California Prop 65 Warnings: What Online Sellers Must Put on Labels and Websites
California Prop 65 reaches any seller shipping into the state with 10+ employees — warn before checkout, name the chemical, and relabel short forms by 2028.
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California business regulations and tax considerations
FUTA Credit Reduction States: Why Your Federal Unemployment Tax Bill Is Higher (and How to Report It on Schedule A)
California employers owe 1.8% FUTA for 2025 — $126 per employee instead of $42. Report the credit reduction on Schedule A of Form 940, due with the Q4 deposit.
The 9/80 Work Schedule: How to Give Every Other Friday Off Without Owing Overtime
A 9/80 schedule stacks 44 hours into one workweek unless you start the workweek mid-Friday — the FLSA never averages two weeks, so four overtime hours accrue.
California's CAMERA Act: What Talent Agents, Managers, and Coaches Who Work With Minors Must Do Now
California talent agents, managers, and coaches became mandated reporters January 1, 2026; a missed report is a misdemeanor. Here's the compliance checklist.
The Backyard Cottage P&L: What an ADU Really Costs, Earns, and Does to Your Taxes
ADU rental income goes on IRS Schedule E: split shared costs by square footage, depreciate the unit over 27.5 years, and plan for 25% recapture tax at sale.
Live Scan Fingerprinting Service Bookkeeping: Per-Roll Fees, Pass-Through Billing, and the Mobile vs. Storefront Math
DOJ and FBI live scan fees are a liability, not revenue — book only the rolling fee as income, and capitalize the $7,000 scanner or elect Section 179.
Comp Time Is Illegal in the Private Sector: What Small Employers Must Do Instead
Private employers cannot swap overtime pay for banked time off — Section 207(o) comp time is reserved for public agencies, and violations carry back wages plus equal liquidated damages over two years (three if willful). Here are the lawful alternatives.
California's SB 517: The New Subcontractor-Disclosure Line Every Home-Improvement Contract Needs in 2026
Effective January 1, 2026, California SB 517 amends Business and Professions Code Section 7159 to require every home improvement contract to include a yes/no subcontractor checkbox, a statutory disclaimer when the answer is yes, and that same disclaimer on every change order — with the prime contractor still responsible for completing the job.
California's New 5% Retention Cap: What Contractors Must Change About Retainage in 2026
California SB 61 caps retention on private construction contracts signed on or after January 1, 2026 at 5% per progress payment and 5% of the contract price in total, down from the 10% industry norm — here is who it covers, the residential and bonding exceptions, and how to rebuild your retainage receivable schedule so the freed-up cash actually reaches your account.
California SB 351: How Dental and Med Spa Practices Must Rebuild Their MSO/PC Books for 2026
California SB 351 took effect January 1, 2026, barring private equity and management companies from controlling clinical decisions at medical and dental practices. Because the violations it targets — percentage-of-collections management fees, clinician payroll in the MSO, patient revenue landing outside the PC — are all visible in the general ledger, compliance is largely a bookkeeping project. Here are seven ledger fixes to make now.
California Workers' Comp Just Got More Expensive: What the September 1 Rate Decision Means for Your Budget
California's advisory pure premium rate for workers' compensation rose 6.6% to $1.65 per $100 of payroll on September 1, 2026 — the second consecutive annual increase after a decade of declines. Here is how the benchmark actually reaches your bill, how to estimate the impact from your own payroll, and five levers — classification checks, clean audits, X-mod management, shopping the renewal, and monthly accruals — that keep the increase small.
Tip Credits and Tip Pools: A 2026 Compliance Guide for Restaurant Payroll
The federal tip credit lets employers pay $2.13 an hour against a $7.25 minimum — but only with written notice, a weekly true-up, and a pool that excludes managers. This guide covers what changed in 2026: the vacated 80/20 side-work rule, California's SB 648 card-tip enforcement, service-charge wage treatment, and the $25,000 qualified-tips deduction.