#bookkeeping
Bookkeeping
Modern bookkeeping techniques using plain-text and automated workflows
Olive Oil Mill Bookkeeping: Custom Crush Fees, Yield-Driven COGS, and the Harvest Cash Cliff
How to keep books for an olive oil mill that earns most of its revenue in a six-to-ten-week harvest window — separating custom-crush milling fees from own-label inventory accounting, tracking extraction yields that swing from 50 to 200 pounds of olives per gallon, valuing bulk oil in tank storage, and handling Schedule F, cash-method, and UNICAP tax questions.
Rolling Forecast vs. Annual Budget: Which Should a Small Business Use?
A rolling forecast replaces each closed month with actuals and adds a new month to a fixed 12-month window, so plans never go stale. About 42% of organizations use one (AFP), most alongside — not instead of — an annual budget, and combined approaches improve planning accuracy 25–30%. Here's how the mechanism works, the mistakes to avoid, and a six-step build guide.
Section 174 R&D Capitalization in 2026: Why Small Businesses Must Amortize Research Costs Over 5 Years and How OBBBA's Retroactive Fix Changes the Math
Since 2022 research costs must be capitalized over 5 years — software included — midpoint in year one. Track domestic vs foreign, build the amortization schedule, and be ready for OBBBA's retroactive expensing.
Ski Resort Bookkeeping: How to Account for Season Pass Deferred Revenue
Season pass cash collected in September is a liability, not income. This guide covers ASC 606 deferred revenue for ski resorts: the debit-cash-credit-deferred-revenue entry, straight-line vs. usage-based recognition, weather-driven refund reserves, and the four bookkeeping mistakes small ski operations make most.
How Sports Card and Collectibles Reselling Is Taxed: The 28% Rate, Cost Basis, and the IRS's Three Buckets
Collectibles like sports cards are taxed at a maximum 28% long-term capital gains rate under IRC Section 408(m) — higher than the 15–20% most stock investors pay. Whether you owe that rate, ordinary income rates up to 37%, or can deduct grading and shipping fees depends on whether the IRS sees you as a hobbyist, investor, or dealer. Here's how the classification works, what belongs in your cost basis, and why a 1099-K doesn't change what you owe.
Tire Retreading Bookkeeping: Why the Casing on Your Shelf Is Worth More Than the Rubber You Just Cured
How tire retreaders should book casing custody, core credits, and warranty adjustments — customer-owned casings stay off your inventory, core credits are an inventory purchase rather than an expense, and prorated warranty claims justify a monthly accrued reserve. Includes example beancount entries and a minimal chart of accounts.
How to Book a Workers' Comp Dividend Check (and Why a Retro-Rating Plan Can Also Send You a Bill)
Workers' comp dividend checks and retro-rating adjustments arrive 6–30 months after a policy expires. Dividends are discretionary — book them as a reduction of insurance expense when declared, never accrued in advance. Retro adjustments are contractual — accrue the estimated premium as a liability in the period the losses occurred, then true up at each 6-, 18-, and 30-month adjustment.
2026 Shipping Rate Hikes: Why Your UPS, FedEx, and USPS Bill Rose More Than the Advertised 5.9%
UPS and FedEx raised list rates 5.9% for 2026 and USPS raised Ground Advantage rates 7.8%, but small e-commerce shippers are seeing 10-20% higher bills because USPS cut its DIM divisor from 166 to 139, additional handling and delivery area surcharges rose 6.4-14% by zone, and surcharge eligibility thresholds widened.
Bookkeeping for Affiliate Income: Amazon Associates, LTK, and ShareASale
Amazon Associates pays roughly 60 days in arrears, ShareASale and Impact pay per merchant program rather than as a single payer, and the 2026 1099-NEC threshold rose from $600 to $2,000 — so most affiliate income now arrives with no tax form at all, making a monthly earned-basis reconciliation the only reliable way to track what you actually owe.
AI Accounts Payable Automation for Small Businesses: Costs, Savings, and How to Choose
Manual invoice processing costs $13–$30 per invoice, roughly 4 in 10 invoices contain errors, and over half are paid late. This guide breaks down what AI accounts payable automation actually does — capture, coding, approval routing, payment — what it cuts the per-invoice cost to, and the five criteria that separate small-business-friendly AP tools from enterprise overkill.
Amazon's Business Credit Cards Moved to U.S. Bank: The $150,000 Rewards Cap and the August 14 Deadline
Amazon relaunched its business credit cards on May 13, 2026, switching from American Express to U.S. Bank on the Mastercard network. The Prime Business Card pays 5% back (3% without Prime) on the first $150,000 in annual purchases, then 1% — and old Amex-issued cards stop working August 14, 2026. Here's the blended-rate math and a transition checklist for your books.
The B2B Late Payment Crisis: A 2026 Collections Playbook for Small Businesses
In 2026, 92% of businesses are typically paid after their invoice due date and 59% of small businesses have an invoice overdue by 30+ days, up from 47% a year earlier — this guide breaks down the numbers and a five-step collections playbook to protect cash flow.