Your 2026 year-end checklist: nine things to do before December 31
The moves that have to happen inside the calendar year, from owner salary and equipment purchases to W-9s for the new $2,000 1099 threshold, with the dates that matter.
7 min read
Advice for small-business owners
Deadlines, rules and routines for Illinois owners, written by the people at this firm who handle them every week. Pick a topic or start with the newest.
Which business records to keep, and for how long
A table of the records a small business keeps, how long the IRS and Illinois can ask for them, and a simple way to store them so you can find them in five minutes.
6 min read
Hiring your first employee in Illinois: the payroll checklist
Every registration, form and deadline between the offer letter and the first paycheck for an Illinois small business, in the order you will meet them.
8 min read
S corporation owner pay: what a reasonable salary means
Why the IRS expects an S corporation owner to take a salary before distributions, how to set the number, and the Illinois tax most owners forget.
7 min read
Contractor or employee? How to classify the people you pay
The IRS test, the stricter Illinois test for unemployment insurance, the new $2,000 threshold for Form 1099-NEC, and what to collect before the first payment.
7 min read
Quarterly estimated taxes in 2026: dates, amounts and the safe harbor rule
The four 2026 due dates, how much to send so the IRS and Illinois charge no penalty, and a worked example for an owner whose profit is hard to predict.
6 min read
A bookkeeping routine that takes 30 minutes a week
Four short weekly habits and one monthly hour that keep a small business's books ready for taxes, loans and decisions, with no catch-up weekend in March.
5 min read
Get new articles by email
About two a month. Deadlines and rule changes for Illinois small businesses, and nothing else.
Articles on this site are general information for small-business owners. They are not tax, legal or accounting advice for your situation, and reading them does not make you a client. Read the full disclaimer.