#bookkeeping
Bookkeeping
Modern bookkeeping techniques using plain-text and automated workflows
USDA's New SNAP Stocking Rule: The 84-Unit Inventory Test That Decides Your EBT Authorization on November 4
Starting November 4, 2026, SNAP-authorized small stores must stock 7 varieties in each of 4 staple food categories — 84 units total, up from 36 — with perishables in 3 categories, or risk losing EBT authorization. How to map varieties, track depth, flag perishables, and file invoices in your books before an FNS inspection.
Virginia's Data Center Electricity Tax: What the $0.011-per-kWh Charge Means for Your Colocation and Cloud Bills
Starting July 1, 2026, Virginia charges data centers $0.011 per kWh of electricity consumed — the first per-kWh data center tax in the U.S. Here is how the pass-through reaches your colocation or cloud bill, how to estimate your exposure, and how to track it in your books.
Wholesale Distributor Bookkeeping: Freight-In, Vendor Rebates, and Consignment Inventory
A guide to the three bookkeeping fault lines that distort a wholesale distributor's margin and balance sheet — capitalizing freight-in into landed cost, accruing vendor rebates as a contra-COGS reduction instead of income, and tracking consignment inventory by location and ownership — plus a monthly close checklist and journal entries.
Xero vs. QuickBooks Online in 2026: Which Accounting Software Is Actually Right for Your Business?
A side-by-side comparison of Xero and QuickBooks Online pricing, user limits, invoicing caps, inventory, payroll, and reporting after Intuit's August 2026 QuickBooks Online price increase, with a decision framework and migration cost checklist for small businesses.
Hair Salon Booth Rental Bookkeeping: Why the IRS Sees Your Chair as a Separate Business
A booth renter is a separate business, not a salon employee — rent is a Schedule C expense, client payments arrive with nothing withheld, and 15.3% self-employment tax plus quarterly 1040-ES estimates are the renter's alone. This guide covers the IRS control tests, which 1099s and W-9s each side owes, and the account structure that keeps a chair rental defensible in an audit.
Roofing Contractor Bookkeeping: The WIP Schedule That Tells You Whether Your Bank Balance Is Lying
A roofing WIP schedule ties revenue to work actually completed rather than to when you invoiced — percent complete equals costs to date divided by total estimated costs, and earned revenue equals percent complete times revised contract price. This guide walks a $192,000 TPO re-roof through the math, explains over- versus under-billing, retainage receivable and warranty accruals, and covers when Section 460 forces percentage-of-completion for tax (roughly $31 million in average gross receipts for 2026, or contracts running past two years).
The 100% Pharma Tariff Arrives September 29: What Independent Pharmacies and Specialty Clinics Must Do Before Your Next Reorder Costs Twice as Much
A 100% Section 232 tariff on patented drugs and APIs hits smaller manufacturers on September 29, 2026; here is how independent pharmacies and specialty clinics should audit country of origin, separate tariff in landed cost, and manage the working-capital lag before the cost passes through.
Event Rental Business Bookkeeping: Depreciating Your Fleet, Handling Damage Deposits, and Tracking Inventory Loss
Event rental fleet is a depreciable fixed asset, not COGS; booking deposits, damage holds, and forfeitures uses deferred-revenue and refundable-liability accounts, and cycle-counting shrinkage as its own line keeps 8–12% linen loss from silently eating your margin.
ICHRA Explained: How Small Employers Are Ditching Group Health Plans for Custom Reimbursements in 2026
An ICHRA lets employers reimburse employees tax-free for individual health insurance instead of buying a group plan. Covers the 2026 affordability threshold of 9.96%, QSEHRA vs ICHRA rules, the 11 allowable employee classes, required notices, and how to book reimbursements without losing the tax advantage.
Invoice Factoring vs. Accounts Receivable Financing: Which Turns Unpaid Invoices Into Cash Faster?
Invoice factoring sells your receivables to a factor who collects from your customer; AR financing is a loan that pledges the same invoices as collateral while you keep ownership and control. Compare cost (both often annualize to 15-48%), balance-sheet treatment, customer contact, and how to book each.
Mercury vs. Relay vs. Novo: How to Actually Choose an Online Business Bank Account in 2026
Mercury, Relay and Novo all offer $0 monthly fees — but they solve different problems. This 2026 guide compares Treasury yield, Profit First buckets, cash deposits, wires, and bookkeeping fit so you pick by workflow, not branding.
Moving Company Bookkeeping: Per-Move Job Costing, Fleet Depreciation, and Seasonal Cash Flow
Moving companies earn 55-60% of revenue between May and August, then face a 50-70% winter trough. Job-cost every move, depreciate trucks under MACRS 5-year rules, hold a 12-18% peak-season reserve, and run a 13-week cash forecast so summer profit funds winter.