MCKI Blog
Plain-English answers on the numbers side of your business
Bookkeeping, taxes, QuickBooks, and cash flow — explained the way I'd explain them to a client over coffee. No jargon, no fluff.
Why Your Undeposited Funds Account Keeps Growing (and How to Actually Clear It)
A growing balance usually means a deposit got skipped, or a bank feed transaction was added instead of matched. How to find what's stuck, clear it without doubling your income, and stop it from coming back.
Read →Why Your Bank Feed Keeps Creating Duplicate Transactions (and How to Fix It)
A reconnect, an overlapping CSV import, or an auto-add rule is usually the cause. How to find the real duplicate and remove it correctly in QuickBooks Online or Xero, without unreconciling a month that already balanced.
Read →Why Your Shopify Payouts Never Match Your Sales Report
Five things owners believe about a short Shopify payout — timing, fees, refunds, reserves, and a common connector mistake — and what's actually happening under each one.
Read →Which Mileage Rate Do I Use for 2026? (It Changed Mid-Year)
The IRS made a rare mid-year change to the 2026 mileage rate — 72.5 cents through June, 76 cents from July on. How to split your log and get the math right.
Read →How Behind Is Too Behind? Catch-Up Bookkeeping Before Tax Time
Months — or years — behind on your books? It's never too late to catch up, and missing receipts almost never stop it. What a cleanup actually involves, and why waiting is the only part that really costs you.
Read →The 2026 1099 Rules, Explained in Plain English
Two 1099 numbers changed for 2026 — the contractor threshold jumped to $2,000, and the payment-app threshold went back to $20,000. What it means whether you pay contractors or get paid through Square, PayPal, or Venmo.
Read →Why Your Square Clearing Account Never Reconciles
It's supposed to empty out to zero every month. If yours keeps climbing, that's not timing — it's errors piling up, and they're throwing off your numbers.
Read →Case Study: Their Square Books "Balanced" for Years — and Were Wrong
How we reconciled a multi-location Square restaurant's clearing accounts to zero in one month — recorded isn't the same as reconciled.
Read →Why Your Square Deposits Don't Match QuickBooks
The deposit that lands never matches what you rang up — by design. Why the numbers drift, and how to reconcile Square the right way.
Read →How to Streamline Your Bookkeeping and Get Time Back
The systems that cut the bookkeeping busywork most — in the order worth tackling them.
Read →Bookkeeping for Franchise Inspections and Audits: How to Stay Ready
How clean books turn a franchise audit from a scramble into a formality.
Read →What Happens If You Put Off Your Bookkeeping?
Seven things that go wrong when the books slide — and how to avoid each one.
Read →Accounting and Bookkeeping: The Foundation of a Successful Business
What bookkeeping and accounting each do, why they matter, and what good looks like.
Read →The Accounting Checklist Every Small Business Owner Needs
Four things to keep up with so you always know where your business stands.
Read →How a Part-Time Controller Can Transform Your Finances
Senior financial guidance without the full-time salary — and when it's worth it.
Read →5 Signs It's Time to Outsource Your Bookkeeping
Five honest signs you've outgrown doing your own books.
Read →Avoiding IRS Penalties: Why Bookkeeping Is Your Best Protection
Why most penalties trace back to messy records — and how clean books protect you.
Read →How Bookkeeping Improves Your Cash Flow
How current books steady your cash flow before problems bite.
Read →QuickBooks Hacks: 7 Time-Saving Features Worth Using
Seven QuickBooks features that quietly save hours every month.
Read →How Bookkeeping Helps You Get a Business Loan
How clean books do most of the convincing for a lender.
Read →How to Set Up a Bookkeeping System for Your New Business
Five steps to set your new business's books up right from day one.
Read →How to Run a Financial Health Check on Your Business
A four-step tune-up for your business finances, so small problems don't become breakdowns.
Read →5 Common Bookkeeping Mistakes Small Businesses Make
The five small habits that quietly cost the most — and the fix for each.
Read →5 Benefits of Outsourcing Your Bookkeeping
The five biggest returns on handing off your books — beyond just the time.
Read →Tax Tips for Service Businesses With Few Expenses
Five deductions and strategies built for low-expense service businesses.
Read →The next step
Rather just talk it through?
Run the free 2-minute Books Health Check to see where your books stand, or book a free 30-minute call. No pitch — sometimes the answer is "you're fine."
Or call 1-626-394-4718 · mikelee@mckibookkeeping.com