280E? GAAP?
We’ve got you.*
*Let’s be blunt - cannabis tax is complicated. We make it simple.
How do we help budding cannabis businesses in Minnesota, California, and nationwide?
Whether you’re about to apply for your license or your doors are open and you’re serving the masses, highly accurate and compliant accounting is incredibly important. We want to partner with you to ensure you’re successful, and in the best position to grow your business.
Why Beyond The Pines?
Cannabis operators need more than a generalist who skimmed one article about 280E. We built our firm with cannabis as a core practice, not something we dabble in on the side. We understand Minnesota OCM compliance, the realities of running a cash-heavy business, and how to structure your books so they hold up under scrutiny and actually support your growth. Our team includes a licensed CPA with deep experience in tax strategy and business advisory, and we stay on top of federal rescheduling developments so your strategy is always where it needs to be.
We serve folks at every stage:
Ready to register your entity but not quite sure what entity type is right for you and your situation?
Preliminary license in hand, and waiting for your building or buildout?
Grow is up and running, doors are open, or commerce is flowing?
Need someone to translate what your numbers mean for your business, or better understand where you go next?
You may want to take on bookkeeping yourself to start, but realize this in itself is a full time job. Start off with the right team that can scale and adjust the level of service right for your situation.
We offer several packages for startup, early stage, and established cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and retail operations.
Startup:
You’re preparing to apply or have a preliminary license and are looking for a building, near closing a contract, and moving toward buildout. Quarterly meetings are our go-to here.
Our Startup services include:
Initial setup of chart of accounts for 280E compliance
Quarterly meetings to review and reconcile 280E compliance YTD
Entity structuring consultation to start the right way from day one.
Optional add-ons:
Monthly or quarterly books reconciliation
Tax Preparation (Personal and Business)
Foundation
You’re preparing to open, or are already open. Now is the time to build the foundation on sound accounting practices. This is where we step up to meeting monthly.
Our Foundation services include:
Maintain 280E compliant chart of accounts
Monthly meetings - financial report review and analysis
Annual tax returns for business and owners
Tax strategy recommendations, including 280E optimization and entity structuring
Assistance with implementation of chosen tax strategies
Growth
Your grow is steady, your output across your operation is growing, your customer base continues to ramp. We maintain your books and guide strategic decision-making.
Maintain 280E compliant chart of accounts
Monthly meetings - financial report review and analysis
Review and recommendation for accounting processes
Creation of policy documents and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)
Monthly bookkeeping, reconciliations, month-end close (GAAP)
Quarterly meetings for income projections and estimated tax liability
Annual tax returns for business and owners
Tax strategy recommendations, including 280E optimization and entity structuring
Assistance with implementation of chosen tax strategies
Flagship
Your operation is established, and you have or are planning to expand beyond your current operating space, or expanding to new states. Our primary focus here is CFO services to help support your business into the next stage.
Maintain 280E compliant chart of accounts
Monthly meetings - financial report review and analysis
CFO Services - Strategic vision, financial planning and analysis (FP&A), budgeting and forecasting.
Review and recommendation for accounting processes
Creation of policy documents and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)
Monthly bookkeeping, reconciliations, month-end close (GAAP)
Quarterly meetings for income projections and estimated tax liability
Annual tax returns for business and owners
Tax strategy recommendations, including 280E optimization and entity structuring
Assistance with implementation of chosen tax strategies
Additional services available:
Accounts payable
Sales & Excise Tax
Payroll & HR
Here’s how we work together:
Secure Portal for uploading and signing documents
Proactive communication of deadlines, regulatory changes, form releases, information requests
Email and phone support – seriously, we will respond!
Virtual meetings, with on-site visits available upon request
We partner with
Cannabis Tax FAQs
-
Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) is a federal tax provision that prohibits businesses involved in the "trafficking" of Schedule I or II controlled substances—as defined by the Controlled Substances Act—from deducting ordinary business expenses on their federal income tax returns. Since marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I substance under federal law (fingers crossed that this changes this year!), that means there are very few expenses that cannabis businesses can deduct, leading to a much higher tax burden.
-
The question isn’t really “do you need an accountant?” but rather “what kind of accountant do you need?” That depends on what your goal is.
Tax Specialist: you’ve probably heard the term “280E” thrown around. With cannabis still being federally illegal (rescheduling on the horizon, stay tuned!), there are different rules between federal and state on what you can or can’t deduct. Our tax services will allow you to predict and mitigate your tax liabilities, and help you stay compliant with all these ever-changing rules.
Fractional CFO/Controller: there’s more to accounting than just tax, and more to business than just accounting. Utilizing us as a fractional CFO or controller gives you an additional resource for tying the numbers to your vision and goals. Whether we’re developing accounting SOPs, using financial modeling for cash flow management, or tracking defined KPIs to measure the health of your business, we bring the knowledge and guidance you need to look forward to growth and profitability.
Bookkeeping: the day-to-day accounting is handled by one of our primary business partners, Realize Balance Accounting & Financial. Through them, you have an array of services to choose from, from weekly bookkeeping, month-end close, payroll, & more!
-
At a minimum, quarterly. Maybe monthly. Maybe more! With compliance being a main area of focus in cannabis accounting, we need to make sure we’re paying attention. There are a lot of rules around cannabis, and they’re ever-changing. That requires more than one touch a year. We’ll work with you to figure out the best cadence, but require all cannabis clients to be on at least a quarterly engagement. Because, after all…
-
As they say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Your best defense in an audit is to be prepared, and that’s where we come in. We’ll help you get (and stay!) compliant, and in the event of an audit (gasp!), we’ll be there to advise you, provide support, and guide you through what to expect.
Note: cannabis is already a high audit risk industry, and with the imminent rescheduling and potential dissolution of 280E, it will likely be under even more scrutiny when that transition happens! The time to get compliant is now!
-
On December 18, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to move marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance. This does not legalize marijuana at the federal level, as the order is primarily meant to reduce restrictions; however it does mean that IRC Section 280E will no longer apply and cannabis businesses will be able to deduct their normal operating expenses, which will significantly reduce their tax liability and increase profitability. Hearings on the proposal are beginning June 29th. Check back with us for updates as they come from these hearings.
-
No way! We are here to fill in the gaps in your business. Already have bookkeeping down? Already have payroll and everything figured out?
Great! We absolutely prefer ongoing engagements with our clients, especially in the cannabis industry. We will expect to meet with you at a minimum on a quarterly basis, this really benefits us both from an operational and compliance perspective.
-
An accountant can help you not only prepare for entity structuring, but also get your 280E compliant chart of accounts set up from day one. We recommend bringing in an accountant pre-licensing, even if there is minimal work to be done right away.
Contact Us
Interested in working together?
Let’s get started:
Fill in some information on the form and hit SEND!
We will reach out to you, and schedule an initial call - this helps us learn about you, your goals, and how we can best help you. It also gives you the opportunity to hear about us. We understand trust is crucial, and we’re happy to answer any questions you may have!
We will provide a quote, based on your specific engagement - this will typically come in email following our call!
If we’re the right ones for you, email us back - we will send a formal engagement letter.
Once signed up we send you a link to our secure portal
(There’s even an app! - yay another app)