
Basic Accounting Principles: What Small-Business Owners Should Know
Understanding these concepts can help you make smarter financial decisions in the long run and day to day.


Understanding these concepts can help you make smarter financial decisions in the long run and day to day.


The interest you pay on a business loan is tax-deductible if you meet specific criteria defined by the IRS.


Find out when and in what circumstances a small business might receive a tax refund.


If your business is a partnership or LLC, you'll need this step-by-step guide to IRS Form 1065.


Trailing 12 months calculations are crucial to measuring your business's performance and tracking seasonal changes.


Create and customize an income statement to fit your business's needs, then save, print or send.


This affordable bookkeeping service is best for freelancers and small businesses with relatively simple financials.


Sage 50 Accounting is desktop accounting software designed for small and medium businesses.


A C corporation is a corporate structure that separates personal and business liability and allows unlimited investors.


An LLP is an unincorporated business owned and run by multiple people whose assets are protected.


An S corporation is a tax status that separates personal and business liability and allows profits and losses to pass through to owners for tax purposes.


The qualified business income deduction is for self-employed people and small-business owners. Here's who qualifies.


Working capital is a powerful indicator of the success of your business, and it can give you borrowing power.


A DBA allows you to do business under a different name than your legal one. Some business entities require one, and many businesses can benefit from one.


An EIN, also called a federal identification number, is a unique business tax ID number that you can get online in just a few minutes.


A general partnership, while inexpensive to set up, potentially saddles the partners with big personal liability.


A sole proprietorship is quicker and easier to start than other business entities. Plus it gives you full control over your business. But you also take on full liability risk with no protection of your personal belongings.


A limited liability company (LLC) separates a company from its owners. This protects the owners’ personal assets if the business loses money or gets sued.


Choosing a business structure depends on your tolerance for risking your personal assets among other factors.

