Blog

Plain-text accounting insights, tutorials, and updates from the Beancount.io team.

July 9, 20268 min read

AI Tool Subscription Sprawl: A Small Business Owner's Guide to Auditing and Budgeting an Exploding AI Stack

The median small business now runs five AI tools, and combined monthly spend on unaudited AI subscriptions can reach $3,000–$6,000. A five-step afternoon audit — find every AI charge including shadow spend on personal cards, price in the hours spent babysitting each tool, check seat usage, cut redundant overlap, and force a keep/downgrade/cancel decision — plus a lightweight budget structure that stops sprawl from creeping back.

Mike Thrift

aismall-businesssaas

July 9, 20268 min read

AI Agents Are Starting to Pay Each Other: What the x402 Protocol Means for Small Business Bookkeeping

The x402 protocol has processed more than 150 million AI agent micropayments worth roughly $600 million a year in stablecoins, and Mastercard, Visa, Stripe, and Google have all shipped competing versions since — here's what small businesses need to know about the bookkeeping and tax implications before the volume arrives.

Mike Thrift

aipaymentsstablecoins

July 9, 202615 min read

ADP vs. Gusto vs. Paychex: Compare Published Prices, Quotes, and Plan Boundaries

Compare ADP RUN, Gusto, and Paychex for small business: which publishes prices, which requires quotes, and what changes your payroll bill.

Mike Thrift

payrollsmall-businessaccounting-software

July 9, 20268 min read

The New "Super Catch-Up" for Ages 60-63: An Extra $11,250 in Your 401(k) for 2026

Under SECURE 2.0, workers who turn 60-63 in 2026 can defer up to $35,750 into a 401(k) — but anyone whose prior-year FICA wages topped $150,000 must make the entire catch-up as Roth, and loses it entirely if their plan lacks a Roth option.

Mike Thrift

retirement-savingstax-planningtax-compliance

July 9, 20269 min read

2026 State Minimum Wage Increases: A Small Employer's Budgeting Guide

Nineteen states raised their minimum wage on January 1, 2026, and Florida steps up to $15.00 on September 30. This guide covers which rate applies when federal, state, and local minimums overlap, how tipped-wage and exempt-threshold rules shift alongside the headline number, and how to budget for the pay-compression ripple effect across your wage ladder.

Mike Thrift

payrollsmall-businesscompliance

July 8, 20268 min read

The Workers' Comp Experience Modification Rate (E-Mod), Explained: How One Claim Raises Your Premium for Three Years

A business's workers' compensation experience modification rate (E-Mod) compares actual claims losses to expected losses for its industry and payroll size, and it stays in effect for three policy years, so a single claim can raise premiums for years after an injured employee returns to work.

Mike Thrift

workplace-safetyoshabusiness-insurance

July 8, 20268 min read

Will AI Replace Your Bookkeeper? What the BLS Data Actually Shows

BLS data projects a 6% decline in bookkeeping clerk employment through 2034 while accountant and auditor employment grows 5%, a split driven by AI automating transaction coding and data entry while leaving judgment-based work to humans.

Mike Thrift

aibookkeepingautomation

July 8, 20267 min read

Veterinary Practice Bookkeeping: AAHA Chart of Accounts and Drug Inventory Controls

Pharmaceuticals and supplies run 20-25% of revenue at a typical small-animal practice, and the AAHA/VMG chart of accounts plus DEA-compliant drug logs are what keep that margin from quietly leaking away.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepinghealthcareinventory

July 8, 20267 min read

Understanding Loan Covenants: What Every Small Business Owner Signs Away (Without Realizing It)

A loan covenant breach can trigger default even without a missed payment; this guide explains DSCR, leverage, and current ratio covenants, cross-default and MAC clauses, and how to track compliance monthly instead of quarterly.

Mike Thrift

loansfinancial-managementsmall-business

July 8, 20269 min read

State Data Breach Notification Laws: A Small Business Compliance Guide

Every US state has its own data breach notification law, with individual-notice deadlines ranging from 30 days (California, Colorado, Florida, New York, Washington) to 60 days (Connecticut, Texas), and small businesses must comply with the law of every state where an affected person lives, not just their home state.

Mike Thrift

securitycompliancesmall-business

July 8, 20268 min read

SBIR/STTR Grant Accounting: Indirect Cost Caps and Avoiding a Clawback

SBIR and STTR awards are cost-reimbursable federal funding governed by FAR 31.205 and 2 CFR 200 — DOE now caps indirect costs at 15% of total award value, NIH has tightened its F&A allowance, and undocumented labor costs are the most common clawback trigger.

Mike Thrift

grantstax-compliancecompliance

July 8, 20268 min read

The Sales Tax Vendor Discount: A Small-Business Guide to Getting Paid for Filing on Time

About 30 U.S. states let businesses keep a percentage of the sales tax they collect — a vendor discount or collection allowance — for filing and paying on time, with Colorado eliminating its discount and South Dakota suspending its own heading into 2026.

Mike Thrift

sales-taxtax-compliancetax-deadlines

Start Free→Documentation