The Equal Pay Act, Explained: What Small Employers Owe Workers in Substantially Equal Jobs
The Equal Pay Act requires equal pay for substantially equal work — intent is irrelevant. The four-part test, the four defenses, and a six-step payroll audit.
#recordkeeping
Recordkeeping
Business recordkeeping requirements, document retention periods, and audit-ready documentation practices
Employee Timesheet Template: What Every Timesheet Must Track, the FLSA Recordkeeping Rule, and Legal Rounding
The FLSA requires payroll records kept 3 years and permits quarter-hour rounding only when neutral — plus a free weekly timesheet template.
The Bank Deposits Method, Explained: How the IRS Reconstructs Your Income From Bank Statements
The IRS bank deposits method totals your deposits, adds cash spending, and taxes the gap over reported receipts — documented non-income deposits rebut it.
Fractional 1031 Exchanges Through a Statutory Trust, Explained: How Rev. Rul. 2004-86 Lets Landlords Swap Active Management for Passive Ownership
Under IRS Rev. Rul. 2004-86, a DST interest counts as like-kind real estate — roll sale proceeds into passive property and defer gain under Section 1031.
Reverse 1031 Exchanges, Explained: How Buying the Replacement Property First Still Defers Your Tax
A reverse 1031 exchange lets you buy the replacement property first under the IRS safe harbor — then sell the old one within 180 days.
Invoice vs. Receipt vs. Bill: Which Document Requests Payment, Which Proves It, and Why Your Bookkeeper Files Each One Differently
An invoice requests payment, a receipt proves it, and a bill is the buyer's name for the invoice — each books to a different account.
Schedule C vs. Schedule E vs. Schedule F: Where Sole Proprietors, Landlords, and Farmers Each Report Income
Schedule C is for businesses, Schedule E for rentals and K-1s, Schedule F for farms — and the wrong schedule can cost 15.3% in self-employment tax.
Apportioned Plates, Explained: How IRP Registration Splits Your Truck Fees Across States
Apportioned plates let one interstate truck register once: the base state collects the fee and splits it across states by miles driven.
Correspondence vs. Office vs. Field Audit: What Changes When Your IRS Exam Moves From Mail to In-Person
About 4 in 5 IRS audits are letters you answer by mail; office and field exams meet in person — and Section 7521 lets you record the interview.
The Jock Tax, Explained: How Duty Days Decide What You Owe in Every State You Play
One road game in California can trigger a filing: duty days decide each state's slice of your pay, resident credits cap double tax, and travel logs win audits.
Listed Property, Explained: The Over-50% Business-Use Test, Mileage-Log Rules, and Section 280F Luxury-Car Limits
Vehicles and cameras lose accelerated depreciation unless business use tops 50% — and only a contemporaneous mileage log proves it. The tests, caps, and forms.
Remote Online Notarization (RON), Explained: What You Can Sign Over Video in 2026 — and What Still Needs Wet Ink
RON lets a notary verify your ID and witness your e-signature over live video — legal in nearly every US state, unless your county or lender says no.