#bookkeeping
Modern bookkeeping techniques using plain-text and automated workflows
A practical comparison of FIFO, LIFO, weighted average, and specific identification — with IRS rules, Form 970 and Form 3115 mechanics, the LIFO conformity trap, and a five-step framework for picking the right inventory method in 2026.
IOLTA violations triggered 1,247 attorney discipline cases in 2025. As twelve states adopt a 30-day reconciliation deadline on July 1, 2026, this guide walks through how three-way reconciliation works, the workflow that keeps individual client ledgers tied to the bank balance, and the mistakes that most often end legal careers.
How the federal WARN Act triggers a 60-day notice clock at 100 employees, the three narrow exceptions, the back-pay and $500-per-day penalties, and the state mini-WARN laws (NY, NJ, CA) that quietly raise the bar to 90 days, 25 employees, or mandatory severance.
A 2026 field guide to agentic AI in finance — where autonomous agents are cutting month-end close cycles by up to 55%, where they still fail, and how to adopt them without losing the audit trail.
ASC 606 requires SaaS companies to recognize revenue as the service is delivered, not when cash is collected. This guide walks through the five-step model, the deferred revenue schedule auditors scrutinize, and the six recurring mistakes that trigger restatements during fundraising diligence.
ASC 842 requires private companies to record nearly every lease longer than 12 months as a right-of-use asset and lease liability. This guide covers the lease definition tests, operating versus finance classification, discount rate options including the risk-free rate election, the seven most common implementation pitfalls, and how the changes ripple through covenants, EBITDA, and audit work.
Backup withholding forces payers to deduct 24% from contractor payments after a missing W-9, refused TIN, or CP2100 notice — here is the 15-day and 30-day cure clock, Form 945 deposit rules, and the onboarding setup that keeps small businesses out of the trap.
US payers must collect a valid W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E from a foreign vendor before paying, or the IRS treats the payment as subject to 30% withholding plus Form 1042-S penalties. This guide walks through which form to use, how to claim treaty benefits, the three-year refresh cycle, FATCA classification, and the five documentation mistakes that turn routine vendor onboarding into an audit problem.
A 30-day post-filing playbook for small business owners — read last year's return line by line, log friction points while they hurt, recalculate quarterly estimates against real-time P&L, fix one workflow per pain point, and evaluate S-corp election, Solo 401(k), Section 179, and Augusta Rule moves while your CPA is still in fresh-mind mode.
For 2026, QSEHRA caps tax-free reimbursements at $6,450 self-only and $13,100 family for employers under 50 FTEs, while ICHRA has no IRS cap and lets any-size employer vary contributions across 11 federal employee classes—provided the 9.96% affordability test, MEC requirement, and 90-day notice are all met.
Section 263A UNICAP forces producers and resellers to attach indirect costs — rent, supervisor wages, depreciation — to inventory rather than expense them. This guide covers the 2026 $32M small-business exemption, the simplified production and resale methods, Form 3115 and the 481(a) adjustment, and the personnel-allocation mistakes that draw IRS attention.
Claim the Section 45B FICA tip credit with Form 8846 to recover 7.65% of employer payroll tax on tips above a $5.15/hour floor.
