Bookkeeping is an area that many small businesses struggle with, particularly if they do not have much experience in this field. While it can be a complex and daunting area, you must be maintaining accurate books so that you can get a clear insight into your financial health and to spot areas where savings can be made but also for tax and legal purposes. Fortunately, there are a few highly effective ways to simplify business bookkeeping, which will help to make this a simple task, which will allow you to focus on the other core aspects of the business.
Use Accounting Software
The most crucial step to take is to invest in high-quality accounting software. This can streamline the entire process, automate many critical tasks, and allows you to keep clear, accurate, and up to date books. Whether you are a freelancer, small business, or a large company, accounting software is a smart purchase that will help you to keep your business finances organized.
Keep Receipts
It is a smart idea to keep and file all receipts for business expenses – this should include having a paper version which is then scanned and stored digitally (some apps can make this quick and easy). This will be vital if your company is ever audited and is useful for making sure that you get the deductions that you deserve.
Use A Business Credit Card
Business credit cards make it possible to provide a clear overview of where you and employees are spending money. It is easy to check credit card statements, which will also help control spending and find ways to make savings. These credit cards can also be useful if you have an emergency within your business and do not have the cost to cover it all at once.
Set Aside Tax Money
Setting up a transfer of around 30% of earnings into a savings account each month, quarter or year ensures that you will always have money available when the time comes to complete your tax return and also helps you to get a more precise overview of what your exact financial situation is.
Stay Current with Tax Laws
Tax laws can often change, which will impact how you should manage your finances over the year. You will want to stay up to date with any changes which you can make by visiting the tax website for your government or by reading business/accounting blogs.
Hire an Accountant/Outsource
An excellent way to simplify bookkeeping is simply to hire an accountant or to outsource your accounting to a company like CFOShare. Although at a cost, this means that you do not have to worry about this side of the business, allowing you to focus on other areas and have peace of mind knowing that you are keeping accurate and up to date books. CFOShare offers expert bookkeeping and accounting services including clean-up accounting, forensic accounting, and more so that your business rest easy with accurate financials. It also helps you to keep an eye on how your finances are doing, whether you have adequate cash flow, and calculate percent increase in your revenue or your expenses. This enables you to create a better financial forecast for the next year and plan where you are going to take your business next.
Understandably, bookkeeping can cause stress and anxiety for many business owners as it is a complex yet incredibly important area. These are the best ways to streamline accounting, which will help you to stay on top of your books and could help you to make intelligent financial decisions.