#plain-text-accounting
Plain-Text Accounting
Discover the power of version-controlled, human-readable financial records
FEC Compliance Bookkeeping for Political Campaigns and PACs: A Treasurer's Guide
Unreconciled books — not fraud — are the most common way campaigns and PACs draw FEC scrutiny. A treasurer's guide to the $200 itemization threshold, 2025–2026 contribution limits ($3,500 per election to candidates), the 2026 filing calendar, what triggers an audit, and the double-entry bookkeeping practices that prevent RFAIs.
H-2A and H-2B Visas in 2026: A Small Employer's Guide to Costs and Compliance
In 2026, DHS raised the H-2B cap to roughly 130,716 visas while H-2A per-worker costs run $8,000-$18,000 including wages, housing, and transportation, and small employers must track visa-program costs separately to survive a DOL wage-and-hour audit.
Painting Contractor Bookkeeping: How Residential and Commercial Painters Bid, Job-Cost, and Stay Profitable Without Bleeding Margin on Callbacks
Painting contractors lose margin in three places — unmeasured prep hours, a wrong burdened labor rate, and unreserved callbacks. This guide shows the chart of accounts, EPA RRP cost treatment, warranty reserve journal entries, and lender-grade KPIs that keep residential and commercial painters profitable.
The $15 Million Estate Tax Exemption Is Now Permanent: How High-Net-Worth Families Should Recalibrate SLATs, GRATs, and Lifetime Gifts in 2026
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act locks the federal estate, gift, and GST exemption at $15 million per individual with no sunset. Here is what changes for SLATs, GRATs, dynasty trusts, GST allocation, and basis planning in 2026 — and what to actually do this year.
Bank Feed Rules: How to Automate Transaction Categorization Without Your Books Drifting
Bank feed rules cut bookkeeping time 40–60% and push error rates below 0.5%, but rule-only matching tops out at 60–70% accuracy. This guide shows how to set up rules that hold, catch silent drift, and decide where AI belongs.
Bookkeeping for Landscaping & Lawn Care: Job Costing, Seasonal Cash Flow, and Crew Labor
Landscaping books need four things a generic ledger lacks — job costing, seasonal cash flow forecasting, burdened crew labor, and a service-line chart of accounts. This guide shows how to set up each so your numbers reveal which work earns margin and how much cash bridges the off-season.
Form 1099-R Box 7 Distribution Codes, Decoded
Box 7 of Form 1099-R holds a one- or two-character code that decides whether a retirement distribution is taxable, penalty-free, or hit with a 10% early-withdrawal penalty. This guide explains every numeric and letter code, including the new Code Y for qualified charitable distributions, and the coding errors that overcharge taxpayers.
MLP K-1 Tax Issues for Individual Investors: UBTI, Section 751 Recapture, and Multi-State Filings
A Master Limited Partnership pays cash quarterly but issues a Schedule K-1, not a 1099. Most distributions reduce your cost basis instead of being taxed, holding units in an IRA can trigger UBTI and a Form 990-T once income exceeds $1,000, and selling converts depreciation into ordinary income under Section 751 — taxed up to 37%.
Opening Balance Equity: How to Set Up Books Mid-Year and Zero It Out
Opening Balance Equity is a temporary holding account that must read $0.00 once setup is done. This guide explains why it appears, how to set up books mid-year from a trial balance, and the exact journal entry to move the residual into Retained Earnings or Owner's Equity.
The Section 45E Credit: How Small Employers Can Run a New 401(k) at Near-Zero Cost
A new 401(k) can be nearly free for small employers — Section 45E reimburses up to 100% of startup costs for three years plus $1,000 per employee in contribution credits for five years. Here is who qualifies and how to claim it on Form 8881.
Section 7508A: How Federally Declared Disaster Relief Postpones Your Tax Deadlines
Section 7508A lets the IRS postpone tax deadlines up to one year for taxpayers in federally declared disaster counties—usually automatically by address. A Section 165(i) election can also move a casualty loss to the prior year's return for a faster refund.
Designing a Chart of Accounts That Actually Tells You Something
A practical guide to designing a chart of accounts that produces useful financial statements — how to number accounts in increments of 10, when to use sub-accounts versus dimensions for locations and departments, and the year-end cleanup ritual that prevents bloat.