#sales-tax
Sales tax compliance, nexus rules, filing requirements, and tax automation for businesses
A field-tested bookkeeping playbook for paintball, airsoft, and laser tag operators — six revenue streams under ASC 606, paint and CO2 inventory, Section 179 vs. QIP capitalization, ASTM F1776 liability handling, and the ARPV, RevPAH, and group-mix KPIs that drive profitability.
How independent yarn shops, quilt stores, and sewing retailers should handle ASC 606 revenue recognition for classes and block-of-the-month subscriptions, marketplace-facilitator sales tax across Shopify and Etsy, Section 179 long-arm equipment write-offs, contractor-versus-employee rules for instructors, and the KPIs—from sales per square foot to subscription retention—that separate thriving needlearts shops from struggling ones.
Antique dealers handle per-piece tax classifications, principal-versus-agent revenue questions, and marketplace facilitator sales tax obligations that off-the-shelf retail systems mishandle. This guide explains how to book direct purchases, consignments, and multi-dealer mall sales under ASC 606, the Section 1221 capital-gain trap, and the collectibles 28 percent rate.
How small inns and B&Bs should record OTA commissions at gross under ASC 606, hold transient occupancy tax in fiduciary accounts, navigate the Section 280A live-in owner trap, and stack Section 47 historic credits with cost segregation.
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 independent esports lounges and LAN centers handle ASC 606 deferred revenue on memberships, agent vs principal treatment for tournament prize pools, Section 179 expensing on a 24-month gaming PC refresh, 1099-NEC vs W-2 classification for casters and streamers, and the station-hour KPIs that separate 22% margin operators from the rest.
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.
How independent florists should book perishable inventory shrinkage (5-30% industry range), wire-service traffic under the ASC 606 agent-vs-principal test, wedding deposits as deferred revenue, and Section 179 on coolers and refrigerated vans — with a florist-tuned chart of accounts and category gross-margin benchmarks of 35-60%.
A working guide for self-storage operators on ASC 606 revenue recognition across rent, lien sale proceeds, deposits, and tenant protection plans; cost segregation that shifts 20–40% of basis into 5- and 15-year lives; and the economic occupancy and RevPAF KPIs lenders underwrite.
How independent bicycle and e-bike shops should book floorplan financing and curtailment, separate service labor from parts revenue, hold customer repair deposits as a liability, comply with UL 2849 and California SB 1271 lithium-ion rules, and track the KPIs floorplan lenders actually review.
How independent wedding and portrait photographers should recognize booking retainers as deferred revenue under ASC 606, classify second shooters under the ABC test, capitalize mirrorless gear under Section 179, and reconcile Tave, Studio Ninja, and HoneyBook with the general ledger.
A practical guide to the seven bookkeeping decisions that determine whether a massage therapy clinic survives a state labor audit — worker classification under the ABC test, ASC 606 deferred revenue for prepaid packages, retail sales tax on CBD and body care, Section 45B FICA tip credit eligibility, Section 179 expensing, MindBody and Vagaro reconciliation, and insurance prepayments.
