Set up your back office in a week

Apply for the EIN on IRS.gov, confirm the registered agent and decide the fiscal year. Done when the EIN notice is saved with the certificate of incorporation. Deeper: the entity and its numbersBack office core · Lesson 2 of 9The entity and its numbersHow do I get an EIN, and what registrations does a new startup need?The EIN is free and issued online in one sitting. The state brings a registered agent, an annual report and registrations wherever the company does business.8 min and choosing an entityEntity types · Lesson 9 of 9Choosing an entity in practiceShould my startup be an LLC, S corp or C corp?A decision table by goal — raise VC, bootstrap, consult, side project, real estate — and why Northwind is a Delaware C corporation.8 min.

Open the business checking account and the company cards, and fund it with the founders' shares. Done when the founders' $60,000 is in the company account and JE-1 is the first entry. Deeper: company money, kept apartBack office core · Lesson 3 of 9Company money, kept apartWhy does a startup need a separate business bank account?Company money lives in company accounts. Mixing it breaks the books, weakens the tax return and puts the liability shield at risk.8 min, and founder stock and vestingCap tables & raising · Lesson 1 of 10Founder stock, vesting and the 83(b) electionHow should startup founders issue themselves stock, and how does founder vesting work?Authorized versus issued shares, par value, a restricted stock purchase at $0.0075, four-year vesting with a one-year cliff, and the 83(b) election — on Northwind's founders.10 min · 2 pages for the shares themselves, with the 83(b) election due within 30 days.

Set up the accounting system on the accrual basis, with a chart of accounts and the bank and card feeds. Done when yesterday's transactions are in the ledger, coded. Deeper: the books, in one lessonBack office core · Lesson 4 of 9The books, in one lessonWhat kind of accounting does a startup need: cash or accrual?Startup books are accrual books, closed every month. Profit, operating cash and the bank balance are three different numbers, and the books show all three.8 min and the chart of accountsAccounting · Lesson 3 of 17Accounts, and the five typesWhat is a chart of accounts and what are the five account types?Every account is one of five types, and the type decides which side increases it. Get the type right and the entry follows.9 min.

Choose a payroll provider or a PEO and register for state payroll accounts wherever employees will work. Done when the first payday is scheduled and each hire has a W-4 and an I-9 ready. Deeper: hiring your first employeePayroll · Lesson 1 of 8Hiring your first employeeHow do I hire my first employee and put them on payroll?Employee or contractor is decided by who controls the work. For an employee: a W-4 and an I-9 on day one, the state's new-hire report within 20 days, and registrations before the first payday.11 min, payroll providers and PEOsPayroll · Lesson 8 of 8Payroll providers, PEOs and paying foundersShould a startup use a payroll provider or a PEO, and how do founders get paid?A provider works under your EIN and leaves you liable; a certified PEO is treated as the employer for the wages it pays. Founders who work in a corporation and take pay are on payroll.9 min and health insuranceHealth & benefits · Lesson 1 of 10Does a startup have to offer health insurance?Does a startup have to offer health insurance?Only an applicable large employer — 50 or more full-time employees and equivalents — faces the ACA's employer mandate. Below it, a health plan is a choice.10 min · 2 pages.

Write down who approves bills and who pays them, collect a W-9 from every vendor and make the invoice template. Done when no bill can be paid by the person who approved it. Deeper: vendor onboardingAccounts payable · Lesson 2 of 8Vendor onboarding: W-9, W-8BEN and TIN matchingWhat do I need from a new vendor before paying them: W-9, W-8BEN, TIN matching?What to collect before a vendor's first payment, how TIN Matching works, and what 24% backup withholding looks like in the books.6 min · 2 pages and how to write an invoiceAccounts receivable · Lesson 2 of 9A correct invoice, and the tax on itWhat should be on an invoice, and how is sales tax shown?Northwind's first invoices, field by field: what each one is for, where sales tax goes, and why a sent invoice is corrected with a credit note rather than edited.8 min.

Put the year's deadlines in a shared calendar, worked out from the rules. Done when each date has an owner and a reminder two weeks ahead. Deeper: the founder's annual calendarBack office core · Lesson 7 of 9The founder's annual calendarWhat are a startup's tax and filing deadlines in its first year?The founder's year, worked out on Northwind: payroll deposits and 941s, the January forms, Delaware's March 1, and the corporate return.9 min and the compliance calendarCompliance & tax · Lesson 10 of 10The annual compliance calendar, 2026–2027What are a startup's tax and compliance deadlines for the year?Northwind's 2026–2027 calendar computed from rules: the federal return, estimates, 1099s, Delaware's March 1, and the dates that follow events.9 min.