bookkeeping-skills

Small-business bookkeeping skills for converting financial evidence into accountant-reviewable outputs, including setup/context, receipt processing, expense categorization, bank reconciliation, tax preparation, monthly close, jurisdiction-aware tax references, plus specialized skills for home office, vehicle, meals, depreciation, 1099 contractors, and estimated taxes. Trigger on "help me with my bookkeeping", "set up my bookkeeping", "bookkeeping context", "chart of accounts", "process my receipts", "categorize expenses", "reconcile my bank statement", "get my books ready for taxes", "close the month", "organize my finances".

Create a bookkeeping context profile before downstream bookkeeping work. Captures entity type, tax jurisdiction, accounting method, chart of accounts baseline, connected tools, approval thresholds, record-retention policy, and review boundaries. Trigger on "set up my bookkeeping", "bookkeeping context", "chart of accounts", "cash or accrual", "configure my books", "what info do you need before bookkeeping".

Match book entries against bank or credit card statements to find discrepancies, missing transactions, and duplicates. Uses exact, near, and batch matching with balance verification. Trigger on "reconcile bank statement", "match transactions", "bank balance doesn't match", "close the books".

Assign transactions to tax-aligned expense categories using vendor name, line items, and amount patterns. Handles ambiguous vendors like Amazon by inspecting line-item detail from the receipt source. Supports split categorization and learns from user corrections. Trigger on "categorize expenses", "sort transactions", "assign expense categories", "what category is this".

Repeatable month-end close checklist for small businesses — lock the period, process outstanding receipts, categorize remaining items, reconcile all accounts, review large transactions, check contractor 1099 thresholds, generate monthly P&L summary. Trigger on "close the month", "month-end close", "monthly bookkeeping", "close the books".

Extract structured data from receipts and invoices for bookkeeping, expense tracking, and tax preparation. Supports email, photos, scanned images, PDFs, and accounting exports. Outputs vendor, date, amount, tax, line items as table, CSV, or JSON. Trigger on "process receipts", "extract receipts from email", "scan invoices", "capture expenses".

Organize financial records into tax-ready reports — P&L mapped to Schedule C lines, quarterly breakdowns, 1099 contractor summary, and flagged items requiring special treatment. Does not file taxes or give tax advice. Coordinates with specialized skills for meals, depreciation, home office, vehicle, and 1099 details. Trigger on "prepare for taxes", "tax prep", "Schedule C", "get ready for my accountant", "tax package".

Track independent contractor payments, collect W-9s, determine 1099-NEC filing requirements, and avoid penalties. Covers the $600 threshold (2025) and $2,000 threshold (2026), Jan 31 deadline, corporate exceptions, backup withholding, and penalty schedule ($60–$660/form). Trigger on "1099", "contractor payment", "do I need to file a 1099", "W-9", "independent contractor".

Determine whether to expense or depreciate business assets using the de minimis safe harbor ($2,500), Section 179 ($1,220,000 limit), bonus depreciation (phase-out 2024–2027), or MACRS schedules. Track asset basis, useful life, and accumulated depreciation. Trigger on "depreciate", "Section 179", "bonus depreciation", "capitalize or expense", "asset tracking", "de minimis".

Calculate and schedule quarterly estimated tax payments (Form 1040-ES) for self-employed individuals. Covers self-employment tax calculation (15.3%), income tax estimation, safe harbor rules (100%/110% of prior year), payment deadlines, and underpayment penalties. Trigger on "estimated taxes", "quarterly taxes", "1040-ES", "how much should I pay quarterly", "self-employment tax", "avoid tax penalty".

Calculate the home office deduction using either the simplified method ($5/sq ft, max $1,500) or actual expense method (Form 8829). Covers qualification rules, exclusive-use test, direct vs indirect expenses, and depreciation of home. Trigger on "home office deduction", "Form 8829", "can I deduct my home office", "work from home tax".

Rules for deducting business meals at 50%, required documentation (who, what, where, why), entertainment at 0% since TCJA 2018, on-premises meals going to 0% in 2026, and common mistakes. Trigger on "deduct a meal", "business lunch", "client dinner deductible", "meals deduction", "entertainment deduction", "can I write off this dinner".

IRS Schedule C (Form 1040) expense category reference — every line from 8 to 27a with what belongs, what doesn't, and common mistakes. Covers COGS (Part III), operating expenses (Part II), and Form 8829 business use of home. Trigger on "what Schedule C line", "which expense category", "where does this go on Schedule C", "is this deductible".

Choose between standard mileage rate and actual expenses for business vehicle deductions. Covers the IRS mileage rate, method lock-in rules, mileage log requirements, commuting rules, luxury auto limits, and heavy vehicle exceptions. Trigger on "mileage deduction", "standard mileage rate", "vehicle expenses", "car deduction", "business miles", "mileage tracking".