#bookkeeping
Bookkeeping
Modern bookkeeping techniques using plain-text and automated workflows
How Small Businesses Can Tap the DOL's $162 Million Apprenticeship Funding in 2026
On July 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded $162 million to five industry sponsors that pass apprenticeship incentive payments directly to employers — including small businesses in maritime, AI infrastructure, telecom, IT, and auto repair. Here's who qualifies, how to join a group sponsor, which state tax credits stack on top, and how to book the payments correctly.
The Robinson-Patman Act Is Back: What a Wine Distributor's Antitrust Fight Means for Every Small Retailer
The FTC's December 2024 Robinson-Patman suit against Southern Glazer's — the first in decades to survive a motion to dismiss — revives a 1936 law barring suppliers from charging small retailers more than big chains for identical goods. What the Act covers, its cost-justification defenses, and the purchase records independent retailers should keep now.
The Section 122 Import Surcharge Expires July 24, 2026 — What Small Importers Should Do With the Week Left
The 10% Section 122 import surcharge expires automatically on July 24, 2026, when its 150-day statutory limit runs out — but expiration is not a refund, and Section 301 and Section 232 tariffs are already queued to replace it. Here's how small importers should tally what they paid, preserve refund rights, and model landed costs before the deadline.
Self-Serve Dog Wash Station Bookkeeping: Reconciling Unattended Revenue, Costing Per Wash, and Depreciating Equipment
A bookkeeping guide for unattended self-serve dog wash stations: how to reconcile coin and card revenue against machine counters, calculate a true cost per wash (roughly $3.50 against an $18–20 session price), classify shampoo and consumables as COGS, and depreciate $20,000–$30,000-per-bay equipment — including Section 179 timing and separating payment terminals from wash tubs in your fixed-asset register.
When Does a Senior Living Placement Agency Actually Earn Its Referral Fee? A Revenue Recognition Guide
Senior living placement agencies earn 70–80% of a resident's first month's rent — but only at move-in, and often subject to 30-day clawback clauses. This guide explains when to recognize referral fee revenue under ASC 606, how to book refund liabilities from your historical clawback rate, and which pipeline metrics predict cash flow.
Urgent Care Clinic Bookkeeping: Why One Wrong Code Can Sink a Month's Revenue
Urgent care bookkeeping hinges on details generic templates miss: the POS-20 place-of-service code that sets the reimbursement rate (and triggers denials at payers who contract clinics as offices), denial-reason tracking for the ~60% of billing work that happens after claim submission, and Section 179's $2,560,000 limit plus permanent 100% bonus depreciation for X-ray and lab equipment in 2026.
Yoga Studio Bookkeeping: Why Class Packs Are Liabilities, Not Revenue
A prepaid class pack is a liability until the classes are taught. This guide covers deferred revenue for yoga studios — recognizing pack and membership income as classes are attended, writing off breakage, classifying instructors as 1099 contractors vs W-2 employees, separating taxable retail from service revenue, and a five-step monthly close.
DOL Opinion Letter FLSA2026-3: Why Mandatory Roll Call Counts as Hours Worked — and How Section 7(b) Changes the Overtime Math
In January 2026, the DOL's Wage and Hour Division ruled in Opinion Letter FLSA2026-3 that a mandatory 15-minute pre-shift roll call under a collective bargaining agreement is compensable hours worked — but a properly structured FLSA Section 7(b)(1) or 7(b)(2) exemption can absorb that time at straight-time pay instead of an overtime premium. Here's how the thresholds work and what the math looks like for a 20-person dispatch center.
Flowers Foods v. Brock: What the Supreme Court's FAA Arbitration Ruling Means If You Use Delivery Drivers
On May 28, 2026, a unanimous Supreme Court held in Flowers Foods v. Brock that a delivery driver who never leaves his home state can still qualify for the FAA's transportation-worker arbitration exemption if the goods are mid-journey in interstate commerce. What the ruling means for small businesses using contractor or franchisee drivers, and how to shore up arbitration agreements now.
Ghost Kitchen Bookkeeping: How to Stop Three Virtual Brands From Wrecking One P&L
Delivery platforms take an effective 30–40% of each order once commissions, promotions, and processing fees stack up — and a multi-brand ghost kitchen that books only net deposits can't tell which concept is profitable. This guide covers per-brand revenue categorization, three methods for allocating shared rent, utilities, and labor (square footage, revenue share, labor hours), per-brand food cost tracking, and a six-step monthly close checklist.
ASC 606 for Indie App Developers: Should You Record App Store Revenue Gross or Net?
Most indie developers are principals under ASC 606's principal-versus-agent test, so a $9.99 App Store sale is $9.99 of revenue plus a $3.00 platform-fee cost of sales — not a $6.99 net deposit. Here's the three-indicator control test, current Apple and Google fee tiers, and the exact journal entries to book it correctly.
Sale Barn Bookkeeping: How Livestock Auctions Must Handle Custodial Trust Accounts Under the Packers and Stockyards Act
Livestock auction markets are federal fiduciaries under the Packers and Stockyards Act — custodial accounts must be funded by the next business day, reimbursed in full within seven days, and reconciled monthly. This guide covers the chart of accounts a sale barn needs, how the required surety bond is calculated from sale volume, and why Beef Checkoff and brand-inspection fees must stay out of revenue.