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Practical financial guides for small business

Get direct, useful answers about bookkeeping, reporting, payroll, taxes, hiring, pricing, and accounting systems. Filter the library by topic or format to find the guide you need.

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852 published guides

  • Payroll & 1099 Beginner's Guide

    How to File Form 1099-NEC for Free

    Businesses can file eligible Forms 1099-NEC without an IRS filing fee through the Information Returns Intake System. Free filing still requires accurate source records, timely recipient statements, accepted submissions, and formal corrections.

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  • Business Taxes How-To Guide

    How to File IRS Form 1096

    Form 1096 is a paper transmittal used to summarize one type of paper information return sent to the IRS. It is not filed with electronic information returns.

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  • Payroll & 1099 How-To Guide

    How to File Late 1099 Forms

    A late Form 1099 should be filed as soon as accurate data is ready. Waiting for a penalty notice generally increases exposure and delays the recipient's ability to reconcile a tax return.

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  • Business Taxes Beginner's Guide

    How to File Quarterly Taxes

    Individuals usually make periodic estimated-tax payments and file one annual federal income-tax return. Employers, sales-tax registrants, and some states may have actual quarterly returns, so identify the exact obligation before filing or paying.

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  • Business Taxes Definition

    How to File S Corporation Taxes Online

    Filing S corporation taxes online means preparing and electronically transmitting Form 1120-S and its schedules, monitoring acceptance, completing states, and securely delivering final Schedule K-1 packages. Uploading a PDF or paying online is not the same as an accepted return.

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  • Business Taxes Beginner's Guide

    How to File Taxes for an LLC

    An LLC does not have one universal federal tax return. The correct filing path depends on the number and type of owners, elections, activity, payroll, states, and tax year.

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  • Payroll & 1099 How-To Guide

    How to Fill Out a 1099 for Contractors

    To prepare Form 1099-NEC for a contractor, confirm worker status, collect Form W-9, reconcile covered payment methods, apply the current threshold and corporate exceptions, then complete the current form and verify filing and delivery.

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  • Payroll & 1099 How-To Guide

    How to Fill Out Form 1099-MISC

    Form 1099-MISC reports specific miscellaneous business payments. It is not the default form for nonemployee services, which generally belong on Form 1099-NEC.

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  • Payroll & 1099 How-To Guide

    How to Fill Out Form 1099-NEC

    Form 1099-NEC reports qualifying nonemployee compensation. A reliable process starts with Form W-9 and payment reconciliation, then completes payer, recipient, compensation, withholding, and state fields.

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  • Payroll & 1099 Definition

    How to Fill Out Form W-9 for an LLC

    An LLC's Form W-9 depends on its federal tax classification. A disregarded single-member LLC generally reports its owner's identity and TIN, while an LLC taxed as a partnership, S corporation, or C corporation reports the entity classification.

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  • Financial Statements Beginner's Guide

    How to Generate a Balance Sheet in QuickBooks

    Generate a QuickBooks Online balance sheet from Reports, set the correct reporting date and accounting method, customize comparison columns if needed, and reconcile the accounts before relying on the result.

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  • Business Taxes Beginner's Guide

    How to Get an EIN for an LLC

    An LLC can obtain an EIN directly from the IRS for free. Form the legal entity first, identify the responsible party and tax classification, complete the IRS application in one session, and save the confirmation letter.

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  • Payroll & 1099 How-To Guide

    How to Handle Taxes on 1099 Income

    Independent-contractor payments generally arrive without ordinary wage withholding. The recipient usually covers income and self-employment taxes through estimated payments or additional withholding from other wages.

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  • Hiring a Bookkeeper Ultimate Guide Topic hub

    How to Hire a Bookkeeper for Your Business

    Learning how to hire a bookkeeper starts with the work, not the person. Define what must happen each month, what reports you need, who approves transactions, and what condition the books are in now. Then compare candidates against that same scope.

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  • Bookkeeping Basics Definition

    How to Improve Cash Flow in a Small Business

    Improve cash flow by shortening the time between sale and collection, controlling purchasing and inventory, planning payment timing, testing pricing and margin, and maintaining a rolling forecast tied to actual balances.

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  • Accounting Software How-To Guide

    How to Install QuickBooks on a New Computer

    Install QuickBooks Desktop on a new or second computer by preserving the original file, installing the matching supported release, activating it, restoring a verified backup, and reconciling the result.

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  • Payroll & 1099 FAQ

    How to Mail Form 1099 to the IRS

    Paper filing requires the correct official Copy A, a Form 1096 for each information-return type, the current address based on the payer's location, and proof that the complete package was mailed on time.

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  • Payroll & 1099 Landing Page

    How to Outsource Payroll and Benefits

    Outsourcing payroll and benefits can reduce repetitive administration, but the employer still needs accurate source data, approvals, funding, tax-account access, benefit decisions, reconciliations, security controls, and an exit plan.

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