The Department of War suspended CMMC Phase II on July 13, 2026, sparing small defense contractors a costly certification deadline — but the underlying security duty stays.
Illinois pushed its Interchange Fee Prohibition Act to July 2027 after a second delay and ongoing federal litigation. What it means for merchants everywhere.
PayPal's board views Stripe and Advent's $53B takeover offer as too low. Here's what small merchants relying on PayPal or Braintree should track next.
SBA suspended 7,800 Wisconsin borrowers over $375M in suspected pandemic-loan fraud and is expanding Palantir AI tools. Here's what small businesses should check now.
Small businesses offering ACA-compliant group health plans are looking at a median premium increase of 11% for 2026, according to a new analysis from KFF’s Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker — a steeper jump than earlier forecasts from PwC and other industry analysts, which had pegged the increase closer to 6.5-9%. What happened The analysis reviewed...
Chargeback fraud is rising, Visa has consolidated its monitoring rules into a single program most merchants haven’t fully absorbed, and new industry data shows small businesses are the least confident group about it. The 2026 Chargeback Field Report from Chargebacks911 finds just 17.4% of small businesses describe themselves as “very informed” about the rules now...
A federal appeals court has let the Trump administration keep collecting its 10% global “balance of payments” tariff while an appeal plays out, even after a lower trade court ruled the duty unlawful in May. The reprieve is temporary either way: the underlying legal authority for the tariff expires July 24, 2026, unless Congress steps...
Upwork's 2026 Future Workforce Index shows AI-fluent freelancers earning 34% more. Here's what the freelance surge means for small business hiring and bookkeeping.
A new WA law (HB 1376) lets taxpayers prepay capital gains tax up to six months ahead of the deadline. Here's what it means for business owners planning a sale.
The IRS just finalized rules naming certain 'charitable' trust arrangements as listed transactions - a red flag for any business owner who's been pitched a way to avoid tax on a big sale.
A July 14, 2026 House hearing found 82% of AI-using small businesses grew their workforce, but lawmakers split on whether federal AI guardrails help or hurt owners.
Washington's top estate tax rate drops from 35% to 20% on July 1, 2026, but ESB 6347 also freezes the $3M exemption. Here's what family business owners should check.
The U.S. added 3.49M new businesses in H1 2026, up 12% year-over-year, despite economic headwinds. Here's what more competition and new formations mean for you.
June 2026 CPI fell 0.4% and annual inflation dropped to 3.5%, but economists warn the relief tied to easing Iran tensions could be short-lived.
A new Washington law reshuffles Paid Family & Medical Leave premium contributions starting 2027 to avoid a $30M/year federal tax hit triggered by IRS guidance.