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Guides
Step-by-step guides for accounting, bookkeeping, and financial tasks
Can the IRS Drain Your Bank Account Without a Court Order? Levies, the 21-Day Freeze, and Your CDP Hearing Rights
The IRS can levy bank accounts and wages without a court order under Section 6331, but must send a Final Notice (LT11/Letter 1058) and offer a 30-day Collection Due Process hearing under Section 6330. Banks must hold levied funds 21 days under Section 6332(c), giving owners time to prove hardship or propose an alternative.
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.
IRS Publication 544 for Small Business: How Depreciation Recapture Turns an Asset Sale Into Ordinary Income
When you sell depreciated business equipment or a vehicle, Section 1245 recharacterizes gain up to the depreciation you took as ordinary income — reported on Form 4797, not Schedule D or Schedule C. This guide walks basis, adjusted basis, amount realized, and the recapture math with plain-text bookkeeping examples.
California Just Taxed SaaS: A State-by-State Guide to Software Subscription Sales Tax in 2026 and 2027
California SB 122 makes SaaS and other digital products subject to sales tax from January 1, 2027, with Colorado's HB 26-1223 flipping the same day. This guide maps SaaS taxability across all 50 states as of August 2026, explains economic nexus thresholds like California's 500,000 dollars plus the 5-million-dollar purchaser self-assessment rule, and gives a pre-January compliance checklist for software sellers and buyers.
The Dependent Care FSA Just Got Its First Raise in 40 Years: What the New $7,500 Limit Means for Your Business
The dependent care FSA limit rises from $5,000 to $7,500 per employee for plan years beginning after December 31, 2025 — the first permanent increase since 1986. It applies only after the plan document is amended, the 55% average benefits test gets harder to pass, and the child care credit can still beat the FSA for lower earners.
Rent-to-Own Store Accounting: How to Classify the Lease, Book Repossessions, and Track the Fleet
Most week-to-week rent-to-own agreements are operating leases, not credit sales — the unit stays on your books as depreciating rental inventory, each payment splits into lease revenue, bundled services, and fees, and a repossession is a status change rather than a gain or loss. Covers lease-versus-sale classification, repossession entries, doubtful-rent allowances, and the payout math that decides whether a unit makes money.
Anyone Can File a Fake UCC Lien Against Your Business. Rhode Island's SB 3212 Just Changed the Rules.
Rhode Island's SB 3212, signed in June 2026, lets business owners remove fraudulent UCC filings through an administrative complaint, authorizes the Department of State to refuse suspicious filings, and requires misleading "annual report" solicitation letters to disclose that they are advertisements. The same defenses — quarterly UCC searches, entity-record checks, and fee verification — work in every state.
The SBA's $10 Million Loan Ceiling: How the New 7(a)/504 Stacking Rules Work
On July 4, 2026, the SBA doubled its combined 7(a)/504 borrowing ceiling from $5 million to $10 million. This guide explains how the stacking works, which limits stayed in place, and the loan-tracking bookkeeping a $10 million capital structure demands.
Women-Owned Small Business Certification, Explained: The 51% Test, Annual Attestation, and Set-Asides Worth Billions
WOSB certification requires unconditional, direct 51% ownership and genuine control by women who are U.S. citizens, and must now come from SBA or an approved third-party certifier — it unlocks set-aside competition in 733 industries and sole-source awards up to $6.5 million.
Paid Family and Medical Leave in 2026: Multi-State Employer Compliance Guide
Navigate 2026's paid family and medical leave programs across Delaware, Minnesota, and Maine. Learn employer contribution rates, eligibility requirements, payroll updates, and compliance deadlines to stay audit-ready.
2026 State Paid Family and Medical Leave Compliance Guide: Minnesota, Delaware & Maine
A practical breakdown of paid family and medical leave rules, employer costs, and compliance deadlines for Minnesota (0.88%), Delaware (employee-funded), and Maine (0.68%) effective January–May 2026.
Corporate Minutes and Resolutions: How to Avoid Piercing the Corporate Veil
Courts pierce the corporate veil when owners can't show documented governance — meeting minutes, written resolutions, and clean separation of business and personal funds — so a folder of dated records plus consistent bookkeeping is the practical defense against personal liability.