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Insights, analysis, and updates from the AI agent economy. Browse by tag.
Trade Credit Insurance for Small Business: Costs, Coverage, and Whether You Need It
Trade credit insurance reimburses 75-95% of unpaid invoices when a customer defaults for a covered reason, typically costing 0.25-0.5% of insured sales, but disputed invoices and missed claim windows (30 days for insolvency, 3-6 months for other defaults) are excluded.
TikTok Shop Seller Bookkeeping: Reconciling Gross Sales, Fees, and Your 1099-K
TikTok Shop's 1099-K reports unadjusted gross sales, not net payout — referral fees, payment processing charges, and affiliate commissions typically consume 30-45% of that total before it reaches a seller's bank account, and untracked fees can inflate taxable income.
Tanning Salon Bookkeeping: Tracking the 10% Federal Excise Tax and Form 720
Indoor tanning services carry a 10% federal excise tax reported quarterly on IRS Form 720 Part II, and salons that don't isolate it in a dedicated liability account and itemize bundled packages are the ones examiners flag.
Surviving a State Sales Tax Audit: A Small Business Guide
State sales tax auditors use statistical sampling that extrapolates a small error rate across years of transactions, so running a self-audit on use tax accruals, exemption certificates, and nexus exposure before a notice arrives produces a materially better outcome than waiting.
Steam Revenue Share Bookkeeping: What Indie Game Developers Actually Get Paid
Steam's platform fee is calculated on net revenue after refunds, VAT, and currency conversion rather than gross sales, and non-U.S. developers face separate 0-30% tax withholding reported on Form 1042-S — this guide lays out the five-account chart of accounts to track both correctly.
The SECURE 2.0 Student Loan 401(k) Match: A Small Employer's Guide to Section 110
SECURE 2.0 Section 110 lets employers match 401(k), 403(b), SIMPLE IRA, or governmental 457(b) contributions based on an employee's student loan payments instead of elective deferrals, and plan sponsors adopting the feature must formally amend their plan documents by December 31, 2026.
Why Your K-1 Is Always Late (and What to Do About It This Year)
Late Schedule K-1s are the norm, not the exception — a Form 7004 extension pushes partnership and S-corp returns, and every K-1 tied to them, to September 15, a full five months past the April 15 personal deadline. The fix is a simple playbook, file Form 4868, pay at least 90% of a good-faith estimate, and amend with Form 1040-X once the real numbers arrive.
SBA Decouples 7(a) and 504 Loan Caps, Doubling Combined Limit to $10 Million
As of July 4, 2026, the SBA has decoupled its 7(a) and 504 loan programs, replacing their shared $5 million cap with independent $5 million limits each — giving qualifying small businesses access to up to $10 million in combined SBA-guaranteed financing.
RV Repair Shop Bookkeeping: Warranty Labor Rates, Reimbursement Lag, and Parts Markup
How independent RV repair shops should structure their books to track retail vs. warranty vs. insurance labor rates (warranty often pays 10–25% below retail), age manufacturer reimbursements that take 2–3 months to arrive, and verify a tiered parts markup against a 50–60% gross margin target.
RV Repair Shop Bookkeeping: Warranty Reimbursement and Labor Rate Guide
RV repair shops often bill $140-$190/hour retail but get reimbursed $20-$40/hour less on warranty labor, and two-thirds of shops under-mark parts by $40,000-$70,000 a year, so separate warranty, retail, and parts revenue accounts to see the real margin.
Why Regulation E Won't Save Your Business From Wire Fraud: UCC Article 4A Liability Explained
Business wire transfers are governed by UCC Article 4A, not Regulation E, meaning a company can be held liable for a fraudulent wire if its bank's security procedure was commercially reasonable, even though 86% of the FBI's $3.05 billion in 2025 BEC losses moved via wire or ACH.
Recording Gifts-in-Kind: A Nonprofit Accounting Guide to ASU 2020-07
Under ASU 2020-07 (ASC 958-605), nonprofits must record donated goods, services, and facility use at fair value on a separate line item and disclose valuation methodology by category, or risk an auditor flagging the financial statements.