The Backyard Cottage P&L: What an ADU Really Costs, Earns, and Does to Your Taxes
ADU rental income goes on IRS Schedule E: split shared costs by square footage, depreciate the unit over 27.5 years, and plan for 25% recapture tax at sale.
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California business regulations and tax considerations
Live Scan Fingerprinting Service Bookkeeping: Per-Roll Fees, Pass-Through Billing, and the Mobile vs. Storefront Math
DOJ and FBI live scan fees are a liability, not revenue — book only the rolling fee as income, and capitalize the $7,000 scanner or elect Section 179.
Comp Time Is Illegal in the Private Sector: What Small Employers Must Do Instead
Private employers cannot swap overtime pay for banked time off — Section 207(o) comp time is reserved for public agencies, and violations carry back wages plus equal liquidated damages over two years (three if willful). Here are the lawful alternatives.
California's SB 517: The New Subcontractor-Disclosure Line Every Home-Improvement Contract Needs in 2026
Effective January 1, 2026, California SB 517 amends Business and Professions Code Section 7159 to require every home improvement contract to include a yes/no subcontractor checkbox, a statutory disclaimer when the answer is yes, and that same disclaimer on every change order — with the prime contractor still responsible for completing the job.
California's New 5% Retention Cap: What Contractors Must Change About Retainage in 2026
California SB 61 caps retention on private construction contracts signed on or after January 1, 2026 at 5% per progress payment and 5% of the contract price in total, down from the 10% industry norm — here is who it covers, the residential and bonding exceptions, and how to rebuild your retainage receivable schedule so the freed-up cash actually reaches your account.
California SB 351: How Dental and Med Spa Practices Must Rebuild Their MSO/PC Books for 2026
California SB 351 took effect January 1, 2026, barring private equity and management companies from controlling clinical decisions at medical and dental practices. Because the violations it targets — percentage-of-collections management fees, clinician payroll in the MSO, patient revenue landing outside the PC — are all visible in the general ledger, compliance is largely a bookkeeping project. Here are seven ledger fixes to make now.
California Workers' Comp Just Got More Expensive: What the September 1 Rate Decision Means for Your Budget
California's advisory pure premium rate for workers' compensation rose 6.6% to $1.65 per $100 of payroll on September 1, 2026 — the second consecutive annual increase after a decade of declines. Here is how the benchmark actually reaches your bill, how to estimate the impact from your own payroll, and five levers — classification checks, clean audits, X-mod management, shopping the renewal, and monthly accruals — that keep the increase small.
Tip Credits and Tip Pools: A 2026 Compliance Guide for Restaurant Payroll
The federal tip credit lets employers pay $2.13 an hour against a $7.25 minimum — but only with written notice, a weekly true-up, and a pool that excludes managers. This guide covers what changed in 2026: the vacated 80/20 side-work rule, California's SB 648 card-tip enforcement, service-charge wage treatment, and the $25,000 qualified-tips deduction.
California Is About to Regulate Franchise Brokers: What SB 919 Means Before You Sign
Starting July 1, 2027, California's SB 919 requires franchise brokers to register annually with the DFPI, deliver a standardized disclosure document — including how they are paid — before pitching any franchise, and keep five years of auditable records. Here is what the law changes, why broker commissions of 40–50% of the franchise fee matter to buyers, and how to vet a broker before the rules take effect.
On-Call Pay Under the FLSA: When Your Standby Hours Count as Paid Work Time
Under the FLSA, on-call hours are paid when employer restrictions keep an employee from using the time freely — the "engaged to wait" test. This guide covers the control factors investigators weigh, sleep-time rules for 24-hour shifts, how flat on-call stipends raise the overtime regular rate, and state rules like California reporting-time pay and city predictive-scheduling ordinances.
Your QSBS Win Is Federal-Only in California: What Founders Owe the State on a 'Tax-Free' Exit
California does not conform to Section 1202, so a QSBS gain that is 100% excluded federally is taxed in full at state rates up to 13.3% — a $4 million exit can leave a founder owing roughly $350,000–$450,000 to Sacramento. This guide covers the 2025 QSBS expansion's new three- and four-year tiers, why California repealed its own exclusion, the real math on graduated brackets and the 1% surcharge, and what an FTB residency audit demands from founders who move before selling.
Your SUTA Rate Notice Just Arrived: How Experience Ratings Work, When a Voluntary Contribution Pays Off, and the 2026 FUTA Credit Reduction
How to read your annual SUTA rate notice like an auditor — how benefit-ratio and reserve-ratio experience ratings are computed, how to protest misassigned benefit charges before short deadlines, when a voluntary buydown contribution beats the tax it saves, and why California employers face up to a 1.5% FUTA credit reduction for 2026, reported on Schedule A of Form 940.