Erica has been writing about small business finance and technology since 2008. She joined Merchant Maverick in 2018 and specializes in researching and reviewing business software, financial products, and other topics to help small businesses manage and grow their operations. Her expertise has been cited in MSN, Reader’s Digest, Vox, U.S. News & World Report, and Real Simple. She is a Certified ProAdvisor for QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll, a graduate of Limestone University, and currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina.
One form of relief offered to small businesses is the Employee Retention Tax Credit. First introduced in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, this tax credit could be claimed by eligible employers on quarterly tax returns. This program was expanded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act signed into law in December 2020, making the credit accessible to more employers.
The SBA offers a variety of loan programs that vary according to business needs. Its flagship program is the 7(a) loan program, which offers loans for most general business purposes. However, it also offers special programs such as microloans and disaster loans. Find out more about SBA loans, including who qualifies.
QuickBooks Online is cloud-based accounting software. It has the complex accounting capabilities that small business owners need and supports numerous integrations. Quickbooks Online has a lot to offer in terms of features, accounting, and usability.
Loans expert Erica Seppala talks inflation with Nasdaq.
Financial expert Erica Seppala analyzes in Real Simple what people in their 40s can do to strengthen their finances.
Loans expert Erica Seppala tells Real Simple why an app might help people pay down their debt faster.
A Venmo charity profile is a special kind of Venmo profile available to PayPal-certified 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Venmo charity profiles offer a variety of benefits. For example, charity profiles also allow nonprofits to use their organization as a username, get a blue verified-charity checkmark, take donations, generate donation reports, and save donor contact information for communicating with donors later on.
A corporate credit card policy protects your organization, its financial security, and its employees. But what should a corporate credit policy include? Are there corporate credit card policy best practices you can learn from?
A real-time payment is a transaction made through the Clearing House’s RTP network. Though more limited than ACH, payments made through the RTP Network settle almost immediately.
You can sell physical or Square gift cards to your customers that can be used online or in-store. These cards work the same as cash when customers purchase your products or services.
While Washington isn’t among the highest-taxed states when it comes to income taxes, the state’s sales taxes are on the higher end. Moreover, Washington’s WA Cares and Paid Family and Medical Leave program push Washington’s taxes to the higher end of the cost spectrum.
The Oregon payroll reporting system, now called Frances Online, can be used to manage payroll reporting for your business. Oregon businesses must sign up to the platform and provide identity verification to use Frances Online.
A Mesh card is a corporate debit card that helps companies manage employee spending, expenses, payments, and invoices. Mesh does not offer a true credit card.
Ex-felons can apply for most government and private grants, provided they meet all requirements for receiving the grant. Those requirements may include owning a business in a certain industry, being located in a specific area, being in operations for a minimum amount of time, and demonstrating a specific need for funds.
While merchant account fees are definitely irritating (and expensive!), they’re often an inevitable cost of doing business. Even if you sign up with a payment service provider like Square that doesn’t charge monthly fees, you’ll still be paying the costs associated with maintaining your account in the form of higher transaction processing rates.
To run payroll in Massachusetts, you’ll need to gather all relevant information about your employees and contractors to be paid, calculate each individual’s gross earnings, calculate and withhold payroll taxes, make deductions, and pay employees.
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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.
