Teo's NotesTaxes, bookkeeping, and money stuff for business owners, written in English.https://teoaccounting.com/The 83(b) election: the 30-day deadline every founder needs to knowhttps://teoaccounting.com/blog/83b-election/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/83b-election/If you got restricted stock that vests over time, you have 30 days to file one form. Miss it and there's no do-over.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTTaxesBraedon Porter, CPACash vs. accrual: which way should a startup keep its books?https://teoaccounting.com/blog/cash-vs-accrual/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/cash-vs-accrual/Cash is simpler. Accrual tells you the truth about your business. Here's when to switch.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTBookkeepingBraedon Porter, CPAPaying contractors: W-9s, 1099s, and the new $2,000 thresholdhttps://teoaccounting.com/blog/contractors-and-1099s/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/contractors-and-1099s/Collect a W-9 before you pay anyone. Then file 1099s by January 31. Here's what changed for 2026.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTTaxesBraedon Porter, CPAHiring your first employee: the payroll checklisthttps://teoaccounting.com/blog/first-employee-checklist/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/first-employee-checklist/Your first hire is a milestone. Getting the paperwork wrong is a different kind of milestone. Here's what to set up first.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTBookkeepingBraedon Porter, CPAThe home office deduction for founders (and the S-corp catch)https://teoaccounting.com/blog/home-office-deduction/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/home-office-deduction/If you work from home, part of your housing costs can be deductible. How you claim it depends on your entity.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTTaxesBraedon Porter, CPAHow much should a founder set aside for taxes?https://teoaccounting.com/blog/how-much-to-set-aside-for-taxes/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/how-much-to-set-aside-for-taxes/The quick answer is 25 to 30% of profit. Here's where that number comes from and when it's wrong.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTTaxesBraedon Porter, CPAGetting your books ready for investor due diligencehttps://teoaccounting.com/blog/investor-ready-books/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/investor-ready-books/Raising money? Investors will look at your financials. Here's what they'll ask for and how to be ready before they do.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTFounder lifeBraedon Porter, CPACan I deduct this meal? A founder's guide to meals and entertainmenthttps://teoaccounting.com/blog/meals-and-entertainment/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/meals-and-entertainment/Client lunches, team dinners, office snacks, and baseball tickets all follow different rules. Here's the cheat sheet.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTTaxesBraedon Porter, CPAWhat a month-end close actually is (and why yours should be done by the 15th)https://teoaccounting.com/blog/month-end-close/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/month-end-close/Closing the books is the monthly routine that turns a pile of transactions into numbers you can trust.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTBookkeepingBraedon Porter, CPAQSBS: the tax break that can make a startup exit (mostly) tax-freehttps://teoaccounting.com/blog/qsbs-section-1202/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/qsbs-section-1202/Section 1202 lets qualifying founders and investors exclude a huge chunk of gain when they sell. The 2025 tax law made it better.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTTaxesBraedon Porter, CPAWhat counts as a "reasonable salary" for an S-corp owner?https://teoaccounting.com/blog/s-corp-reasonable-salary/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/s-corp-reasonable-salary/Pay yourself too little and you invite IRS attention. Too much and you give up the savings. Here's how to find the number.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTEntitiesBraedon Porter, CPASales tax for startups: when you might owe it in other stateshttps://teoaccounting.com/blog/sales-tax-for-startups/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/sales-tax-for-startups/You don't need an office in a state to owe sales tax there. Here's how economic nexus works.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTTaxesBraedon Porter, CPACan you deduct what you spent before you launched?https://teoaccounting.com/blog/startup-costs-deduction/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/startup-costs-deduction/Yes, partly. Up to $5,000 of startup costs in year one, with the rest spread out over 15 years.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTTaxesBraedon Porter, CPAYear-end tax planning checklist for foundershttps://teoaccounting.com/blog/year-end-tax-planning/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/year-end-tax-planning/The best tax moves happen before December 31, not in April. Here's what to look at in Q4.Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTTaxesBraedon Porter, CPALLC vs. S-corp: when the election actually makes sensehttps://teoaccounting.com/blog/llc-vs-s-corp/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/llc-vs-s-corp/The S-corp election can save real money on self-employment tax. It can also cost you money if you make it too early.Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTEntitiesBraedon Porter, CPAQuarterly estimated taxes, explained for first-year foundershttps://teoaccounting.com/blog/quarterly-estimates-first-year/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/quarterly-estimates-first-year/Nobody withholds taxes from your startup income. That's now your job, four times a year.Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTTaxesBraedon Porter, CPAFive things to set up before your first salehttps://teoaccounting.com/blog/set-up-before-first-sale/https://teoaccounting.com/blog/set-up-before-first-sale/The boring checklist that saves you a very expensive cleanup later.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTBookkeepingBraedon Porter, CPA