#guides
Guides
Step-by-step guides for accounting, bookkeeping, and financial tasks
Virtual Bookkeeping: The Complete Guide for Small Business Owners
Virtual bookkeeping services typically cost $150–$800/month versus $45,000–$65,000 annually for an in-house hire. This guide covers how virtual bookkeeping works, what it costs, who it's right for, and how to choose a service.
Types of Bank Accounts for Small Businesses: A Complete Guide
A practical breakdown of the 6 types of business bank accounts — checking, savings, money market, CDs, merchant, and trust — with a stage-by-stage framework for structuring your banking as your small business grows.
Excel Bookkeeping: The Complete Guide for Small Businesses
A practical guide to setting up Excel bookkeeping for small businesses — chart of accounts, transaction logging, SUMIF formulas, pivot tables, monthly reconciliation, and the clear warning signs that you've outgrown spreadsheets.
How to Categorize Business Transactions: A Complete Guide for Small Business Owners
A practical walkthrough of the five account types, common IRS-aligned expense categories, and weekly habits that keep small business books accurate—covering chart of accounts setup, automation strategies, and mistakes that lead to missed deductions.
Catch-Up Bookkeeping: A Complete Guide to Getting Your Books Back on Track
A practical, step-by-step guide to catch-up bookkeeping for small businesses—covering how to reconstruct overdue financial records, what professional cleanup costs ($300–$8,000+), and proven habits to prevent the backlog from building again.
Expense Tracking for Small Businesses: The Complete Guide
A practical, IRS-grounded guide to small business expense tracking—covering deductible categories, documentation requirements for meals and mileage, and how to choose between spreadsheets, accounting software, and plain-text tools like Beancount.
IRS Receipt Requirements: What Small Businesses Need to Keep (and for How Long)
The IRS requires receipts for business expenses of $75 or more—with lodging always requiring documentation—and imposes stricter contemporaneous records for travel, meals, and listed property under Section 274(d). Most small businesses should retain all records for at least 7 years to cover the full range of audit scenarios.
Debits and Credits Explained: A Plain English Guide for Small Business Owners
A practical explanation of how debits and credits work in double-entry accounting — covering the five account types, the accounting equation, real-world journal entry examples, and the most common bookkeeping mistakes small business owners make.
How to Get a Business Loan: A Complete Guide for Small Business Owners
A step-by-step guide to securing a business loan—covering SBA loans, bank terms, online lenders, credit score requirements, and the most common application mistakes small business owners make.
The Complete Guide to Managing Accounts in Beancount and Fava
Learn how to create, organize, rename, and close accounts in Beancount and Fava. This complete guide covers the five account types, naming conventions, hierarchy patterns, Fava-specific features, and advanced tips for managing your chart of accounts.
Beyond Pass-Through: The Complete S-Corp Tax Guide for Beancount Users (2025)
Understand the complexities of S-Corp taxation in 2025, including payroll taxes and state-specific regulations, while learning how to maintain an audit-proof record using Beancount.
Introducing BeFreed.ai – Learn Anything, Joyfully
BeFreed.ai revolutionizes the way we learn by simplifying complex information into actionable insights, making it an essential tool for founders and finance enthusiasts.