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.
Zoho Books is a cloud-based accounting program with advanced invoicing features as well as features such as auto-scheduling invoices, reporting tags, and inventory. Zoho Books offers a strong set of features that could be ideal for many small businesses. It is nearly on par with QuickBooks Online — and at half the cost.
FreshBooks is ideal for small businesses that want a basic, easy-to-use accounting solution and don’t need complex accounting features or multiple users. FreshBooks Classic is ideal for small businesses that don’t need accounting software and simply want an easy invoicing and expense tracking tool for their businesses.
Wave is free accounting software and unlike other free programs, there are no artificial limits on invoicing, contacts, items, or other features. The only thing you have to pay for is adding payroll, payment processing, or professional bookkeeping. There’s limited tax support, no project management, limited time tracking, and no additional users.
The Shopify POS app is easy to navigate, easy to set up, and easy to integrate with your Shopify online store. It all sounds great on paper, but is it the right POS for your business? In this review, we’ll help you answer that question.
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.
Xero is a robust, cloud-based software with strong accounting, ample integrations, and some really great features. It offers tons of automations to save business time like automatic sales tax lookup, group invoicing, and default email templates.
With its old-fashioned licensing setup and Windows-based system, QuickBooks POS can’t compete with cloud-based POS systems in pricing or features. Still, it’s functional and might have a lot of appeal to diehard Quickbooks Desktop users.
Does Electronic Merchant Systems offer everything you need for your small business? Possibly, but it comes at a high cost. Unless you’re prepared to negotiate aggressively on your own behalf, you’ll probably pay more than you need to. Read our review to see why you should look elsewhere.
If you’ve been turned down for a merchant account because of bad credit, don’t panic. Here’s what you need to know about what role credit scores play in payment processing, plus the best ways to get a merchant account for your small business.
If you accept credit card payments, at some point you’re going to encounter the term “rolling reserve” — read on to find out what a reserve fund is, how likely you are to face one, and how to keep your business afloat in the worst-case scenario.
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Our team of experts spends hours on every review so that we can find the best companies to recommend to our readers. Zoho Books made the cut.
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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.
Our team of experts spends hours on every review so that we can find the best companies to recommend to our readers. Zoho Books made the cut.
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