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Small Business

Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners

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Stock Sale vs. Asset Sale: A Small Business Seller's Guide to the Tax and Liability Trade-Offs

In a stock sale the seller reports one capital gain and the buyer inherits every liability; in an asset sale the price is allocated across seven Form 8594 classes, so depreciation recapture, inventory, and C corporation double taxation convert much of the gain to ordinary income. Here is how each structure taxes the seller, what the 338(h)(10) election and personal-goodwill carve-out change, and which liabilities follow you past closing.

mike

business-exittax-planningmergers-and-acquisitions

Still Paying Off School While Running Your Business? How the $2,500 Student Loan Interest Deduction Works in 2026

For tax year 2026 the student loan interest deduction is capped at $2,500, claimed above the line on Schedule 1, and phases out between $85,000 and $100,000 of MAGI for single filers and $175,000 to $205,000 for joint filers. This guide covers the five eligibility tests, what Form 1098-E does and does not report, and why self-employed borrowers cannot move the interest to Schedule C.

mike

student-loanstax-deductionsself-employment

Can You Sue Your Accountant for Malpractice? What You Must Prove Before Filing a Claim

Accountant malpractice claims require proving duty, breach, causation, and damages — and the math is narrower than most clients expect: penalties caused by the error are typically recoverable, interest often is not, and tax you legally owed almost never is. State deadlines run two to six years, and an engagement letter's liability cap may limit recovery to the fees you paid.

mike

legalliabilitycpa

Switching Payroll Providers Before January 1: The Migration, Tax-Deposit, and W-2 Checklist to Start in October

A January 1 payroll cutover is the cleanest one because a single provider owns all four Forms 941, the Form 940, and every W-2 — but it takes roughly twelve weeks of prep. This checklist covers the October-to-January timeline, the year-to-date and fringe-benefit data that must migrate, Form 8655 authorization and revocation, and the five handoff mistakes that generate IRS notices.

mike

payrolltax-compliancesmall-business

Trump Accounts for Employers: The $2,500 Exclusion, W-2 Box 12 Code TA, and a 5-Step Setup Checklist

Employers can contribute up to $2,500 per employee per year to a child's Trump Account tax-free and report it in W-2 Box 12 under the new Code TA, debuting on 2026 forms. This guide covers the written Section 128 plan, the per-employee (not per-child) cap, the $5,000 aggregate per-child limit, cafeteria-plan salary reductions for dependents only, Section 129-style nondiscrimination testing, and the payroll and account-verification controls that keep the benefit out of taxable wages.

mike

payrollemployee-benefitstax-compliance

Tunisia's 2026 Optional Flat Tax: 4,000–5,000 TND for Six Audit-Free Years — Should You Opt In?

Tunisia's 2026 Finance Law lets small businesses under 100,000 TND turnover pay a flat 4,000 or 5,000 TND a year — half that in rural zones — and skip tax audits for six years. The flat tax only beats the progressive schedule above roughly a 45% net margin in the lower bracket and 26% in the upper one; here is the break-even math, the eligible activities, and the four traps.

mike

taxsmall-businessinternational-tax

Weekly, Biweekly, or Semimonthly? Choosing a Payroll Schedule That Fits Your State's Payday Law

There is no federal pay-frequency law — states set the floor, and Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont and New York are the strictest. Biweekly covers roughly 36–43 percent of private businesses, brings two three-paycheck months a year and a 27th payday in 2026; semimonthly's 24 uneven periods never align with the 7-day FLSA workweek that governs overtime.

mike

payrollcompliancesmall-business

Blended Overtime for Dual-Rate Employees: How the Weighted-Average Regular Rate Works

Under the FLSA, an employee who works two hourly rates in one workweek earns overtime on the weighted average of those rates, not either rate alone — and because straight time is already paid, only the half-time premium is still owed. A worked example (45 hours at $20 and $30 gives a $23.33 regular rate and $58.33 in premium pay), the five errors that trigger back-wage claims, and the records that prove your math.

mike

payrollcompliancesmall-business
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