Plain-text accounting insights, tutorials, and updates from the Beancount.io team.
Only 41% of small business applicants receive all the funding they seek. This step-by-step guide covers loan types, lender requirements, approval rates by institution type, required documentation, and concrete steps to improve your eligibility before applying.
Step-by-step guide to calculating federal tax liability for small business owners and self-employed individuals—covering gross income, 2025 tax brackets, self-employment tax at 15.3%, quarterly estimated payments, and legal strategies to reduce what you owe.
A practical guide to sales tax for small business owners — understand physical and economic nexus, apply the correct rate across 10,000+ U.S. jurisdictions, and avoid the penalties that catch most growing businesses off guard.
The 2025 $20,000/200-transaction threshold for Form 1099-K is reinstated—here's what freelancers, gig workers, and online sellers need to know about reconciling gross receipts and reporting taxable income correctly.
FICA taxes fund Social Security and Medicare at a combined 15.3% rate — 7.65% each from employer and employee. Covers 2026 rates, the $184,500 Social Security wage base, self-employment tax rules, exemptions, and the compliance mistakes that most commonly trigger IRS penalties.
Self-employed workers and freelancers who skip quarterly estimated tax payments face IRS underpayment penalties even when they file on time — here's how the pay-as-you-go system works, how to calculate what you owe each quarter, and how the safe harbor rule protects you from guessing wrong.
A practical guide to business asset depreciation covering MACRS, Section 179 (2026 limit $2,560,000), bonus depreciation restored to 100%, five depreciation methods, recapture rules, and the most common mistakes that cause small business owners to overpay taxes.
A practical breakdown of CPAs, enrolled agents, and non-credentialed tax preparers—covering credentials, IRS representation rights, 2026 pricing, and when each option makes financial sense for your business.
C corporations face a 5% monthly failure-to-file penalty and a $525 minimum for returns over 60 days late — this guide maps every 2025 federal tax deadline, explains penalty mechanics for C corps, S corps, and partnerships, and outlines a year-round compliance system.
Small businesses lose an average of $3,000 per year from bookkeeping errors. This guide covers the 12 most common mistakes—from mixing personal and business finances to misclassifying workers—with concrete fixes for each.
The IRS two-part test disqualifies suits and business attire but allows uniforms, protective gear, scrubs, and branded items. Here's exactly what qualifies as a clothing deduction and how self-employed workers claim it on Schedule C.
Working parents can claim up to $2,100 in federal tax savings through the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit—but only if you know the income thresholds, eligible expenses, and how Dependent Care FSAs affect your credit calculation.
