1548 tagged with "Small Business"
Financial management strategies and tools for small business owners
Passing Credit Card Fees to Customers: Surcharges, Cash Discounts, and Dual Pricing in 2026
Surcharging, cash discounts, and dual pricing are the three legal ways to pass card fees to customers in 2026—surcharges cap at 3% (Visa) and are banned in CT, ME, and MA, while cash discounts and dual pricing are legal in all 50 states and skip the 30-day network notice.
Buy Now, Pay Later Is Quietly Breaking Your Books: A Merchant's Guide to Accounting for Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay
BNPL providers pay merchants the full sale price minus a fee, then report gross volume on a 1099-K — so recording only the net deposit understates revenue and triggers IRS underreporter notices. Record gross sales through per-provider clearing accounts to keep fees, reserves, and 1099-K totals reconciled.
Cash vs. Accrual Accounting: How to Choose the Right Method (and When the IRS Forces Your Hand)
Cash accounting records revenue when money is received and expenses when paid; accrual accounting records revenue when earned and expenses when incurred. IRS Section 448 mandates the accrual method once a business's three-year average gross receipts exceed the $32 million threshold for 2026, and changing methods later requires Form 3115 plus a Section 481(a) adjustment.
Bookkeeping for Independent House Cleaners and Solo Maid Services: A Practical 2026 Guide
A 2026 bookkeeping playbook for solo and small residential cleaning operators — ASC 606 deferred revenue on recurring plans, OBBBA tip deductions up to $25,000, W-2 vs 1099 ABC-test pitfalls, care/custody/control insurance, and the KPIs that predict retention.
ADA Title III Website and Mobile App Accessibility in 2026: A Practical WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance Guide for Small and Mid-Size Businesses
In 2025, plaintiffs filed 3,117 federal ADA Title III website accessibility lawsuits and an estimated 35,000–50,000 private demand letters reached U.S. businesses. This guide explains what WCAG 2.1 Level AA actually requires, why the Robles v. Domino's Pizza ruling and the DOJ's 2024 Title II rule made it the de facto standard, and how small and mid-size businesses can build a five-phase remediation roadmap and defensible paper trail before a demand letter arrives.
Bouncy House Rental Bookkeeping: ASC 606 Deposits, ASTM F2374 Wind Rules, and Section 179 for Inflatable Operators
How inflatable rental operators record customer deposits as deferred revenue under ASC 606, apply Section 179 to PVC inflatables and trailers, enforce ASTM F2374 wind thresholds (15 mph sustained operational shutdown), and track KPIs like revenue per truck-day, unit utilization, and refund rate.
Business Identity Theft: A Practical Detection and Recovery Playbook for Small Business Owners
A 72-hour response playbook for small business owners facing EIN-based tax fraud, registered agent hijacking, or payroll account takeover — including how to file IRS Form 14039-B, place fraud alerts at Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business, and Equifax Small Business, and harden IRS, Secretary of State, banking, and payroll footprints year-round.
Colorado SB 26-189: A 2027 AI Compliance Playbook for Small and Mid-Size Businesses
Colorado replaced its original AI Act with SB 26-189, which takes effect January 1, 2027 and imposes pre-use notices, 30-day adverse outcome disclosures, and consumer access, correction, and human review rights on businesses using automated decision-making technology in eight consequential decision categories. A compliance playbook for small and mid-size deployers and developers.
Direct Primary Care Meets Your HSA in 2026: The OBBBA Rule That Makes Monthly Doctor Fees Tax-Free
OBBBA Section 71308 and IRS Notice 2026-05 let you pair a Direct Primary Care membership of up to $150/month per adult ($300 family) with an HSA starting January 2026, reclassify all Bronze and Catastrophic marketplace plans as HSA-eligible, and make the telehealth pre-deductible safe harbor permanent. Here is how freelancers, solo S-corp owners, and small employers should stack DPC, marketplace coverage, HSAs, and QSEHRA/ICHRA reimbursements without double-dipping.
DOL Tip Pooling, the 80/20 Vacatur, and FLSA Tip Credit Compliance in 2026
How the Fifth Circuit's vacatur of the 80/20/30 rule, the DOL's 2024 technical amendment, and an expanding state mini-tip-credit patchwork reshape FLSA tip pooling, dual jobs analysis, and Section 3(m) compliance for restaurants, bars, hotels, and salons in 2026.
Life After Section 321: How Small E-Commerce Importers Are Rebuilding Landed Cost, Pricing, and Cash Flow in 2026
A practical guide for Shopify and Amazon FBA sellers on rebuilding landed cost, pricing, and bookkeeping after the May and August 2025 suspensions of the Section 321 de minimis exemption, with line-by-line duty math, entry-type tradeoffs, and cash-flow tactics.
The 2026 ACA Subsidy Cliff Is Back: A Survival Guide for Self-Employed Owners, Freelancers, and Early Retirees
The enhanced premium tax credits expired January 1, 2026, restoring the 400% FPL cliff. This guide walks self-employed filers, S-corp owners, freelancers, and early retirees through the 2026 applicable percentage schedule, MAGI levers like Solo 401(k), SEP-IRA, HSA, and Section 162(l), and Form 8962 reconciliation strategies to avoid five-figure repayments.