Skip to main content

Blog

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

Browse by tagView all authors
9 min read

Petting Zoo and Mobile Animal Encounter Bookkeeping: Schedule C vs. Schedule F, USDA Licensing, and Sales Tax

Petting zoo admission fees are Schedule C income, not Schedule F farm income — a split that affects self-employment tax, the farmer estimated-tax exception, and audit risk. This guide covers the USDA APHIS Class C exhibitor license ($30–$300/year), liability insurance from $545–$780/year, state admissions-tax traps for mobile trailers, and how to keep agritourism books separate from the farm ledger.

Mike Thrift

agritourismfarmingbookkeeping
8 min read

Nonprofit Reserve Funds and Revenue Diversification: Surviving a Federal Grant Freeze

Since early 2025, roughly $425 billion in federal funding has been canceled, paused, or put under review, while 52% of nonprofits hold three months or less of operating cash. This guide covers building a 3–6 month unrestricted operating reserve, capping any single funder at 25–30% of revenue, and tracking both in books that answer concentration questions in minutes.

Mike Thrift

nonprofitgrantscapital-reserves
9 min read

Natural vs. Functional Expense Classification: How Nonprofits Build the Form 990 Statement of Functional Expenses

Since ASU 2016-14, every nonprofit filing a full Form 990 must allocate expenses across program, management and general, and fundraising using a reasonable, consistent methodology — here's how time studies, square footage, and headcount allocation actually work, and the five mistakes that draw auditor scrutiny.

Mike Thrift

nonprofitfinancial-reportingexpense-allocation
8 min read

Contributed Services in Nonprofit Accounting: ASC 958-605 Recognition Guide

Under ASC 958-605, a nonprofit recognizes contributed services at fair value only when the work created or enhanced a nonfinancial asset, or required a specialized skill the organization would otherwise have paid for and the volunteer actually holds that credential — general volunteer hours, however valuable, stay off the books and out of Form 990.

Mike Thrift

nonprofitfinancial-reportingfinancial-statements
Start Free→Documentation