Track your profits to grow your business. This customizable free template makes it easy to analyze your restaurant's financial performance.Â




Streamline orders from diners, online orders, self-serve kiosk systems to kitchen without missing an order. Give your FOH staff an easy-to-use POS system and process orders quickly and efficiently.
Give your customers the best service from order to pay. We provide secure payment options through cards, QR codes, and links. Our cash management system reduces the risk of theft or errors in cash handling.
Access reports for sales, products, inventory and employee performance across multiple stores on one dashboard. Accelerate growth by easily identifying what needs to be fixed.
Easily control inventory, out of stock updates, and menu pricing, image and description changes for multiple restaurants including online store on a single admin dashboard.
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Imagine telling your servers they get to keep thousands of dollars more of their hard-earned money this year. The morale boost would be instant. That is exactly what the "No Tax on Tips" provision promises â a financial win for the front-of-house staff who keep your business running.
But for restaurant owners and retail managers, this "beautiful" act comes with a beast of a burden: compliance.
While your staff celebrates the tax cut, your back office is staring down the barrel of the most significant W-2 reporting changes in a decade. "No Tax" doesn't mean "No Paperwork." In fact, for 2026, it means exactly the opposite. If your POS and accounting systems aren't talking to each other, you could be facing a reporting nightmare come tax season.
Here is everything you need to know about the One Big Beautiful Act and how to survive the 2026 reporting shift without losing your mind.
Also Read: 2026 Tax Deadlines You Can Not Afford to Miss [Tax Calendar 2026]

Signed into law on July 4, 2025, as part of the One Big Beautiful Act (OBBBA), this legislation is designed to provide relief to service industry workers.
In simple terms: Federal income tax is eliminated on qualified tips up to $25,000 per year.
This is a massive shift from previous years where every cent of tip income was taxed at the same rate as regular wages. However, it is vital for business owners to read the fine print. This is not a blanket amnesty on all money that changes hands.
Many business owners assume that if the government isn't taxing it, you don't have to track it. Wrong.
To ensure employees can claim this deduction, the IRS requires employers to validate exactly which tips are "qualified" and which are not. This shifts the burden of proof directly onto your Point of Sale (POS) and accounting tracking.
See Also: How Restaurants Can Use POS Analytics Reports to Stay Ahead
For the 2026 tax year, the "honor system" is largely gone. Employers are now required to provide a granular breakdown of income. Here is what is changing on your backend:
In the past, a tip was a tip. Now, your system needs to distinguish between:
If your POS lumps these together as a single "Gratuity" line item, your employees will lose their tax deduction, and you could face audits for misreporting income. You cannot simply export a raw total at the end of the year anymore; the data needs to be clean from day one.
While the 2025 tax year is treated as a "transition period" where estimates are allowed, 2026 is mandatory. You should expect to see:
The OBBBA also includes a "No Tax on Overtime" provision (deducting the half-time premium). This means your payroll logic must now track multiple distinct buckets of money for a single shift:
Most legacy systems are not built to split "Service Charges" from "Tips" at the data level required for these new W-2s. If you are using an outdated register or a generic retail POS for a restaurant, you might find yourself manually calculating these totals for every employee at the end of the year.
Do you have time to manually audit 52 weeks of shifts for 20 employees to separate auto-grat from cash tips? Probably not.
The operational reality is that the definition of "income" has become more complex. Your technology needs to handle that complexity so you can focus on running your business.
At OneHubPOS, we understand that as a business owner, your priority is efficiency, not wrestling with new tax codes. Our system is designed to handle the nuances of the restaurant and retail environment, making it easier for you to stay compliant with the new 2026 regulations.
OneHubPOS offers flexible, smart tipping features that give you control over how gratuities are presented and recorded. Whether itâs custom percentage prompts for customers or handling cash vs. card tips, our system captures the data accurately. This clarity at the point of sale is crucial for distinguishing voluntary tips from other charges.
Stop messing with manual data entry and Excel spreadsheets. OneHubPOS integrates seamlessly with leading accounting software like QuickBooks. This means your sales and tip data can flow directly into your accounting platform, streamlining the process of preparing your books for tax season and ensuring your W-2 reporting is accurate and stress-free.
We built OneHubPOS to take the heavy lifting out of daily operations. By automating the tracking of sales and tips, we help ensure your records are audit-ready without you needing to be a tax expert. You get a system that supports your compliance efforts naturally, just by using it for your day-to-day transactions.
Is Your POS Keeping Up?
Regulations like "No Tax on Tips" prove that modern businesses need modern tools. If your current system makes compliance feel like a chore, it might be time for an upgrade.
OneHubPOS is designed to simplify the operational side of your business, from smart tipping to accounting, so you can focus on your customers, not your compliance.
Book Your Free OneHubPOS Demo today and see how it can simplify your operations.


Is there anything more universally dreaded than tax season? For entrepreneurs, April 15th often means late nights and scattered receipts, but it doesnât have to. In 2026, the best tax filing software can turn weeks of stress into a few hours of work. Whether you are a solopreneur or a retailer, finding the right small business tax filing software is the key to effortless compliance. In this guide, we review the top 10 platforms, breaking down pricing and features to help you find the easiest tax filing software for your needs so you can get back to business.
đ Must Read: 2026 Tax Filing Deadlines You Canât Afford to Miss [Tax Filing Callander]

Before we dive into the list, it is important to know what you are looking for. The easiest tax filing software for a freelancer might be completely inadequate for an S-Corp with payroll. When evaluating these tools, keep three things in mind:
Letâs look at the top contenders for 2026.
Best For: The DIY Business Owner who wants a guided hand.
TurboTax remains the heavyweight champion in the tax world, and for good reason. For 2026, Intuit has doubled down on AI-assisted guidance. Their "Live" service is particularly valuable for small business owners who want to file themselves but need a CPA to review the final return.
Best For: Seamless accounting-to-tax integration.
While primarily known as accounting software, QuickBooks (also by Intuit) is a powerhouse when paired with TurboTax or its own "Live Tax" assisted filing. If you are already using QuickBooks for your bookkeeping, the transition to tax filing is almost instant.

Best For: Cost-conscious self-employed individuals.
TaxSlayer started as a tool for tax preparers but has pivoted successfully to the consumer market. It is often cited as the easiest tax filing software for those on a budget. It lacks some of the flashy bells and whistles of TurboTax but gets the job done efficiently.
Best For: Partnerships and S-Corps looking for value.
TaxAct occupies the middle ground between the premium price of TurboTax and the budget-friendliness of TaxSlayer. It is particularly strong for businesses structured as Partnerships or S-Corps, offering a "Business" edition that is robust without breaking the bank.
Best For: Those who want a physical safety net.
In 2026, H&R Block continues to bridge the gap between digital and physical. Their software is powerful, but their unique selling point is the ability to walk into a brick-and-mortar office if things get too confusing.
Best For: Businesses with back-tax issues or IRS debt.
Note: Optima is not traditional DIY filing software like the others. It is included here because many business owners search for it when they are behind on taxes. If you have unfiled returns from previous years or owe a significant debt, standard software wonât save youâOptima will.
Best For: Businesses with an in-house accountant.
Drake is a professional-grade software typically used by CPAs, not the average business owner. However, if your small business has a dedicated finance manager or in-house bookkeeper, Drake offers incredible speed and power.
Best For: The savvy filer who refuses to overpay.
Don't let the name fool you. FreeTaxUSA is a legitimate, powerful contender for best tax filing software. They offer free federal filing (even for some business forms) and charge a nominal fee for state filing.
Best For: Cloud-based business management.
Like QuickBooks, Xero is primarily an accounting platform. However, its strength lies in its ecosystem. Xero integrates beautifully with tax compliance tools and allows you to generate financial reports that make filing a breeze.
Best For: Service-based businesses and freelancers.
FreshBooks is designed for people who send invoicesâconsultants, agencies, and contractors. Their tax features focus on tracking time and expenses so that Schedule C is easy to fill out.
You might be wondering: How does my Point of Sale system fit into this?
The biggest bottleneck in using small business tax filing software is data entry. You can buy the most expensive tax software in the world, but if you feed it inaccurate sales data, you are asking for an audit.
This is where OneHubPOS changes the game.
Tax software is only as good as the data it receives. OneHubPOS acts as your "Single Source of Truth" for all sales activities.

Stop stressing over manual data entry. Let OneHubPOS handle your sales data, inventory, and tax reporting automatically, so you can focus on growing your business.
đ Click Here to Book Your Free OneHubPOS Demo Today. Discover how we help small businesses stay compliant and profitable.
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Is tax season the most dreaded time of year for entrepreneurs? It often means swapping the thrill of running a business for a mountain of receipts and IRS anxiety. However, with a strategic approach to small business tax filing, you can trade that panic for total control. This post is your ultimate tax filing checklist for the 2026 edition, designed to streamline your prep and maximize your refund. From navigating the new OBBBA tax laws to organizing your financials, we are here to ensure you file with confidence. Letâs turn this annual headache into your biggest financial win.
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of the checklist, it is crucial to understand the landscape we are operating in. The 2025 tax year (which you are filing for now, in early 2026) has seen significant shifts that separate it from previous years.
Most notably, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) passed in mid-2025 has reshaped the playing field for American entrepreneurs. If you bought equipment last year, you are in luckâ100% bonus depreciation was reinstated for qualified property placed in service after January 19, 2025. That means you might be able to write off the entire cost of that new server, delivery van, or POS hardware immediately, rather than spreading the deduction out over several years.
However, compliance is stricter than ever. The IRS has ramped up its digital matching capabilities using AI, meaning your reported income must match what your payment processors (like OneHubPOS) report on their 1099-K forms perfectly. This makes having a robust tax filing checklist not just a "nice-to-have," but a mandatory shield for your business integrity.
Missing a deadline is the easiest way to incur penalties and flag your account for an audit. Here is your definitive timeline for the 2026 filing season.
Q4 2025 Estimated Tax Payment Due: If you pay quarterly taxes (which most profitable small businesses should), this is the final payment for the 2025 tax year.
W-2 & 1099-NEC Deadlines: You must mail or electronically file Form W-2 for employees and Form 1099-NEC for independent contractors by this date.
Partnerships (Form 1065) & S-Corps (Form 1120-S): Since March 15 is a Sunday, the deadline pushes to Monday. These returns are due before individual returns because the K-1 forms generated here are needed for the owners' personal tax returns.
Sole Proprietors (Schedule C), C-Corps (Form 1120), & Single-Member LLCs: The big day. This is also the deadline to file for an automatic 6-month extension (Form 4868 or 7004).
Q1 2026 Estimated Tax Payment: The first payment for the current 2026 tax year is also due on this day.
To make this digestible, we have broken your checklist down into four distinct phases: Information Gathering, Income, Expenses, and Review.
You cannot cook a meal without ingredients. Gather these core documents before you even open your tax software or meet with your CPA.
The IRS already knows much of what you earned via information returns (like 1099s). Your job is to make sure your records match theirs.
This is where the magic happens. Every legitimate expense you document lowers your taxable profit.
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
If you sell physical products, this is likely your biggest deduction.
General Expenses
The "Big Ticket" Deductions
If you have employees, your paperwork load increases significantly.
The tax code is a living, breathing thing. Relying on "what you did last year" is a recipe for disaster. Here are the specific updates for this filing season that you need to discuss with your accountant.
For several years, businesses had to amortize (spread out) Research & Experimental expenditures over 5 years, which was a major cash-flow hit for startups. There has been significant legislative movement in 2025 to allow immediate expensing again for domestic research. Check if your business activities (like developing new software, recipes, or products) qualify for this immediate write-off under the new Section 174A rules mentioned in recent tax acts.
For the 2025 tax year, the Section 179 expensing cap has risen again (indexed for inflation). This allows you to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment and software up to $1.2 million+ (verify the exact inflation-adjusted figure with your CPA), provided your total equipment purchases didnât exceed the phase-out threshold ($3M+). This is the best tool for reducing tax liability if you had a profitable year and need to reinvest in gear.
Did you install solar on your warehouse or buy an electric delivery vehicle in 2025? Commercial Clean Vehicle Credits (Section 45W) and Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings deductions (179D) are still in full effect. They can offer credits of up to $7,500 or more per vehicle and massive deductions for lighting/HVAC upgrades.
The "Crypto Question" is no longer optional. On the first page of the 1040 and many business forms, you must answer whether you received, sold, exchanged, or disposed of any digital asset. If your business accepted Bitcoin or Ethereum as payment, or if you held stablecoins in a treasury account, you must have exact records of the cost basis and fair market value at the time of the transaction.
Even with a checklist, things can go wrong. Avoid these "audit flags" that alert the IRS algorithms.
1. Commingling Funds
The number one sin of small business ownership. If you are buying personal groceries with your business debit card, you are piercing the corporate veil. This can invalidate your LLC protection and cause the IRS to disallow your expenses. Stop immediately and keep accounts strictly separate.
2. Estimating Numbers
Never guess. "About $500" for travel looks suspicious to an auditor. "$482.50" backed by a receipt looks professional. Round numbers are a statistical anomaly in business; seeing too many of them on a Schedule C is a red flag.
3. Ignoring the "Hobby Loss" Rule
If your business has reported a net loss for 3 out of the last 5 years, the IRS may classify it as a hobby rather than a business. If this happens, they will disallow your loss deductions. Ensure you are demonstrating a clear "intent for profit" by keeping professional logs, marketing your business, and adjusting your strategy to become profitable.
In 2026, the shoebox of receipts is officially dead. The IRS accepts digital copies of receipts, and in the event of an audit, they will expect digital records.
Why Paper Fails:
Thermal paper receipts fade. Within six months, that $200 client dinner receipt will likely be a blank slip of white paper. If you cannot read it, you cannot deduct it.
The Digital Workflow:
Implementation of a "Snap and Store" policy is essential. As soon as an expense occurs, take a photo of the receipt and upload it to a cloud drive or your accounting software. Ensure the image clearly shows the Vendor Name, Date, Amount, and Items Purchased.
Furthermore, ensure your Point of Sale system is cloud-based. Old-school legacy POS systems that store data on a local hard drive are a liability. If that hard drive crashes, you lose your proof of income, which can be catastrophic during tax season.
Tax filing shouldn't be a scavenger hunt. The quality of your tax return depends entirely on the quality of your record-keeping throughout the year. If you are scrambling in January, your systems failed you in July.
This is where OneHubPOS becomes your silent partner in tax compliance.
When your data is organized, your accountant spends less time "cleaning up" your books (at a high hourly rate) and more time finding you strategic tax savings.
The 2026 tax season doesn't have to be a nightmare. By using this small business tax filing checklist, staying ahead of the OBBBA legislative changes, and leveraging tools like OneHubPOS to keep your data pristine, you can file with accuracy and ease.
Don't wait until April 14th. Procrastination is the enemy of accuracy. Start gathering your documents today using the checklist above.
Ready to simplify your financial tracking for next year?
Click here to schedule a free OneHubPOS demo and see how we can turn your chaotic receipts into audit-proof reports. Letâs make 2026 your most organized year yet!
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