Essential Accounting Tips for Small Businesses

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We all understand how hectic the life of a business owner can be. Believe it or not, though, there are some simple things you can do to help your company thrive. To this end, here are some accounting tips that can help.

Keep Your Personal and Business Finances Separate

Instead of your personal funds being put into a personal account, becoming a business owner means that some business-based finances will be combined with your personal funds. The last thing anybody wants to do is sit down and go through every single shopping list or personal transaction in order to locate that one crucial piece of company information.

To keep things simple, create a new bank account for all of your company expenses.

Follow this accounting tip and keep your personal funds separate from your business finances. Then you will no longer need to waste time sifting through endless transactions.

Make Sure Your Records Stay Organized

Some people prefer a little chaos in their lives, while others find it difficult to concentrate if their papers are unorganized and untidy. That may be okay in your personal life, but when it comes to your books, try to maintain them properly so that you don’t waste time looking for them when they’re all over the place.

Follow this tip and keep your accounting records properly organized. This will save you time searching and allow you to spend more time doing what your business needs from you.

Then, when tax deadlines approach, you’ll be glad you took the time all year to make sure your papers were neat, tidy, and more organized.

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Stick to Tax Deadlines

Whatever it takes to help you remember that tax deadlines are rapidly approaching, do it. Anything from phone reminders to a countdown will suffice. A looming tax deadline might be anxiety-inducing, especially if you’re rushing because you forgot. You’re more like to make mistakes in this frame of mind. Any errors you could make take even longer to process.

It’s a very simple procedure. Follow this tip in your accounting practices and take note of the tax deadline. Then set a reminder ahead of time so you have adequate time to fill out your taxes accurately without making any mistakes. The rest is straightforward. Your records will be correct and you can concentrate on other things until the following deadline.

Keep Receipts

We’re not suggesting you keep and file every single receipt after each transaction, but you should retain any business-related purchase receipts so that you may claim for any business costs. It all depends on the sort of company you run. If you work from home in the UK, for example, you can claim certain household expenses such as stationery and postage. In the US, the rules are somewhat more complex, so be sure to consult a tax professional for advice.

Keep any business-related purchases or expenditures and file them away in organized records. This is one of many accounting tips that can save you time, hassle, and money.

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Budget for Taxes

Even if you or your company are making substantial profits, you should pay attention to this accounting tip. Every business needs to budget to pay some of their profit in taxes. Start by putting aside money for this in your budget as you go. This way, you won’t be blindsided at the end of the year.

Use a savings account to set aside a portion of your income to pay your tax bill without difficulty and benefit in other ways from the remainder of your money.

Understand Tax Rules

When it comes to taxes, you should understand which ones pertain to you and your company so that you know which sorts of taxes you’ll have to pay. Income tax, National Insurance, Corporation Tax, Value Added Tax (VAT), and business rates – do your homework on all of them so you know what you owe.

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Create Profit and Loss Statements

GGM Accountancy defines profit and loss statements as “a financial statement that summarizes the revenues, costs, and expenses incurred during a given period, which is usually a fiscal quarter or year. The profit and loss statement is the same as the income statement.” These records show a company’s capacity or inability to generate profit by increasing revenue, lowering expenses, or both. This accounting tip will help you better manage your business.

Balance Sheet

One of the duties of company directors is to maintain a balance sheet. A balance sheet is a comprehensive record of a firm’s financial assets. It’s critical to know what you should record on a balance sheet and how you should fill it in.

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These Accounting Tips Will Lead to a More Profitable Business

The tips we offer here will help you to better manage the accounting side of your business. And when you can do that, everything else about your company will flow more smoothly, too.