IRS Free File Survived While Direct File Didn't: Your 2026 Guide to Filing Free
IRS Free File is open to AGI of $89,000 or less for 2026, and Direct File is gone. Start at IRS.gov or your free return quietly becomes a paid one.
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Plain-text accounting insights, tutorials, and updates from the Beancount.io team.
Investment Club Taxes: Form 1065, K-1s, and Unit-Value Accounting Explained
A US investment club is a partnership from the first deposit — Form 1065 is due March 15 every year, and filing late costs $255 per partner per month.
Inventory Shrinkage and the Retail Safe Harbor: Deduct Theft and Breakage Without a Year-End Count
Section 471(b) lets US retailers deduct estimated shrinkage without a year-end count — a three-year shrink-to-sales ratio times stub-period sales, on Form 3115.
Hot Sauce Maker Bookkeeping: Why Your Home Kitchen Is Off-Limits and What a 5 oz. Bottle Really Costs
Hot sauce is an FDA acidified food, so most states bar it from home kitchens. Budget $500-$1,000 for process review and training before your first bottle.
Hop Farm Bookkeeping: Why Your $12,000-Per-Acre Trellis Depreciates Differently From the Bines
Hop yard buildout runs $12,000-$15,000 per acre, and the trellis depreciates as 7-year farm equipment while IRS Section 263A decides the plants.
FRF for SMEs: The AICPA's Simpler Alternative to GAAP
FRF for SMEs is the AICPA's accrual framework for owner-managed firms: amortized goodwill, no VIE analysis, no ASC 842. Check loan covenants first.
Form W-4P in 2026: Stop Letting the Wrong Default Shrink Your Pension Check
Form W-4P defaults new pension payments to single status with no adjustments, not 10%. Check the Step 1 box to elect zero IRS withholding.
Why the Gap Between Your Food Truck's Cash Drawer and POS Report Is an Auditor's Favorite Red Flag
IRS and state auditors start with the gap between your POS Z report and your drawer count. Log paid-outs, deposit intact, book the rest to Cash Over and Short.
September 30 Is Coming: How Small Contractors Can Win a Share of the Federal Q4 Spending Sprint
Agencies obligate 30–40% of annual contract dollars in Q4, peaking in September — how a small firm gets SAM-ready and quotes fast enough to win a share.
Drone Mapping Business Bookkeeping: Part 107 Costs, Equipment Depreciation, and Per-Acre Pricing That Holds Margin
A $1,500 drone survey can net a few hundred dollars once US Part 107 fees, hull and payload insurance, and MACRS depreciation enter your per-acre math.
Daily Money Manager Bookkeeping: Retainers, Bill-Pay Trust Controls, and the Fiduciary Line
A daily money manager is not a fiduciary until formally appointed — price retainers deliberately, never commingle funds, and log every bill-pay.
Customer Overpaid You? How to Handle Overpayments and Unapplied Cash Without Creating Ghost Revenue
An overpayment is a liability, not revenue. Book the excess as a customer credit, park unmatched cash in a clearing account, and escheat stale credits.