Just Hired Your First Employee? What New-Employer SUTA Rates Cost in 2026
New-employer SUTA rates run 1–4% on 2026 wage bases from $7,000 to $78,200 — pay on time to keep the 5.4% FUTA credit.
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Remote Work
Tax compliance, payroll, and financial management guidance for businesses with remote and distributed teams
Your Employees Use Personal Phones for Work — in California and a Dozen Other States, You Owe Them Money for It
California and Illinois require reimbursement of work-required phone use, even on unlimited plans — here is how to set a defensible monthly stipend.
Registered Agent vs. Virtual Mailbox vs. PO Box: Which Business Address Each Job Actually Requires
A registered agent takes lawsuits, a virtual mailbox takes mail, a PO Box takes USPS only — and banks reject CMRA addresses as your physical location.
Your Office Phones Must Dial 911 Directly and Pinpoint the Caller: A Small Business Guide to Kari's Law and the RAY BAUM'S Act
Every business phone system must dial 911 with no prefix and send a dispatchable location — address plus floor, suite, or room — or face FCC fines.
Which Labor Law Posters Do You Actually Have to Hang?
Every required federal labor law poster is free from the DOL, so the $90 compliance mailer is a scam. Which sheets you owe, plus state and remote rules.
Workers' Comp in Ohio, North Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming: Why You Can't Shop for Private Coverage
Ohio, North Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming bar private workers' comp, and the state fund sells Part One only — stop-gap coverage closes the liability hole.
City Tax Withholding for Multistate Employers: Ohio RITA, Pennsylvania EIT, NYC and Yonkers
Local payroll tax is the employer's liability, not the software's. Ohio's 20-day rule, Pennsylvania PSD codes, NYC resident-only tax and Yonkers' 0.5% levy.
Your Business Cell Phone Can Be 100% Tax-Free: What the IRS Actually Requires
Employer cell phones are tax-free with no call logs under IRS Notice 2011-72 if provided for business reasons; internet needs an accountable plan and receipts.
Digital Nomad Tax Residency in 2026: Why the 183-Day Rule Won't Save You
Staying under 183 days in a country does not make you a non-resident anywhere. U.S. nomads still owe worldwide income tax, the 2026 Foreign Earned Income Exclusion caps at $132,900 and never covers the 15.3% self-employment tax, the tax-home test disqualifies perpetual travelers, and FBAR triggers at $10,000 aggregated across all foreign accounts.
El Salvador Now Asks Just 90 Days a Year: A Freelancer's Guide to the New Residency Math
Since March 31, 2026, El Salvador's Decreto 531 requires temporary residents to spend only 90 calendar days a year in the country instead of roughly nine months. Here is how the three main residency routes compare, what territorial tax and the U.S. foreign earned income exclusion actually cover, and the ledger habits that keep presence days, income sourcing, and renewal files audit-ready.
Return-to-Office Mandates Have Tax Consequences Too: Commuter Benefits, Office Deductions, and the Home-Office Write-Off Your Team Just Lost
Bringing staff back on-site changes payroll tax, benefits, and deductions at once. For 2026 the Section 132(f) exclusions are $340/month each for transit/vanpool and qualified parking, saving employers about 7.65% of every pre-tax dollar; W-2 employees can no longer deduct home-office costs, so route equipment through an accountable plan instead.
Your Phone Bill Is Partly Deductible (Your Home Internet Too): A Self-Employed Owner's Guide to Business-Use Percentages
Self-employed owners can deduct the business-use share of a cell phone and home internet — not 100% — and this guide shows three defensible ways to set that percentage, why the first home landline is never deductible, and where the amounts land on Schedule C.