Plain-text accounting insights, tutorials, and updates from the Beancount.io team.
A working guide for sugarhouse operators — how to split Schedule F farming from Schedule C manufacturing, capitalize sap-to-syrup costs under Section 263A, expense a $40,000 reverse-osmosis unit under Section 179, and track the five KPIs (starting with 0.34 gallons per tap) that predict whether next season pays the mortgage.
A working guide to karaoke bar and KTV lounge bookkeeping that covers ASC 606 timing for room rental and bottle service, ASCAP/BMI/SESAC/GMR license amortization, the Section 45B FICA tip credit, Section 179 and cost segregation on the build-out, dram-shop reserve accounting, and the RevPARH and pour-cost KPIs operators actually read.
A working playbook for owner-operators of boutique indoor golf simulator lounges — how to recognize bay rental, membership, league, and breakage revenue under ASC 606; capitalize $24K Trackman units and $60K bay buildouts via Section 179, bonus depreciation, and QIP cost segregation; classify teaching pros correctly; and read the bay-utilization and revenue-per-bay-hour KPIs that separate profitable lounges from the rest.
How an independent vape retailer should structure books to handle PMTA enforcement risk, monthly PACT Act filings, multistate tobacco excise stamps, ASC 606 revenue streams, Section 179 build-out deductions, flavor-ban inventory write-downs, and battery-fire product-liability exposure.
How independent travel advisors should recognize host-agency commissions under ASC 606 at departure date, hold client deposits in trust, document FAM trips under Section 274, navigate seller-of-travel registration in California, Florida, Hawaii, and Washington, and track the KPIs — revenue per booking, repeat rate, receivables days outstanding — that distinguish sustainable advisor businesses from hobbyists.
How independent tire shops should book six distinct revenue streams under ASC 606, treat scrap-tire fees and Form 720 federal excise tax as pass-through liabilities, amortize road hazard warranties as deferred revenue, stack Section 179 with 100% bonus depreciation on lifts and alignment racks, and read the four bay-hour KPIs that actually predict profitability.
A working guide to bookkeeping for solo process servers and multi-server firms — entity selection, ASC 606 revenue recognition triggered by the sworn affidavit, FDCPA/DPPA/GLBA exposure, mileage method choice and Section 179, worker classification under the ABC test, trust accounting for pass-through funds, and the operating KPIs that separate a healthy practice from a treadmill.
A practical bookkeeping guide for solo Registered Piano Technicians and small tuning shops, covering ASC 606 revenue recognition across home tunings, rebuilds, and concert hall contracts, plus Schedule C deductions, Section 179, care-custody-control insurance, and the operational KPIs that drive a profitable practice.
How independent pet sitters and dog walkers should book Rover and Wag 1099-K income, deduct mileage at the IRS 2026 rate of $0.725 per mile, structure care-custody-and-control insurance, classify sub-walkers under the ABC test, and track visits-per-sitter-per-day as the core profitability KPI.
Nail salon bookkeeping in 2026 — ASC 606 deferred revenue on prepaid packages and gift cards, the new OBBBA Section 45B FICA tip credit for beauty services, ABC-test worker classification after California's booth-rental expiration, MMA monomer compliance, and the chair-utilization and revenue-per-square-foot KPIs that separate profitable salons from the bottom half.
How solo and multi-inspector home inspection firms should structure their books — entity choice, ASC 606 revenue recognition for buyer-side and pre-listing reports, Section 179 deductions for thermal cameras and Part 107 drones, sub-inspector classification, and the KPIs that predict three-year survival.
A practical bookkeeping playbook for solo and two-to-five-truck handyman operators — ASC 606 treatment of time-and-materials and flat-rate work, state licensing dollar thresholds, W-2 vs 1099 subcontractor exposure under the 2024 DOL rule and state ABC tests, Section 179 and de minimis safe harbor for trucks and tools, and the four KPIs that show whether the schedule is profitable.
