#bookkeeping
Bookkeeping
Modern bookkeeping techniques using plain-text and automated workflows
Where Did $90 Billion in Inventory Just Go? A Small Retailer's Guide to Booking Shrinkage Correctly
U.S. retailers lost $90–112 billion to inventory shrinkage in the latest reporting cycle, an average shrink rate near 1.6% of sales. This guide shows small retailers how to book shrink in a dedicated expense account instead of burying it in COGS — with the exact journal entries, cycle-counting schedules, materiality thresholds, and the process fixes behind the ~70% of shrink that isn't theft.
Square vs. Toast vs. Clover: How to Choose a POS System for Your Business Type
Square, Toast, and Clover each target a different business — Square starts free at 2.6% + 15¢, Toast locks restaurants into 2-year contracts, and Clover's hardware runs $500–$1,799+. This guide compares real costs by transaction volume and explains the three-way reconciliation problem POS data creates in your books.
Tuxedo and Formalwear Rental Shop Bookkeeping: Why the Real Profit Is in the Tenth Rental, Not the First
A $1,000 tuxedo rented at $196 a night needs five-plus rentals just to cover its cost — which is why formalwear rental bookkeeping treats garments as depreciating fixed assets, damage deposits as liabilities rather than revenue, and seasonal cash reserves as a line item. Here's the chart of accounts and depreciation method that make cost per wear visible.
Wagepoint's WagePro+ Partner Tiers: What Payroll Referral Incentives Mean for Your Small Business
Wagepoint's WagePro+ program (July 2026) gives accounting firms up to 20% discounts, matched co-marketing funds, and automatic tier upgrades from 1 to 500 payroll clients — here's how those incentives can shape the payroll recommendation you get, and five questions to ask your bookkeeper before signing up.
Aerial Banner Towing & Skywriting Company Bookkeeping: The FAA Waiver That Gates Every Flight Hour
How banner towing and skywriting operators should keep their books — track the FAA Certificate of Waiver (Form 7711-2) as the license that gates revenue, accrue engine-overhaul reserves per flight hour, treat client deposits as deferred revenue until the flight flies, and reserve peak-season cash against twelve months of fixed costs.
Amazon Is Ending Stickerless Commingled Inventory: What FBA Sellers Must Do Before March 31, 2026
Amazon ends stickerless commingled inventory on March 31, 2026. Resellers must apply FNSKU labels ($0.20–$0.50/unit) while Brand Registry owners get virtual tracking; unlabeled stock gets flagged defective. Here's the labeling deadline timeline, who pays what, and the lot-level costing and landed-cost accounting changes sellers need before the cutoff.
AUSTRAC Tranche 2: What Australian Accountants and Bookkeepers Must Do Before July 29, 2026
Australia's Tranche 2 AML/CTF reforms made accountants, bookkeepers, and tax agents AUSTRAC reporting entities on July 1, 2026, with enrollment due by July 29. Here are the nine designated services that trigger the obligation, what the enrollment form requires, and the penalties for missing it — up to $36.4 million per contravention for a corporation.
Your Kickstarter Just Raised $400,000. Legally, You Haven't Earned a Cent of It Yet.
Kickstarter pledges are deferred revenue, not income — a liability until rewards ship, which averages 4.3 months late. How board game publishers should book campaign funds, consignment sales, bundled pledges, and royalties under accrual accounting.
Business Vehicle Deductions in 2026: Standard Mileage vs. Actual Cost, Section 179 SUV Limits, and the Mileage Log the IRS Actually Wants
Mileage bundles costs at 70 cents per mile but year-one actual unlocks Section 179 for heavy SUVs — pick the method before you place the vehicle in service and keep the daily log that makes either deduction survive.
Deferred Revenue and Contractor Classification: A Bookkeeping Guide for Career Coaches
How coaches should book multi-month packages with a deferred revenue liability — recognizing a $12,000 six-month package at $2,000 per month — plus when a subcontracted coach needs a W-2 instead of a 1099, and what the 2026 rise in the 1099 reporting threshold from $600 to $2,000 under OBBBA actually changes.
Commercial Insurance Rates in 2026: Which Lines Are Falling, Which Are Rising, and How to Negotiate Your Renewal
US commercial insurance premiums fell for the first time since 2017 — but only in some lines. Property is down up to 25%, cyber is soft, while general liability, commercial auto, and umbrella are still rising 7–15% on social inflation and $31 billion in nuclear verdicts. A line-by-line 2026 renewal guide with negotiation tactics for small businesses.
California and New York Cap Construction Retainage at 5%: What Contractors Should Do for 2026
California's SB 61 caps private-project retention at 5% for contracts signed on or after January 1, 2026, and New York's S5655 voids any retainage clause above 5% on covered private contracts of $150,000+ as of December 19, 2025. Here's what changed, the carve-outs, and how contractors should track retainage receivable in their books.