#small-business
Small Business
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
R&D Tax Credit for Small Business in 2026: How the Section 41 Payroll Offset Gives Startups Up to $500K Against Payroll Tax
Qualified research wages, supplies, and 65% of contract research generate a 14% ASC — and qualified startups can elect up to $500K per year against employer payroll on Form 8974.
Form 1099-NEC vs. 1099-MISC in 2026: $600 Thresholds, January 31 Deadlines, and the $50–$310 Per-Form Penalty Ladder
NEC is for services, MISC is for rent and royalties — both to recipients by Jan 31, but NEC also files to IRS by Jan 31. Miss it and the $60–$310 per-form ladder starts.
Pet Cremation Bookkeeping: Pricing Tiers, Veterinary Referral Splits, and Retort Depreciation
Pet cremation businesses run three revenue models at once (tiered cremation service, veterinary referral commissions, and merchandise sales), and the retort itself depreciates as 7-year MACRS equipment eligible for 100% bonus depreciation on property placed in service after January 19, 2025 — not as a 39-year building improvement.
Beneficial Ownership Reporting in 2026: Who Must File BOI With FinCEN, What Changed After the Court Challenges, and Late Penalties of $591 Per Day
The March 2025 interim final rule exempted domestic reporting companies — foreign-registered entities must still report within 30 days, update within 30 of any change, at $591 per day for willful failure.
Bookkeeping for Document Shredding & Data Destruction Businesses
A chart-of-accounts guide for document shredding and data destruction companies covering three revenue streams (route, purge, hard drive destruction), NAID AAA certification costs ($3,000-$5,000 first year), chassis-vs-shredder depreciation, and treating paper recycling rebates as revenue rather than an unreconciled deposit.
Crypto Taxes in 2026: Staking Rewards, Airdrops, Hard Forks, and Why Every Swap Is a Taxable Disposition
Staking, airdrops, and hard forks are ordinary income at fair value when you gain dominion and control — and every crypto-to-crypto swap is a sale with proceeds, basis, and gain.
Makerspace and Hackerspace Bookkeeping: Membership Dues, Workshop Revenue, and Shared Equipment Costs
Makerspaces should recognize annual membership dues ratably over the term as a deferred-revenue liability rather than all at once, track workshop revenue separately from dues, capitalize equipment above a set threshold, and choose an LLC or 501(c)(3) structure based on whether their funding model relies on grants or dues.
Amazon's Expanded New Selection Program: Referral Fee Caps, Free Storage, and the October 31 Deadline
Amazon's July 30, 2026 New Selection Program update caps referral fees at 10% on the first 100 units and 5% on the next 100 for new-to-FBA parent ASINs, waives storage and liquidation fees on the first 200 units for 120 days, and adds $125 in Vine and coupon credits — but existing enrollees must reconfirm by October 31, 2026 to keep qualifying new listings.
ATO Interest Is No Longer Tax-Deductible: What GIC and SIC Now Really Cost Your Business
From 1 July 2025, the ATO's General Interest Charge and Shortfall Interest Charge are no longer tax-deductible — even on old tax debts. With GIC around 11% compounding daily, the after-tax cost of ATO debt jumped from roughly 7–8% to full sticker price. Here's how the incurred-date rule works and what to do about existing debt.
The Augusta Rule in 2026: How Section 280A(g) Lets Homeowners Rent to Their Business for 14 Days Tax-Free — and When It Triggers an Audit
280A(g) excludes 14 or fewer rental days — but the business deduction still needs business purpose and fair venue comps. Keep the agenda, sign-in, photos, and rate memo or the rent is recharacterized.
Bait and Tackle Shop Bookkeeping: Live Bait Mortality, Dealer Licenses, and Pass-Through Sales
Bait and tackle shops run three revenue models through one register — perishable live bait, hard goods, and state fishing-license sales. Live bait mortality should be booked as shrinkage expense (tracked by species and supplier), bait-dealer licenses are recurring compliance costs tiered by sales volume in states like Wisconsin, and license sales are commission revenue (typically 4.75%–5%) with the state's share held as a liability, never income.
California SB 22 Raises the Gift Card Cash-Out Threshold to $15: A Compliance Guide for Retailers
Effective April 1, 2026, California's SB 22 raises the mandatory gift card cash-out threshold from $10 to $15 — the highest in the U.S. — and extends it to electronic and app-based cards. With nearly 200 lawsuits filed under the statute since 2008, here's the compliance checklist and the gift card liability bookkeeping retailers need before plaintiffs' investigators come testing.