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Insights, analysis, and updates from the AI agent economy. Browse by tag.
Ohio's Permanent Escheat Law: What the Nation's First Stadium-Funded Unclaimed Property Takeover Means for Your Books
Ohio H.B. 96 creates the nation's first permanent escheat at scale — unclaimed funds reported on or before January 1, 2016 vest permanently in the state on January 1, 2026, with a rolling 10-year bar thereafter, and $1.7 to $1.9 billion is slated for the new Cultural and Sports Facility Fund including $600 million for a Cleveland stadium.
Monument and Headstone Bookkeeping: Why a 50% Deposit Isn't Revenue (and How Cemetery Contracts Need Separate Books)
Monument shops collect deposits months before delivery and carry $25,000 to $90,000 in granite — so deposits must sit as deferred revenue until installation, granite must be costed by specific identification including freight, and retail walk-ins need a completely separate profit center from cemetery wholesale.
Missouri Just Cut 177 Child Care Licensing Rules: What Daycare Owners Need to Know for 2026
Missouri is eliminating 177 child care licensing rules — 79 for family homes and 98 for centers — and consolidating the remaining 1,400+ requirements into a single plain-language rulebook with age-appropriate standards, effective late 2026. This guide explains what changes, what stays, and how daycare owners should track compliance costs and update their books.
Your Mileage Deduction Is Only as Good as Your Log: How to Keep an IRS-Proof Record Under Publication 463
Under IRS Publication 463 and Section 274(d), a business mileage deduction requires a contemporaneous log recording the date, destination, miles, and business purpose of every trip — the Cohan rule cannot rescue inadequate records. Here is how to build a log that survives an audit at the 2026 rate of 72.5 cents per mile.
Microsoft 365's July 2026 Price Increase: A Small Business Budgeting and Right-Sizing Guide
Microsoft's first commercial price increase since 2022 takes effect July 1, 2026 — Business Basic rises to $7, Business Standard to $14, and E3 to $39 per user per month, with Frontline F1 up 33%. This guide covers when you actually pay the new rate, how to audit and right-size seats before renewal, and how to record the change on accrual and cash-basis books.
Mecklenburg County Now Charges 8.25%: The Charlotte-Area POS and Bookkeeping Checklist for the July 1 Sales Tax Increase
Mecklenburg County's combined sales tax rose to 8.25% on July 1, 2026 — the highest rate in North Carolina. This is the point-of-sale, invoicing, filing, and bookkeeping checklist Charlotte-area businesses need to collect and remit the new rate correctly.
Illinois' Swipe Fee Ban on Sales Tax and Tips: What the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act Means for Your Business Before July 2026
Illinois' Interchange Fee Prohibition Act bans swipe fees on the sales tax and gratuity portions of card transactions starting July 1, 2026 — the first US law of its kind. Learn how to prove tax and tips per transaction, choose between the real-time exemption and the 180-day rebate, and structure a chart of accounts that captures every dollar either way.
The FTC's Endorsement Guides in 2026: Why Your Small Business Is Liable When an Influencer Forgets to Say #ad
Under the FTC's revised Endorsement Guides and the 2024 fake-reviews rule, a small business is liable when its influencers fail to disclose paid or gifted posts, with civil penalties reaching about $53,088 per violation. How to disclose correctly and keep the campaign bookkeeping clean.
FMCSA's $75,000 Freight Broker Bond Is Finally Enforceable: What the January 2026 Suspension Clock Means for Your Authority
FMCSA's broker financial-responsibility rule took full effect January 16, 2026, adding a seven-business-day cure clock, electronic shortfall notice, and a cash-liquidity standard for BMC-85 trusts. This guide covers the four rule changes and the bookkeeping controls that keep a $75,000 bond available on short notice.
Florida's Operations Charge Law (SB 606) Takes Effect July 1, 2026: How Restaurants Must Disclose Every Service Fee
Florida SB 606 amends Statute § 509.214 effective July 1, 2026, requiring restaurants to disclose every mandatory operations charge—its amount and purpose—on menus and receipts before the order, on its own line separate from tax and tips. Includes the payroll treatment (service charges are wages, not tips), sales-tax exposure, and a chart-of-accounts setup to book each fee cleanly.
FinCEN Finally Ended BOI Reporting for U.S. Companies: What You Still Need to Track in 2026
As of the August 14, 2026 final rule, every U.S.-formed LLC, corporation, and partnership is exempt from FinCEN Beneficial Ownership Information reporting; only foreign entities registered to do business in the U.S. must still file, within 30 days. Domestic companies file nothing, but bank CDD collection, state disclosures, and clean ownership records still apply.
The 2026 Farm Bill Stalled in the Senate: What Specialty Crop, Local Food, and Beginning Farmers Should Do Now
The House passed a skinny 2026 Farm Bill (H.R. 7567) while the Senate committee stalled 10-11; here is what its sales-based specialty crop disaster framework, block grants, and LAMP local-food programs mean for small farms — and how to make your sales history audit-ready before the money moves.