Plain-text accounting insights, tutorials, and updates from the Beancount.io team.
Sage Business Cloud Accounting starts at $10/month with built-in inventory management and multi-currency support—here's how it stacks up against QuickBooks and Xero, who it's best for, and where it falls short.
The R&D tax credit (IRC Section 41) cuts your federal tax bill dollar-for-dollar for qualifying research expenses—yet fewer than one in five eligible businesses claim it. This guide covers the four-part test, QRE categories, the Alternative Simplified Credit calculation, and 2026 changes including restored Section 174 expensing and a $500,000 payroll tax offset for startups.
QuickBooks Live pairs small businesses with certified bookkeepers inside QuickBooks Online, starting at $59/month for assisted support or $300/month for full-service—but excludes tax prep, carries variable bookkeeper quality, and locks your financial data into Intuit's ecosystem.
Pass-through business owners can deduct up to 20% of qualified business income under Section 199A, but income thresholds, SSTB rules, and W-2 wage limits determine the actual amount—here's how to calculate and maximize it.
A side-by-side comparison of six online bookkeeping services—Pilot, Bookkeeper360, Merritt, CapForge, RemoteBooksOnline, and Maxim Liberty—covering pricing ranges from $75 to $499/month, accounting method, software platform, and five key questions to ask before signing up.
New York businesses may owe taxes to three entities simultaneously—state, city, and the MCTD. Covers corporation franchise tax rates, LLC filing fees, NYC GCT and UBT, MCTMT thresholds, quarterly estimated payment deadlines, and key credits for NY small business owners.
Medicare tax applies to all wages with no income cap; in 2026 the base rate is 2.9%, but high earners face an additional 0.9% surtax and up to 5% Net Investment Income Tax on passive income.
A practical guide to claiming maximum IRS vehicle deductions in 2026, covering the standard mileage rate (72.5¢/mile), actual expense method, Section 179 expensing, bonus depreciation, and the record-keeping rules that protect you in an audit.
LLCs offer flexible tax treatment — from pass-through taxation and the now-permanent 20% QBI deduction to S-Corp elections that can save $5,000–$50,000 annually. Covers every major LLC tax benefit, real savings examples, and the 2025 law changes that affect your filing strategy.
The 2026 SALT cap increase to $40,000 and a new 0.5% AGI floor on charitable giving change the math on itemizing. Here's who benefits, what qualifies on Schedule A, and how to maximize deductions—including bunching and donor-advised funds.
IRS penalties range from 0.5% to 75% of unpaid taxes depending on type—learn the six main categories, current 2026 rates, safe harbor rules, and how to request first-time abatement or reasonable cause relief.
The IRS First-Time Penalty Abatement program can eliminate failure-to-file, failure-to-pay, and failure-to-deposit penalties for taxpayers with a clean 3-year compliance history — no documentation required, often approved in a single phone call.
