#small-business
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
A practical comparison of FIFO, LIFO, weighted average, and specific identification — with IRS rules, Form 970 and Form 3115 mechanics, the LIFO conformity trap, and a five-step framework for picking the right inventory method in 2026.
For plan years ending in 2025, self-insured plan sponsors and HRA employers must file Form 720 by July 31, 2026 and pay $3.84 per covered life ($3.47 for plan years ending before October 1, 2025). This guide covers who owes the fee, the three approved methods to calculate average covered lives, why HRAs count employees only, and the common Form 720 filing mistakes that trigger IRS notices.
Section 127 lets employers reimburse up to $5,250 per employee per year for tuition, books, or student loan principal and interest with no payroll or income tax. OBBBA made the student loan provision permanent in July 2025 and begins indexing the cap to inflation in 2027 — here is how a small business sets up a compliant plan.
Section 132 lets employers give tax-free perks like de minimis gifts, employee discounts, and achievement awards.
Section 197 lets buyers in U.S. asset acquisitions amortize goodwill, customer lists, and non-competes ratably over 180 months.
Section 482 reaches any small multinational with intercompany transactions, and missing Forms 5472 carry $25,000 penalties each. A working guide to the arm's-length standard, the five transfer pricing methods, contemporaneous documentation, and how OECD Pillar Two affects US-headquartered groups in 2026.
Trump Accounts are a new tax-deferred children's savings vehicle created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Children born 2025–2028 receive a one-time $1,000 federal seed, families can contribute up to $5,000 per year, and employers can add $2,500 tax-free per employee — but the deposit requires filing Form 4547.
How the federal WARN Act triggers a 60-day notice clock at 100 employees, the three narrow exceptions, the back-pay and $500-per-day penalties, and the state mini-WARN laws (NY, NJ, CA) that quietly raise the bar to 90 days, 25 employees, or mandatory severance.
ASC 842 requires private companies to record most leases over 12 months as right-of-use assets and liabilities. Learn the lease definition tests, operating vs.
Backup withholding forces payers to deduct 24% from contractor payments after a missing W-9, refused TIN, or CP2100 notice — here is the 15-day and 30-day cure clock, Form 945 deposit rules, and the onboarding setup that keeps small businesses out of the trap.
Three valuation approaches — asset, income, and market — can produce 50% differences in indicated value for the same closely-held business. This guide explains when each fits, how DLOM and DLOC discounts apply, and what records owners need before a sale, partner buyout, or estate transfer.
FinCEN's March 2025 interim final rule narrowed the Corporate Transparency Act so U.S.-formed entities no longer file BOI reports, but foreign-formed entities registered in U.S. states still must file within 30 days, and New York's LLC Transparency Act took effect January 1, 2026 for foreign LLCs authorized to do business there.
