Bookkeeping guides
Plain answers to small business bookkeeping questions
Overview
Short guides from the MCC Solutions desk for New Jersey business owners. General information, not tax or legal advice.
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Keeping your own books? Tallyfinch does invoices, bank import and reports on your computer. See Tallyfinch
What is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor?
What a QuickBooks ProAdvisor is, what certification does and does not mean, how to find one, and the questions to ask before you hire a bookkeeper.
Read the guide →GUIDEBookkeeper vs. accountant vs. CPA: who do you need?
The difference between a bookkeeper, an accountant, a CPA and an enrolled agent for a New Jersey small business, and when each one is worth paying for.
Read the guide →GUIDEHow to set up bookkeeping for a new New Jersey LLC
A step-by-step setup for a new NJ LLC: business bank account, accounting software, chart of accounts, sales tax and payroll registration, and monthly habits.
Read the guide →GUIDEHow to catch up when your books are months behind
A practical plan for catching up on months or years of unreconciled bookkeeping: gather statements, reconcile in order, and fix the problems that cause delay.
Read the guide →GUIDEHow to reconcile a bank account (and why it matters)
A plain-language walkthrough of bank reconciliation in QuickBooks, Xero and other software: what it is, how to do it, and what to do when it will not balance.
Read the guide →GUIDENew Jersey sales tax for small businesses
How New Jersey sales tax works for small businesses: when to register, what is taxable, how to collect and file, and how to record it in your books.
Read the guide →GUIDENew Jersey payroll taxes and filings for small employers
An overview of the federal and New Jersey payroll taxes a small employer pays and files, with the reports that follow each quarter and year.
Read the guide →GUIDE1099 contractors: a checklist for New Jersey businesses
A practical checklist for paying independent contractors: W-9 collection, 1099-NEC filing, worker classification and what to track during the year.
Read the guide →GUIDENJ LLC Annual Report: Due Date, Cost & How to File Online
How the New Jersey LLC annual report (the yearly renewal) works: who must file, the due date, what it costs, how to file online and what happens if you miss it.
Read the guide →GUIDEChart of accounts for a small business: how to set one up
What a chart of accounts is, how many categories you actually need, and a clean starting structure for a small business.
Read the guide →GUIDEWhat business records to keep, and for how long
A practical retention guide for small business tax and accounting records, with the general IRS time limits and what to keep forever.
Read the guide →GUIDEHow to switch accounting software and keep your history
How to move from one accounting program to another (Wave, QuickBooks, Xero and others): what carries over, what does not, and how to pick the cutover date.
Read the guide →More guides
- Separating personal and business money: why and how
- What to send your bookkeeper each month: a checklist
- A monthly bookkeeping close checklist for small businesses
- Cash vs. accrual accounting: which fits your business?
- How to read a profit and loss statement
- How much does small business bookkeeping cost?
- Double-Entry Bookkeeping Explained Simply
- Debits and Credits Cheat Sheet for Owners
- How to Read a Small Business Balance Sheet
- Statement of Cash Flows: A Plain-English Guide
- What Is a General Ledger and Why It Matters
- How to Write a Journal Entry Step by Step
- Accrued Expenses and Accrued Revenue Explained
- Prepaid Expenses and Deferred Revenue Basics
- Depreciation Basics for Small Business Owners
- Accounts Receivable Basics: Track What You're Owed
- Accounts Payable Process for Small Businesses
- Invoicing Practices That Get You Paid Faster
- How to Collect Late Payments From Customers
- Expense Categorization Rules of Thumb
- Petty Cash: How to Set Up and Control a Fund
- Bookkeeping for Business Credit Cards
- Owner Draws vs Salary: How to Pay Yourself
- How to Record a Business Loan in Your Books
- Owner Equity and Capital Contributions Explained
- Inventory Costing: FIFO, LIFO and Average Cost
- Inventory Counts and Shrinkage: Keeping Stock Honest
- How to Keep a Fixed Asset Register
- How to Build a Small Business Budget From Scratch
- 13-Week Cash Flow Forecast for Small Businesses
- Financial Ratios Small Business Owners Should Know
- Month-End Adjusting Entries Every Owner Should Know
- Year-End Bookkeeping Close: Steps Before Tax Time
- What Is an Audit Trail in Bookkeeping?
- Simple Internal Controls for Small Business Money
- Employee Fraud Red Flags for Small Business Owners
- Common Bookkeeping Mistakes and How to Fix Them
- How to Hire a Bookkeeper: What to Ask and Check
- Managing Your Bookkeeper: Reviews and Communication
- Bookkeeping for a Side Hustle: Start Simple
- Tracking Mileage and Vehicle Expenses for Business
- Keeping Records for a Home Office Deduction
- Uncategorized and Suspense Accounts: Clear Them Out
- Bank Feeds and Rules: Automate Without Losing Control
- Bad Debt and Write-Offs: Recording Uncollectible Invoices
- Customer Deposits and Retainers: How to Book Them
- Recording Customer Refunds, Credits and Chargebacks
- Reconciling Stripe and Square Deposits to Sales
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Bookkeeping by type of business
- Bookkeeping for notaries and loan signing agents
- Get your books ready for a mortgage
- Bookkeeping for short-term rental hosts
- Bookkeeping for small landlords
- Bookkeeping for online sellers
- Bookkeeping for process servers and field contractors
- Years behind on your books? Start here
- Books that won't reconcile
- Your bookkeeper left a mess
- A tax notice arrived and your records are a mess
- Payroll records that have gone sideways
- Sales tax records that don't add up
- Get your books ready for a bank or SBA loan
- Books for selling (or buying) a business
- Partners disagree about the numbers
- Switching accounting software without losing your history
- Cash flow crisis? Find out where the money goes
- In-depth bookkeeping for restaurants, contractors and the trades
- Bookkeeping for Jersey Shore seasonal businesses
- Bookkeeping for New Jersey farms and farm stands
- Bookkeeping for medical, dental and therapy practices
- Bookkeeping for landscaping and snow removal companies
- Bookkeeping for trucking and delivery owner-operators
- Bookkeeping for salons, barbershops and booth renters
- Bookkeeping for small nonprofits and community groups
- Bookkeeping for New Jersey consultants with New York clients
- Bookkeeping for freelancers and solo service providers
- Bookkeeping for contractors and trades
- Bookkeeping for restaurants, caterers and food businesses
- Bookkeeping for small law firms
- Bookkeeping for auto repair shops and garages
- Bookkeeping for cleaning companies
- Bookkeeping for food trucks
- Bookkeeping for child care centers
Unsure of a term? Browse the bookkeeping glossary. Not sure where your books stand? Take the free bookkeeping health check. Looking for help with a specific program? See bookkeeping by software. Want a monthly view of your numbers, including 1099 contractors? See bookkeeping dashboards.
Reach small business owners, freelancers and bookkeepers who read this guide: advertise here.
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- Booth rent or commission: records, tips and sales tax for stylists, barbers, nail and lash techs
- Content creators and influencers: platform payouts, 1099s, products for posts, gear and FTC disclosures
- Small business bookkeeping basics for owners
- Online courses from MCC Solutions
Tallyfinch
Books you keep on your own computer
Tallyfinch does invoices, bills, bank import, reconciliation and the main reports, in a file you own. $99 once, then $5 a month for updates; the app keeps working if you stop the plan. It does not do payroll or sales tax filing. The free download records up to 60 entries.
See Tallyfinch Download it free Compare the three apps