#bookkeeping
Bookkeeping
Modern bookkeeping techniques using plain-text and automated workflows
Sea Urchin Diver Bookkeeping: How a Limited-Entry Permit Becomes a 15-Year Intangible Asset
California's limited-entry sea urchin permit is often a diver's most valuable asset. A purchased permit is a Section 197 intangible amortized straight-line over 15 years, while a state-issued permit has zero amortizable basis — plus how to book landing revenue, gear depreciation, and kelp-restoration contract income.
Retail Delivery Fees in 2026: What Sellers Owe in Colorado and Minnesota
Colorado's retail delivery fee rose to $0.31 per order on July 1, 2026, while Minnesota charges $0.50 on qualifying orders of $100 or more. Here are the exemption thresholds, marketplace carve-outs, the ten-plus states drafting similar fees, and how to record the fee so it doesn't tangle your books.
Traveling Carnival and Fair Concessionaire Bookkeeping: Gross-Revenue Splits, Multi-State Permits, and a Route of One-Week Stops
How carnival and fair concessionaires should keep books for a route business — recording 25–50% gross-revenue splits and guarantee floors per stop, registering for sales tax permits that differ by state (Ohio's statewide license vs. California's per-location permits vs. Illinois's changing-location filer status), reconciling cash daily against ticket counts, and tracking day-labor payroll and 1099 thresholds across state lines.
UAE Small Business Relief Ends After 2026: What Freelancers Need to Do Now
The UAE's Small Business Relief — a 0% corporate tax election for resident businesses with revenue of AED 3 million or less — expires for tax periods ending after December 31, 2026. Here is what freelancers and small businesses should do before the standard 9% rate applies, from the AED 1 million registration threshold and its AED 10,000 late penalty to building profit-ready bookkeeping.
Virginia HB 238: The Three-Year Pay Stub Retention Rule Now Binding Every Employer
Virginia's HB 238, effective July 1, 2026, requires every employer to retain pay statements for at least three years, presumes workers are employees unless the IRS contractor test is met, and imposes treble damages for knowing wage violations. Here is what changed in Va. Code § 40.1-29 and a retention checklist that also covers federal FLSA, IRS, and public-works rules.
The AI Coding Bill Comes Due: How Indie Developers Can Track and Cap Runaway Copilot, Cursor, and Claude Spend
GitHub Copilot's 2026 shift to usage-based AI Credits, an 18.6x rise in per-developer token consumption, and $60–$200/month agentic tiers are turning flat AI subscriptions into unpredictable bills. Here is a practical framework for indie developers to cap, track, and reconcile AI coding tool spend.
Bookkeeping for Ammunition Reloading Supply Shops: Component Sales, FAET, and Lot-Level Inventory
A reloading supply shop that only sells bullets, brass, primers, and powder owes no federal ammunition excise tax — but loading and selling finished ammunition triggers an 11% FAET liability filed quarterly on TTB Form 5300.26. This guide covers the chart of accounts, lot-number FIFO inventory tracking, and hazmat freight costing that keep a component retailer or hybrid manufacturer compliant.
Bookkeeping for Antiquarian Booksellers: Why Rare Books Need Specific-Identification Inventory
Average-cost and FIFO inventory methods misstate margins when every item is unique. How antiquarian booksellers use specific-identification inventory — per-copy cost basis, proportional lot allocation, condition-driven write-downs, and provenance records — to keep accurate books on one-of-a-kind stock.
Auto Salvage and Scrap Metal Bookkeeping: Costing Inventory That Splits Into Five Products
How auto salvage yards and scrap metal recyclers should structure inventory accounting when one purchased vehicle splits into parts, high-value scrap, and bulk ferrous metal sold at different times and prices.
Bill-and-Hold Arrangements Under ASC 606: When You Can (and Can't) Recognize Revenue on Goods a Customer Hasn't Picked Up Yet
ASC 606 permits revenue recognition on bill-and-hold arrangements only when four criteria are all met — a substantive reason for the delay, goods segregated for the customer, readiness for immediate transfer, and no seller right to redirect them. This guide walks through each test, a worked allocation example splitting goods revenue from a separate storage obligation, legitimate use cases, and the seller-initiated-delay red flag that draws SEC scrutiny.
Business Credit Card Sign-Up Bonuses Are Worth Up to $2,000 in 2026 — Here's How to Collect Yours Without Wrecking Your Books
Business credit card welcome offers now reach $2,000 cash or 200,000 points, with minimum spends of $3,000–$30,000 in three months. How to match a bonus to your real quarterly spend, understand the personal guarantee, and avoid the commingling mistakes that turn a bonus into an audit risk.
Commercial Umbrella Insurance for Small Businesses: What It Covers, What It Costs, and How Much You Need
Commercial umbrella insurance adds extra liability coverage above general liability, commercial auto, and employer's liability limits — typically $400–$7,000+ per year per $1 million layer. With 135 nuclear verdicts totaling $31.3 billion in 2024 and carriers cutting available limits, here's how small businesses should size and price umbrella coverage in 2026.