Blog

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

June 1, 202616 min read

Computer and Smartphone Repair Shop Bookkeeping: The Hidden Liabilities Behind Every Cracked Screen

An operator's guide to bookkeeping for independent computer and smartphone repair shops in 2026 — separating per-ticket labor from parts revenue, treating customer devices as bailee property, recognizing deposits under ASC 606, applying Section 179 to bench equipment, complying with the new Washington and Colorado right-to-repair laws, and reconciling RepairShopr or CellSmart POS to the general ledger.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepingsmall-businessrevenue-recognition

June 1, 202613 min read

Charter Boat and Sportfishing Captain Bookkeeping: The Captain's Guide to Running a Profitable, IRS-Ready Charter Operation

A working captain's guide to charter boat bookkeeping in the U.S.—how to track OUPV/six-pack license renewals, deferred deposits under ASC 606, mate tip pools, fuel surcharges, Section 179 vessel depreciation, and HMS permit compliance so a hard season translates into a profitable, defensible business.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepingsmall-businessseasonal-business

June 1, 202612 min read

Auto Body Collision Repair Shop Bookkeeping: DRP, Parts Margins, Supplements, and Section 179

Collision shops bleed cash when DRP revenue isn't booked net of concessions, parts margins aren't split across OEM, aftermarket, and LKQ pools, and supplements slip through CCC and Mitchell without authorization. A guide to the bookkeeping, Section 179 equipment decisions, and the cycle time, touch time, and severity KPIs insurers actually watch.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepingsmall-businesscollision-repair

June 1, 202614 min read

The Augusta Rule: How Business Owners Rent Their Home to Their S-Corp for 14 Days a Year Tax-Free

Internal Revenue Code Section 280A(g) lets a business owner rent a personal residence to their own S-corporation for up to 14 days a year and exclude every dollar from personal gross income while the business deducts the rent under Section 162. The Sinopoli case shows what survives an audit and what does not.

Mike Thrift

taxtax-planningtax-deductions

June 1, 202613 min read

Audiologist and Hearing Aid Dispensary Bookkeeping: Medicare Part B, ASC 606 Trial Returns, and Section 179

A working bookkeeping playbook for independent audiology practices, covering ASC 606 revenue recognition for bundled hearing aid sales, Medicare Part B coding under the 2026 conversion factor, trial period return reserves, OTC competition, Section 179 equipment deductions, and monthly reconciliation against Sycle, Blueprint, and CounselEAR.

Mike Thrift

healthcarebookkeepingsmall-business

June 1, 202612 min read

Auction House Bookkeeping: Consignor Trust Accounts and the Agent vs. Principal Trap Under ASC 606

Auction houses are agents under ASC 606, not principals — book buyer's premium and seller's commission as net revenue, segregate consignor funds in a trust account, and reserve for bidder default on Proxibid and HiBid online sales.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepingaccountingconsignment-accounting

May 31, 202613 min read

Pest Control Bookkeeping: ASC 606, Termite Bond Reserves, and Per-Stop Profit

How route-based pest control and termite operators should apply ASC 606 to quarterly contracts and bond renewals, accrue retreatment reserves under ASC 460, reconcile chemical inventory to state Department of Agriculture records, and build per-stop costing in PestPac or FieldRoutes.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepingrevenue-recognitionaccrual-accounting

May 31, 202614 min read

Mortgage Broker and Loan Originator Bookkeeping: LO Comp, RESPA, EPO Clawbacks, and HMDA Reporting

A working playbook for independent mortgage brokerages: separating lender-paid and borrower-paid compensation under the LO Comp Rule, accruing EPO/EPD clawback reserves, classifying RESPA Section 8 payments, deferring lock and application fees, and staging loan-level data for HMDA LAR filing.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepingcompliancereal-estate

May 31, 202612 min read

Mobile Locksmith Bookkeeping: Emergency Premiums, Transponder Inventory, and Van Depreciation Without Margin Leaks

A guide to the bookkeeping decisions that move locksmith margins — separating emergency from standard revenue, per-SKU transponder inventory, Section 179 van elections, ALOA licensing tracking, and dispatch-software-to-GL reconciliation.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepingsmall-businesstrades

May 31, 202616 min read

Hard Cidery Bookkeeping: TTB Excise Tax, CBMA Credits, WIP Costing, and the Section 263A Orchard Trap

A practical bookkeeping guide for craft cideries — how to qualify for the $0.226 per wine gallon hard cider tax rate on TTB Form 5000.24, apply CBMA credits within the 750,000-gallon ceiling, track apple and pear inputs through WIP, segregate orchard costs under the Section 263A farming exception, and separate tasting room, DTC, wholesale, and self-distribution channels.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepingtax-complianceinventory

May 31, 202612 min read

Garden Center and Plant Nursery Bookkeeping: Live-Plant Inventory, Section 263A, and Seasonal Cash Flow

How retail garden centers and wholesale nurseries should value live-plant inventory, set mortality reserves by category, decide whether to elect out of Section 263A under the two-year preproductive rule, treat greenhouse heat and labor as direct COGS, and forecast cash through a spring-heavy revenue cycle.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepinginventorycost-of-goods-sold

May 30, 202615 min read

Pool Service Company Bookkeeping: Chemical COGS, Truck Depreciation, Licensing, and Seasonal Cash Flow

How residential and commercial pool service operators set up books that reveal true per-stop margin — separating recurring weekly routes from project work, tracking chemicals as variable COGS, allocating truck and Section 179 depreciation to routes, amortizing pesticide applicator licenses, and managing seasonal deferred revenue.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepingsmall-businessseasonal-business

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