Category Archives for "Bookkeeping"

Keep Your Bookkeeping in Check: Outsource Your Bank Reconciliation

Staying on top of your business's financial health is crucial, and one key aspect is regular bank reconciliation. Many business owners struggle to find the time or expertise to manage this effectively. That's where outsourcing your bookkeeping comes in.

Get into the habit of doing your bank reconciliation

When it comes to bank reconciliation, it’s important to get into the habit of doing it often. Putting it off can mean bad things for your business records! 

What is Bank Reconciliation?

Bank reconciliation keeps your bookkeeping accurate and can help lower your tax, alert you to fraud, and allow you to track costs. It involves a comparison of your sales and expense records against the record your bank has.

Saving time

It can take a lot of time to do it manually, so you may want to consider using software. Most banks can send transaction data directly to accounting software like Xero through a secure online connection. However if you do bank reconciliation, do it often.

The longer you go without doing it, the longer it will take to catch up. It won’t just be that you have more transactions to do, it will take longer per transaction, because you’ll have a harder time recalling the details.

Why Outsource Your Bookkeeping?

Outsourcing your bookkeeping, especially tasks like bank reconciliation, can save you time and ensure accuracy. Here's why outsourcing might be the right choice for your business. 

Expertise and Accuracy

As professional bookkeepers, we have extensive training and experience in managing financial records. We understand the nuances of bank reconciliation and can catch errors or discrepancies that might be missed by someone less experienced. This expertise ensures that your books are accurate, which is crucial for making informed business decisions.

Time Savings

Outsourcing frees up your time to focus on other important aspects of your business. Instead of spending hours each week reconciling your bank statements, you can concentrate on growth, customer service, and other core activities. This can lead to increased productivity and potentially higher revenue.

Consistency and Timeliness

A professional bookkeeping service, like First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, will ensure that your bank reconciliations are done consistently and on time. We can set up automated systems to streamline the process, making it easier to keep everything up-to-date. Regular reconciliation helps in identifying any issues early, preventing potential financial problems down the line.

Scalability

As your business grows, so does the complexity of your financial transactions. Outsourcing your bookkeeping allows you to scale your financial management processes without the need to hire and train additional in-house staff. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for businesses looking to expand.

Cost-Effectiveness

While there is a cost associated with outsourcing, it can be more cost-effective in the long run. The time you save and the potential for avoiding costly errors or penalties can outweigh the fees for professional bookkeeping services.

Don't let bank reconciliation become a daunting task

Contact First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray and Busy01 Consulting today to see how we can help you streamline your bookkeeping and keep your business on track. Let's take the hassle out of bank reconciliation so you can concentrate on what you do best—running your business.

Talk to us, we can help.

Keeping your receipts

Source document management

When it comes to small business compliance, source documents – bills, receipts, checks, or anything substantiating a transaction – are critical.

Collecting and managing source documents can mean a lot of administrative effort and time. Plus you have to store all the documents too. Historically, source documents have been paper based, so that means a lot of office space just dedicated to paper document storage!

The good news is that bookkeepers, like First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, can help small businesses to better manage source documents.

Here are a few frequently asked questions to better understand why and how bookkeepers can help. 

Who should manage source documents: the business, or the bookkeeper?

Allocating source document management to your bookkeeper means you can better manage your source documents for compliance-related reasons. This is because your bookkeeper is able to provide more accurate reconciliation. The added bonus is that this can lead to meaningful business insights.

Why are source documents important for bookkeeping?

Source documents are vital for business compliance and audit preparation. Bookkeepers keep up to date with compliance requirements and understand the types of documentation that small businesses are required to keep compliant.

Source documents are also important for improving bookkeeping quality. Having source documents readily available will not only make the reconciliation process faster, easier, and more accurate, it will also help to gather clean data. Again, that data can then be translated into business insights.

What’s the best way to collect and manage source documents?

One of the best ways to collect and manage source documents is to do so digitally. This means implementing a process and using technology to automate and digitise document management.

Using a single system and process for collecting source documents gives you a centralised document storage solution, and all your documents are readily available when you need them.

There are a number of apps and tools, such as Dext, that can make it easy for both bookkeepers and business owners to collect and digitise documents. Most of these will integrates with cloud storage platforms and integrate with cloud accounting packages.

Are digital documents acceptable in the event of an audit?

Yes! Many governments accept digital files as source documents in the event of an audit, including the Australia.

In the event of an audit, having all documents readily available in one place will help to make sure the audit process goes smoothly.

Talk to us about improving your source document management

If you are interested in digitising your source document management, contact us today to discuss the apps and tools available, and how we can help, 

Keeping debt low through proactive credit control. 

Having a large amount of debt in your business is bad for cashflow, weakens your overall financial health and brings down your credit score as a business.

So when customers don’t pay on time, that ‘aged debt’ is bad news for your finances. Aged debt can begin to stack up, adding to your liabilities and reducing the health of your overall balance sheet.

The good news is that there are ways to tackle late payment head-on.

Get effective with your credit control

Being proactive with your credit control procedures and debt management helps you speed up payment, reduce your debtor days and rein in your overall debt as a business

To improve the efficiency of your credit control, these strategies help speed up payment processes, reduce debtor days, and maintain a healthier financial status for your business.

Make your payment terms clear

The foundation of effective credit control is clear communication about payment terms. Ensure that your payment conditions are explicitly stated on all invoices. Additionally, incorporate a detailed credit control policy into the terms and conditions your customers agree to. This clarity helps prevent misunderstandings and sets clear expectations from the start.

Run regular debtor reports

Regular reviews of your debtor situation are vital. Run frequent reports to identify which invoices are overdue and which customers are consistently late in payments. Understanding the pattern of late payments allows you to prioritise debt collection efforts effectively.

Be proactive in chasing late payment

Being passive about debt collection is a common pitfall, however it's important to not be shy about asking a customer to pay their bill. Adopt a proactive approach by regularly contacting customers with overdue payments. Set up reminders for yourself to chase late payments, ensuring you are persistent but respectful in your communication.

Automate your credit control tasks 

Technology can significantly streamline your credit control processes. Many cloud accounting platforms offer built-in tools or integrations specifically designed for automated credit control. These systems can automatically send reminders to customers as soon as an invoice becomes overdue, reducing the manual effort required and ensuring timely follow-ups.

Leveraging technology for better credit control

The use of technology in managing credit control cannot be overstated. Automated systems not only save time but also reduce the chance of errors and omissions that can occur with manual processes. These tools ensure that all customers receive consistent communication and that no overdue invoice slips through the cracks.

If late payment and aged debt is weighing heavily on your balance sheet, we’ll help you implement the appropriate apps that support the automated systems, debtor reports and credit control processes needed to reduce debt.

Get in touch to improve your credit control.

The ABCs of Bookkeeping

These days, with the various cloud accounting and financial management apps available at your fingertips, you're probably used to having unrivalled access to your financial numbers, key performance indicators (KPIs) and cashflow metrics.

But without good bookkeeping, the speed and quality of your reporting can quickly fall down.

So, why is fast and accurate bookkeeping so important? And what are the main bookkeeping tasks that your business should be getting right?

The financial importance of good bookkeeping

Bookkeeping is a fundamental part of your financial process as a business. Without it, your accounting software has no financial data to work with, your don't have the most current numbers, and your accountant can’t see the current financial health of the business.

Inputting your financial transaction into some form of record-keeping system is also a mandatory commitment if you’re a registered business and paying goods and services or value-added tax. Bookkeeping is what provides you with a historic breadcrumb trail of your finances – allowing you to track your cashflow, revenues and profits over a given period.

How to maximise your bookkeeping

So, bookkeeping is a vital part of your financial management. And the key to having your transactions recorded, available for reporting and accessible whenever you need them.

But how should the bookkeeping process work, in an ideal world?

Let’s walk through the core bookkeeping steps and how you can get the most from this financial admin task.

The ABCs of bookkeeping

Scan all financial paperwork

The initial part of the bookkeeping process is to scan and record all receipts, invoices and remittances. This gives you a digital copy of the paperwork that relates to your income and expenses – important when you get around to filing tax returns and expense claims etc.

Record all transactions immediately

Getting your transaction recorded and in the books ASAP is vital. This includes recording both your income and expenses, as soon as they occur, and matching them with the scanned paperwork. This not only helps you stay organised but also means your financial data is always up-to-date and can provide real-time reporting and numbers. This can be a huge help when running the business.

Categorise transactions accurately

When recording transactions, make sure you’re accurate and categorise each item correctly. Not only does this remove the potential for errors and miss-keying in your books, it also helps you track your spending and income more accurately, so your reports are an honest reflection of your financial health.

Reconcile your accounts regularly

Reconciliation is the process of matching your transactions (both income and expenses) against your bank statement and other financial statements. It’s a key part of your bookkeeping and should be done regularly, to ensure that your balances are correct and that your records are totally up to date.

Use a cloud-based accounting system

Bookkeeping doesn’t involve books (ledgers, in accounting-speak) anymore. In the digital world, you can use cloud-based accounting software, like Xero, to record your transactions and access your financial data in the cloud from anywhere, at any time. This makes it easier to keep on top of your numbers when out of the office (and Xero will even automate the reconciliation process too).

Outsource your bookkeeping to a professional

Yes, you can do your own bookkeeping. But there’s a LOT of value to delegating all the hard work to a professional bookkeeper. If you don't have the time or expertise to manage your bookkeeping yourself, outsourcing is a smart move. A bookkeeper understands the ABCs of bookkeeping and more. They will make sure your books are always accurate and under control. Plus, they can produce cashflow statements, revenue forecasts and other reports to help your business decision-making.

Talk to us about outsourcing your bookkeeping.

With today’s cloud accounting software, bookkeeping is a far less tedious task than it used to be. But it’s still a regular, time-consuming job that can take you away from running the business.

If you’re thinking about outsourcing your bookkeeping, and freeing up that admin time, we’d love to talk to you. Our bookkeeping service will take on your bookkeeping tasks, to streamline the whole process.

We’ll also introduce you to apps like Dext, that make snapping receipts and scanning invoices a breeze.

Let us do the books, so you can get back to talking to customers and winning work.

Get in touch to discuss our outsourced bookkeeping.

Why Bookkeeping is Essential for Your Business

As a small business owner, navigating the financial aspects of your operation can often seem like a daunting task. 

You may find yourself asking whether you need a bookkeeper, an accountant, or both. It's a common query that many entrepreneurs face as they look to streamline their financial processes and ensure the financial health of their business.

At its core, bookkeeping involves the organisation, recording, and reporting of financial transactions of a small business. 

This might seem straightforward, yet the role of a bookkeeper extends far beyond mere number crunching. They are the custodians of your financial accuracy, ensuring that every cent in and out of your business is accounted for.

The Role of a Bookkeeper

Bookkeepers clear the way for accountants to work with your business strategically. Their day-to-day responsibilities include keeping track of daily transactions, sending and managing invoices, handling the accounts payable ledger, keeping an eye on cash flow, and preparing the books for the accountant. 

These tasks, while seemingly operational, are critical for the strategic financial planning and decision-making processes of any business.

Moreover, a good bookkeeper provides a level of financial insight that is invaluable for a small business. This insight allows for the early detection of any financial discrepancies that could potentially escalate into bigger issues. It also aids in maintaining a steady cash flow - a critical component for the survival and growth of any small business.

When hiring a bookkeeper, it’s essential to inquire about their area of specialisation. The financial needs of a business can vary greatly depending on the industry, size, and stage of growth. 

Some bookkeepers may offer additional value by being able to train staff in using online accounting or Point of Sale (POS) systems or providing advice on optimising business processes for financial efficiency.

Specialisation in Addon Apps

These days, there are numerous applications designed to streamline business operations, including financial management. 

One of our specialities at First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, and Busy01 Consulting, is advising on Addon Apps. 

We pride ourselves on understanding the different options available for various industries and businesses. By providing insights and guidance on the most suitable apps for your business, we aim to improve efficiencies, save time, and reduce costs. 

Whether you need help streamlining your invoicing process, managing your inventory more effectively, or tracking your expenses, there's likely an app that can assist. We are here to help you navigate these options and implement the appropriate apps for your business.

The Difference Between Bookkeeping and Accounting

Understanding the distinction between bookkeeping and accounting is crucial for any business owner. 

While bookkeeping lays the groundwork for the financial management of your business by maintaining accurate records of all transactions, accounting builds on this foundation to provide strategic financial analysis, planning, and advice. 

Accountants use the data prepared by bookkeepers to generate financial reports, conduct audits, and prepare financial forecasting. These are essential for strategic decision-making, securing loans, attracting investors, and ensuring compliance with legal and tax obligations.

Why Bookkeeping Matters

Efficient bookkeeping is the cornerstone of a healthy business. 

It ensures accurate financial records are kept, which is not only a legal requirement but also critical for understanding your business’s financial health. 

Regular bookkeeping helps in budgeting by categorising revenues and expenses, providing a clear view of where the business stands financially. This clarity is essential for planning future growth or addressing potential shortfalls.

Moreover, bookkeeping plays a vital role in tax preparation. With accurate and up-to-date financial records, preparing for tax season becomes much more straightforward, ensuring that you can claim all your entitlements while also meeting your tax obligations.

Bookkeeping is more than keeping records

Bookkeeping is not just about keeping records; it's about setting the foundation for your business's financial health and strategic growth. 

A bookkeeper is a key player in your financial team, working alongside accountants to ensure that your business not only survives but thrives.

If you're looking to improve efficiencies in your business to save time and money, or if you need expert advice on managing your financial transactions and selecting the right Addon Apps for your business, do not hesitate to get in touch. 

Our team specialises in providing tailored bookkeeping solutions that meet the unique needs of your business. Let us look after your books, so you can focus on what you do best: growing your business.

Outstanding tax debts? ATO warns about disclosure to Credit Rating Agencies

The ATO has shifted its focus from providing assistance with tax through the pandemic to now re-establishing the culture of businesses paying their tax debts on time.

Beginning from July 2023, The ATO has issued notices of intent to disclose business tax debts of more than 22,000 businesses with a tax debt of at least $100,000 that is overdue by more than 90 days, to credit rating agencies (CRAs).

Disclosure of business tax debts

The ATO may report your business tax debt if it meets the following criteria:

• you have an ABN and your business in not an excluded entity
• you have one or more tax debts and at least $100,000 is overdue by more than 90 days
• you are not engaging with the ATO to manage your tax debt
• you don't have an active complaint with the Inspector-General of Taxation Ombudsman (IGTO) about our intent to report your tax debt information.

The Commissioner has urged taxpayers, with outstanding debts, to engage with the ATO to not risk their business’s tax debts becoming visible in credit rating checks.

Intent to disclose notice – next steps

Section 255-15 of the Tax Administration Act 1953 empowers the Commissioner to enter into an arrangement with an entity which has, or which is expected to have, a tax-related liability, whereby the entity may pay the liability by instalments.

Businesses need to pay their debt or enter into an appropriate payment arrangement within 28 days of when the intent to disclose notice was issued to prevent disclosure.

In October 2023, more than 9,000 businesses are expected to have their debts disclosed and the ATO expects to issue 50,000 notices of intent to disclose by the end of 2023–24 financial year. A disclosed debt can impact your business’s ability to receive finance and your business may also lose suppliers.

Contact us

If you have received a notice of intent or have a tax debt of $100,000 or more that is overdue by more than 90 days, as your BAS Agent we can assist you in engaging/re-engaging with the ATO and help create an arrangement or payment plan that best suits your current and future financial position.

Should you have any other queries, please feel free to contact our office.

How much should you pay yourself?

Being the boss means you get to make all the big decisions about your business – including how much to pay yourself in wages, salary or drawings.

As the owner, you might need to underpay yourself in the early stages of building your business, so you can reinvest the profits. But your time is valuable – and you need enough money to pay the bills.

So how can you find the right level of pay? It has to be enough to keep the mortgage paid, while also building a thriving business.

If you’re trying to decide how much to pay yourself, here are a few questions to ask yourself:

What can the business afford?

You need to leave enough cash in the business to keep it ticking along, pay your basic costs, and meet your tax obligations.

Once you’ve considered all those outgoings, how much does that leave you as a potential salary?

We can help you work out what that number is, so you can establish a sustainable rate of pay.

What’s the market rate for your role?

What would you have to pay someone to do the work you’re undertaking in this business?

Maybe you wouldn’t actually be able to find anyone to work the same long hours, but if you were hiring someone with your experience, to do the same sort of work for 40 hours a week, what would they expect to be paid?

That number is a good starting point for thinking about your own salary or drawings.

If you’re being underpaid, it’s time to think about ways to grow your profits. If you’re being overpaid, congratulations on building a highly profitable business.

Could reinvesting profits grow your income faster?

You can take all the profits out of your business, which should give you a strong and sustainable income.

Or, could you reinvest your profits and grow the business faster, leading to a higher income in the long-term? You might choose to spend some of your profits on advertising, a better website, or developing a new offering, for example.

Or you could pay for assistance in some area of the business. If the investment leads to higher growth, it might be well worthwhile.

We’ll help you run the numbers.

We can help you figure out how much your business can afford to pay you, analyse the potential gains of a business investment, or weigh up the pros and cons of hiring someone to help you.

Get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.

Providing Accurate Source Documents to Your Bookkeeper

Did you know that the accuracy of your bookkeeping is only as good as the accuracy of the source documents?

Source documents are any documents that provide evidence of a financial transaction. This could include:

•  Invoices
• Receipts
• Bank statements
• Credit card statements
• Payroll records
• and more. 

Providing accurate and original source documents means that your financial records are more likely to be accurate and compliant.

Benefits of having accurate source documents

There are several benefits to making sure you are providing accurate source documents to your bookkeeper.

Accuracy

Making sure you are providing the correct source documents means that your financial records are more accurate. 

And this is important for a number of reasons:

• Making sure that you are paying the correct amount of taxes
• Avoiding financial penalties
• Getting accurate financial reports
• Making informed business decisions

Compliance

Accurate source documents help keep your business compliant with all applicable laws and regulations. 

This is important because non-compliance can lead to fines, penalties, and in the worse-case scenario, legal action.

Time & financial savings

When you provide accurate source documents to your bookkeeper, they can save time by not having to track down missing or incomplete information. And this can save you money in the long run.

Managing your source documents

There are a number of platforms that can help you to manage your source documents and make it easier to provide them to your bookkeeper. 

Platforms that we recommend include Dext, Xero, Hubdoc, and Lightyear.

Dext is a cloud-based document management system that allows you to scan, store, and organise your source documents. Dext also has integrations with a number of accounting software platforms, like Xero, making it easy to reconcile your accounts.

Xero is an online accounting software platform that allows you to track your finances, invoice your customers, and pay your bills. Xero also has a document management system that allows you to upload and store your source documents.

At the end of the day, using a digital platform to manage your source documents helps improve the accuracy and efficiency of your bookkeeping and helps keep your financial records accurate, compliant, and up-to-date.

Here are some additional tips for providing accurate source documents to your bookkeeper:

• Scan or photo your source documents and upload them to Dext or Xero as soon as possible after the transaction occurs. This will help to prevent them from being lost or damaged.
• If taking a photo - always photograph the original source document. Don’t take a photo of a photo or a screenshot of a document or receipt. 
• Make sure that the scan or photo’s of your source documents are clear and legible.
• Label each document with the date, amount, and description of the transaction.
• Keep your source documents in a safe and organised place. This is where using platforms such as Dext or Xero is highly beneficial.
• Provide your bookkeeper with access to your digital document management system.

By following these tips, you can help to ensure that as your bookkeeper, we have the information we need to keep your financial records accurate and compliant.

Are you in control of your staff expenses?

When your managers and employees have their own budgets to utilise and spend, it's important to keep in control of these staff expenses.

It used to be standard practice to have a firm-wide company credit card that staff could use to make ad-hoc and recurring payments. But a company card can easily be misused and doesn't help you keep your spending in check.

Today's expense management systems, like Soldo, Pleo or Weel, all give you far greater control over your staff spending – with additional benefits that streamline your expenses process

The benefits of a cloud-based expenses management system

The evolution of cloud accounting and fintech software has led to a significant leap forward in the control your business can have over its staff expenses.

Expense management solutions are now fully digital platforms. Your team has flexible ways to pay for expenses and operational costs, with a greater level of control over how much is spent, who spends it and how these costs track against the company’s main cashflow position.

With a modern expense management app, you can:

Use virtual debit cards to pay for expenses 

Team members can be issued with virtual cards that are quick to set up, use and cancel, if necessary. Having multiple virtual cards helps you keep track of specific spending and allows employees to make payments directly from their phone or tablet.

Align each card number to a specific budget or cost centre

Each card number is linked to a defined budget, branch or cost centre. Instead of having one card that all staff spending is dumped onto, you have a defined card for each budget. This helps you track that person’s or department’s spending and produce drilled-down management information about their spending and outgoings.

Set card limits, so staff can't overspend

Each card can be given an agreed spending limit, to reign in overspending and casual use of the card without prior approval. Managers can approve spending prior to a payment being made, with full transparency over where the money is going and the agreed amount that can be spent.

Integrate your expenses system with your cloud accounting platform

If your accounting software has a suitable API, you can connect your expense platform to your digital accounts. This automates the whole process of recording, tracking and reconciling your outgoing transactions, saving you hours of data entry and admin time.

Get deep reporting on all expenditure

Tracking all your staff spending through the one platform means you have unprecedented access to data and reporting. This gives you the ability to track each department or branch and follow a clear breadcrumb trail for all outgoing costs and staff expenses.

Talk to us about getting in control of your staff expenses

Spiralling staff expenses can have a profoundly negative impact on your cashflow. But with a cloud-based expenses management system in place, you’re in full control of every transaction, every cost and the overriding impact on your cash position.

Talk to us about which expense management platform is right for your business, and the best way to integrate your chosen app with your main finance system.