Glossary
Deferred Revenue: What It Is & How Bookkeepers Record It
Cash is in the bank but the work isn't done yet. Here's why that's a liability, not revenue, and how bookkeepers track every dollar until it's earned.
10 min
Published Articles
Deferred Revenue: What It Is & How Bookkeepers Record It
How to Categorize Stripe Fees in QuickBooks (Net vs Gross, 1099-K, and Refunds)
Chart of Accounts
How to Categorize Stripe Fees in QuickBooks (Net vs Gross, 1099-K, and Refunds)
Stripe fees go to Merchant Account Fees (Schedule C Line 27a), NOT Line 17. Each Stripe deposit splits into gross revenue, fees, refunds, and sales tax. Net-vs-gross posting is the #1 trap. 1099-K TY2026: $20,000 + 200 transactions per OBBBA.
9 min
How to Categorize Shopify in QuickBooks (Subscription, Payments, Capital, Apps)
Chart of Accounts
How to Categorize Shopify in QuickBooks (Subscription, Payments, Capital, Apps)
Shopify is two categories at once: subscription (Software) and Payments processing fees (Merchant Account Fees). 1099-K TY2026 threshold $20,000 + 200 transactions per OBBBA. Shopify Capital is a loan, not income. Sales tax collected is a liability.
9 min
How to Categorize Upwork in QuickBooks (And Why You Don't Issue a 1099)
Chart of Accounts
How to Categorize Upwork in QuickBooks (And Why You Don't Issue a 1099)
Upwork goes to Contract Labor (Schedule C Line 11). You don't issue a 1099-NEC to Upwork OR to the freelancer: §6041 corporate exemption applies because Upwork is the payee. The direct-pay-outside-platform $2,000 TY2026 OBBBA threshold is the trap.
9 min
How to Categorize QuickBooks Payroll Fees in QuickBooks (and Xero)
Chart of Accounts
How to Categorize QuickBooks Payroll Fees in QuickBooks (and Xero)
QuickBooks Payroll fees go to Legal & Professional Services (Schedule C Line 17). Wages go to Wages & Salaries (Line 26). Employer payroll taxes go to Payroll Taxes (Line 23). Three different lines, often lumped, frequently wrong.
9 min
How to Categorize Amazon Business Purchases in QuickBooks
Chart of Accounts
How to Categorize Amazon Business Purchases in QuickBooks
Amazon Business expense category depends on what's in the box. A $487.32 receipt with a printer, paper, coffee maker, and a book splits into four GL accounts. The §263(a) $2,500 de minimis rule plus tax-exempt misuse traps round it out.
8 min
How to Categorize AWS in QuickBooks (and Xero)
Chart of Accounts
How to Categorize AWS in QuickBooks (and Xero)
AWS goes to Cloud Services or Computer & Internet (Office/General Admin), Schedule C Line 25 or 27a. No 1099. Reserved Instances are prepaid expenses, not month-one writeoffs. §174 R&D tagging matters post-OBBBA.
9 min
How to Categorize Uber for Business in QuickBooks (Travel vs Meals)
Chart of Accounts
How to Categorize Uber for Business in QuickBooks (Travel vs Meals)
Uber rides go to Travel (Schedule C Line 24a). Uber Eats food goes to Meals (Line 24b, 50%). Commuting is not deductible. Employer-convenience office Uber Eats programs went to 0% deductible TY2026+ per OBBBA. No 1099 to Uber.
9 min
How to Categorize Adobe Creative Cloud in QuickBooks (and Xero)
Chart of Accounts
How to Categorize Adobe Creative Cloud in QuickBooks (and Xero)
Adobe Creative Cloud belongs in Software or Dues & Subscriptions (Detail Type: Software), Schedule C Line 27a. No 1099 to Adobe. Sales tax varies by state. Plus the six annual-vs-monthly edge cases that QBO forum threads skip.
10 min
How to Categorize Google Workspace in QuickBooks (and Xero)
Chart of Accounts
How to Categorize Google Workspace in QuickBooks (and Xero)
Google Workspace belongs in Software or Dues & Subscriptions, Schedule C Line 27a. No 1099. Sales tax depends on state. Annual $4,200 prepay deducts in full under the 12-month rule. GCP charges split out as Cloud Services.
9 min
How to Categorize Microsoft 365 in QuickBooks (and Xero)
Chart of Accounts
How to Categorize Microsoft 365 in QuickBooks (and Xero)
Microsoft 365 belongs in Software (Detail Type Software), Schedule C Line 27a. No 1099 to Microsoft. Sales tax varies by state. Plus annual-prepay treatment, Copilot, and Azure-split edge cases bookkeepers miss.
9 min
QuickBooks Automation in 2026: Bank Rules, Recurring Transactions, and AI Layers
QuickBooks Automation
QuickBooks Automation in 2026: Bank Rules, Recurring Transactions, and AI Layers
Bank rules cap at 200+, Intuit Assist hits ~50% on novel transactions. Here's every QBO automation layer and where each one breaks.
11 min
See It Work on Your Data
See Growthy on a sample book. Read-only bank access.
✓ No credit card✓ Works with QuickBooks Online✓ 85% accuracy
Get started