#small-business
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
How private RV park and campground operators should separate nightly, monthly, and seasonal site revenue under ASC 606, handle submetered utility pass-through, capture 15-year land improvements through cost segregation, and reconcile the per-site KPIs that lenders and buyers actually read.
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.
OBBBA made the Section 199A pass-through deduction permanent and widened the 2026 phase-in to $201,750 single / $403,500 MFJ. Here is how the 20% QBI deduction, the W-2 wages and UBIA caps, the SSTB phase-out, the new $400 minimum, and Form 8995-A aggregation actually work for S-corps, LLCs, and partnerships.
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.
A practical accounting framework for septic and onsite wastewater operators — splitting residential pumping, grease, portable toilet, inspection, and repair revenue; reconciling disposal manifests; expensing vacuum trucks under Section 179; and reserving for drain-field warranty claims.
How independent tow operators should segment revenue across cash calls, motor clubs, police rotation, and heavy recovery — plus accruing impound storage daily, handling mechanic's lien sales, applying Section 179 to wreckers, and reserving for on-hook claims.
How retail garden centers and wholesale nurseries should value live-plant inventory, set mortality reserves by category, decide whether to elect out of Section 263A under the two-year preproductive rule, treat greenhouse heat and labor as direct COGS, and forecast cash through a spring-heavy revenue cycle.
A practical bookkeeping guide for craft cideries — how to qualify for the $0.226 per wine gallon hard cider tax rate on TTB Form 5000.24, apply CBMA credits within the 750,000-gallon ceiling, track apple and pear inputs through WIP, segregate orchard costs under the Section 263A farming exception, and separate tasting room, DTC, wholesale, and self-distribution channels.
A guide to the bookkeeping decisions that move locksmith margins — separating emergency from standard revenue, per-SKU transponder inventory, Section 179 van elections, ALOA licensing tracking, and dispatch-software-to-GL reconciliation.
A working playbook for independent mortgage brokerages: separating lender-paid and borrower-paid compensation under the LO Comp Rule, accruing EPO/EPD clawback reserves, classifying RESPA Section 8 payments, deferring lock and application fees, and staging loan-level data for HMDA LAR filing.
How route-based pest control and termite operators should apply ASC 606 to quarterly contracts and bond renewals, accrue retreatment reserves under ASC 460, reconcile chemical inventory to state Department of Agriculture records, and build per-stop costing in PestPac or FieldRoutes.
How residential and commercial pool service operators set up books that reveal true per-stop margin — separating recurring weekly routes from project work, tracking chemicals as variable COGS, allocating truck and Section 179 depreciation to routes, amortizing pesticide applicator licenses, and managing seasonal deferred revenue.
