Notes · September 21, 2026
The SIMPLE IRA is the only small business retirement plan with a hard October 1 establishment deadline. Michigan employers who miss it lose an entire year of tax-advantaged contributions and deductions. Here is exactly what you need to do before the window closes.
Notes · September 14, 2026
The 2026 Section 179 deduction limit is $1,220,000, but the rules around bonus depreciation, placed-in-service deadlines, and Michigan state conformity mean a lot of business owners will leave money on the table or get surprised by a state tax bill they didn't see coming. Here is what you actually need to know before signing a purchase agreement this fall.
Notes · September 11, 2026
The Q3 estimated tax deadline falls on September 15, 2026, and it covers income earned from June 1 through August 31. This guide walks Michigan small-business owners and self-employed individuals through the exact calculation, both safe harbor rules, and the step-by-step process for paying both federal and Michigan state taxes on time.
Notes · August 23, 2026
Several high-value tax moves for small businesses have hard deadlines in October, not December. Here is what Michigan business owners need to act on before the calendar turns against them.
Notes · August 16, 2026
Michigan's flat 6% sales tax looks simple until you hit the services-versus-goods line, a use tax bill you forgot about, or an economic nexus threshold you quietly crossed. Here is what every Michigan small-business owner actually needs to know about collecting, remitting, and registering.
Notes · August 9, 2026
Home office and vehicle deductions are legitimate, valuable, and among the most commonly disallowed in IRS audits of Schedule C filers. This guide walks Michigan small-business owners through the exact rules, the numbers, and the records that make both deductions defensible.
Notes · August 2, 2026
The S-Corp election is not a status symbol or a universal tax hack. It is a math problem with Michigan-specific inputs, and the break-even is higher than most online calculators suggest. Here is the actual arithmetic.
Notes · July 27, 2026
The moment you hire your first W-2 employee in Michigan, you trigger simultaneous obligations at three levels: federal, state, and possibly local. This guide walks through every registration, tax rate, deposit deadline, and penalty you need to know before that first paycheck goes out.
Notes · July 20, 2026
July is the last realistic window to make changes that will materially reduce your 2026 tax bill. Here are six specific numbers every Michigan small-business owner should pull right now, and what to do with each one.
Notes · July 7, 2026
The Q3 estimated tax deadline is September 15, 2026, and missing it costs you 8% annualized on whatever you underpaid. Here is a numbers-forward guide to calculating what you owe, understanding the safe harbor rule, and making both your federal and Michigan state payments on time.
Tax Notes · June 24, 2026
The S corp election is the most oversold move in small-business tax. Here is the honest math on where the savings start, and the three costs the YouTube videos skip.
By Marta Kowalski
Bookkeeping · June 10, 2026
Your accounting software can produce forty reports. You need one page: five numbers, three sentences, and a decision. Here is the template we use.
By Dev Raman
Tax Notes · May 21, 2026
Most IRS letters are math, not menace. A calm walk through the notice types we actually see, what each one wants, and the one mistake that turns small problems into big ones.
By Marta Kowalski
Running the Business · April 30, 2026
Calling someone a contractor does not make them one, and the penalties for guessing wrong arrive with interest. A plain-English tour of the real test.
By Dev Raman