Chelsea Krause is a writer who specializes in accounting, payroll, and small business loans. She has been with Merchant Maverick helping small business owners manage their finances since 2016. She is a QuickBooks Certified User and former eCommerce store owner. Her accounting expertise has been quoted in Forbes and her work appears in Startup Nation, Small Business Bonfire, and Women on Business. Chelsea graduated summa cum laude with a BA in English & Creative Writing from George Fox University and studied abroad at the University of Oxford as well. She currently resides in Boise, Idaho.
Looking for an accounting definition? We cover all of the basics in our quick guide to accounting terms, so you can quickly understand important accounting terms and get back to running your business.
Credit bureaus arose to help lenders quickly gauge the reliability of a potential borrower. In the past, you could go to the good ol' general store and the owner would know you, your character, and whether or not putting your items on "charge" (or on credit) was a good idea. That method may have worked in the past, when communities were small and isolated, but there had to be a better way moving forward. Thus credit bureaus were born.
Learn what invoice financing is, whether it’s right for your business, and how to find a great financing company to work with in our complete guide.
Lenders like to know exactly how you plan on using the money they may potentially lend to you. If you've made successful investments in the past, like purchasing additional equipment that increased your sales revenue by 25%, and are planning on purchasing more equipment with the loan your applying for, be sure to tell your lender! It will demonstrate that you're experienced in business and that you're likely to increase your cash flow (which a lender hears as "we're getting our money back").
There are four types of payroll software systems to choose from: traditional payroll software, industry-specific payroll software, payroll software for accountants, and professional employer organizations (PEOs). Each option will make it easier to process payroll for your business, but may be designed for specific users or provide advanced services.
If it’s too late for you to withdraw your ERC request, but you know that the request is invalid and that you weren’t actually eligible for the employee retention credit, you may be faced with filing error penalties and/or held responsible for repaying the employee retention credit.
An ERC refund refers to the employee retention credit that eligible taxpayers can receive from the IRS, while an ERC loan is a type of advance that some companies offer to give employers faster access to their ERC credit.
The goal of a ghost preparer is to take advantage of taxpayers by taking a large fee or directing the taxpayers return to their own bank account or mailing address without the taxpayer’s knowledge — and then disappear without a trace to secure their fraudulent money can be tracked.
The IRS sends notices to taxpayers when there is a tax return error, to request a payment, to request additional information, or to notify you about a change.
The CP210/CP220 notice is sent by the IRS when there is a change to your tax return. These changes always pertain to the tax year listed on the notice.
The good news is that the ERC moratorium sounds scarier than it actually is. The even better news is that eligible businesses can still submit ERC applications through reputable ERC companies in the meantime. The only real difference this makes to legitimate ERC claims is that the processing time will be affected while the IRS cracks down on illegitimate claims and improves its processes.
Most businesses should open a business bank account. Although it’s possible to run a business using your personal bank account, opening a business account makes it easier to track and control your finances. You’ll also find tax time easier and your audit risk lower when you separate your business and personal finances by using business bank services.
The best business savings accounts are easy to apply for, offer an interest rate or APY at or above the national average for savings accounts, and offer features aimed at small businesses. We think Live Oak, First Internet Bank, BlueVine, LendingClub, NBKC, U.S. Bank Platinum Money Market, Lili, Grasshopper, and Prime Alliance meet those requirements.
Opening a business bank account for your LLC can be done quickly and easily. You can even apply online. What you need to open a business bank account will depend on how your business is structured and what the bank you choose requires. Expect to provide government-issued identification, an EIN or Social Security number, your business license, and your incorporation documents.
A business bank account doesn’t have to cost you anything. You can find online accounts for your business that have $0 minimum deposits, $0 monthly fees, and $0 minimum balance requirements.
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The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.
Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone.
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