Back-office work for licensed cannabis operators.
Cannabis-native bookkeeping, vendor ACH payments, 280E-structured taxes, and POS-to-books reconciliation, built by an operator who has worked every role in the industry. Fixed prices, written delivery dates, and a refund if the date slips. One practitioner, working directly with you and your CPA.
Four areas of back-office work, handled correctly the first time.
Each of these is built against the actual federal and state cannabis regulations from the start, not adapted from general-business bookkeeping after the fact. That is what makes the books defensible.
280E-aware bookkeeping
Cannabis-correct chart of accounts in QuickBooks. COGS and SG&A separated per IRC §280E and §471 methodology, so the deductible line is structured to support your CPA's position and defensible if the IRS looks. Last 30 days of POS imported as proper double-entry journal entries.
Vendor ACH payments
NACHA CCD batch file generation, configured for your bank. Your full vendor master loaded, advance-pay timing logic, full R01–R85 return code handling. Pay every vendor in one upload instead of checks and one-off wires, saving $1,500 to $2,000 per year in payment fees.
POS-to-books reconciliation
30 days of POS data pulled and reconciled against your books. Written report surfacing every journal entry error, shrinkage signal, tax-line misclassification, and recoverable dollar. Typically finds $3,000–$15,000 in discrepancies.
Cannabis-native compliance
Built against IRC §280E, IRC §471, Metrc API v2, and NACHA Operating Rules. State-specific rules (excise rate, municipal transfer tax, hemp THC thresholds, license-class handling) configured per engagement. NJ, PA, NY, CT already seeded; new states added on demand.
Why operators choose an independent over a firm or generalist.
A cannabis-specialist firm typically charges $5,000–$15,000 for this scope on a multi-week timeline. This is the same defensible result, at a fraction of the cost, in days — and it works right alongside the CPA who files your return.
Operator, not outside consultant
Fifteen years working every operational role in cannabis: budtender, retail GM, cultivation tech, compliance officer, back-office, ownership. Personally did the jobs, not just researched them. Every workflow this practice sells is one that has been run from the inside.
Cannabis-native infrastructure
Production code built against the actual regulations from the ground up, not bookkeeping software adapted to cannabis after the fact. Already running in a live NJ dispensary. Reusable for your operation, not reinvented for each engagement.
Fixed prices, written dates
Every engagement has one price and one delivery date, both written down before payment. No hourly meter, no scope creep, no "another phase" conversations halfway through. If the delivery date slips, full refund.
Independent, no firm overhead
One practitioner doing the work, not a senior partner pitching and an intern executing. Direct access. Real understanding of what was done and why. The price reflects no firm overhead, no sales team to feed.
The money you're either bleeding now or about to.
An average NJ dispensary with $1–3M revenue carries $5,000–$25,000 in cumulative back-office exposure each year. Most of it is invisible until you either overpay federal tax or NJ-CRC catches it. Below is what surfaces during a typical audit.
§280E COGS misclassification
Under §280E, where a cost is booked decides what you can deduct. Getting the COGS/SG&A split right is worth real money on a dispensary's return, and getting it wrong is exactly what an auditor looks for. Clean, correctly-structured books are the difference, and that is the whole job here.
Sales tax errors on medical vs adult-use
NJ medical is state-sales-tax-exempt (N.J.S.A. 54:49-1). Adult-use is fully taxed. Dual-license dispensaries routinely over-collect on medical AND under-collect on excise. A 30/70 split dispensary at $1.5M revenue: roughly $35,000/year wrong-direction.
Inventory shrinkage signals
Cannabis dispensaries lose 1–3% of inventory annually to theft, miscounts, expiration. On $800k product cost = $20,000/year leaking. Half is recoverable through process changes once the pattern is identified. Undocumented shrinkage also creates §280E audit exposure.
POS / payment / refund mismatches
POS shows one number, processor shows another, books show a third. A 0.3% chronic mismatch on $1.5M = $4,500/year unreconciled cash. Unbooked refunds inflate revenue and overpay tax, typically $8,000/year. Vendor double-pays and missed rebates: $4,000 to $10,000/year.
Audit ROI by dispensary size
The audit is $1,000 flat. If findings total under $2,000 in recoverable value, the audit is free. Full refund.
What the market charges in 2026
Illustrative ranges from public cannabis-accounting pricing. The point is not the exact figure; it is the gap. Same work, a fraction of the cost, in days instead of weeks.
Two 2026 reasons this matters now: NJ's Social Equity Excise Fee ($2.50/oz) is another line your books must carry correctly, and a federal move to Schedule III could restore roughly $268,000 a year in deductions for an average dispensary. You only capture that benefit if your §280E and COGS structure is already clean and defensible. Getting it right now is far cheaper than reconstructing it later.
A short, finite engagement.
Email-based intake so there's zero pressure. But if you'd rather talk it through, I'm happy to hop on a quick call. Whatever makes you comfortable. Engagements typically close inside 24 hours of inquiry.
Inquiry by email
Send a short description of your operation, your current setup, and what you need. License number helps. Two to four sentences is enough.
Scope & quote
I respond within one business day with proposed scope, fixed price, and a written delivery date. If it's a fit, you confirm and the payment link goes out.
Delivery
Work starts the moment payment clears. 2 to 5 business days is the outside number, and most engagements deliver earlier. You receive everything in writing: P&L, runbook, audit report, whatever applies.
Handoff
Written walkthrough delivered to your bookkeeper or AP person, plus 60 minutes of follow-up support included. Refund if the delivery date slips, no questions.
Fixed-price engagements, plus retainers.
Pricing reflects scope, not hours. Work starts the moment payment clears. Check out securely below, or email first for a scope conversation.
POS-to-books reconciliation audit
A read-only audit, the fastest way to see what's actually wrong before committing to deeper work. Surfaces real discrepancies in your books and POS, usually within a day of payment.
- 30 days of POS data pulled and reconciled
- Journal entry errors and miscoded transactions identified
- Inventory shrinkage signals flagged
- Tax-line misclassifications listed by impact
- Refund if findings total less than $2,000 in recoverable value
280E-aware bookkeeping engagement
End-to-end QBO setup or rebuild structured around §280E methodology. The deliverable is books your CPA can stand behind at audit. Typical CPA quote for the same scope: $5,000–$15,000.
- Cannabis-correct chart of accounts in QuickBooks Online
- COGS / SG&A separated per IRC §280E and §471 methodology
- Last 30 days of POS imported as proper journal entries
- 280E-structured P&L delivered as PDF for your CPA
- 60-minute handoff walkthrough with your bookkeeper
Vendor ACH payment system
Pay every vendor in one NACHA-format batch upload instead of cutting checks or sending one-off transfers. Set to reconcile to your books and portable if you ever switch banks. You upload the generated file yourself; I never touch your bank login.
- NACHA CCD batch file generator configured for your bank
- Your full vendor master loaded and validated
- Advance-pay timing logic configured
- R01 through R85 return code handling implemented
- Live test batch validated end-to-end before go-live
280E audit-readiness package
The binder you hand your CPA the day an IRS notice arrives, assembled before you need it, not reconstructed under pressure. Cannabis is audited far more often than normal retail; this is the documentation auditors actually demand. A CPA assembling it during an exam bills $5,000 to $15,000 or more.
- COGS workpapers by SKU and location, tied to IRC §471
- Inventory valuation schedule (beginning, purchases, ending)
- Bank-deposit-to-POS-to-Metrc reconciliation tie-out
- Cash log and Form 8300 trail organized for review
- Receiving-to-sale flow walkthrough the auditor can follow
The questions operators actually ask.
- What POS systems do you support?
- Dutchie, Treez, Sweed, Blaze, and Meadow have working adapters. If you're on Flowhub, Cova, or Greenbits, email me first and I'll tell you honestly whether the engagement fits inside its timeline.
- I already have a cannabis CPA. Is this redundant?
- Usually not. I work alongside your CPA, not instead of them. Most cannabis CPAs work off bookkeeper inputs and never see the raw POS data. The reconciliation audit ($1,000) often surfaces real discrepancies even at operations with experienced CPAs. The bookkeeping engagement is for operators whose books aren't yet defensible at the journal-entry level; I hand your CPA clean, §280E-structured books they can stand behind.
- Are you a CPA? Do you file my taxes?
- No, and that's deliberate. This is a bookkeeping and back-office practice, not a CPA or law firm. I don't file returns or give tax or legal advice. What I do is build and maintain the clean, §280E-structured books and reconciliations your CPA needs to file accurately and defend you at audit. You keep your CPA; I make their job, and your position, far stronger.
- The audit-readiness package: do you represent me at the audit?
- No. Your CPA or tax attorney represents you; that's their role, not mine. What I do is assemble the documentation the IRS actually requests in a 280E exam (COGS workpapers tied to §471, inventory valuations, deposit-to-POS-to-Metrc reconciliations, cash logs, and a receiving-to-sale walkthrough) organized into one package before a notice ever arrives. Most operators only have this if they're paying $2,500 to $4,000 a month for full-service bookkeeping, or they scramble to reconstruct it after the letter comes. I deliver it as a fixed-price package so it's sitting ready. It makes your CPA's job at audit faster and your position far stronger.
- Do you sign an NDA? How is my data handled?
- Yes, a mutual NDA before any system access, as a matter of course. Your customer names, transaction data, vendor lists, and pricing never leave the engagement. Data is handled under access controls and encrypted storage, and returned or destroyed on request when the engagement closes.
- How is bank access handled for the ACH payment system?
- I never touch your bank login. The system generates NACHA-format batch files that you or your AP person upload to your bank's portal directly.
- What happens if you miss a delivery date?
- Full refund, no questions. The guarantee is real because the scope is tight and the infrastructure is already built. To date, no missed dates.
- Do you offer ongoing retainers?
- Yes. After an audit or setup, most operators move to a monthly retainer: books kept closed, reconciled, and audit-ready every month, with inventory tied back to track-and-trace. Pricing scales with your size and transaction volume; we set it during scope. No long-term lock-in, month to month.
Built by an operator, not an accountant.
Fifteen years in cannabis taught me where the money leaks and where the audit risk hides. I build your books from inside that experience.
I have spent fifteen years in this industry, starting before it was legal. I came up through every role: budtender, delivery, cultivation, production, compliance, general manager, owner. Along the way I built brands, launched products, and developed hardware. There is no part of this business I have not done with my own hands.
This work is not a career pivot for me. It is a passion. I immersed myself in cannabis and its culture because I genuinely love it, and that is exactly why the broken parts bothered me so much. In role after role I found myself frustrated by the same things: books that did not reflect how the business actually ran, tools built for other industries and bent to fit ours, and money quietly lost to mistakes no one caught until it was expensive.
So I built the answer myself. I have lived the numbers most bookkeepers only read about. I have felt the Section 280E hit on my own P&L, made payroll in a cash business, paid the vendors, reconciled the drawer, and answered to regulators when they walked in. When I build your books, I am not guessing at how a dispensary runs. I build them for how the work really happens, backed by infrastructure I engineered myself, so the result is fast, fixed in price, and defensible. One operator, working directly with one operator. No firm overhead, no junior staff, no one learning on your dime.
The floor
Street, delivery, budtender. I learned this business from the ground up, before legalization made it respectable.
The operation
Cultivation, production, compliance, general management. Every seat that keeps a licensed operation running and legal.
The ownership
Built brands, launched products, developed hardware, ran the P&L. I have signed the front and the back of the check.
The infrastructure
Now I build the back-office systems the off-the-shelf tools get wrong, and run them for operators like you.
The bottom line: fixed prices you can see before you commit, work that starts the moment you engage and comes back in days, and books built by someone who has actually run the business. Have a question, want a call, or need a fit check? Reach out here.
Have a question before you buy?
Pricing and scope for each service are on the Services tab, and checkout is instant when you're ready. Use this to ask anything first: whether a service fits your setup, monthly retainers after an engagement, or support on the software if you're already running it.
Email is the fastest route. If a call would be more useful, note it in your message and one will be arranged.
A mutual NDA is signed before any system access. WOLFE is an independent bookkeeping & back-office practice, not a CPA firm, law firm, or enrolled agent, and does not provide tax or legal advice or file returns. Final §280E treatment is determined by your licensed tax preparer.
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