#bookkeeping
Bookkeeping
Modern bookkeeping techniques using plain-text and automated workflows
Dynamic Currency Conversion: The Hidden 3-7% Checkout Fee and How to Account for It
Dynamic currency conversion (DCC) marks up foreign-card payments 3-7% above the interbank rate — sometimes 12-18% — and splits the revenue among DCC providers, acquirers, and merchants. Here is who profits, the Visa/Mastercard disclosure rules merchants must follow, and how to book DCC rebates and settlement variances separately from sales revenue.
FEC Compliance Bookkeeping for Political Campaigns and PACs: A Treasurer's Guide
Unreconciled books — not fraud — are the most common way campaigns and PACs draw FEC scrutiny. A treasurer's guide to the $200 itemization threshold, 2025–2026 contribution limits ($3,500 per election to candidates), the 2026 filing calendar, what triggers an audit, and the double-entry bookkeeping practices that prevent RFAIs.
Freight Broker Bookkeeping: Quick Pay, Factoring, and the Cash-Flow Math Behind Your Working Capital
On $10M in annual revenue with a 50-day collection cycle, a freight broker has roughly $1.4M of working capital tied up bridging shipper and carrier payment terms, costing $84,000 to $112,000 a year in financing fees.
Freight Broker Bookkeeping: Quick Pay vs. Factoring and How to Track Carrier Payables
Freight brokers pay carriers in 2–5 days but collect from shippers on 30–60 day terms — a working-capital gap that sinks profitable brokerages. How quick pay fees (2–5%) and factoring (typically 2–3.5%) differ in your books, why each load creates three cash events, how to handle Notice of Assignment payables and 5–10% reserve holdbacks, and who owns 1099 reporting under the new $2,000 threshold for 2026.
FTC Fee Transparency Rules and NYC's 43% Delivery Cap: What Restaurants Need to Know in 2026
The FTC's April 2026 ANPRM targets hidden food-delivery fees while a new NYC law raises the cap on platform charges to restaurants from 23% to 43%. What each change means, why a $50 order can net $41 or $28.50 depending on fee tier, and how to record gross sales and platform fees correctly.
H-2A and H-2B Visas in 2026: A Small Employer's Guide to Costs and Compliance
In 2026, DHS raised the H-2B cap to roughly 130,716 visas while H-2A per-worker costs run $8,000-$18,000 including wages, housing, and transportation, and small employers must track visa-program costs separately to survive a DOL wage-and-hour audit.
Home Health Agency Billing Under PDGM: How the 30-Day Payment Period and 5-Day NOA Deadline Determine What Medicare Pays
PDGM prices every home health claim in 30-day case-mix periods, docks roughly 1/30th of the period's payment per day for a late Notice of Admission, and switches to a flat per-visit rate if a period falls under its LUPA visit threshold.
Why Your Homeowners Policy Won't Cover Your Home-Based Business (and What to Buy Instead)
A standard homeowners policy caps business-property coverage around $1,500 and excludes business liability entirely, which is why most home-based businesses need a Business Owner's Policy (avg. $35/month) or a professional liability add-on.
Independent Driving School and Driver's Education Bookkeeping: Prepaid Lesson Packages and Deferred Revenue, Dual-Control Vehicle Fleet, Instructor Classification, and the KPIs Every Owner Should Track
Prepaid lessons are deferred revenue — track per student, accrue fleet and brake reserves per hour, classify instructors on control not preference, and run on revenue per vehicle hour.
The IRS's 10-Return E-File Mandate Is Catching Small Businesses Off Guard
The IRS now requires e-filing once a business issues 10 or more information returns combined — W-2s, 1099-NECs, 1099-MISCs and more, all counted together. Here's how to count correctly, the $340-per-return penalty for 2026-year returns, when a Form 8508 hardship waiver actually applies, and how to e-file free through IRIS.
Organized Retail Crime and Theft-Aggregation Laws: A Small Retailer's Guide
More than 30 states now let prosecutors combine multiple small thefts into one felony charge under aggregation laws, making dated incident logs and police reports essential for both prosecution and the IRC §165 business theft-loss tax deduction.
Parking Garage Bookkeeping: Reconciling Cash, Card, and Validation Revenue
How parking lot and garage operators reconcile entry/exit counts, cash drops, and card settlements to catch revenue leakage, plus correct accounting for monthly permits and validations.