The bad news: scam emails are becoming more common. The good news: you can be more aware with a few helpful tips! When receiving messages that may look official, but you're unsure about, check to see if they include the following red flags that are often used: • urgent payment demands • unexpected invoices • requests to “confirm” account information • links that don’t match the sender’s name • misspellings • unfamiliar email addresses • attachments you weren’t expecting To verify the sender, check the full email address (not just the display name) and contact the company directly using a phone number or website you already trust—not the information in the email.  When in doubt, avoid clicking links or downloading anything, and take a moment to verify before responding to help protect your financial and personal information.

Using QuickBooks Online can simplify your business finances—but only if you use it correctly. Let’s go over 5 common mistakes small business owners make (and how to avoid them). 1. Not Categorizing Transactions Regularly If you let transactions pile up, things get messy fast. Fix: Set aside 10–15 minutes each week to review and categorize. 2. Mixing Personal and Business Expenses This is one of the biggest headaches during tax time! Fix: Use a separate business bank account and make sure only business expenses go through it. 3. Ignoring Bank Reconciliation Reconciliation ensures your records match your bank. Fix: Reconcile monthly. It helps catch: • Missing transactions • Duplicate entries • Errors 4. Not Using Automation Features QuickBooks Online is powerful, but only if you use its tools. Fix: Take advantage of: • Bank rules • Recurring invoices • Auto-categorization 5. Skipping Reports Many business owners never look at their reports and miss key insights. Fix: Check these monthly: • Profit & Loss • Cash Flow • Expenses by category Avoiding these mistakes will save you time, stress, and possibly money. A little consistency goes a long way! Contact our office for QBO help.

One of the advantages of operating your own business is hiring family members, however, employment tax requirements for family employees vary from those that apply to other employees. Take a look at the chart to decipher who's exampt from what! Also, if your business is located in Lancaster County, PA, ANY employee under the age of 16 is EXEMPT from local withholding taxes. If you have a family member employed by you and would like to know more about these exemptions, please contact us!