#finance
Essential finance concepts and practical insights for modern accounting
Texas margin tax has a $2.47M no-tax threshold and a $20M E-Z computation at 0.331%. Learn which election fits, how margin is calculated, and the bookkeeping that keeps you in the right bucket.
Treasury rewrote Form 990 reporting for government grants and fiscal sponsorship in 2026. Learn what the new Schedule I and Schedule R lines require, how to disclose donor-restricted government funds, and the bookkeeping that keeps a 990 from triggering an audit.
Vietnam replaced presumptive tax for 5 million business households with self-declared filing and tiered e-invoices in 2026. Learn Decree 68's thresholds, monthly vs. quarterly filing, and the ledger that keeps a household business compliant.
Sole prop is the default, LLC is the wrapper, S-corp saves SE tax above ~$80K but needs payroll, C-corp is the venture clock — and converting the wrong way can be a taxable liquidation.
The $58,656 threshold was vacated — $35,568 is the enforceable level — but salary is only a third of exemption; duties decide the rest, and reclassification lives or dies on time records and the regular rate.
2026 bonus is 40% under current law — $32K on an $80K machine, not $80K — unless OBBBA restores 100% retroactively; here's how to model the swing vs. Section 179 and keep the ledger straight.
Credential decides representation — CPA, EA, and attorney are unlimited before the IRS, AFSP is limited — verify PTIN and board standing and insist on a scoped engagement letter.
Ages 60–63 get $11,250 of catch-up for four years instead of $7,500 — and every 401(k)/403(b) established after 12/29/2022 must auto-enroll 3–10% and auto-escalate to at least 10% starting 2025.
By default an LLC is disregarded to Schedule C and pays SE tax on all profit — elect S-corp via 8832/2553, pay yourself reasonable W-2 wages, and distributions escape SE tax when the salary is defensible.
The IRS needs adequate records per position — ordinary items 6 years from filing, payroll 4, property until disposition plus 6 — and a digital image counts only when indexed, legible, and retrievable.
An employee is a registration before the first paycheck — EIN, state withholding and SUI, workers' comp bound, W-4 and I-9 in 3 days, new-hire report in 20 days, 941 deposits by EFTPS.
Qualified research wages, supplies, and 65% of contract research generate a 14% ASC — and qualified startups can elect up to $500K per year against employer payroll on Form 8974.
