#small-business
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
Cannabis got Section 280E relief when medical marijuana moved to Schedule III in April 2026, but Colorado's 34 licensed psilocybin healing centers are still fully subject to it. Here is how 280E limits deductions to COGS, why facilitator session labor is the contested cost category, and how to structure a chart of accounts, deferred revenue, and cash controls for a Schedule I business.
Colorado's retail delivery fee rose from $0.28 to $0.31 per transaction on July 1, 2026 — its fifth increase since 2022. Here's who must collect it, how the $500,000 small-seller exemption works, how to report it on Form DR 1786, and which states are considering similar fees.
ConnectOne Bank cut policy lookups from 20 minutes to 30 seconds and grew banker adoption 41% in 10 weeks after deploying AI agents built on nCino's platform across commercial lending. Here's what agentic underwriting means for small-business borrowers — why DSCR math, standard-format financial statements, and clean, auditable books now decide whether approval takes days or weeks.
Alaska, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, and South Dakota let married couples in any state opt into community property treatment through a trust, so the entire asset — not just half — gets an IRC Section 1014(b)(6) basis step-up at the first spouse's death. What business owners should know about Section 754 elections, the one-year gift trap under Section 1014(e), and the unresolved IRS guidance.
The IRS raised the 2026 qualified transportation fringe benefit limit to $340/month each for transit and parking (up from $325), an $8,160 combined annual pre-tax ceiling. Here's how the benefit works, the 7.65% employer FICA savings, where 20-employee mandates in NYC, San Francisco, Seattle, and New Jersey make it legally required, and how to keep the bookkeeping clean.
Connecticut's Public Act 26-68, signed May 26, 2026, gives pass-through entities — LLCs, S corps, and partnerships with gross income under $70 million — a 6% R&D tax credit for the first time, refundable at 65% (90% for biotech), capped at $1.5 million per business and $25 million statewide, and claimed through a DECD voucher within 90 days of year-end.
Under the Consumer Product Safety Act, selling recalled products is illegal regardless of business size — and Amazon can bill recall refunds back to third-party sellers. This guide covers the three bookkeeping steps a recall triggers for e-commerce resellers — writing recalled inventory off the balance sheet under GAAP, recording reimbursements separately from revenue, and documenting disposal — plus why the accounting write-off and the IRS tax deduction often land in different periods.
Craft distilleries owe federal excise tax only when spirits are withdrawn from bond — often years after the grain was paid for. A practical guide to capitalizing barrel-aging costs into inventory, recording angel's share evaporation at quarterly gauging, and timing the $2.70-per-proof-gallon TTB liability correctly.
Craft maltsters lose 10–20% of raw barley weight during steeping, germination, and kilning, pay farmers 3–4× feed-grain prices under multi-season contracts, and can wait over a year between buying grain and selling malt. Here's how to handle yield-ratio costing, contract-growing arrangements, and working-capital planning for a malthouse.
Childcare centers juggle three payers on three different clocks — private tuition, CACFP meal reimbursements, and state subsidies that pay 30–60 days after care is provided. This guide covers a classroom-level chart of accounts, automated advance tuition billing (roughly 90% on-time payment versus 50–60% for manual invoicing), CACFP meal-count documentation, and sizing a cash reserve to your actual subsidy lag.
Delaware HB 400, signed May 21, 2026, raises the flat annual tax on LLCs, LPs, and GPs from $300 to $400 and the registered-series tax from $75 to $100 — retroactive to January 1, 2026. Here's who owes it, when it's due, and how to budget for it.
DHS's final rule effective September 15, 2026 replaces open-ended "duration of status" with a fixed I-94 Admit Until Date for F-1, J-1, and I nonimmigrants — up to 4 years plus a shortened 30-day grace period. Small employers with OPT, STEM OPT, or J-1 workers must now calendar expiration dates, file Form I-539 extensions before the deadline, and budget for recurring compliance costs.
