Bookkeeping 101: Bookkeeping Basics for Small Businesses

Jenny Chang is a senior writer specializing in SaaS and B2B software solutions. She has covered all the major developments in SaaS and B2B software solutions, from the introduction of massive ERPs to small business platforms to help startups on their way to success. Furthermore, FreshBooks integrates with other third-party platforms. So, not only you can extend its capabilities but directly use it instantly with your current software stack.

With this, you can easily make FreshBooks your financial command center that goes beyond just bookkeeping. The product is also prized for its powerful automation capabilities as an accounting solution for startups. Sage 50cloud is a web-based accounting solution designed for SMEs.

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The journal entries are made from documents that contain financial information, such as receipts, bills, and invoices. Want a more comprehensive look at how to set up the accounting and finances for your startup? Not only can you use well-kept books to ensure that you have more money coming in than leaving, but you can also use your financials to make other decisions too. Read more here about which accounting method is right for your startup.

Transactions are recorded in their corresponding journals—most transactions will be part of the general journal. Two entries should be made for every transaction, a debit and a credit. A business’ financial information should be based on objective, verifiable data.

Keep a record of all financial transactions

Was that trip to Staples for office supplies or to pick up a new banner for your tradeshow booth? These two items are categorized differently on your tax return, so record the category while transactions are fresh in your mind. We recommend chatting with a CPA before you make any firm decisions. When manually doing the bookkeeping, debits are found on the left side of the ledger, and credits are found on the right side. Debits and credits should always equal each other so that the books are in balance. Sign up for Shopify’s free trial to access all of the tools and services you need to start, run, and grow your business.

At the same time, businesses need to make sure they pay their own bills on time to avoid late fees and maintain a solid reputation. These expenses that haven’t been paid yet are categorized as accounts payable. It’s not compulsory, but you might want to look into insurance for your bookkeeping business. This can help https://www.bookstime.com/blog/mental-health-billing protect you from costly liability in case you make a mistake on your customers’ books — which can be a huge hit to your business and, in some cases, your personal finances — if you aren’t insured. Common business insurance policies for bookkeepers include things such as professional liability and general liability.

Preparing Basic Financial Statements

As pioneers in cloud accounting, Kruze has been an Intuit Firm of the Future Finalist, an Expensify Emerging Partner of the Year, and is a Gusto Gold Partner. Bookkeeping provides startups with a clear view of their financial health. By recording and categorizing transactions, entrepreneurs can monitor their income, expenses, and cash flow. This financial visibility enables informed decision-making, such as identifying cost-saving opportunities, evaluating the profitability of different ventures, and assessing the need for external funding. Without accurate bookkeeping, startups risk making ill-informed financial choices that could impede their growth prospects.

• Designed with small businesses in mind, FreshBooks is all about providing SMBs and freelancers with powerful features in cost-efficient plans.
• According to the latest rate survey published by Intuit, bookkeepers average $75 per hour (up from $69 an hour in 2019)—not bad for a business you can start for about $100.
• Both kinds of features combined to account for 60% of our total score.
• For instance, both the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (AIPB) and the National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers (NACPB) offer certification programs.
• Transactions are usually found by reviewing invoices, bank statements, etc.
• Both bookkeepers and accountants need to pay close attention to detail and be able to make fast and accurate mathematical calculations.
• It also makes running your business a lot easier because you are going to see what is going on all the time.

If you’re specifically running a totally virtual business, a website is extra important since it can demonstrate to clients your skills. And luckily, there are plenty of website builders to make creating your website a breeze. Once you’ve picked a business name, the next step is to register your business and make things official. The exact process will vary depending on how you plan on structuring your business and where you’re planning to do business. You’ll want to look up the exact rules for how to register your business with your secretary of state’s office.

Turn business receipts into data & deductibles

So, it is pretty useful for startups with international operations. Both are numbers-related, but bookkeeping and accounting are not quite the same things. Bookkeeping is the process of tracking all financial records—mainly income and expenses. The term dates back to the olden days when business owners tracked finances in paper books.

That’s why bookkeeping and accounting are so important, particularly for startups. Any documents that show income, expenses, deductions, and credits shown on your tax returns bookkeeping for startups will be stored. The simplest type of accounting for your tax return is cash basis accounting. Cash basis will track income when it is received and expenses when they payout.

Bookkeeping and accounting software

As your startup scales, you’ll need more extensive accounting services. This became very important in the early days of COVID because a lot of companies were trying to cut burn. If companies didn’t have their vendors labeled in their accounting software, then they couldn’t see how they were spending their money. So make sure your vendors are labeled and it will make your financials actually actionable. If you are going to raise real Angel and VC capital, then incorporate as a Delaware C Corp.