Plain-text accounting insights, tutorials, and updates from the Beancount.io team.
Interior design firms run four revenue streams through one chart of accounts and end up paying tax on phantom profits. Treat retainers as a liability, run products through revenue and COGS together, book vendor cost as COGS (never list price), and reconcile every PO before close.
How to build a craft brewery's books so cost of goods sold tells the truth—a production chart of accounts, a true cost-per-barrel formula using net barrels, TTB excise tax rates ($3.50/barrel on the first 60,000), and the 3–8% shrinkage that inflates margin if ignored.
The Altman Z-Score combines five financial ratios into one number that predicted bankruptcy with 72% accuracy two years out. This guide covers the original formula, the Z' and Z'' versions for private and non-manufacturing firms, a worked example, and how to screen your own company, customers, and suppliers.
A SAFE usually lands in the liabilities column, not equity, because it promises a variable number of shares for a fixed dollar amount. This guide explains the classification debate, the conversion math, and the journal entries from closing to conversion.
Workers' compensation premium is recalculated every year using your actual payroll, and unprepared small employers routinely owe five-figure true-ups. This guide walks through the NCCI premium formula, the standard exception rules, the overtime carve-out math, owner and officer exclusion forms, the subcontractor COI rules that trigger the largest audit hits, and how to dispute a Final Audit Statement.
A VEBA is a Section 501(c)(9) trust that lets employers pre-fund tax-free health and welfare benefits, but Sections 419 and 419A cap the deduction and Section 4976 imposes a 100% excise tax on reversions. Here is how a legitimate plan differs from an IRS-listed tax shelter.
A Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association under Section 501(c)(9) lets small and mid-sized employers pre-fund retiree medical, severance, and other welfare benefits tax-free — but Section 419 deduction caps, the 100% Section 4976 excise tax on disqualified benefits, and listed-transaction rules in Notices 95-34 and 2007-83 punish mistakes. Here is how a single-employer VEBA actually works, what it can fund, and the three IRS exams it has to pass every year.
A practical guide for small business owners on building a three-statement financial model that links income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow into a single forecast — covering the eight-step build, runway calculation, and scenario testing.
Texas raised the franchise tax no-tax-due threshold to $2.65 million for 2026 and 2027 reports, but LLCs and corporations still owe a Public Information Report by May 15. Missing it triggers forfeiture, personal liability for officers, and loss of access to Texas courts.
A suspense account is a temporary ledger account that holds an unidentified transaction or an unexplained trial-balance difference so the month-end close can finish on time. This guide covers when to use one, how to record and clear the entries, and how it differs from a clearing account.
A practical guide for small businesses on identifying unclaimed property — uncashed vendor and payroll checks, customer credits, gift cards — applying state dormancy periods, mailing due diligence letters, and filing the NAUPA II holder report before Delaware or another state opens a contingency-fee audit.
Standard costing assigns a predetermined cost to each product, then measures the gap against actual results. This guide shows how to set defensible standards and calculate material, labor, and overhead variances to drive pricing and purchasing decisions.
