#compliance
Compliance
Navigate regulatory compliance and maintain audit-ready financial records
Kansas Just Cut Business Filing Fees for the First Time Since 2008 — Here's What Changed
Kansas's 2026 fee overhaul — the first since 2008 — sets LLC, LLP, and LP formation at the same $90 online fee corporations pay, cuts PEO annual report fees from $1,000 to $250, and lowers biennial report fees, saving Kansas businesses over $3 million a year combined.
Bookkeeping for Medical Device Reprocessors: When the FDA Calls You a Manufacturer
Third-party reprocessors of single-use medical devices are regulated as full manufacturers under the FDA's QMSR (effective February 2, 2026) — same 510(k), MDR, and UDI obligations as the OEM. That reshapes the books; a three-stage inventory split, per-device-family COGS, recurring validation expenses, and product liability reserves sized by risk class.
New York's FAIR Business Practices Act: What the 2026 'Unfair and Abusive' Standard Means for Small Businesses
New York's FAIR Business Practices Act, effective February 17, 2026, adds "unfair" and "abusive" conduct standards to GBL Section 349, extends protection to small businesses and non-profits, and carries penalties up to $5,000 per violation — or $15,000 for willful ones. Here is what changed, who enforces it, and a seven-step compliance checklist for any business selling to New York customers.
New York's Financial Data Rights Act: What State-Level Open Banking Means for Small Businesses
New York's A10640/S9483 would be the first state law giving small businesses a free, enforceable right to machine-readable bank data via mandated APIs, with $10,000 civil penalties per violation — a state-level backstop while the federal Section 1033 open banking rule remains stalled in court.
PCAOB AS 1215: The New 14-Day Audit Documentation Deadline and What It Means for Small Firms
PCAOB AS 1215 cuts the audit documentation completion window from 45 days to 14 after the report release date. Large firms have complied since fiscal years beginning December 15, 2024; all other registered firms follow for fiscal years beginning December 15, 2025 — meaning most calendar-year 2026 audits are already covered. Here's who's affected, the mistakes firms keep making, and how small practices are adapting.
The SAFE Banking Act Is Back in 2026: What Cannabis Operators Should Do While Congress Stalls
The SAFE Banking Act was reintroduced in June 2026 with bipartisan Senate and House sponsors, after passing the House seven times since 2019 and dying in the Senate each time. Roughly 70% of U.S. cannabis businesses still operate in cash, paying $2,000–$7,500 in monthly banking fees when they can find a bank at all. Here's what the bill would change, why it keeps failing, and how operators can protect themselves now with cannabis-friendly banks, reduced cash exposure, and audit-ready books under Section 280E.
Texas SB 1036: Solar Retailers Must Register with TDLR by September 1, 2026
Starting September 1, 2026, Texas SB 1036 requires residential solar retailers and salespersons to register with TDLR, with penalties up to $2,500 per violation ($10,000 when the customer is 65+) and contract-refund orders. Here's who must register, what the code of conduct prohibits, and how to prepare.
UCC-1 Financing Statements: The 5-Year Lapse, the Continuation Window, and the Stale Liens That Block Loans
A UCC-1 financing statement lapses exactly five years after filing unless the lender files a UCC-3 continuation within the six months before the lapse date — and paid-off liens that never get terminated can quietly block your next SBA loan. Here's how to search your own UCC record and clear stale filings before a lender finds them.
UK Companies House Identity Verification: ECCTA Deadlines Every Director and PSC Must Know
Since November 18, 2025, UK company directors and PSCs must verify their identity with Companies House under ECCTA — new appointments verify immediately, existing directors by their next confirmation statement (backstop November 18, 2026), with fines up to £5,000, filing lockout, and strike-off for non-compliance.
The $38 Billion Visa–Mastercard Swipe-Fee Settlement: What Small Businesses Can Now Surcharge, Decline, and Discount at the Register
In June 2026 a federal judge preliminarily approved the $38 billion Visa–Mastercard settlement, cutting average credit interchange by about 0.1 point for five years, capping standard consumer cards at 1.25% for eight years, and — with no sunset date — letting merchants surcharge by card type or decline premium card categories. Here is what the settlement permits, which states still ban or cap surcharging, and the network compliance checklist to follow before changing point-of-sale pricing.
The Agri Stats Consent Decree: New Antitrust Rules for Benchmarking and Industry Data Sharing
The DOJ's May 2026 consent decree with Agri Stats sets concrete rules for lawful benchmarking — pricing data must average 45+ days old, output data 90+ days, reports must be quartile-aggregated and equally available to all buyers. Here's what the settlement means for any small business in a trade-association survey or industry pricing dashboard.
Your Convertible Note Just Converted. Is That a Gain, a Loss, or Neither?
FASB's ASU 2024-04, mandatory for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2025, defines a three-part test for whether settling a sweetened convertible-note conversion counts as an induced conversion (expense only the sweetener) or a debt extinguishment (gain or loss against carrying value) — a classification that can swing reported expense by hundreds of thousands of dollars on the same transaction.