Plain-text accounting insights, tutorials, and updates from the Beancount.io team.
US commercial insurance premiums fell for the first time since 2017 — but only in some lines. Property is down up to 25%, cyber is soft, while general liability, commercial auto, and umbrella are still rising 7–15% on social inflation and $31 billion in nuclear verdicts. A line-by-line 2026 renewal guide with negotiation tactics for small businesses.
Colorado repealed SB 24-205 and replaced it with SB 26-189, which regulates automated decision-making technology (ADMT) in hiring starting January 1, 2027. Employers over 40 employees must give pre-use notice, provide a 30-day adverse-action explanation with human review, and retain records for three years — enforced only by the Attorney General, with penalties up to $20,000 per violation.
How coaches should book multi-month packages with a deferred revenue liability — recognizing a $12,000 six-month package at $2,000 per month — plus when a subcontracted coach needs a W-2 instead of a 1099, and what the 2026 rise in the 1099 reporting threshold from $600 to $2,000 under OBBBA actually changes.
Form T2125 turns a Canadian sole proprietor's invoices and receipts into taxable net business income on the T1 return. For 2026, gig platforms report earnings directly to the CRA, self-employed CPP totals nearly $9,300 at the earnings ceiling, and the June 15 filing extension still leaves payment due April 30.
Mileage bundles costs at 70 cents per mile but year-one actual unlocks Section 179 for heavy SUVs — pick the method before you place the vehicle in service and keep the daily log that makes either deduction survive.
Kickstarter pledges are deferred revenue, not income — a liability until rewards ship, which averages 4.3 months late. How board game publishers should book campaign funds, consignment sales, bundled pledges, and royalties under accrual accounting.
Australia's Tranche 2 AML/CTF reforms made accountants, bookkeepers, and tax agents AUSTRAC reporting entities on July 1, 2026, with enrollment due by July 29. Here are the nine designated services that trigger the obligation, what the enrollment form requires, and the penalties for missing it — up to $36.4 million per contravention for a corporation.
Amazon ends stickerless commingled inventory on March 31, 2026. Resellers must apply FNSKU labels ($0.20–$0.50/unit) while Brand Registry owners get virtual tracking; unlabeled stock gets flagged defective. Here's the labeling deadline timeline, who pays what, and the lot-level costing and landed-cost accounting changes sellers need before the cutoff.
How banner towing and skywriting operators should keep their books — track the FAA Certificate of Waiver (Form 7711-2) as the license that gates revenue, accrue engine-overhaul reserves per flight hour, treat client deposits as deferred revenue until the flight flies, and reserve peak-season cash against twelve months of fixed costs.
Talent and modeling agencies must record the full booking amount as gross revenue — not just the 10–20% commission they keep — hold client funds in a separate trust account (a legal requirement under California's Talent Agencies Act), and reconcile commission splits against contracts monthly. Five bookkeeping rules that prevent IRS 1099 mismatches, commingling violations, and talent payout disputes.
Split-dollar life insurance is an agreement — not a policy type — for an employer and a key employee to divide the premiums, cash value, and death benefit of one permanent policy. This guide compares the two structures (collateral assignment vs. endorsement), explains how the IRS taxes each under the economic benefit and loan regimes, why premiums are never deductible, and how to book the arrangement correctly from day one.
From April 1, 2026, IRAS can reject voluntary GST registration applications in Singapore that don't include InvoiceNow adoption. Here's the phased rollout timeline through 2031, the four-step Peppol setup process, available grants of up to S$1,000 per SME, and how transaction-level reporting changes the case for clean books.
