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Bookkeeping Resources

Free guides and templates to help you master small business bookkeeping.

Free Guides & Templates

Practical resources to improve your bookkeeping

Small Business Bookkeeping Setup Guide

Step-by-step guide to setting up bookkeeping for your new business.

Free Guide
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Expense Categorization Cheat Sheet

Quick reference for properly categorizing common business expenses.

Free Cheat Sheet
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Monthly Bookkeeping Checklist

Never miss important bookkeeping tasks with this monthly checklist.

Free Checklist
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Year-End Closing Procedures

Complete guide to closing your books at the end of the fiscal year.

Free Guide
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From the Blog

Articles on AI bookkeeping, small business finance, and more

Trades10 min read

The Calls You Miss After 5pm Are Costing You More Than You Think

Missed after-hours calls don't show up anywhere in your books — which is exactly why they're easy to ignore. Here's how to size the loss, and an honest comparison of voicemail, answering services, and AI receptionists.

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Trades9 min read

Dealer Financing Is Hiding Your Real Install Margin

When a customer finances an install, the dealer fee comes out of your money — but most shops never cost it to the job. Here's how to record it so financed work stops looking more profitable than it is.

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Trades12 min read

Electrical Chart of Accounts: A Complete Template for Contractors

A working chart of accounts for an electrical contractor — every income, COGS, expense, and asset account, why each exists, and the mistakes to avoid. Free template.

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Trades14 min read

Electrical Contractor Bookkeeping: The Complete Guide for Shop Owners

How electrical contractor bookkeeping actually works — the chart of accounts a shop needs, job costing across service and construction, prevailing wage, subcontractor 1099s, and what each option costs.

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Comparisons9 min read

QuickBooks Raised Prices Again in August 2026: What Your Bill Looks Like Now

Intuit raised QuickBooks Online prices on August 1, 2026 — Plus jumped 22% and Advanced 24%, with no new features attached. Here's the new pricing, what it costs you annually, and the four options worth considering.

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Trades12 min read

Plumbing Chart of Accounts: A Complete Template for Shops

A working chart of accounts for a plumbing shop — every income, COGS, expense, and asset account, why each exists, and the mistakes to avoid. Free template.

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Trades12 min read

HVAC Chart of Accounts: A Complete Template for Shop Owners

A working chart of accounts for an HVAC shop — every income, COGS, expense, and asset account, why each exists, and the setup mistakes to avoid. Free template.

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Trades14 min read

Plumbing Bookkeeping: The Complete Guide for Shop Owners

How plumbing bookkeeping actually works — job costing when your average ticket is $340, tracking callbacks and warranty work, and what each option costs.

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Trades13 min read

HVAC Bookkeeping: The Complete Guide for Shop Owners

How HVAC bookkeeping actually works — the chart of accounts a shop needs, job costing that shows which installs made money, and what each option costs.

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Trades13 min read

How HVAC Shops Should Track Per-Job Profitability

Most HVAC owners know last month's revenue but not which jobs made money. How to set up per-job costing: what to capture, how to allocate overhead.

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Ecommerce9 min read

Ecommerce Bookkeeping: How to Handle Stripe, Shopify, and Marketplace Fees

Payment processor and marketplace fees quietly distort your ecommerce books if you record them wrong. Here is how to track gross revenue, fees, refunds, and payouts cleanly — so your profit numbers actually reflect reality.

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Taxes11 min read

Bookkeeping Cleanup Checklist: Fix Messy Books for Tax Season

A step-by-step bookkeeping cleanup checklist to catch up messy books — reconcile accounts, fix categorization, issue 1099s, and get tax-ready reports.

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AI & Automation5 min read

Free AI Bank Statement Analyzer: Get Your Spend Score in 60 Seconds

Upload a bank statement and get your free Spend Score. AI categorizes your transactions, scores your spending habits, and generates a personalized report — completely free, in under 60 seconds.

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Comparisons9 min read

Best QuickBooks Alternatives for Small Business in 2026

QuickBooks isn't the only option for small business bookkeeping. Here's an honest comparison of Wave, Xero, FreshBooks, and Poof — with pricing, features, and who each one is best for.

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AI & Automation9 min read

Do I Need a Bookkeeper, an Accountant, or Can AI Do It?

Compare the real costs and capabilities of DIY spreadsheets, AI bookkeeping, hiring a bookkeeper, and working with an accountant. A practical framework for deciding what your business actually needs.

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Guides8 min read

How to Automate Your Small Business Bookkeeping (Step by Step)

A practical guide to automating bank feeds, transaction categorization, receipt scanning, invoicing, reconciliation, and reporting — so your books stay current without the manual work.

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Guides10 min read

How to Set Up Bookkeeping for a New LLC: A Complete Guide

Starting a new LLC? Here's everything you need to set up your bookkeeping correctly from day one — from opening a business bank account to preparing for your first quarterly taxes.

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Comparisons8 min read

QuickBooks Too Expensive? 5 Things You Can Do Right Now

QuickBooks prices keep climbing. Five practical ways to cut your bookkeeping costs — from downgrading your plan to switching — without losing features.

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AI & Automation8 min read

AI Bookkeeping for Small Business: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It Matters

AI bookkeeping automates transaction categorization, receipt scanning, and financial reporting — saving small business owners hours every week. Learn how it works and what to look for.

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Learn More About Poof

Explore our product pages for detailed information

Free Spend Score

Upload a bank statement and get your free AI-powered Spend Score in 60 seconds.

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How Poof Works

See how Poof automates your bookkeeping in 3 simple steps.

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All 110 Features

Explore every feature included in your Poof subscription.

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Poof vs QuickBooks

See how Poof compares to QuickBooks for small businesses.

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Security

Learn how Poof protects your financial data.

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