#checklist
Checklist
Practical checklists for accounting and financial tasks
Minimum Wage Rose in 20+ Jurisdictions on July 1, 2026: A Multi-State Payroll Update Checklist
More than 20 state and local jurisdictions raised their minimum wage on July 1, 2026 — Alaska to $14.00, Oregon and D.C. on their annual schedules, plus 17 city and county increases across California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota and Oregon — lifting pay for over 360,000 workers by roughly $221 million a year. A seven-step checklist for employers who owe the highest rate where work is performed, including how to split a straddling pay period by work date rather than pay date.
QuickBooks Desktop 2023 Support Ended May 31, 2026: Your Migration Checklist
QuickBooks Desktop 2023 hit end of support on May 31, 2026 — payroll tax tables stopped updating, bank feeds, Desktop Payments, direct deposit, e-filing, Workforce, online backup and security patches all shut off on June 1, while local company files still open normally. A pre-migration cleanup checklist, the three viable paths (QuickBooks Online, Enterprise, or a different platform), the Desktop-to-Online export steps, and the post-migration reconciliation that proves the ledger moved intact.
OSHA's Hazard Communication Deadline Moved to November 20, 2026: A Small Business Compliance Guide
OSHA's January 2026 rule moved the Hazard Communication compliance deadline for employers to November 20, 2026 for substances (May 19, 2028 for mixtures). Here's what small businesses must update — labels, training, and written HazCom programs — plus penalties up to $16,550 per serious violation and the 70% reduction now available to employers with up to 25 workers.
FTC's 2026 AI Disclosure Rule for Influencers: A Compliance Guide for Small Businesses
The FTC's 2026 "double disclosure" rule requires sponsored posts to separately disclose AI involvement in addition to paid-partnership status, with penalties up to $53,088 per non-compliant post.
Rental Arbitrage Bookkeeping: How to Set Up Books for a Leased Airbnb Business
Rental arbitrage bookkeeping differs from landlord accounting because the lease is a pure operating expense with no equity, only furniture is depreciable over 3-5 years, and most operators land on Schedule C rather than Schedule E once average guest stays fall under 30 days with services provided.
California Pay Data Reporting: The May 2026 Deadline and What the CRD Requires
California employers with 100 or more employees must file a pay data report with the Civil Rights Department by May 13, 2026, using a snapshot pay period between October and December 2025, or face civil penalties of $100 to $200 per employee.
California's SB 68 Allergen Disclosure Law: A July 2026 Compliance Checklist for Restaurant Chains
California's SB 68 (the ADDE Act) requires restaurant chains with 20+ locations and at least one California site to disclose the nine major food allergens on every menu format starting July 1, 2026, with civil liability rather than regulatory fines as the primary enforcement risk.
The Mid-2026 State Privacy Law Wave: What Small Businesses Need to Know
On July 1, 2026, Connecticut lowered its privacy law threshold to 35,000 residents, Arkansas banned targeted ads to minors under ACTOPPA, and Utah added a data correction right, pulling more small businesses into scope than ever before.
Sales Tax Exemption Certificate Management: The Audit-Ready Playbook
Auditors extrapolate the certificate deficiency rate found in a sample across the entire audit period, so a handful of missing resale or exemption certificates can turn into a six-figure sales tax assessment — here are the six practices that keep certificate files audit-ready.
From Three Weeks to Five Days: A Faster Month-End Close With Cut-Off Discipline and Smarter Reconciliations
A day-by-day close calendar that compresses a typical three-week month-end into five business days. Pre-stage recurring entries, reconcile cash on day one, tie sub-ledgers on day two, post accruals and prepaids on day three, run flux analysis on day four, and lock the period on day five.
How to Close the Books in Five Days: Checklists, Cut-Off Discipline, and Reconciliation Order
A three-week close compresses into five business days through three habits—a written close checklist sequenced by dependency, firm cut-off procedures with accruals for late items, and reconciliation done high-risk-first in a consistent order.
How to Prepare for Tax Season: A Year-Round Checklist for Small Business Owners
A practical week-by-week, quarter-by-quarter, and year-end tax preparation checklist for small business owners — covering 2026 IRS deadlines, estimated tax payments, deductions, 1099 filing, and the bookkeeping habits that turn April from a sprint into a routine handoff.