#cost-of-goods-sold
Learn how to calculate and track cost of goods sold for inventory valuation
How disciplined cannabis dispensaries build books that survive Section 280E—segregating COGS from disallowed expenses, applying the Section 471(c) small-taxpayer carve-out, reconciling METRC to the POS to the general ledger daily, handling FinCEN BSA cash-banking and Form 8300 reporting, and reporting the sales-per-square-foot and basket-size KPIs MSO lenders read.
How accredited and recreational culinary schools should defer tuition under ASC 606, allocate ingredient COGS per lab session, handle Title IV refund calculations, classify chef instructors, and apply Section 179 and 2026 bonus depreciation to kitchen build-out.
Custom decorator shops sit at the crossroads of manufacturing, retail, and service work. This guide walks through the four-layer job cost model, ASC 606 treatment of customer deposits on custom goods, Section 179 expensing of presses and embroidery machines, and the press-hour and stitch-hour KPIs that separate profitable shops from merely busy ones.
How solo soap, candle, and natural cosmetics makers should structure Schedule C books — recipe-card COGS, the MoCRA small business exemption (under $1M average gross sales), the $2,500 de minimis safe harbor versus Section 179, and multistate sales tax across Etsy, Faire, and direct channels.
A craft barrel sold through a taproom can fetch over $1,200 in revenue while the same barrel through distribution brings $160 to $220. Independent breweries need bookkeeping that captures Section 263A WIP cost layers, TTB Form 5130.9 excise tax filings, CBMA reduced rates, three-tier channel margins, keg deposit liabilities, and Section 179 brewhouse depreciation to see which channel actually pays the bills.
A working playbook for specialty butcher and custom meat processor bookkeeping — cutout-based costing, Section 263A work-in-process inventory, USDA classification rules, Section 179 equipment treatment, and the yield KPIs that protect per-carcass margin.
Specialty coffee roasters lose 13-20% of green weight to roasting plus 1-2.5% to bag overfill, and most under-cost roasted inventory as a result. This guide covers lot-level standard costing, ASC 606 subscription deferred revenue, Section 263A producer capitalization, and Section 179 expensing on drum roasters, with SCA benchmarks for gross margin, DTC churn, and inventory turns.
How wine and spirits importers and beverage distributors build defensible books—segregating bonded vs. tax-paid inventory, accruing CBMA excise tax refunds under ASC 450, remeasuring foreign-currency payables under ASC 830, reconciling TTB Form 5000.24 to the general ledger, and tracking the cases-per-rep, depletion rate, and gross-profit-per-case KPIs the industry actually lives by.
A practical bookkeeping guide for granite and quartz countertop shops — slab-level inventory by bundle number, machine-hour burden rates for bridge saws and CNCs, ASC 606 over-time revenue recognition, channel-separated builder versus retail P&L, and warranty reserves that hold up under audit.
A working accounting backbone for an independent boba shop — recipe-card COGS down to the tapioca pearl, ASC 606 deferred revenue for loyalty and gift cards, Section 179 treatment for pearl cookers and heat sealers, the Section 45B FICA tip credit on Form 8846, FDA calorie disclosure thresholds, and the FDD Item 19 KPIs (ADS, prime cost, drinks per labor hour) that separate operators who scale from operators who close.
Independent theaters keep 10-50% of box office after the distributor split but 85-92% of every concession dollar. This guide covers film rental settlements, ASC 606 deferred revenue for gift cards and movie passes, concession COGS by category, breakage and state escheatment, and Section 179 expensing for digital projectors and recliner seating.
Independent pizzerias survive only when prime cost — food plus labor — stays at or below 60% of sales. This guide covers booking DoorDash and Uber Eats revenue gross under ASC 606, claiming the FICA tip credit on Form 8846, capitalizing deck and conveyor ovens under Section 179, and building recipe cards that expose the gap between theoretical and actual food cost.
