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#bookkeeping

Bookkeeping

Modern bookkeeping techniques using plain-text and automated workflows

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12 min read

USDA Organic Certification Cost-Share Is Still Stuck: What Small Farms Need to Do Before the December 31, 2026 Deadline

USDA has not issued 2025 Organic Certification Cost Share reimbursements as of August 2026 despite July authorization in the One Big Beautiful Bill — the program covers 75% up to $750 per scope for application, inspection, and equivalency fees while certification costs now exceed $2,800. This guide explains the expense-vs-income tax treatment, receivable tracking by scope, and the filing checklist to meet the December 31, 2026 deadline while FSA prioritizes $13 million in Bridge Assistance payments amid shutdown and staffing cuts.

Mike Thrift

small-businessbookkeepingagriculture
13 min read

2026 HSA Limits Rise to $4,400 and $8,750: The Small Business Owner's Pre-Open-Enrollment Playbook

IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-19 raises 2026 HSA limits to $4,400 self-only and $8,750 family, with a $1,000 catch-up at 55+, and lifts HDHP minimum deductibles to $1,700/$3,400. This guide explains how small businesses must update cafeteria plans, payroll caps, and bookkeeping before open enrollment to capture the triple tax benefit and avoid overcontribution and comparability penalties.

Mike Thrift

small-businessemployee-benefitspayroll
21 min read

Drone Photography and Videography Business Bookkeeping: Part 107 Costs, Insurance, and Fleet Depreciation Made Simple

FAA Part 107 certification costs $175 for the knowledge test plus $5 per drone for registration, drone liability insurance runs $500 to $1,500 per year for $1 million coverage while hull runs 8 to 12 percent of aircraft value, and 2026 restores 100 percent bonus depreciation with a $2.56 million Section 179 limit — this guide shows how to expense certification, book prepaid insurance, depreciate a short-lived fleet, price per deliverable, and handle sales tax before your next flight.

Mike Thrift

small-businessbookkeepingassets
15 min read

E-Bike Rental Fleet Bookkeeping: How to Depreciate a Fast-Aging Asset, Capitalize Battery Packs, and Budget the $400–$900 Replacement Cycle

A 10-bike e-bike rental fleet costs $15,000–$30,000 to launch, but each swappable battery lasts only 500–1,000 cycles and costs $400–$900 to replace — often within a year at rental utilization. This guide shows how to capitalize bikes and packs separately, depreciate under 2026 Section 179 and restored 100% bonus depreciation, reconcile net app payouts to gross revenue, and track utilization and revenue per bike per day before the next battery wave hits.

Mike Thrift

small-businessbookkeepingassets
15 min read

PayPal and Venmo Are Finally Talking: What the End of Visa+ Means for Freelancers Before February 2026

Starting February 19, 2026, Visa+ stops working for PayPal and Venmo transfers and is replaced by direct phone-number payments rolling out November 2025. With the 1099-K threshold falling to $600 in 2026, freelancers must tag inter-app transfers correctly, reconcile gross versus net per platform, and separate business from personal flows to avoid double-counting income.

Mike Thrift

small-businessbookkeepingfreelance
15 min read

Short-Term Rental Co-Host Bookkeeping: How to Reconcile Double-Reported 1099-Ks Without Overstating Income

Airbnb reports the full gross booking on the owner's 1099-K and your co-host share again on yours — so $80,000 in real bookings can appear as $96,000 to the IRS. This guide explains the 2026 OBBBA changes ($20,000 and 200 transactions for 1099-K, $2,000 for 1099-NEC), which form you should receive, and the chart-of-accounts method to reconcile gross vs. net without overreporting income.

Mike Thrift

airbnbreal-estatebookkeeping
20 min read

The $2,000 1099-NEC Threshold for 2026: W-9s, Backup Withholding, and the Vendor Playbook That Keeps You Penalty-Free

For payments made on or after January 1, 2026, the federal 1099-NEC/1099-MISC reporting threshold rose from $600 to $2,000 under P.L. 119-21 — but royalties ($10), attorney gross proceeds ($600), and backup withholding on any withheld amount are unchanged. Here is the vendor-onboarding and W-9 workflow that prevents penalties either way.

Mike Thrift

tax-compliancesmall-businessvendor-management
13 min read

Brazil Just Got a 50% Tariff: What Small Importers of Coffee, Beef, and Steel Need to Know About Product Exclusions

A July 30 IEEPA order adds 40% to Brazilian goods on top of the 10% reciprocal tariff for a total 50% above MFN from August 6. Orange juice, Brazil nuts, and pig iron are excluded via Annex I, while steel and aluminum are excluded from the Brazil addition because Section 232 already applies — coffee and beef are not excluded. Here's the entry-date, FTZ, and bookkeeping checklist for small importers.

Mike Thrift

tariffsinventorycustoms
16 min read

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.

Mike Thrift

taxtax-compliancee-commerce
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