USDA Business and Industry Loans: How Rural Businesses Borrow Up to $25 Million Through Local Lenders
USDA's B&I program guarantees up to 80% of rural business loans to $25 million with 30-year terms. Here is who qualifies and how to apply.
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Plain-text accounting insights, tutorials, and updates from the Beancount.io team.
Touring Musician Taxes and Bookkeeping: Guarantees, Door Splits, Merch Settlements, Per Diems, and Multi-State Filing
Every state you played wants a nonresident return, and the IRS taxes all of it. US guide to door deals, merch books, per diems, and road deductions.
Target Costing, Explained: Working Backward From the Price Customers Will Pay
Target cost equals market price minus required profit — set the price first, then engineer costs down to fit before you launch.
Stop Unauthorized ACH Debits Before They Post: Debit Blocks, Filters, and Positive Pay
Businesses get two banking days to return a fraudulent ACH debit; consumers get 60. Debit blocks, filters, and Positive Pay close the gap.
SEP vs. SIMPLE vs. Qualified Plans: How to Choose a Retirement Plan When You Have Employees
IRS Publication 560 frames the employer choice as SEP vs. SIMPLE vs. qualified plan — compare uniformity, mandatory contributions, and admin cost.
Section 195 Startup Costs: How to Deduct What You Spent Before Opening Day
Section 195 lets new US businesses deduct $5,000 of startup costs immediately and amortize the rest over 180 months — but only after launch day.
SAFE Notes Explained: Valuation Caps, Discounts, and the Dilution Math Every Founder Should Run Before Signing
A SAFE converts at the lower of its valuation cap or discount price — and post-money SAFEs stack dilution on founders, not earlier investors.
Reconciling Forms 941, W-2, and W-3: The Year-End Payroll Checklist That Prevents IRS and SSA Mismatch Notices
Your four Forms 941 must agree with your W-2 and W-3 totals or the SSA sends a reconciliation notice — run this 10-step tie-out before January 31.
Quicken Alternatives: Desktop, Cloud, and Plain-Text Options Compared
Monarch suits couples, YNAB suits overspenders, Simplifi is the easy Quicken exit — and plain-text tools win on privacy.
PCS Moves Are the Last Moving Deduction Left: How Active-Duty Military Members Claim It on Form 3903
Active-duty troops on PCS orders can still deduct unreimbursed moving costs on IRS Form 3903 — civilians lost the break for good under the OBBBA.
Outsourcing Bookkeeping vs. In-House Staff: What Growing Businesses Actually Pay
In-house bookkeeping costs $60,000–$90,000 a year all-in; outsourcing runs $200–$800 a month — compare scope, scale, and fraud controls before hiring.
Marketplace Payment Reconciliation: Record Gross Sales, Not the Deposit
Record gross marketplace sales as revenue and fees as expenses — Form 1099-K reports gross Box 1a, so net-deposit bookkeeping never reconciles.