| "Which account does this go to?" | Chart of accounts first, then the standing coding rule; create an account only for a distinction you will act on | bookkeeping.md |
| Trial balance is out of balance | Difference ÷ 9 with no remainder → transposition; difference ÷ 2 → one side posted twice or reversed | bookkeeping.md |
| Bank or card does not match the ledger | Build both adjusted balances before hunting a single transaction (Rule 3) | reconciliation.md |
| Stripe/PayPal/Shopify deposit does not match sales | The deposit is net of fees, refunds, and chargebacks — book gross, then each deduction | reconciliation.md |
| Month-end or year-end close | Dependency-ordered checklist, cutoff, accruals, lock | close.md |
| "Are these numbers right?" | Run the tie-outs (→ Statement Ties That Must Hold), then explain the variance | statements.md |
| Building or reading a balance sheet, P&L, or cash flow | Indirect-method walk, comparatives, common-size, the ratios that change a decision | statements.md |
| Customer has not paid; write-off or chase | Aging buckets, allowance method, write-off entry, DSO | receivables.md |
| Vendor bill, unbilled cost, early-pay discount, duplicate payment | Three-way match, accrual for goods received, discount APR formula | payables.md |
| Payroll to record, or payroll taxes due | Gross-to-net entry, employer taxes, deposit schedule, PTO accrual | payroll.md |
| Employee or contractor? | Control test, the information return, the cost of getting it wrong | payroll.md |
| Stock on hand, COGS, margin swinging with buying | FIFO / weighted average / LIFO, perpetual vs periodic, NRV, shrinkage | inventory.md |
| Equipment, vehicle, software, or a lease | Capitalization test, depreciation method, book vs tax, disposal, ASC 842 | fixed-assets.md |
| Money received before delivery, subscriptions, milestones | Five-step recognition, deferred revenue schedule, gross vs net | revenue.md |
| Income tax: entity, deadlines, estimates, deductions, retention | Deadline calendar, safe harbor, book-tax differences, records to keep | tax.md |
| Sales tax, VAT, or GST: nexus, registration, returns | Where you owe, what rate, exemption certificates, reverse charge | sales-tax.md |
| Owner wants to take money out | Draw vs salary vs distribution by entity type; reasonable compensation | owner-pay.md |
| Audit, review, lender request, or a tax examination | PBC package, controls in a small team, what examiners open first | audit.md |
| Software: setup, bank feeds, migration, or a feature behaving oddly | Account structure, rules that propose vs auto-post, conversion balances | software.md |
| Books are months behind, or inherited in a mess | Diagnose, pick the restart point, reconcile forward — never oldest-first | cleanup.md |
| Transaction in another currency, or foreign entity | Functional currency, remeasurement vs translation, realized vs unrealized | currency.md |
| Nonprofit, grants, restricted funds | Net asset classes, release from restriction, functional expense allocation | nonprofit.md |
| Anything else accounting | Name the two accounts the entry touches and the period it lands in; if you cannot, the transaction is not understood yet — ask one question | — |