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Small Business

Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners

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.

Section 1361 S-Corporation Eligibility: The Hidden Rules That Can Quietly Terminate Your Election

Section 1361 sets five eligibility rules for S-corporations—domestic incorporation, 100-shareholder cap, eligible shareholders, one class of stock, and entity type. Routine business decisions like uneven distributions or a relocated shareholder can terminate the election; Section 1362(f) offers PLR-based relief that costs $30,000+ in user fees.

The R&D Tax Credit in 2026: How OBBBA Restored Section 174 Expensing, the Section 41 Four-Part Test, and the $500,000 Payroll Tax Offset for Qualified Small Businesses

OBBBA restored immediate Section 174 domestic R&E expensing in 2026 and gives small businesses until July 6, 2026 to amend 2022–2024 returns. A practical guide to the Section 41 four-part test, the 14% Alternative Simplified Credit, the Section 280C reduced-credit election, and the $500,000 payroll tax offset for qualified small businesses.