plumbing, HVAC, low-voltage, and utility shops.

Mike Thrift

licensespermitscompliance
12 min read

Is Your ELD Still Legal? What the FMCSA's Revoked-Device Purge Means for Your Trucks and Your Books

The FMCSA revoked 67 electronic logging devices in 2026 — including Safe ELD and MYLOGS ELD — each starting a 60-day replacement clock, after which a revoked device counts as no ELD at all. Here is how small carriers verify their device against the live registry, avoid out-of-service orders and CSA points, and book the forced swap as a clean per-truck deduction.

Mike Thrift

truckingcomplianceregulatory
10 min read

Delaware's 4.5% Short-Term Rental Lodging Tax: A Host's Guide to the License and Monthly Filing

Delaware taxes short-term rental stays at 4.5% of rent for agreements entered on or after January 1, 2025. Who collects depends on the booking channel — platforms remit for platform bookings, but direct-booking hosts need the $25 accommodations intermediary license and must file monthly by the 15th, even for zero-income periods. Cleaning fees, linens, and deposits are excluded from the tax base.

Mike Thrift

tax-compliancereal-estateproperty-management
9 min read

California Is About to Regulate Franchise Brokers: What SB 919 Means Before You Sign

Starting July 1, 2027, California's SB 919 requires franchise brokers to register annually with the DFPI, deliver a standardized disclosure document — including how they are paid — before pitching any franchise, and keep five years of auditable records. Here is what the law changes, why broker commissions of 40–50% of the franchise fee matter to buyers, and how to vet a broker before the rules take effect.

Mike Thrift

franchise-bookkeepingcaliforniaregulatory
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