#compliance
Compliance
Navigate regulatory compliance and maintain audit-ready financial records
France's Mandatory B2B E-Invoicing Starts September 1, 2026: A US Small Business Survival Guide
Starting September 1, 2026, France requires structured e-invoices (Factur-X, UBL, or CII) for domestic B2B transactions, and US sellers with no French establishment must supply clean, itemized invoice data so their French customers can meet the parallel e-reporting obligation.
IRS Business Tax Account Revalidation: Why Your S-Corp or C-Corp Access Expires Every Year
The IRS requires S-corp and C-corp Designated Officials to revalidate Business Tax Account access every June 15 through July 29 or lose online access to payments, transcripts, and notices until they reapply from scratch.
Medical Debt and Your Credit Report in 2026: What the Vacated Federal Ban Means and What Protections Still Apply
The CFPB's national medical-debt reporting ban was vacated in July 2025, but three-bureau reforms still remove paid collections, unpaid debt under $500, and debt less than a year old, and at least 15 states keep their own limits in place.
USDA's New SNAP Stocking Rule: The 84-Unit Inventory Test That Decides Your EBT Authorization on November 4
Starting November 4, 2026, SNAP-authorized small stores must stock 7 varieties in each of 4 staple food categories — 84 units total, up from 36 — with perishables in 3 categories, or risk losing EBT authorization. How to map varieties, track depth, flag perishables, and file invoices in your books before an FNS inspection.
USPS Dimensional Weight Just Got 19% More Expensive: What Every E-Commerce Shipper Needs to Know
USPS cut its dimensional-weight divisor from 166 to 139 on July 12, 2026, raising DIM weight roughly 19.4% on bulky-but-light parcels and adding a $3 per-parcel fee for missing or inaccurate dimensions on commercial manifests.
ICHRA Explained: How Small Employers Are Ditching Group Health Plans for Custom Reimbursements in 2026
An ICHRA lets employers reimburse employees tax-free for individual health insurance instead of buying a group plan. Covers the 2026 affordability threshold of 9.96%, QSEHRA vs ICHRA rules, the 11 allowable employee classes, required notices, and how to book reimbursements without losing the tax advantage.
Your AI Notetaker Could Be a Wiretap: What Small Businesses Risk When an AI Bot Joins the Call
AI meeting notetakers can trigger all-party consent rules in roughly a dozen states and create voiceprints regulated by Illinois BIPA, which carries $1,000 per negligent and $5,000 per intentional violation with no proof of harm required. This guide maps the consent rules, the three things BIPA requires before a voiceprint exists, and a six-step settings, consent, and retention playbook for teams under 50 people.
Your $35,568 Salary No Longer Makes Someone Exempt: 2026 Overtime Salary Thresholds in Six States
The federal FLSA salary threshold for the white-collar exemptions is still $684 a week ($35,568 a year) in 2026 after the 2024 DOL rule was vacated and rescinded, but six states set higher floors - Washington $1,541.70/week, California $1,352.00, New York $1,275.00 in the NYC metro and $1,199.10 elsewhere, Colorado $1,057.69, Alaska $938.40, and Maine $871.16. The threshold that applies is the one for the state where the work is performed, and a failed classification exposes two years of unpaid overtime (three if willful) plus liquidated damages that double the recovery.
Are Your Business Credit Card Rewards Taxable? The $2,000 1099-MISC Rule Every Owner Needs in 2026
Purchase-based cash back, points, and miles are non-taxable rebates that reduce your deductible expense — but referral bonuses, no-purchase sign-up bonuses, and bank account bonuses are taxable income reported on 1099-MISC, now only when $2,000 or more from one payer in 2026 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Can You Copyright That AI-Generated Blog Post? What Small Businesses Need to Know About Ownership and Infringement in 2026
U.S. copyright protects only human authorship, so raw AI output is unprotectable and unenforceable. The Copyright Office's January 2025 report found prompts alone do not make you the author — protection attaches only to the parts a reader can see you wrote. Here is what that means for small-business marketing content, plus the disclosure, licensing, and bookkeeping records that prove it.
Should Your Small Business Become a Certified B Corp in 2026? The New Standards, Real Costs, and What It Takes to Pass
Since March 11, 2026, B Corp certification no longer works on a single 80-point score — applicants must clear foundation requirements plus independently verified thresholds in all seven impact topics, with no offsetting between them. Covers what changed, the tiered fees ($1,000 to $25,000+ annually, roughly $2,000–$2,100 for a $1M–$5M company), the 40–80 hours of evidence-gathering a small business should budget, and how to structure your chart of accounts so verification is an afternoon rather than a forensic project.
FDA Food Traceability Rule (FSMA 204): What the Delay to July 2028 Means for Your Records
The FDA's Food Traceability Rule (FSMA 204) requires covered businesses to produce lot-level records in a sortable electronic spreadsheet within 24 hours and retain them for two years. The compliance date moved from January 20, 2026 to a proposed July 20, 2028 — here is what CTEs, KDEs, and traceability lot codes require, which 15 commodity categories are covered, and how to build the records now.