Colwell and Pierce LLC

10/05/2026

𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗹 𝗺𝘆 𝗜𝗥𝗦 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀?

Getting retroactive S corp status fixes your business tax classification, but it doesn't erase back penalties.

To the IRS, these are two completely separate files:
• 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗹 fixes 𝘸𝘩𝘰 you are for tax purposes (granting you retroactive S corp status from the date you intended).
• 𝗜𝗥𝗦 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 are triggered by 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 (filing tax returns late, missing payroll tax deposits, or paying late).

Approving one does not automatically cancel the other.

The good news is, you can still request separate penalty abatement to get those IRS fines taken care of.

Comment 𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦 to see if you qualify for penalty relief.

10/02/2026

𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗥𝗦 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼?

No, federal approval doesn't necessarily mean your state will recognize the same S corp treatment.

That’s because your federal election and your state tax treatment are separate. Some states follow the federal election automatically, while others require their own election, filing, or payment.

So after your federal election is approved, let us help check your state’s rules to see whether anything else still needs to be filed or corrected.

10/01/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀?

If cash feels tight in your business, start by collecting money that's already owed to you.

Here are three places you can start:
1. Audit monthly software and vendor subscriptions, and cancel whatever isn't bringing in revenue or saving time.
2. Send follow-ups on overdue invoices past 15 days (uncollected money is an interest-free loan you're giving away).
3. Offer an add-on service to active clients, which takes less effort than landing a new customer.

Cash flow problems are usually a system issue, not a personal failure.

Send us a DM if you want another set of eyes on your expenses and unpaid invoices.

09/30/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗲𝗻𝗱?

You should start reviewing your payroll records before Q3 closes so that you have time to catch problems while you can still address them.

A few things to check now:
1. Do your payroll reports match your general ledger?
2. Are any manual or voided checks creating discrepancies?
3. Do you have the right information on file for your contractors?
4. Are your payroll wage categories recorded correctly?

You have a three-month buffer to get those records cleaned up before December 31.

And if you want help reviewing the numbers, don’t hesitate to reach out (especially before Q4 gets too far along).

09/30/2026

How To Fix Common QuickBooks Online Problems Griffin Small Business Owners Face

Staring at QuickBooks Online problems like phantom income or wrong categories? Here is how to spot software blind spots and clean up your ledger.

09/29/2026

It's easy to look at AI as the solution to your problems. But what it really does is magnify the problem areas that exist in your company already.

There are some key questions mentioned here that would be good for you to consider for your own business when incorporating AI.

https://www.inc.com/adam-povlitz/ai-wont-fix-a-business-that-wasnt-working-before-ai/91407235

09/28/2026

𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻?

No, Automatic Exemption from Penalty is intended for eligible original returns, not amended returns.

That means filing an amended return doesn’t trigger an automatic AEP review.

If an amended return creates a penalty issue, there are still other ways to address it.

One thing we can look at is whether the penalty was assessed correctly in the first place. That means looking at the penalty alongside your filing history, payment history, and what actually happened with the return.

If something doesn’t line up, challenging the assessment itself can be an option.

So if you get a penalty notice after amending a return, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 “𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗬” so we can look it over before assuming the amount is final.

09/25/2026

https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/gm-to-produce-patriot-missile-parts-as-u-s-faces-critical-arms-shortage-c0f94101

If GM can turn assembly lines into missile production, you can definitely launch that new product line you've been putting off.

And just like GM, you can write off 100% of your new equipment in Year 1 using Section 179.

If you're adding a new revenue line before year-end and want guidance on how to structure it right, DM us.

09/24/2026

𝗗𝗼 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀?

Unless your business is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) or you expect to owe under $1,000 in total tax, you are required to make quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS.

This estimate covers income tax you'll owe as well as the 15.3% self-employment tax that you also must cover.

To stay ahead of your deadlines, open a separate tax savings account and automatically transfer 25% to 30% of your net profits into it.

That way, the money is already set aside when payment time comes.

09/24/2026

The Griffin Small Business Q3 Payroll Checklist for a Painless Year-End Close

Beat the holiday rush with this Q3 payroll checklist. Learn how to fix 2026 OBBBA tracking and ledger errors early for a stress-free year-end.