Accounting, Tax & CFO
Accounting firms and fractional CFO services fluent in cannabis — 280E tax treatment, cost accounting, cash-heavy controls, and audit readiness. Generic accountants routinely get this industry wrong; these firms specialize in it.
Cannabis accounting, tax, and CFO services address the financial reporting and tax burden created by operating a state-legal business that federal law still treats as illegal drug trafficking. The center of that burden is Internal Revenue Code Section 280E, which bars cannabis companies from deducting ordinary business expenses — rent, marketing, most wages — leaving only cost of goods sold as deductible, which typically pushes effective tax rates well above those of non-cannabis businesses. This category covers CPAs and outsourced CFOs who build cost-accounting systems that properly allocate expenses into COGS, prepare for the audit scrutiny 280E invites, and manage the multi-state tax filings and cash-intensive banking realities cannabis operators face.
Choosing an accounting partner means prioritizing 280E and cost-accounting experience over general small-business bookkeeping — ask how they document COGS allocation methodology, since that's what an IRS audit will test first. Outsourced CFO services should offer more than compliance: look for cash-flow forecasting suited to a cash-heavy, thinly banked business, and multi-state tax coordination if you operate in more than one jurisdiction. It's also worth asking how a firm is tracking the federal rescheduling conversation, since a change in the plant's controlled-substance schedule could affect 280E's applicability, though the timing and outcome remain unresolved and no provider should be relied on to predict it.
AAFCPAs (Cannabis)
UnclaimedNew England CPA and consulting firm's cannabis practice, advising Massachusetts and multistate operators on 280E tax, audit, CFO and M&A since 2012.
BGM (Bridge West)
UnclaimedMinnesota CPA firm whose Bridge West cannabis practice — folded into BGM in 2023 — has served cannabis operators nationwide since 2009 on 280E, audit and CFO work.
CohnReznick (Cannabis)
UnclaimedTop-20 national accounting and advisory firm's cannabis industry practice, covering 280E tax, audit and CFO advisory for plant-touching and ancillary operators.
Dark Horse CPAs (Cannabis)
UnclaimedSan Diego-based cannabis accounting boutique offering tax prep, bookkeeping, fractional CFO and 280E tax planning for cultivators, dispensaries and manufacturers.
DOPE CFO
UnclaimedBend, Oregon training and certification program that teaches accountants and bookkeepers cannabis-industry accounting, 280E tax, and practice-building.
GreenGrowth CPAs
UnclaimedPCAOB-registered CPA firm founded in 2016, headquartered in Irvine (Orange County) with a Los Angeles office; California cannabis tax, CDTFA and 280E specialists.
HBK Cannabis Solutions
UnclaimedRegional top-100 CPA firm founded 1949 in Youngstown; its Cannabis Solutions team handles 280E tax planning, audit and M&A across its 21-office Eastern US network.
MGO CPA
UnclaimedLos Angeles-based national CPA firm (Macias Gini & O'Connell, founded 1987) whose cannabis practice covers 280E, audit, IPO-readiness and M&A for 400+ operators.
Events & dates for accounting, tax & cfo
See all on the calendar →Questions about accounting, tax & cfo
- What is 280E and how does it affect cannabis businesses?
- Section 280E of the federal tax code denies deductions and credits for expenses connected to trafficking in a Schedule I or II controlled substance, which cannabis remains under federal law regardless of state legality. Cannabis businesses can still deduct cost of goods sold, but not rent, marketing, most wages, or other ordinary expenses — resulting in effective federal tax rates far higher than comparable non-cannabis businesses.
- How do cannabis companies legally reduce 280E exposure?
- The main lever is cost accounting: properly classifying as much expense as possible into cost of goods sold under IRS rules, which requires production-based allocation methods for growers and processors that differ from standard retail COGS rules. This is technical and audit-sensitive work, so it's typically handled by accountants with specific 280E and cannabis cost-accounting experience rather than general bookkeeping.
- Would federal rescheduling eliminate 280E?
- 280E applies to Schedule I and Schedule II substances, so moving cannabis to Schedule III would generally remove that specific restriction, which is why rescheduling proposals have drawn significant industry attention. Whether and when rescheduling happens, and how it would be implemented, remains an open regulatory and political question with no confirmed timeline — this is informational context, not a projection of outcome.
- What does an outsourced cannabis CFO do differently from a regular CFO?
- An outsourced cannabis CFO manages financial planning under 280E's cash-tax burden, builds cash-flow models around limited or restricted banking access, and often coordinates multi-state tax filings for operators licensed in several states. Many also advise on capital raising, since traditional lending and equity markets remain more limited for plant-touching cannabis businesses than for other industries.
- What makes a cannabis business audit-ready?
- Audit readiness means documented, consistent cost-accounting methodology for COGS allocation, clean separation of plant-touching and non-plant-touching revenue where applicable, and financial records that can withstand IRS scrutiny given how frequently 280E positions are challenged. Businesses working with accountants experienced in cannabis-specific IRS exam patterns are generally better positioned if an audit occurs.
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