#bookkeeping
Bookkeeping
Modern bookkeeping techniques using plain-text and automated workflows
Section 45B FICA Tip Credit on Form 8846: The Quiet Six-Figure Tax Break Most Restaurant Owners Miss
How restaurant, bar, and hospitality employers compute the Section 45B FICA tip credit on Form 8846, using the frozen $5.15 minimum wage floor and the 7.65 percent multiplier — including the 280C add-back, common audit pitfalls around service charges, and how to recover up to three years of unclaimed credit through amended returns.
SECURE 2.0 Section 101: Mandatory Auto-Enrollment for New 401(k) and 403(b) Plans (2026 Compliance Guide)
SECURE 2.0 Section 101 requires new 401(k) and 403(b) plans established after December 29, 2022 to auto-enroll employees at a 3-10% default deferral with 1% annual escalation. A 2026 compliance guide covering EACA notices, the four exemptions, QDIA selection, the 90-day permissible withdrawal, and the December 31, 2026 plan amendment deadline.
Surety Bonds for Construction Contractors: Miller Act, SBA Guarantees, and the Books That Build Bonding Capacity
How bid, performance, and payment bonds work in 2026 for small construction contractors — the Miller Act's $35K and $150K federal thresholds, the SBA's 80–90% guarantee covering contracts up to $14 million, and the working-capital and WIP discipline that decides which builders get bonded for the largest jobs.
Tax Planning for Travel Nurses: Tax Home, the One-Year Rule, Per Diem Stipends, and Multi-State Filing
A practical breakdown of how travel nurses keep housing and meal stipends tax-free — covering the IRS tax home rule, the 12-month assignment cliff, duplicate-expense documentation, multi-state nonresident returns, and which states have reciprocity agreements.
Venture Debt and Recurring Revenue Loans in 2026: A Founder's Guide
How venture debt and recurring revenue loans work in 2026 — pricing in the 10-13% range, warrant coverage of 0.5-1.5%, end-of-term fees, MAC clauses, and when each instrument actually extends runway versus trapping founders before the next equity round.
AI Bookkeeping for Small Business in 2026: Where Generative AI Wins and Where It Fails
AI bookkeeping tools now hit 85–95% categorization accuracy and shrink month-end close from days to under two hours, but the 2–5% confidently wrong residual is where audit risk hides. A practical workflow for small businesses covering daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly review steps.
The IC-DISC: How Closely Held Exporters Cut Federal Tax on Export Profits to 23.8%
The IC-DISC is the only permanent federal tax incentive dedicated to U.S. exporters that is available to pass-through entities. It routes export commissions through a tax-exempt paper corporation and back out as qualified dividends, cutting the effective federal rate on export profits from roughly 40% to 23.8% for closely held manufacturers, distributors, software vendors, and engineering firms.
PCI DSS 4.0.1 in 2026: The Small Merchant's Guide to SAQ A, Script Tampering, and MFA
PCI DSS v4.0.1 governs every 2026 assessment, and FAQ 1588 has narrowed who qualifies for SAQ A. This guide walks small merchants through the new script-tampering rules (6.4.3 and 11.6.1), the 12-character password and MFA requirements, what non-compliance actually costs, and a 12-step checklist for getting it right.
S-Corp Basis, Form 7203, and the Phantom Distribution Trap: A Section 1366(d) Guide
Section 1366(d) caps S-corporation loss deductions at stock basis plus direct shareholder debt, and Form 7203 is how the IRS verifies the math. A working guide to suspended losses, phantom capital gains on distributions, the $25,000 open-account debt rule, why personal guarantees do not create basis, and how the Regulation 1.1367-1 ordering rules decide which losses survive each year.
Section 263A UNICAP: When Small Businesses Must Capitalize Indirect Costs Into Inventory
Section 263A forces producers and resellers above the $32 million 2026 gross-receipts threshold to capitalize warehouse rent, purchasing, and mixed service costs into inventory. Here is how the exemption, simplified methods, and Form 3115 method changes actually work.
Single Audit Compliance Under 2 CFR Part 200: Why $1 Million in Federal Funds Triggers a SEFA Audit
A practical walkthrough of the Single Audit Act, the new $1 million federal expenditure threshold effective for fiscal years beginning on or after October 1, 2024, the SEFA's role, the four-step risk-based major program selection, the 12 compliance areas auditors test, and the steps nonprofits and local governments should take before crossing the threshold.
The $1 Million Single Audit Trap: Uniform Guidance, SEFA, and How Nonprofits and Governments Pass Federal Compliance
OMB raised the single audit threshold to $1 million in federal expenditures starting October 1, 2024. This guide explains the Subpart F audit under 2 CFR 200, SEFA reporting, four-step major program determination, the 40 and 20 percent coverage rules, and the nine-month Federal Audit Clearinghouse submission deadline for nonprofits and state and local governments.