Bennett/Porter & Associates, Inc.

10/21/2026

Today we’re excited to welcome Shawn Hawkins to Bennett/Porter as our new Acumatica Division Manager. 👋

Shawn has designed and led Acumatica projects across Finance, Distribution, Manufacturing, Field Services, Project Accounting, and CRM. He’s architected systems, managed implementations, and led consulting teams. What stands out most about Shawn is how he works: he learns about your business first, then shapes the software to fit it.

If you’re already one of our Acumatica clients, expect to hear from Shawn soon. He’ll be reaching out to set up a meet-and-greet, learn what’s on your plate, and find where your system can work harder for you.

And if you’re a growing business wondering whether your current system can keep up, Shawn is a great person to talk to.

Please join us in giving Shawn a warm welcome in the comments!

09/15/2026

Quick heads-up for anyone who runs payroll: the 2026 W-2 has new boxes, and they are not optional this year.

Under the OBBBA, employers now report qualified tips and qualified overtime separately, using new Box 12 codes and a new occupation-code field. 2026 is the first mandatory year.

The catch most people miss is that only the premium half of overtime counts as qualified, not the full overtime wage. It is a small detail that makes a real difference on the form.

If you want the plain-English version before year-end, it is here.

→ https://benpor.com/year-end-payroll-2026/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yearend2026&utm_content=whats-new-exec

Yep, it's already that time. Year-end payroll always carries a little dread, and 2026 has a genuine new wrinkle: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act now requires you to report qualified tips and overtime separately on the W-2. Here is what actually changed, the deadlines that matter, and a calm checklist...

09/10/2026

Our annual year-end payroll guide is here for 2026, and this year it comes with a change you will want to read long before December.

Year-end is stressful enough in a normal year. 2026 adds a real one: under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, you now report qualified tips and overtime separately on the W-2, and this is the first year it is required.

Our updated guide walks through exactly what changed, the 2026 deadlines and limits, and a calm checklist you can start working from today. It is written for the person who runs payroll and probably a lot more.

If year-end has ever crept up on you, start here.

→ Read the 2026 guide in the comments!

07/16/2026

Portland business owners: when was the last time you actually looked at your IT invoice line by line?

We put together 7 quick signs that you might be overpaying, from surprise emergency fees to the same problem coming back month after month. Give it a swipe and see how many sound familiar.

One is normal. Three or more, and it is probably time to ask your provider some direct questions. If you would like a straight answer, we offer a free, no-pressure tech evaluation for local businesses.

Full breakdown on the blog, link in the comments.

07/14/2026

Your best employee just noticed something. 👀

When Oregon's minimum wage rose 50 cents on July 1, the raise you gave your two-year employee quietly shrank. The gap between them and a brand-new hire might now be less than a dollar.

That is how good people start looking around.

Before it becomes a resignation letter, take 10 minutes with our guide — new rates, who gets which one, and how to spot the employees the increase squeezed: https://benpor.com/oregon-minimum-wage-2026-new-july-1-rates-by-region-for-employers/

We're a Tigard team, and our clients get people who pick up the phone. If July 1 was a scramble this year, let's make sure it isn't next year. 📞

07/09/2026

Oregon's minimum wage went up July 1. Most employers caught the new rate. Far fewer caught what it did to everyone just above it.

Swipe through the 5 things that trip up Oregon employers every year:
01 · Three regional rates, not one ($16.80 / $15.55 / $14.55)
02 · The rate follows where your employee works, not where your business sits
03 · No tip credit, ever. Tips sit on top of the full minimum
04 · Shifts that cross into July 1 split at 12:01 a.m.
05 · The one nobody warns you about: pay compression. When the floor rises, your best people quietly sit a few cents above a brand-new hire. They notice.

The fix takes one afternoon: review everyone within $1 of the new minimum and make sure their pay still says what you meant it to say.

Want July 1 to be a non-event next year? If you're using People Savvy HCM, our team at Bennett/Porter will walk you through your regions, run the numbers, and hand you a checklist. Real people who pick up the phone, not a ticket queue.

Full breakdown and region lookup — https://benpor.com/oregon-minimum-wage-2026-new-july-1-rates-by-region-for-employers/

07/06/2026

Oregon's minimum wage went up July 1 — $16.80 Portland metro, $15.55 standard counties, $14.55 non-urban. ✅

Quick gut check for business owners: did your first July payroll use the right rate for where each person actually WORKS? Not where your office is. Where they work. Crews and staff who cross county lines can be owed more than one rate.

Our new guide covers the rates, the geography rule, and the one thing most owners miss entirely (hint: it affects your longest-tenured people, not your newest hires). 👇

https://benpor.com/oregon-minimum-wage-2026-new-july-1-rates-by-region-for-employers/

Questions about your setup? We're right here in Tigard — happy to talk it through.

06/18/2026

Ever read a headline about Oregon's privacy laws and quietly wondered if you were breaking one?

Here is some reassurance. Oregon has two data laws, and the one with the big penalties only applies to businesses handling data for 100,000-plus residents. Most Portland small businesses are not in that group.

The law that does apply to nearly everyone is far more down to earth: keep customer data reasonably safe, and report a breach within 45 days. Think multi-factor logins, limiting who can see what, and encrypting your laptops and backups.

We put together a plain-English guide that walks through which law applies to you and the simple steps that keep you on the right side of it.

→ [Link]

05/12/2026

If you're a Portland business owner running on Microsoft 365, July 1st matters more than you might realize.

Microsoft is raising prices on most of their business plans that day. Business Standard goes from $12.50 to $14 per user. Apps for Business climbs about 21%. Enterprise E3 hits $26. The new pricing kicks in at your next renewal after July 1, so the exact timing depends on your contract.

We think it is important to inform you that with Business Standard going up and Business Premium staying closer than it used to, the upgrade that always felt like a real budget jump is now a much smaller investment. If you've been wanting better security, conditional access, or proper device management for your team, the math just shifted in your favor.

We wrote up the full breakdown, including a quick four-question check to help you decide whether Premium actually fits your business. We really think it is worth five minutes before you sign your next renewal.

Take a look: https://bit.ly/4u3cRTR

If you'd rather have someone walk you through it, we're running free tech evaluations for Portland-area businesses right now. We'll look at what you have, what you actually use, and give you a straight answer about whether an upgrade makes sense for your team.

04/23/2026

One of our favorite moments at Acumatica Summit this year:

The product team openly admitted the old BigCommerce B2B connector wasn't good enough.

No excuses and no runaround. Just: "We heard you. We rebuilt it."

That kind of accountability is rare in enterprise software.

The rebuilt connector shipped with 26 R1. It handles account-specific pricing, buyer roles, self-serve ordering — with Acumatica as the financial system of record throughout.

If you're running a wholesale or B2B operation and you've been holding off on a proper digital ordering experience, now is the time to make the move.

We wrote up the full picture of what's in 26 R1 and what's coming in R2, including the roadmap items nobody's talking about yet.

Get the inside scoop → https://bit.ly/4tttSX9