#tax-compliance
Tax Compliance
Stay compliant with tax regulations and filing requirements
Canada Canceled Its Digital Services Tax: How to Claim Your Share of the $647 Million Refund and Fix Your Books
Canada repealed its 3% Digital Services Tax and the CRA is returning about CAD $647 million — $289 million in cash and $358 million offset against other tax debts. Direct filers get automatic refunds with interest; Amazon and Etsy sellers who paid the DST pass-through surcharge get no CRA claim and must reconcile and reclassify those fees themselves.
The DOL Wants to Scrap Its Six-Factor Contractor Test: What the 2026 Two-Factor Proposal Means for Your Business
The DOL's February 26, 2026 proposal (RIN 1235-AA46) would replace the 2024 six-factor contractor test with a two-factor economic-reality analysis weighing control and opportunity for profit or loss. Here is what changes, why the 2024 rule is in enforcement limbo, and what to document in your books now while the rescission is pending.
Etsy Just Raised Its Regulatory Fee Again: The June 2026 Increase That Quietly Shrinks Your Payout
On June 22, 2026 Etsy's Regulatory Operating Fee rose to 0.48% in the UK, 1.14% in France, 0.80% in Italy, and 0.88% in Spain, added a new 1.97% fee in Hungary, and fell in India and Türkiye. This guide shows the real per-order cost, the full 2026 fee stack, and a clearing-account routine to reconcile every Etsy payout.
Illinois' Swipe Fee Ban on Sales Tax and Tips: What the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act Means for Your Business Before July 2026
Illinois' Interchange Fee Prohibition Act bans swipe fees on the sales tax and gratuity portions of card transactions starting July 1, 2026 — the first US law of its kind. Learn how to prove tax and tips per transaction, choose between the real-time exemption and the 180-day rebate, and structure a chart of accounts that captures every dollar either way.
Mecklenburg County Now Charges 8.25%: The Charlotte-Area POS and Bookkeeping Checklist for the July 1 Sales Tax Increase
Mecklenburg County's combined sales tax rose to 8.25% on July 1, 2026 — the highest rate in North Carolina. This is the point-of-sale, invoicing, filing, and bookkeeping checklist Charlotte-area businesses need to collect and remit the new rate correctly.
Your Mileage Deduction Is Only as Good as Your Log: How to Keep an IRS-Proof Record Under Publication 463
Under IRS Publication 463 and Section 274(d), a business mileage deduction requires a contemporaneous log recording the date, destination, miles, and business purpose of every trip — the Cohan rule cannot rescue inadequate records. Here is how to build a log that survives an audit at the 2026 rate of 72.5 cents per mile.
Pay As You Go: How Small Businesses Avoid the Estimated Tax Underpayment Penalty With Safe Harbor Rules for 2026
Hit one estimated-tax safe harbor and the IRS underpayment penalty disappears — pay 90% of this year's tax or 100% of last year's (110% if prior-year AGI topped $150,000) through timely quarterly payments. Covers the 2026 penalty rate (7% Q1/Q3, 6% Q2, compounded daily), the four due dates, and a bookkeeping system that keeps you penalty-free.
Provisional Tax in South Africa: The Freelancer's Complete Guide to IRP6 Deadlines, Estimates, and Avoiding SARS Penalties
South African freelancers pay provisional tax in two IRP6 installments — 31 August and 28/29 February — by estimating full-year taxable income themselves; missing a deadline or estimating below 90% of actual income triggers a 10% late-payment penalty, a 20% underestimation penalty, and interest from the effective date.
Section 127 Made Permanent: The $5,250 Tax-Free Student Loan and Tuition Benefit
Section 127 lets an employer give each employee up to $5,250 a year, tax-free, toward tuition or student loan payments — now permanent under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and indexed for inflation from 2027. This guide covers the written-plan and nondiscrimination requirements, the W-2 treatment, and a clean chart-of-accounts setup.
Childcare Center Bookkeeping: Why Subsidy, CACFP, and Private Tuition Need Separate Income Categories
Childcare centers that book private tuition, CCDF/CCW subsidy reimbursements, and CACFP meal reimbursements to one income line can't reconcile deposits to attendance or meal counts, which is the most common finding in subsidy and CACFP audits.
Craft Brewery Bookkeeping: TTB Excise Tax, Keg Deposits, and Taproom vs. Wholesale Margins
A craft brewery accounting guide covering the 2026 federal beer excise tax rates ($3.50/$16/$18 per barrel under CBMA), how to book keg deposits as a liability instead of revenue, and a channel-level chart of accounts that separates taproom, self-distribution, and wholesale margins.
Four Bookkeeping Pitfalls That Quietly Cost Small Businesses at Tax Time
The IRS assessed about $4.8 billion in estimated-tax penalties on 15 million-plus returns in FY2024. Four fixable bookkeeping habits — commingled accounts, spreadsheet ledgers, personal credit for business spending, and lax records — cause most of the damage, and each has a same-day fix.