Your Complete Guide to Bookkeeping for Your Business

As the business owner, if you don’t understand the different types of “accounts” your bookkeeper uses to organize your finances, measuring the success of your efforts will be futile. That’s why I created my 6-step framework to turn bookkeepers into business owners. It takes a different approach to be the owner of a bookkeeping business with team, systems, and profit, than it does to be a self-employed bookkeeper. Save separate emergency funds for your business and personal life. Both should give you enough cash to cover your expenses for three to six months.

• However, most businesses that make the leap see the value and experience an ROI rapidly.
• To process payment from a customer, Wave charges 2.9% plus 60¢ per transaction for Visa, Mastercard, and Discover, and 3.4% plus 60¢ per transaction for American Express.
• Even part-time bookkeepers stand to do well in today’s economy.
• To avoid getting caught short, plan ahead and set aside money for any anticipated tax bills.
• An audit trail means you’ll have your invoices in order and you can retrace your steps easily if there’s one tiny error.

Businesses around the world use the spreadsheet-based program. Training on using Excel is also readily available online to get you and your employees up to speed if required. Another reason to use Excel, as mentioned earlier, is that you probably already have it installed on your computer.

How do I do accounting for my small business?

Bookkeeping software helps you prepare these financial reports, many in real-time. This can be a lifeline for small-business owners who need to make quick financial decisions based on the immediate health of their business.

Good bookkeeping is foundational to running a profitable business. After all, if you don’t know how much you’re making or where that money is going, you’ll have a hard time finding ways to expand your profitability. Find out what bookkeepers do, and get an intro to double-entry bookkeeping.

Next Steps for Your Bookkeeping Business

Many business owners dread this very necessary task, and it can be hard to learn if you’re unfamiliar with accounting — so here’s your guide. Her work has appeared on Business.com, Business News Daily, FitSmallBusiness.com, CentsibleMoney.com, and Kin Insurance. Unlike accounting, bookkeeping does not require any certifications. Individuals who are successful bookkeeping professionals are highly organized, can balance ledgers accurately, have an eye for detail and are excellent communicators. Once the entries are assigned to the correct accounts, you can post them to the general ledger to get a bird’s-eye view of your current cash status.

And while there are certain state-by-state exceptions about what can and cannot be undertaken by a CPA, they are not a requirement for starting an accounting firm. Nearly all LLCs and corporations will need to request a federal employer identification number from the IRS. If you file corporate income taxes, have employees, or file certain franchise taxes, you must have an EIN. An EIN is also a common requirement for opening a business bank account.

What Does a Bookkeeping Business Do?

But most businesses in the hobbyist stage can get by using either a simple spreadsheet or one of the many accounting or bookkeeping software solutions on the market. Using accounting software can help you save valuable time. Many applications connect with your business’s checking account so you don’t have to manually record entries.

Still, they lend themselves easily to error and can quickly become complex. Kristin Ewald is a small business owner and former journalist. If you have not prepared a budget, compare your current year-to-date P&L with the same prior period, year-to-date income statement to identify variances and make adjustments. Whether you operate a brick-and-mortar business or a virtual one, having a professional place to meet with clients is essential. However, it’s important to remember that you have to target businesses where you have the right location and the right skills.

What Is Bookkeeping?

Cloud-based time tracking software allows employees to clock in and out on their smartphones, tablets, or computers. But it doesn’t just save them hassles—it also makes your life easier by automatically tracking overtime, PTO, etc. You can find time tracking software designed for just about any industry. Choose one that works with your bookkeeping software, and payroll will be a snap, too.

Although bookkeepers are not responsible for filing a business’s taxes, they do often act as financial interpreters between companies and accountants. One of the most important aspects of bookkeeping is the day-to-day recording, tracking, and reconciling of all of your business transactions. With Novo, you can add details to every transaction, business bookkeeping including adding categories and notes, and uploading images and documents. You can also export all of this data in a CSV file for easier bookkeeping in Excel. Depending on your type of business, you may want to take your bookkeeping a step further by creating some extra Excel spreadsheets to help you assess your company’s financial health.