{"id":13679,"date":"2023-11-02T09:17:50","date_gmt":"2023-11-02T15:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/accounting-method\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T17:11:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T17:11:13","slug":"accounting-method","status":"publish","type":"epkb_post_type_1","link":"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/accounting-method\/","title":{"rendered":"Accounting Method"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 ez-toc-wrap-right counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table Of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/accounting-method\/#Phantom_Income\" >Phantom Income<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/accounting-method\/#Bad_Debts_in_Cash_World\" >Bad Debts in Cash World<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/accounting-method\/#Accruals_in_Cash_World\" >Accruals in Cash World<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/accounting-method\/#Taxpayers_Comprehensive_Guide_to_LLCs_and_S_Corps_2025_Edition\" >Taxpayer\u2019s Comprehensive Guide to LLCs and S Corps 2025 Edition<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/accounting-method\/#Talk_to_a_Small_Business_CPA_About_Your_Situation\" >Talk to a Small Business CPA About Your Situation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/accounting-method\/#Schedule_Discovery_Meeting_Now\" >Schedule Discovery Meeting Now<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; woodmart_inline=&#8221;no&#8221; text_larger=&#8221;no&#8221;]<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31340 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/015456_408466400_accounting_method_300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/>By <strong>Jason Watson, CPA<\/strong><br \/>\nPosted Friday, November 3, 2023<\/p>\n<p>Many business owners ask if they should be cash or accrual when selecting the accounting method within their accounting platform such as QuickBooks Online. Simply put, the accrual-basis method recognizes revenue when earned (not when paid) and recognizes expenses when obligated to pay (but not necessarily paid). Conversely, the cash-basis method recognizes revenue when cash is received and recognizes expenses when cash is paid (mailing a check on 12\/31 or swiping your credit card on 12\/31 is considered paid in the current year).<\/p>\n<p>There is also a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/publications\/p538\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">modified cash-basis method of accounting<\/a> for those who have inventory where generally you are using cash-basis for recording transactions but record all inventory transactions using accrual-basis. Which method should you use?<\/p>\n<p>Yes, there are all kinds of exceptions, rules, thresholds, etc. and other nauseating details. Let\u2019s skip those now. Most small businesses can operate just fine using the cash-basis method of accounting; when cash comes in, it\u2019s revenue. When cash leaves, it is usually an expense or a shareholder distribution (or loan payment or capital expenditure on a monster truck for the office). Easy.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Phantom_Income\"><\/span>Phantom Income<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Cash-basis method also prevents phantom income or paying taxes on bad income. What do we mean?<\/p>\n<p>If you send an invoice on 12\/31 but the client never pays, and you forget this, you will pay taxes on phantom income. Or, you send an invoice for $10,000 on 12\/31 but the client only pays $6,000 on 7\/1 because of a negotiated write-down; you paid taxes on $10,000 and now you must wait until the following year to recognize the $4,000 bad debt expense and subsequent reduction in taxable income. $4,000 times your tax rate might not be a big deal; $40,000 times your tax rate might be a killer since you didn\u2019t get the cash to pay the taxes.<\/p>\n<p>Another scenario is where you invoice a client on 12\/31 but because of norms in the industry, they don\u2019t pay for six months. If this is a large invoice you will have fronted the taxes generated by it on April 15 but not get paid until July 1. That can really suck the cash out of your flow.<\/p>\n<p>Cash-basis method of accounting takes the mystery out of this stuff.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bad_Debts_in_Cash_World\"><\/span>Bad Debts in Cash World<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>One question we get all the time\u2026 literally all the time\u2026 \u201cI built a website for this dude and he never paid me. Can I deduct the amount he owes me?\u201d It depends. If you are cash-basis then No since you never recognized the income nor paid taxes on it. If you are accrual-basis where you invoiced the dude and recognized the income as taxable, then Yes. To recap, you can only deduct a bad debt if you previously recognized the income, dude or no dude.<\/p>\n<p>Here is another example to hopefully take this home. You are a landlord. Your property is vacant for two months; your taxable rental income is naturally reduced by this vacancy and as such creates a built-in tax reduction (not deduction\u2026 reduction\u2026 with an r).<\/p>\n<p>Keep in mind that over time accrual-basis and cash-basis converge for most small businesses that are stable and not growing. From year to year things might be different, but after a decade or more, historical net income is virtually identical between accrual and cash. Sure, there are probably extreme and rare examples where this statement fails, but generally speaking it holds.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Accruals_in_Cash_World\"><\/span>Accruals in Cash World<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>There are some nuances that we must take care of in a cash-based world. Four scenarios tend to repeat themselves often-<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You intend to make a 401k employer contribution by March 15. Cash hasn\u2019t left the checking account yet, however, you want to deduct the 401k contribution on your tax return. We would record the 401k Contribution expense (debit) with a corresponding 401k Liability (credit).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>You swipe your credit card for a bunch of expenses in December. You pay the credit card bill in January. The IRS, and the accounting industry, says you can recognize these expenses at the time of credit card swipe. However, cash has not left your checking account by December 31. As such, we record the expenses (debits) with a corresponding Credit Card Payable (credit).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Your client, on the advice of their smart CPA, sends you a check on December 31 and you receive it on January 2. The 1099-MISC that is issued to you also includes this payment. We align top-line revenue with the total of all 1099s received, and then record a \u201ctiming difference\u201d so that part of this revenue is not recognized as taxable income.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>You are part of a multi-entity arrangement where the mothership pays out a fee for service to the baby S Corps. However, December 31 comes and goes, and the final year-end accounting (bookkeeping) has not been done until February. Since the obligation existed on December 31, we record a Fee for Service expense (debit) and corresponding Payable (credit) so that net business income (profit) is reduced correctly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;25px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<style data-type=\"vc_shortcodes-custom-css\">#wd-6915e3dd2a9b5 .info-box-title{line-height:40px;font-size:30px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-6915e3dd2a9b5 .info-box-inner{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-6915e437409dd .info-box-title{line-height:40px;font-size:30px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-6915e437409dd .info-box-inner{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-68460c16bff16 .info-box-title{line-height:60px;font-size:50px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-68460c16bff16 .info-box-inner{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-687b937e0887f .info-box-title{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-687b937e0887f .info-box-inner{line-height:22px;font-size:12px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-687b9384e0d51 .info-box-title{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-687b9384e0d51 .info-box-inner{line-height:22px;font-size:12px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-687b938a8f4b3 .info-box-title{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-687b938a8f4b3 .info-box-inner{line-height:22px;font-size:12px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-68bcf7fc8516a .info-box-title{line-height:40px;font-size:30px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-68bcf7fc8516a .info-box-inner{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-68bcfccd83cf7 .info-box-title{line-height:46px;font-size:36px;color:#473d3c;}#wd-68bcfccd83cf7 .info-box-inner{line-height:26px;font-size:16px;color:#473d3c;}@media (max-width: 1199px) {#wd-6915e3dd2a9b5 .info-box-title{line-height:34px;font-size:24px;}#wd-6915e3dd2a9b5 .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-6915e437409dd .info-box-title{line-height:34px;font-size:24px;}#wd-6915e437409dd .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-68460c16bff16 .info-box-title{line-height:50px;font-size:40px;}#wd-687b937e0887f .info-box-title{line-height:25px;font-size:15px;}#wd-687b9384e0d51 .info-box-title{line-height:25px;font-size:15px;}#wd-687b938a8f4b3 .info-box-title{line-height:25px;font-size:15px;}#wd-68bcf7fc8516a .info-box-title{line-height:34px;font-size:24px;}#wd-68bcf7fc8516a .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-68bcfccd83cf7 .info-box-title{line-height:36px;font-size:26px;}#wd-68bcfccd83cf7 .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}}@media (max-width: 767px) {#wd-6915e3dd2a9b5 .info-box-title{line-height:28px;font-size:18px;}#wd-6915e3dd2a9b5 .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-6915e437409dd .info-box-title{line-height:28px;font-size:18px;}#wd-6915e437409dd .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-68460c16bff16 .info-box-title{line-height:40px;font-size:30px;}#wd-687b937e0887f .info-box-title{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-687b9384e0d51 .info-box-title{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-687b938a8f4b3 .info-box-title{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-68bcf7fc8516a .info-box-title{line-height:28px;font-size:18px;}#wd-68bcf7fc8516a .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}#wd-68bcfccd83cf7 .info-box-title{line-height:28px;font-size:18px;}#wd-68bcfccd83cf7 .info-box-inner{line-height:24px;font-size:14px;}}<\/style><div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\">[vc_row][vc_column]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-6915e3dd2a9b5\" class=\" wd-rs-6915e3dd2a9b5 wd-info-box wd-wpb text-center box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none border-btm-title kb \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Jason Watson, CPA, is a Partner and the CEO of <strong>WCG CPAs &amp; Advisors<\/strong>, a boutique yet progressive tax, accounting and business consultation firm located in Colorado serving small business owners and taxpayers worldwide.<\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; justify-content: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jason-watson-cpa\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-17327 entered lazyloaded\" style=\"height: 35px!important; width: auto!important;\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/linkedin-150x150-1.png.webp\" alt=\"Jason Watson CPA LinkedIn\" \/><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:jason@wcginc.com\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-17334 entered lazyloaded\" style=\"height: 35px!important; width: auto!important;\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/mail-150x150-1.png.webp\" alt=\"Jason Watson CPA Email\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-6915e437409dd\" class=\" wd-rs-6915e437409dd wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none border-btm-title img-right kb \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"info-box-title title wd-font-weight-800 box-title-style-default font-primary wd-fontsize-m\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Taxpayers_Comprehensive_Guide_to_LLCs_and_S_Corps_2025_Edition\"><\/span>Taxpayer\u2019s Comprehensive Guide to LLCs and S Corps 2025 Edition<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31529 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/LLC-S-Corp-Web-and-Social-GFX_275-250x300-1.webp\" alt=\"Taxpayer\u2019s Comprehensive Guide to LLCs and S Corps 2025 Edition\" width=\"250\" height=\"300\" \/>This KB article is an excerpt from our 420+ page book (some picture pages, but no scatch and sniff) which is available in paperback from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcginc.com\/amazon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>, as an eBook for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcginc.com\/kindle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kindle<\/a>\u00a0and as a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcginc.com\/pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PDF<\/a>\u00a0from ClickBank. We used to publish with iTunes and Nook, but keeping up with two different formats was brutal. You can cruise through these KB articles online, click on the fancy buttons below or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/business-services\/book\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">visit our webpage<\/a>\u00a0which provides more information.<\/p>\n<table class=\"purchase-table\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/amazon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6657 aligncenter\" style=\"float: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/amazon-imageresized.png.webp\" alt=\"LLCs and S Corp Book Amazon\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/kindle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6658\" style=\"float: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/kindle-imageresized.png.webp\" alt=\"LLCs and S Corp Book Kindle\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6659 aligncenter\" style=\"float: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/PDFresized.png.webp\" alt=\"LLCs and S Corp Book PDF\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>$49.95<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>$39.95<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>$29.95<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=\"yes\" content_placement=\"top\" el_id=\"consultation-secc\" woodmart_css_id=\"6756f7d427735\" responsive_spacing=\"eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NzU2ZjdkNDI3NzM1Iiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfcm93IiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=\" mobile_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" tablet_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" woodmart_parallax=\"0\" woodmart_gradient_switch=\"no\" woodmart_box_shadow=\"no\" wd_z_index=\"no\" woodmart_disable_overflow=\"0\" row_reverse_mobile=\"0\" row_reverse_tablet=\"0\" el_class=\"kb-consult\"][vc_column]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-68460c2ba6365\" class=\" wd-rs-68460c2ba6365 wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none border-btm-title kb-fix \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"info-box-title title box-title-style-default wd-fontsize-m\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Talk_to_a_Small_Business_CPA_About_Your_Situation\"><\/span>Talk to a Small Business CPA About Your Situation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p>Please use the form below to tell us a little about yourself, and what you have going on with your small business or 1099 contractor gig. <strong>WCG CPAs &amp; Advisors<\/strong> are small business CPAs, tax professionals and consultants, and we look forward to talking to you!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[vc_row_inner el_id=\"consultation-inner\" woodmart_css_id=\"66fd6caf92fc0\" responsive_spacing=\"eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NmZkNmNhZjkyZmMwIiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfcm93X2lubmVyIiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=\" mobile_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" tablet_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" woodmart_parallax=\"0\" woodmart_gradient_switch=\"no\" woodmart_box_shadow=\"no\" wd_z_index=\"no\" woodmart_disable_overflow=\"0\" row_reverse_mobile=\"0\" row_reverse_tablet=\"0\"][vc_column_inner][vc_raw_js el_class=\"defaultBot\"]JTNDc2NyaXB0JTIwdHlwZSUzRCUyMnRleHQlMkZqYXZhc2NyaXB0JTIyJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3Y2dpbmMuam90Zm9ybS5jb20lMkZqc2Zvcm0lMkYyNTE2NjQ4Nzk0MTQ5NzMlMjIlM0UlM0MlMkZzY3JpcHQlM0U=[\/vc_raw_js][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-68460c16bff16\" class=\" wd-rs-68460c16bff16 wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none border-btm-title defaultBot \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p>The tax advisors, business consultants and rental property experts at <strong>WCG CPAs &amp; Advisors<\/strong> are not salespeople; we are not putting lipstick on a pig expecting you to love it. Our job remains being professionally detached, giving you information and letting you decide within our ethical guidelines and your risk profiles.<\/p>\n<p>We see far too many crazy schemes and half-baked ideas from attorneys and wealth managers. In some cases, they are good ideas. In most cases, all the entities, layering and mixed ownership is only the illusion of precision. As Chris Rock says, just because you can drive your car with your feet doesn\u2019t make it a good idea. In other words, let\u2019s not automatically convert \u201cyou can\u201d into \u201cyou must.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Let\u2019s chat so you can be smart about it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We typically schedule a 20-minute complimentary quick chat with one of our Partners or our amazing Senior Tax Professionals to determine if we are a good fit for each other, and how an engagement with our team looks. Tax returns only? Business advisory? Tax strategy and planning? Rental property support?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[vc_row_inner equal_height=\"yes\" el_class=\"boxes--pack\" woodmart_css_id=\"673b5f334f247\" responsive_spacing=\"eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NzNiNWYzMzRmMjQ3Iiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfcm93X2lubmVyIiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=\" mobile_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" tablet_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" woodmart_parallax=\"0\" woodmart_gradient_switch=\"no\" woodmart_box_shadow=\"no\" wd_z_index=\"no\" woodmart_disable_overflow=\"0\" row_reverse_mobile=\"0\" row_reverse_tablet=\"0\"][vc_column_inner width=\"1\/3\"]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-687b937e0887f\" class=\" wd-rs-687b937e0887f wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none business-boxes \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box-icon-wrapper  box-with-icon box-icon-simple\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-icon\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"622\" height=\"622\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Text-WCG-Offices-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Text WCG Offices\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"info-box-title title wd-font-weight-600 box-title-style-default font-primary wd-fontsize-m\">Text WCG Offices<\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p>Need to get in touch through a quick text?\u00a0 We\u2019ll respond back within a day and get going!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"wd-info-box-link wd-fill\" aria-label=\"Infobox link\" href=\"sms:+17193452100?&amp;body=Hey%20WCG!%20Please%20call%20me%20to%20discuss%20your%20CPA%20services\" title=\"\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=\"1\/3\"]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-687b9384e0d51\" class=\" wd-rs-687b9384e0d51 wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none business-boxes \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box-icon-wrapper  box-with-icon box-icon-simple\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-icon\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"622\" height=\"622\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chat-Our-Amazing-Team-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Chat our amazing team\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"info-box-title title wd-font-weight-600 box-title-style-default font-primary wd-fontsize-m\">Call Our Amazing Team<\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p class=\" \">If you need to speak to a tax professional now, give us a call and we'll get you connected.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"wd-info-box-link wd-fill\" aria-label=\"Infobox link\" href=\"tel:719-387-9800\" title=\"\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=\"1\/3\"]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-687b938a8f4b3\" class=\" wd-rs-687b938a8f4b3 wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none business-boxes nav-button-chat \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box-icon-wrapper  box-with-icon box-icon-simple\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-icon\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"622\" height=\"622\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chat-With-a-Tax-Pro-2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Chat with a tax pro\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"info-box-title title wd-font-weight-600 box-title-style-default font-primary wd-fontsize-m\">Chat With a Tax Pro<\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p>Taxes can be tricky. Chat with a WCG human now and get questions answered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=\"yes\" content_placement=\"top\" woodmart_css_id=\"684abef7ecaa9\" responsive_spacing=\"eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2ODRhYmVmN2VjYWE5Iiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfcm93IiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=\" mobile_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" tablet_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" woodmart_parallax=\"0\" woodmart_gradient_switch=\"no\" woodmart_box_shadow=\"no\" wd_z_index=\"no\" woodmart_disable_overflow=\"0\" row_reverse_mobile=\"0\" row_reverse_tablet=\"0\" el_class=\"kb-consult\"][vc_column]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-68bcf7fc8516a\" class=\" wd-rs-68bcf7fc8516a wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none border-btm-title \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"info-box-title title wd-font-weight-600 box-title-style-default font-primary wd-fontsize-m\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Schedule_Discovery_Meeting_Now\"><\/span>Schedule Discovery Meeting Now<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[vc_row_inner content_placement=\"middle\" el_class=\"client-review-secs box--card\" woodmart_css_id=\"672e712482714\" responsive_spacing=\"eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NzJlNzEyNDgyNzE0Iiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfcm93X2lubmVyIiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=\" mobile_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" tablet_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" woodmart_parallax=\"0\" woodmart_gradient_switch=\"no\" woodmart_box_shadow=\"no\" wd_z_index=\"no\" woodmart_disable_overflow=\"0\" row_reverse_mobile=\"0\" row_reverse_tablet=\"0\"][vc_column_inner width=\"1\/3\" woodmart_css_id=\"671780b35b49a\" parallax_scroll=\"no\" woodmart_sticky_column=\"false\" wd_collapsible_content_switcher=\"no\" wd_column_role_offcanvas_desktop=\"no\" wd_column_role_offcanvas_tablet=\"no\" wd_column_role_offcanvas_mobile=\"no\" wd_column_role_content_desktop=\"no\" wd_column_role_content_tablet=\"no\" wd_column_role_content_mobile=\"no\" mobile_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" tablet_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" woodmart_parallax=\"0\" woodmart_box_shadow=\"no\" responsive_spacing=\"eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NzE3ODBiMzViNDlhIiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfY29sdW1uX2lubmVyIiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=\" wd_z_index=\"no\"]\t\t<div id=\"wd-68874e76cd7bc\" class=\"wd-image wd-wpb wd-rs-68874e76cd7bc text-left \">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/265518_2057667071_tax_consultation_300-1.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Request a Meeting with WCG Inc\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=\"2\/3\" woodmart_css_id=\"671780c0415fb\" parallax_scroll=\"no\" woodmart_sticky_column=\"false\" wd_collapsible_content_switcher=\"no\" wd_column_role_offcanvas_desktop=\"no\" wd_column_role_offcanvas_tablet=\"no\" wd_column_role_offcanvas_mobile=\"no\" wd_column_role_content_desktop=\"no\" wd_column_role_content_tablet=\"no\" wd_column_role_content_mobile=\"no\" mobile_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" tablet_bg_img_hidden=\"no\" woodmart_parallax=\"0\" woodmart_box_shadow=\"no\" responsive_spacing=\"eyJwYXJhbV90eXBlIjoid29vZG1hcnRfcmVzcG9uc2l2ZV9zcGFjaW5nIiwic2VsZWN0b3JfaWQiOiI2NzE3ODBjMDQxNWZiIiwic2hvcnRjb2RlIjoidmNfY29sdW1uX2lubmVyIiwiZGF0YSI6eyJ0YWJsZXQiOnt9LCJtb2JpbGUiOnt9fX0=\" wd_z_index=\"no\"]\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"wd-68bcfccd83cf7\" class=\" wd-rs-68bcfccd83cf7 wd-info-box wd-wpb text-left box-icon-align-top box-style- color-scheme- wd-bg-none with-btn box-btn-static \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-box-inner reset-last-child\"><p>Ready to schedule now and talk about S Corp and reasonable salary and all that gibberish? Let's do it! Here is a link to a Discovery Meeting with one of our Partners or Senior Tax Professionals to understand your tax footprint and objectives, and how <strong>WCG CPAs &amp; Advisors<\/strong> might help.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-btn-wrapper\"><div id=\"wd-6a31bf5e472a2\" class=\"  wd-button-wrapper text-left\"><a href=\"https:\/\/calendly.com\/wcg-cpas-advisors\/discovery-meeting-instant\" title=\"\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"btn btn-style-default btn-shape-rectangle btn-size-default\">Schedule Meeting<\/a><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<style><\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t[\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/div>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many business owners ask if they should be cash or accrual when selecting the accounting method within their accounting package. Simply put, the accrual-basis method recognizes revenue when earned (not when paid) and recognizes expenses when [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":31340,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"epkb_post_type_1_category":[75],"epkb_post_type_1_tag":[],"class_list":["post-13679","epkb_post_type_1","type-epkb_post_type_1","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","epkb_post_type_1_category-chap-10-operating-your-s-corp"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Small Business Accounting Method - Cash versus Accrual - WCG CPAs &amp; Advisors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Business owners ask if they should be cash or accrual when selecting the accounting method within their accounting package. Cash is preferred.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wcginc.com\/kb\/accounting-method\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Accounting Method\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Business owners ask if they should be cash or accrual when selecting the accounting method within their accounting package. 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