Outsourcing Your Book Keeping Helps Your Online Business

Business owners should know that they are required to record all financial aspect of their business and this is according to the law. The books that you record it in will be for the purpose of taxes and this figure must be accurate. Considering the fact that you have an online business, there will be many things in your mind and you may often tend to forget doing the books. Neglecting on this part can incur serious penalties. If there is not enough time for your book keeping, then you can try outsourcing book keeping for your online business.

These days, many companies are outsourcing book keeping jobs which can save time and to be more efficient in managing their business. If you let other people handle your books, this will mean that you are able to concentrate more on your business. Outsourcing book keeping is very popular and can be very cheap.

You should consider outsourcing has become a trend in the business world. This is because it is cheaper to outsource than to have a full time book keeper or accountant and many businesses today have now outsourced their book keeping jobs.

The advantages of outsourcing your book keeping, it will give you more time to concentrate in running your online business and it will also save you money. Before hiring a book keeper to do this job, you must remember that you must choose the right book keeping service first.

The qualifications of a book keeping outsourcing company must first be in its staff, they should be knowledgeable in the field of book keeping, and they must be certified professional book keepers. Besides these, they also need to have experience in the field of book keeping and knowledgeable in the inner workings of businesses most especially on financial transactions in businesses.

There is no need to hold a degree in accounting to become a good book keeper. Everyone can become a book keeper the most important thing you should look in a book keeper is their experience. The portfolio of the book keeping outsource company should also be good. The more clients you see will mean that they are trusted by people. Besides, as business owner understanding the fact that people only buy the services of businesses that they can trust.

These tips will be able to help you have more time on running your business and saving a lot of money. When outsourcing book keeping for your online business, you are sure that you will have nothing to worry when tax time comes. Just remember that you have to give the book keeper you hire all of the needed information about your business and your financial records.

The author is a freelance writer and also writes about business topics such as call centers in the philippines and philippine call center .

Benefits For The Accounting Business Firms In Having Online Bookkeeping

For the accounting firms which are responsible for bookkeeping, this has been a monotonous job. It usually takes long hours of tedious working and maintaining the processing of the accounts properly. Bookkeeping can hurt the pockets of the companies-in-charge of a job like this that requires massive patience. Some companies have trained accountants on being very adept with their job. The downside would be amount of salary which is being asked which is too high to continue their employment.

This is the case in small businesses the hiring of several competent people that will compose of the staff that is fit for bookkeeping would be a good option that fits the budget perfectly. Charging of incredible amounts to the companies by bookkeeping employees has forced them to outsource. Companies have now device a strategy to give entirely a part of its work to the company which is outsourcing.

The benefits have now become large. The time has been given evenly to the different sections of the business and had opportunity to expand. Bookkeeping online can save a lot of a business owner’s or a company’s valuable time which could have been wasted if they are still stuck on the idea of searching for professional firms responsible for bookkeeping.

Online bookkeeping has many benefits that even small businesses are going to agree on how they have been saved from tons of paperwork and the long hours of finding the right documents when the IRS comes. The following are some benefits of online bookkeeping.
Bookkeeping should be cost efficient. This is being able to practice online bookkeeping which can help accounting business firms to save a lot of money and cut the cost in training the entire staff of bookkeepers.

Hiring an accountant is already a pain while hiring several can hurt big time, not only in the training but also in financial matters. It would really help the company if the budget would go with less business capital expenditures. The money saved will help in investing on more areas that are vital for business and can definitely boost business opportunities.
The efficiency is improved. If the person on the company itself couldn’t cope up during emergencies, probable reason would be work overload. And when coping can no longer work, the entire venture is bound to fail. That is why accounting firms would prefer to outsource it to other companies that are willing to take part.

Small businesses should not worry about their bookkeeping problems. They have already invested in so many things and bookkeeping must not burden them anymore. Imagine, putting massive blocks of paperwork to other people can save you from so much stress, time and will help business owners to perform efficiently.

You can save a lot. Cost on maintenance and training while forming a very advantageous business with all the benefits. This only proves that online bookkeeping is good for your business no matter how small it is.

The author is a freelance writer and also writes about business topics such as philippine call centers and call center philippine .

Redefining Business Through Online Bookkeeping

The main reason for evolution and development of many things is modernization. Even the simplest test can be made to be more modernized. Business must stay updated. With the different modern possibilities, even the companies are redefining the way they are organizing the document and date into a much simple context. This is how online bookkeeping for any type of business comes.

This can be seen as overrated if thought that everything that physically can be done, this virtual gadget will do a lot faster and better. This is why most businesses are either big or small scale, this depends on the bookkeeping forms in the convenience of accessing the history or any kind of documents rendered.

Business owners should take this advantage of bookkeeping services online which are largely available. Transactions are mostly done through the internet which you need not go out. What is good about online book keeping is that, it lessens the company’s problem on a lot of paperwork and when the need arises, every single financial report is going to be there right at your doorstep. The competitiveness of online bookkeeping is the same compared to physical ones.

Redefining the online bookkeeping services can be accounted for the good things it can do to the company. Through efficient recording, it easily traces the company’s loss and gain. It can clearly predict if the company has a financial crisis or development through the strict monitoring of data being given by the company. Since financial records are updated on a regular basis, it is made easier on the company’s part to determine how their current status is working out.

A very effective financial book keeping system is the perfect basis for foreseeable success and the development of any business. Because online book keeping services are always available, it can be day or night the business owner will not necessarily hire anybody in doing the tedious task. He just needs an internet connection that is secure to keep track on all records.

One good reason why online bookkeeping service has become popular these days is the fact that it is helping provide information and advises that will greatly affect the company’s decisions. Business owners can then easily acquire sources for capital and bank financing with the proper bookkeeping. This happens when the time comes that the company needs a loan.

It will need to gather all projected statements for the prior and current years that will have an additional impact. A clear financial picture is that online bookkeeping services can offer will help the business be associated with other investors or companies through having firm financial records that will encourage associates.

The author is a freelance writer and also writes about business topics such as call center philippine and call center outsourcing .

Bookkeeping Business Tips for Developing Reliable Financial Projections

Financial forecasting reminds me of the weather - you make your forecast at a moment in time based upon the information currently available. You draw a conclusion and state your financial forecast. But then, the information changes, now it’s raining, and you’re caught without your umbrella!

Financial forecasting, unlike the weather, isn’t a science but it’s not pure guess work either. It is a combination of:
- knowing your business;
- understanding your marketplace;
- setting goals; and
- using common sense.

As a business coach, I know that every small business needs to make reliable financial projections at one time or another. Forecasting is critical during the following stages of a company’s life span:
- when seeking financing
- gauging the profitability of a new product or service
- determining the impact of staff expansion or cutback
- assessing other business decisions

The many components of forecasting boil down to the following five bookkeeping business tips that for years I’ve shared with business coaching clients:

Bookkeeping Business Tip #1: Review Actual Year-To-Date Results

Start by looking at where you’ve been. If you use an accounting program like QuickBooks you can print out a Profit & Loss statement showing year-to-date results. Check the statement for all financial transactions that occurred up to the date of the report. Reconcile the report to your bank statements. (If you don’t use an accounting program or bookkeeping service, then take the difference of the total year-to-date cash receipts and total expenditures. This should equal your profit or loss.) Examine each line item to make sure that it makes sense - is your year-to-date revenue figure where you anticipated, or has it fallen short? Are expenses higher than expected?

Bookkeeping Business Tip #2: Establish Goals and Incorporate into Your Forecast

What do you wish to accomplish by year’s end? Do you want to introduce a new product or service, increase revenue on existing products or services, decrease spending, hire a new employee, outsource a bookkeeping service, or launch a marketing campaign that will position the company for the beginning of next year?

Write out your objectives and then choose three to five which are the most important to accomplish by the end of the year. Determine the needed steps to achieve the objectives. Which Profit & Loss line items will be impacted? Adjust your forecast accordingly. For example, your goal may be to increase revenue 10% by year’s end or to launch a marketing campaign now so its benefits will be felt in the first quarter of 2009.

Bookkeeping Business Tip #3: Forecast Variable Costs

Variable costs are costs that change in step with revenue change. For example, you are selling more widgets; therefore, your labor costs and materials costs will increase in relation to the revenue increase.

Using the concept that Forecast = Projections + Predictions, combined with the knowledge that variable costs change in step with revenues, forecast each month’s variable costs. Forecast each line item separately. Look for opportunities to reduce costs, and be aware of likely future influences on each cost.

Bookkeeping Business Tip #4: Forecast Fixed Expenses

Fixed costs are relatively stable costs that recur every month. Examples of fixed costs are rent, telephone and bookkeeping service fees. Forecast the month’s fixed expenses by using the same concept used to forecast variable costs (Forecast = Projections + Predictions) and the knowledge that fixed expenses tend to be relatively stable and do not change in step with revenues. Again, forecast each line item separately, looking for opportunities to reduce costs, while keeping in mind any likely future influences.

Bookkeeping Business Tip #5: Forecast Net Profit

The final step is to evaluate your forecast for net profit. Is the profit forecast is reasonable and acceptable? If not, re-evaluate each line item including revenues and make appropriate adjustments. Also, anticipate non-operating income and expense items, and include them in your forecast.

Your financial projections may not be perfect at first, but we didn’t learn to walk without falling down. As a business coach I’ve seen others get a few bumps along the way. But I guarantee that if you follow these bookkeeping business tips, set your financial projections on paper and revisit them frequently, you will achieve your goals faster.

Laurie O’Neil is the co-founder of The Bookkeeper’s Referral Network Inc., the place where business meets great bookkeepers. To get your copy of The 9 Disastrous Mistakes Most Freelance Bookkeeper’s Make in
Business (and How You Can Avoid Them!) visit http://www.bkpr-network.com

Choosing The Right Book Keeping Provider For Your Online Business

The law requires that all businesses, whatever its size must keep a record of each financial transactions done through the business. These records will be presented to the government during tax time and this determines how much tax businesses must pay and how much tax returns they will get. If you are the owner of an online business, then you should find book keeping services for your online business because this will make it a lot easier for you to run your business.

Looking for the right book keeping service can be hard. There are several companies that can offer book keeping services but you have to remember that there are only a few that can offer the service that you want. Even if you are a small online business owner, you should remember that you deserve nothing less. Having a good book keeping team, will give you a chance to bring your business to succeed. If you choose a company that doesn’t provide high quality book keeping service this can lead to losing money, even complete bankruptcy.

If you are not familiar on what you are looking for in a book keeping company, here are some of the basic things you should look for. First, the book keeper or book keeping company you will outsource the book keeping jobs should be qualified.

The online business owner will be the only one who is able to judge if the book keeping company will be capable of doing the job well. However, you need to remember that there are general qualifications that you must look for. An example is that a good company can offer you good services will not only have qualified people to do the job, but they also have people that are experienced enough to do it.

Always remember a book keeper is not required to hold a degree in accounting. He or she should have experience in this kind of job and must also understand the mechanics in the business, especially about the financial transactions.

A second would be that the book keeping company must have the right technology. It means that they should already have the program or software designed for book keeping. This will then save you a lot of time and money, also a big plus to your business as the book keeping programs were designed in giving comprehensive reports and services. More importantly, the staff in the book keeping services company is able to know how to work them.

Remember these suggestions and surely you will find the right book keeping service for your online business. With these things, you are sure that you are able to save time and money which will translate to focusing more on the business.

The author is a freelance writer and also writes about business topics such as call centerand call center in the philippines .

Making Book Keeping Your Online Business

Book keeping can be a full time or part time job this can be perfect for anyone that wants to earn extra money in their homes. What is great about book keeping is you need not buy expensive equipments or even worry about the insurance for your business and planning consents. Book keeping is not really hard to do, knowing simple arithmetic then you are able to easily learn in becoming a book keeper. If you want to earn extra cash, you can do book keeping as your online business.

There are a lot of people that have no formal book keeping training or people who have no degree in accountancy who have become successful in book keeping the same with their online business. You have to consider the fact that many business owners are doing their own book keeping at home to their annual tax returns.

You must first need to know and apply the taxation rules and its other factors. Keeping that clear record of income and expenses of the business that you are book keeping for is very important. Although book keeping for others is a small online business that can earn you some cash, you have to take in consideration that you may want this to be a full time career. You have to study about book keeping first in order for you to become qualified as a book keeper.

Here are some of the things you should know about book keeping. First, remember that every type of business even if it is large or small will be required by law to keep books this is where everything financial is recorded. What this is going to mean is that all the financial transactions of the business are to be recorded. These things can be done through manual input in ledgers.

This can also be done with the help of a computer, using spreadsheets or a dedicated software just for book keeping. Most of the business owners who rely on using manual books will tend to keep receipts, invoices, utility bills and other scraps of paper that have affected their business financially is in a shoe box. During tax time, the box will be handed over to the book keeper, and should be able to transform the data from the shoe box in a more formal looking record of the financial dealings of the business.

Book keeping can be a rewarding career. You may want to do it as part time work or as a full time career, you will see that anyone can be a book keeper and even work from home as a freelancer. You can even set up a website where you can offer your book keeping services and start that online book keeping service.

The author is a freelance writer and also writes about business topics such as call center philippines and philippines call center .

Applying Bookkeeping To Your Online Business

It is possible that bookkeeping can be diligent and effective if you know how to start. Make this numbers and dates work for you. Try following these basics and you can setup an interesting bookkeeping system. You must choose an appropriate bookkeeping system. You can choose between a single-entry and double-entry.

Difference between this two is that when it comes to the single-entry bookkeeping system, this is considered as a rudimentary system that is suitable for personal financing. One very good example of this is checkbook balancing where it involves a single checking account and is being credited or debited.

For the double-entry bookkeeping this is something that is more appropriate for businesses this is because it can track two accounts at the same time. It can do efficient multi-tasking. As you sell a product, the recording of transaction as debit on inventory and then credit on the account, this will automatically be done by double-entry bookkeeping.

Business owners, especially those who own small businesses, have one thing in common they lack the time and enthusiasm to have a detailed ledger. To make life easier, get a trusted CPA or be wise and find a bookkeeping program. You would still need to ask for professional help if the business is largely dependent on precise and timely records or is operationally complicated. If you will be expecting more than a $100,000 worth of sales or an inventory that is very much considerable, you need not wait for someone to advise you to get a bookkeeping system. This is the right time.

If you are going to rely on a bookkeeping software or CPA to work this out for you, you must have every single document, receipt and data that they need to organize. See to it that all is still intact: sales receipts, purchase orders, bank statements, and so on. The lost receipts and important documents are going to leave blanks and uncertainties on the system’s part. Dedicate yourself to filing all the data needed to make the bookkeeping system possible.

Employing the assistance of your bookkeeping software is not an excuse to separate from all the important financial details of the entire business. You are professionally and legally responsible in every single activity your business has conducted.

Therefore, this is a must for you, as the owner, you must understand the bigger picture, following the business trends. This is where bookkeeping comes to the rescue. Through the software, this can give you a clearer view of the financial records you have. Because this bookkeeping software, can let the owner decide to refresh and run basic reports on a daily basis.

Bookkeeping will eventually reveal data captures such as loss and profits, overdue accounts, and the business’ monthly expenses at a glance.

The author is a freelance writer and also writes about business topics such as call centers in the philippines and call center philippines .

Here’s How To Make Sure That Your Bookkeeping Service Provider Is Trustworthy

When it comes to business, outsourcing is always a tough call to be made. It is never easy to convince yourself or your partners that you are going to entrust a service provider with the internal business operations responsibilities. Especially for accounting, it involves the transfer of confidential information to a third party whom you have never met before. So before you make any decision to outsource your accounting, the following points should be taken into consideration first:

1. Conduct a background check of the company. As it is your first time entrusting confidential data to a company, it is always wise for you to do a background check first. Search for the company’s details on search engines and you should be able to get a fair idea about the background of the company. You should also try to get details of the vendor’s clients. Ask for their feedback on the service before you make the final decision.

2. Sign a contract with the vendor. The contract is the basis of any business relationship you have with another company. On the contract, it should states very clearly about the accountability of the outsource provider so as to avoid any confusion on the deliverables. The contract should also list down the tasks that the service provider will perform and these tasks should be open for revision for both the parties.

3. Request for an evaluation period. If you want to know whether you can work well with the service provider and are they going to meet your expectation, the performance of the service provider needs to be gauged during the evaluation period. The service provider should allow internal oversight by you so that all parties will know the progress of the account and ensure that the contract is being upheld.

4. Write a performance appraisal after the completion of the assignment. Once the assignment is completed, conduct a performance appraisal on whether the service provider has performed the necessary desired tasks. In the appraisal, also list down areas that you think the service provider can improve. This is to ensure that improvements can be made for future outsourcing assignments.

Outsourcing your bookkeeping to a service provider is definitely beneficial to your company. It is Time VS Money. When you outsource your accounting, you will save money on recruiting and training your staffs to do the accounting work for you. Last but not least, remember to conduct your background check of a company before making any decision.

For more information on Bookkeeping Service and other Accounting Service, visit the link below:

Click Here: www.361dc.com

2009 Budget Effects on Irish Payroll Services

The recently published Irish budget for 2009 will require a number of changes to be kept in mind by Irish payroll companies. The most relevant of these are as follows:

INCOME TAX CHANGES
Personal Tax Package
The main elements, including associated costs, of the personal tax package, which take effect from 1 January 2009, are as follows:
Changes to Income Tax
Full Year Cost
Eurom
New Standard Rate Bands from 1 January 2009:
Changes to Income Tax Full Year CostEurom
New Standard Rate Bands from 1 January 2009: Current Proposed
Single Euro35,400 Euro36,400
Married One Income Euro44,400 Euro45,400
Married Two Incomes Euro70,800 Euro72,800
*With a maximum transferability between spouses of Euro44,400 in 2008 and Euro45,400 in 2009 200
Income Levy Full Year YieldEurom
Income levy of 1% on income up to Euro100,100 (Euro1,925 per week) and of 2% on income in excess of Euro100,100 (this levy excludes social welfare payments, contributory and non-contributory pensions) 1,180
Total (yield) 980

Income Levy
Full Year Yield
Eurom
Income levy of 1% on income up to Euro100,100 (Euro1,925 per week) and of 2% on income in excess of Euro100,100 (this levy excludes social welfare payments, contributory and non-contributory pensions)
1,180
Total (yield)
980

Income Levy
A new income levy is being introduced that will apply at the rate of 1% to gross income up to Euro100,100 per annum or Euro1,925 per week. A rate of 2% will apply to income in excess of that amount.
The levy is paid on gross income, before deductions for capital allowances or contributions to pensions.
The levy does not apply to social welfare payments including contributory and non-contributory social welfare pensions.

This measure is expected to yield Euro815 million in 2009 and Euro1,180m in a full year.

OTHER INCOME TAX
Mortgage Interest Relief
The current rate of mortgage interest relief is being increased from 1 January 2009 for first-time buyers from 20% to 25% in year 1 and year 2 and to 22.5% in years 3, 4 and 5. The additional relief will be available to new first-time buyers and first-time buyers who have bought a house in the last 4 years.
The rate of mortgage interest relief for non-first-time buyers is being reduced from 20% to 15% from 1 January 2009.

It is estimated that this measure will be broadly revenue neutral.

Health Expenses Relief
Health Expenses relief will be granted at the standard rate only from 1 January 2009, with the exception of nursing home expenses which will be standard rated from 1 January 2010.

This measure is expected to yield Euro120 million in 2010 and Euro150m in a full year.
Levy on car parking facilities provided to employees by their employers.

A flat rate levy of Euro200 per annum will be charged on employees whose employer provides them with car parking facilities. The levy will be confined to employer provided car parking facilities situated in the main urban centres.

The estimated yield from this measure is Euro5 million in 2009 and Euro10 million in a full year.

Cycle to work scheme
From 1 January 2009, the provision of bicycles and associated safety equipment by employers to employees who agree to use the bicycles to cycle to work will be treated as a tax exempt benefit-in-kind. The exemption may only apply once in any five year period in respect of any employee. There will be a limit on the value of such purchases of Euro1,000 for each employee. The scheme may also be implemented via salary sacrifice arrangements, whereby an employee agrees to forego part of his/her salary to cover the costs associated with the purchase of the bicycle and associated safety equipment. Where such salary sacrifice arrangements are implemented, they must be completed over a maximum period of twelve months.

The estimated cost of this scheme is Euro0.2 million in 2009 and Euro0.4 million in a full year.

Increase in the Specified Rates for Preferential Home Loans and Other Loans
An employee in receipt of a preferential loan is charged income tax on the difference between the interest actually paid and the amount which would have been payable at the specified rates of interest for the loans. To reflect changes in interest rates, the specified rate in respect of loans (other than home loans) is being increased from 13% to 15%. These changes will take effect from 1 January 2009.
The expected yield from this measure is Euro1.5 million in 2009 and Euro2 million in a full year.
Tax relief for the donations of heritage items
The tax relief in respect of the donation of heritage items to approved State institutions is being limited to 80% of the market value of the heritage item donated.

The tax relief in respect of the donation of heritage property to the Irish Heritage Trust is being limited to 80% of the market value of the heritage property donated.

The ceiling on the aggregate value of donations qualifying for each of these schemes in any one year will remain at Euro6 million.

Change in basis of Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) charge for company cars to relate it to the cars level of CO2 emissions
The Finance Bill will contain provisions to change the basis of the BIK charge on company cars to relate it to the cars level of CO2 emissions.
It is estimated that this measure will be broadly revenue neutral.

PRSI CHANGES
Employee PRSI annual ceiling
As from 1 January 2009, the PRSI contribution ceiling will increase from Euro50,700 to Euro52,000.
VAT
Increase in standard VAT rate from 21 per cent to 21.5 per cent.
The standard rate of VAT will be increased from 21 to 21.5 per cent with effect from 1 December 2008. This increase will apply to all goods and services which are currently subject to VAT at 21 per cent.
This measure is estimated to yield Euro208 million in 2009 and Euro227 million in a full year.

EXCISES
Increase in Mineral Oil Tax on Petrol
The mineral oil tax on petrol will be increased by 8 cent per litre (including VAT) with effect from midnight on 14 October 2008.
This measure is estimated to yield Euro22 million in 2008, and Euro166 million in 2009.

Tobacco Excise
The Excise Duty on a packet of 20 cigarettes is being increased by 50 cent (including VAT) with a pro-rata increase on other tobacco products, with effect from midnight on 14 October 2008.
This measure is estimated to yield Euro16 million in 2008 and Euro105 million in 2009.

Alcohol Excise
Excise Duty on a standard bottle of wine is being increased by 50 cent (including VAT) with effect from midnight on 14 October 2008. Pro-rata increases are also being applied to other wine, and certain other fermented and intermediate products.
This measure is estimated to yield Euro5 million in 2008 and Euro31 million in 2009.
A reduced rate of excise duty, at 50% of the full appropriate excise duty rate for beer and cider, will be introduced for low alcohol beer and cider (beer and cider products with an alcohol by volume content of 2.8% or less), with effect from midnight on 14 October 2008.
This measure is expected to cost the exchequer Euro2 million in 2009 and Euro3 million in a full year.
Excise Licences
A range of alcohol-related licensing fees, including off-licences, but excluding pub licences, are being increased to Euro500 in each case. These increases will apply from the appropriate annual renewal dates in 2009.
This measure is estimated to yield Euro2 million in 2009 and Euro2.2 million in a full year.

Michael Kelly is Managing Director of Irish Payroll Company Irish-Payroll.com. The company provides a range of payroll services as well as bookkeeping services. Further information http://www.irish-payroll.com .

What Is The Difference Between Cash And Accrual Basis Accounting?

Many years ago when I first began to operate my own small business I learned the hard way what the difference between the two methods of accounting were. And I only learned the difference when I made the decision to hire an outside bookkeeper to handle my accounting functions. In fact I learned the difference because I had been using the accrual basis method and the accountant tried to switch me over to the cash basis method. Without bothering to tell me!

You see because my business at the time involved billing customers and then waiting to be paid I had automatically adopted the accrual method. If I hadn’t then I would have had difficulty tracking my monthly sales figures and expenses. This is because when you use accrual basis accounting you bill a customer and record the transaction immediately. Whether you have been paid or not. The same goes for your own bills. When you receive the bill you record it and later when you actually pay the bill you go back to it and mark it as paid. This allows for a more even tracking of sales and expenses on a monthly basis.

The other way is called the cash basis method. Quite simply you record the transaction when you are paid for your goods or services. This method is good for a number of businesses such as restaurants and convenience stores. In fact it is fine for any small business that does not have to invoice its customers. Paying your bills works the same way as well. You record the bill when you pay it.

The two methods are actually very simple to understand but for reporting purposes to the IRS as an example they are very different. The IRS generally prefers the accrual method but you don’t have to use it. But some businesses use the cash method even though they have to wait for payments. They do this to avoid paying some taxes for the year at least temporarily because the revenue didn’t get recorded when the job was completed. It was recorded when it was paid which allowed it to be carried over into the next year. That’s one reason some businesses prefer the cash method.

So what happened with the accountant? Well I thought at the time that handing over the accounting functions to an outside bookkeeper would be a prudent move. In my case it wasn’t. I had been using the accrual method and once I had handed over my books they basically started me off from scratch using the cash basis method. The first time we sat down to go over the books I realized the problem. I had no idea how well my sales were doing because I hadn’t been paid for many of the jobs I had completed. And I didn’t know my total expenses either because the bills hadn’t been paid yet.

Of course this wasn’t going to do at all. And to top it off I hadn’t been asked which method I preferred. Once I recognized the problem I thought it could be worked out. But the person that was doing my accounting work told me she only used the cash basis method and wouldn’t make any exceptions. So in the end I fired her and spent the next couple of weeks straightening my accounting books back out. So that I could get the information I needed. So knowing the difference between cash and accrual accounting is very important.

Cash Miller is an expert in small business affairs. To receive more tips that can help your business and allow you to crush your competition you can sign up for his FREE Newsletter. Once you’ve signed up your going to receive access to 5 FREE E-Books that can help your business prosper. And as a Bonus FREE Newsletter Members can expect to receive an additional FREE E-Book each week.

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