#bookkeeping
Modern bookkeeping techniques using plain-text and automated workflows
Custom puppets sell for $500–$1,500 yet take 20–100 hours to build, so untracked labor quietly destroys margins. How professional puppet makers should price commissions with the materials + labor + overhead + profit formula, book 50% deposits as deferred revenue instead of income, separate design-licensing from fabrication revenue, and handle post-Wayfair sales tax on interstate theater clients.
Return on Equity (ROE) divides net income by owner's equity — a 15% ROE means the business earned 15 cents per dollar of the owner's capital. This guide covers healthy benchmarks (12–15% baseline, 15–20%+ strong), the three-part DuPont breakdown of margin, asset turnover, and leverage, and the pitfalls — debt-inflated returns, negative equity, one-time items — that distort the ratio.
The $100K-or-200 shorthand is wrong in most states in 2026 — many repealed the transaction test and three big states use $500K. Track gross by state and channel before the notice does.
South Africa's 2026 Budget raises the compulsory VAT registration threshold from R1 million to R2.3 million effective 1 April 2026, lifts voluntary registration to R120,000, and adds a R600,000 tax-free band to turnover tax — here's who should consider deregistering, who shouldn't, and how to keep the bookkeeping clean through the transition.
Federal relief says $5,000 but most states still require $600 — a form in the mailbox may be state-driven. Reconcile per-TPSO gross to taxable income and don't pay tax on mis-coded reimbursements.
AICPA SAS No. 150, issued July 2026 and effective for periods ending on or after December 15, 2028, requires auditors to externally confirm cash held by third parties — payment processor reserves, PEO payroll trust accounts, and escrow balances — unless narrow risk-based conditions are met. Here is what changes for audited businesses and how to prepare your books.
Australian sole traders who invoice without an ABN lose 47% of each payment to mandatory withholding. This guide covers free same-day ABN registration, the $75,000 rolling 12-month GST threshold, quarterly BAS due dates, individual marginal tax rates for 2026-27, deductible super contributions, and the ATO's five-year record-keeping rule.
Carpet cleaning chemistry should run 5–7% of revenue, a $25,000 truckmount costs about $10 per operating hour in wear, and drive time between jobs is the biggest hidden margin leak. How to book chemistry, trucks, and routes as three separate cost centers.
The 2026 AFP Payments Fraud Survey found 76% of U.S. organizations faced payment fraud in 2025, with paper checks the top target at 58% — ahead of ACH debits (30%) and wires (25%). Here's a practical small-business defense checklist, from Positive Pay and ACH filters to callback verification and weekly reconciliation.
A $400 session pack is a liability, not June revenue — swim school bookkeeping hinges on deferring prepaid lesson income, budgeting pool leases as fixed costs, and classifying certified instructors correctly. Covers franchise cost benchmarks ($95K–$3.75M), instructor pay of $19–$35/hour, USA Swimming fee pass-throughs, and a monthly close checklist.
Delaware's new Commercial Corridor Initiative (DCCI), launched July 14, 2026, offers matching grants covering 10–25% of renovation costs up to $25,000 for brick-and-mortar small businesses in qualifying commercial corridors. Here's who's eligible, what expenses count, and how to get your books lender-ready before the first awards in September 2026.
Friendly fraud costs eCommerce merchants an estimated $132 billion a year and now accounts for roughly 75% of all disputes, yet merchants win only 8.1% of manually contested chargebacks. Here's how small merchants can prevent disputes, use Visa CE3.0 evidence, stay under the 1.5% VAMP ratio, and track the true cost in their books.
