Mike Thrift
Marketing Manager
401(k) Safe Harbor Plan Design: How Small Employers Bypass ADP and ACP Nondiscrimination Testing and Avoid Top-Heavy Minimums
A practical guide for small employers comparing the three IRS safe harbor 401(k) formulas — basic match, enhanced match, and 3% nonelective — alongside QACA auto-enrollment rules, SECURE 2.0 startup and contribution tax credits, notice deadlines, and the vesting and bookkeeping details that decide whether ADP, ACP, and top-heavy testing actually go away.
Additional Medicare Tax 0.9%: How Form 8959 Reconciles Employer Withholding With Filing Status Thresholds
A 0.9% surtax applies to earned income above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (joint), but employers withhold using a flat $200,000 per-job trigger. Form 8959 reconciles the two rules — generating a balance due for most dual-income couples and a credit for over-withheld single earners.
AIA Pay Applications, Retainage, and WIP Schedules: How Construction Billing Ties to GAAP Revenue Recognition
AIA G702 and G703 pay applications, schedules of values, retainage, WIP schedules, and over/underbilling reconciliations are what tie construction billing to GAAP revenue recognition under ASC 606. Here is how each piece works, why a $312 line error can delay a $1.4M wire by 41 days, and the patterns that rattle sureties.
AOTC vs Lifetime Learning Credit in 2026: How Parents and Students Pick the Right $2,500 or $2,000 Education Credit Without Double Dipping
The AOTC is worth up to $2,500 per student with $1,000 refundable; the Lifetime Learning Credit caps at $2,000 per return. A 2026 walkthrough of Form 8863 and Form 1098-T covering when each credit wins, the Pell Grant election that unlocks the refundable AOTC, how to coordinate a 529 plan, and the four mistakes that can trigger a 2-to-10-year IRS ban.
ASC 326 CECL Explained: Lifetime Credit Loss Estimation for Private Companies, Community Banks, and Credit Unions
ASC 326's Current Expected Credit Loss model requires private companies, community banks, and credit unions to book lifetime expected losses on receivables and loans from day one. This guide covers estimation methods (loss-rate, WARM, vintage, migration, DCF), pool segmentation, reversion approaches, and the July 2025 ASU 2025-05 practical expedient that lets entities skip forward-looking forecasts for current trade receivables.
ASC 350 Goodwill Impairment: A Private Company Guide to the Amortization Alternative and Triggering-Event Testing
ASC 350 lets private companies amortize goodwill over up to ten years and test for impairment only when a triggering event occurs. This guide walks through ASU 2014-02 and 2021-03 elections, the single-step Step One quantitative test after ASU 2017-04, and how to keep auditors and lenders aligned.
The BBA Partnership Audit Playbook: Partnership Representatives, Push-Out Elections, and the Imputed Underpayment Trap You Did Not See Coming
Under the Bipartisan Budget Act centralized audit regime, the IRS assesses partnership tax adjustments at the entity level at the highest individual rate. This guide explains when to elect out under Section 6221(b), how the partnership representative can modify or push out the imputed underpayment under Section 6226, and how to file an administrative adjustment request on Form 8082.
CMMC 2.0 and NIST 800-171 in 2026: A Small Defense Contractor's Certification Roadmap
CMMC 2.0 took effect November 10, 2025, and Level 2 third-party assessments begin November 10, 2026. A practical guide to scope, cost ($80K–$250K over three years), the 14 control families, the POA&M rule, and a 90-day path for small DoD contractors.
DCAA Audit Compliance for Government Contractors: SF 1408, Timekeeping, and Incurred Cost Submissions
A practical guide to the three audits every cost-reimbursable federal contractor faces — the SF 1408 pre-award accounting system survey, daily timekeeping compliance, and the Incurred Cost Submission due six months after fiscal year-end — with a 90-day preparation plan and the five most common audit findings.
FedNow and RTP in 2026: How Small Businesses Replace Slow ACH With Instant 24/7 Bank Transfers
FedNow and RTP now reach over 1,700 and 1,200 U.S. financial institutions, settling credit pushes in under 20 seconds, 24/7/365. A practical guide for small businesses on when instant rails replace ACH, how the two networks differ, and how to defend against the fraud patterns that irrevocable settlement creates.
FIRPTA Withholding: The Buyer's 2026 Guide to Section 1445 and Form 8288
FIRPTA requires US real estate buyers to withhold 15 percent of the gross sale price from foreign sellers and remit it on Form 8288 within 20 days of closing. This guide explains Section 1445, the $300,000 personal residence exemption, the 10 percent reduced rate, withholding certificates on Form 8288-B, and how buyers avoid personal liability with an Affidavit of Non-Foreign Status.
FLSA Exempt vs. Non-Exempt in 2026: The $684 Salary Floor and the Three-Part Test
After the 2024 overtime rule was vacated, the FLSA white-collar salary threshold remains $684 per week ($35,568 per year) in 2026. This guide walks employers through the salary basis, salary level, and duties tests, the safe harbor under 29 CFR 541.603(d), state thresholds that override the federal floor, and the financial exposure of misclassification.