#section-179
IRC Section 179 expensing election, annual deduction caps, phase-out thresholds, and qualifying property for small business equipment write-offs
A barcade runs two businesses with opposite cost structures — liquor at a 20–24% pour cost and games at near-zero marginal cost. How to split the chart of accounts, book token sales as deferred revenue with ASC 606 breakage, expense machines via Section 179 or bonus depreciation, and test whether blended margin beats a plain bar's 10–15% net.
A lash studio's costs don't fit one "supplies" line — service consumables, retail inventory, and depreciable equipment like lash beds and LED lamps each need their own account. This guide covers a six-category chart of accounts, the Section 179 deduction most lash artists miss, quarterly retail inventory counts, and booth-renter vs. employee classification.
How climbing gyms should book memberships, punch cards, and day passes under ASC 606 — deferring prepaid revenue, estimating breakage on unused passes, and capitalizing a $100K–$500K wall build-out with 7–15-year depreciation instead of expensing it.
Stock photo and video royalties from platforms like Adobe Stock and Shutterstock are almost always Schedule C income subject to 15.3% self-employment tax — not passive royalties. This guide covers the hobby-vs-business test, reconciling multi-platform 1099s, deducting gear via Section 179 ($2,560,000 limit) or 100% bonus depreciation, and when quarterly estimated payments kick in.
Commercial diving companies that depreciate saturation systems on a flat calendar schedule, lump hazard pay and depth pay into a single wages line, or book topside support crew as overhead routinely misprice their bids — this guide covers usage-based depreciation for saturation gear, the diver pay stack, and job-costing topside labor specific to commercial dive operations.
How VR arcades and location-based entertainment venues should keep their books — split revenue across six streams, book party deposits as deferred-revenue liabilities, depreciate each $50,000+ station separately, and track revenue per available station hour, the LBE equivalent of a hotel's RevPAR.
Equipment rental fleets should capitalize purchases as depreciating assets tagged to individual unit IDs, apply MACRS as the default recovery schedule, use Section 179 (up to $2,560,000 in 2026) plus 100% bonus depreciation to front-load deductions, and track time and financial utilization per asset to know which units are actually earning their keep.
CoreWeave booked $5.13 billion in revenue and a roughly 60% adjusted EBITDA margin in 2025 — and still reported a net loss over $1 billion, driven by $2.45 billion of depreciation. This guide explains how GPU useful-life estimates (4 vs. 6 years) swing reported expenses by ~$30 million per 10,000 GPUs, why Amazon and Meta moved their server lives in opposite directions, and how any equipment-owning business should set honest depreciation assumptions under 2026 Section 179 and bonus depreciation rules.
A $650 prepaid lesson package is a liability, not revenue, until the lessons are delivered. How driving schools handle deferred revenue, choose between Section 179 (up to $12,200 for light vehicles, $32,000 for 6,001–14,000 lb GVWR in 2026) and standard mileage on dual-control cars, classify instructors as 1099 or W-2 under the IRS three-factor test, budget for state surety bonds ($2,000–$50,000), and track the two KPIs — revenue per vehicle-hour ($70+ target) and instructor utilization (75–85%) — that predict margins.
Flight schools should book prepaid block-time packages as deferred revenue, distinguish owned aircraft from leaseback and dry/wet-leased aircraft for depreciation purposes, classify CFIs correctly against IRS behavioral-control tests, and track revenue-per-aircraft-hour to know if the business is actually profitable.
Voiceover income mixes 1099s, direct payments that never generate a tax form, 10% agent commissions on some income but not all, and residuals that arrive years after the session. How voice actors handle Schedule C reporting, the §280A exclusive-use home studio deduction, 100% bonus depreciation on mic and booth gear, multi-state tax exposure, and the one KPI — booked hours per audition — that shows whether the business works.
A 2026 bookkeeping playbook for solo and small residential cleaning operators — ASC 606 deferred revenue on recurring plans, OBBBA tip deductions up to $25,000, W-2 vs 1099 ABC-test pitfalls, care/custody/control insurance, and the KPIs that predict retention.
