#small-business
Small Business
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
Meadery Bookkeeping: TTB Formula Approval and Wine Excise Tax Explained
Meaderies are classified as bonded wine premises under 27 CFR Part 24, file TTB Form 5000.24, and owe wine excise tax of $1.07 per gallon up to 16% ABV — reduced to roughly $0.07 per gallon on the first 30,000 gallons under the CBMA small producer credit.
Meta Killed Native Checkout: How to Fix Your Facebook and Instagram Shop Bookkeeping
Meta shut down native checkout on Facebook and Instagram Shops, shifting payment processing, sales tax collection, and order records entirely onto seller websites — here's how to reconcile revenue, fees, and tax liability under the new setup.
New York's New Buy Now, Pay Later Rules: What Merchants Offering Installment Checkout Need to Know
New York's NYDFS has proposed the first state BNPL licensing framework, requiring lenders to obtain a license and merchants to transmit refund credit statements within seven business days of approving a return.
No Tax on Overtime in 2026: What the New W-2 Box 12 Code TT Requirement Means for Employers
Starting with tax year 2026, employers must separately report qualified overtime compensation on Form W-2 using Box 12, Code TT — but only the FLSA-required premium half of overtime pay qualifies, capped at $12,500 for single filers and $25,000 for joint filers.
OSHA's Heat Illness NEP: What Small Employers Must Do in 2026
OSHA's April 2026 National Emphasis Program targets 55 high-risk industries for heat-illness inspections, with citations starting at $16,550 per violation — here's the written plan, acclimatization schedule, and state rules small employers need to stay compliant.
Parametric Insurance: The Faster Payout That's Changing How Small Businesses Survive a Disaster
Parametric insurance pays out within days of a measurable trigger like wind speed or flood depth, instead of the 6-12 week claims process of traditional business interruption coverage — but its basis risk means it works best as a fast-cash layer alongside, not instead of, traditional coverage.
QuickBooks' 2026 AI Impact Report: Why Small Businesses Trust AI Everywhere Except Bookkeeping
Intuit's 2026 AI Impact Report finds 77% of small businesses now use AI regularly, but bookkeeping trails marketing and customer service in adoption because owners cite privacy, accuracy, and trust as the top barriers.
SBA's Made in America Loan Guarantee: A Manufacturer's Financing Guide
The SBA's Made in America enhancement raises the 7(a) International Trade Loan guarantee to 90% on loans up to $5 million for manufacturers and waives guarantee fees through fiscal year 2026, cutting a lender's unguaranteed exposure on a $3 million loan from roughly $750,000 to $300,000.
Scuba Dive Shop Bookkeeping: Why Certification Training, Not Gear Sales, Keeps the Doors Open
Dive shops that book prepaid certification fees as revenue on receipt, lump training and retail into one sales account, or depreciate rental gear like retail inventory routinely understate their true profitability — this guide covers deferred revenue for course fees, tank-testing cost tracking, and instructor pay classification specific to dive centers.
Short-Term Rental Trust Accounting: The Booking-Fee Rules That Can Cost a Property Manager Their License
Property managers who commingle short-term rental trust funds with operating cash face fines from $1,000 to $25,000 per violation and, in states like California, license suspension once commingled amounts exceed $10,000.
Structural Engineering Firm Bookkeeping: PoC Revenue, WIP, and E&O Tail Coverage
Structural engineering firms should recognize revenue by design-phase completion under GAAP percentage-of-completion (schematic 15–20%, design development 25–30%, construction documents 35–40%, construction administration 10–15%), track unbilled work-in-process separately from AR, and reserve for claims-made E&O tail coverage that can run 100–300% of an annual premium.
Translation and Medical Transcription Bookkeeping: Per-Word Billing, 1099 Risk, and HIPAA Recordkeeping
How translation agencies and medical transcription services can cost freelance linguist payables against per-word client billing, avoid 1099 vs. W-2 misclassification risk, and meet HIPAA business associate recordkeeping requirements.