Bookkeepers Ashington Northumberland (NE63): Regardless of whether you are a sole trader, run an online store or operate a small business in Ashington, you're entirely responsible for keeping "true and fair", accurate financial and accounting records for a minimum of six years as stated by the 2006 Companies Act. If you cannot produce such records you could face a hefty fine and possibly disqualification as a Company Director. It's often more cost-effective to use a professional accountant or bookkeeper to accomplish this for you, because according to Accounting Today magazine over forty percent of small businesses spend at least 80 hours every year doing their bookkeeping tasks, which is a substantial time investment, and could be more effectively spent on actually running your business.
If the very thought of creating profit, loss and fiscal reports, compiling balance sheets, writing out ledgers or tracking assets and liabilities fills you with dread, then the time has come to get in touch with a bookkeeper in Ashington for help and advice.
BOOKKEEPER OR ACCOUNTANT?
For many business owners in Ashington, the first question that springs to mind when facing this predicament is "What is the difference between an accountant and a bookkeeper?" While in past times a lot of accountants considered the task of bookkeeping to be beneath their skill-sets, qualifications and experience, many accountancy firms in the Ashington area will now undertake the task of bookkeeping, due to software developments over the past ten years. To keep their bookkeeping services commensurate with a typical bookkeeper's fee, it is now fairly common for accounting companies to have a set fee for these services. This makes the cost of bookkeeping cheaper than it once was, and is excellent news for business owners in Ashington as it offers a wider variety of competition within the industry.
It is basically the amount of training and qualification that's necessary for each of these disciplines, that illustrates the biggest difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant in Ashington. An accountant will typically a least hold a degree in accounting with specialist training in the field of taxation and other business and fiscal management. Whilst possibly not holding the same financial qualifications, or having this level of training and experience, a bookkeeper in Ashington will definitely have an understanding of all such disciplines.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF A BOOKKEEPER IN ASHINGTON
Essentially, the act of bookkeeping is the recording of the day by day financial transactions of any enterprise or business in Ashington. This will likely include, but is in no way limited to;
- Recording the receipt of invoices and ensuring payment is completed by the due date.
- Highlighting and rectifying any discrepancies in financial accounts.
- Making sure that double-entry bookkeeping and accounting practices are observed.
- Logging of all financial incomings; including electronic, card and cash payments.
- Billing of customers for work completed or goods.
- VAT recording and submissions.
- Payroll services.
- Monthly reports and reconciliations.
Whilst it is dependent on the extent of the service you are looking for, if you are willing to perform the vast majority of your own bookkeeping work, a professional bookkeeper might only be needed to double check your records periodically. This should really be done every month as a bare minimum, since this allows for any problems or mistakes to be discovered and rectified quickly. This compromise can often be the most economical solution if you're confident of staying up-to-date with your day by day trading and financial transactions.
Whatever the scenario is with your business or company, if you are seriously considering hiring a bookkeeping firm in Ashington, there's a fair chance that you may be fretting over the process of financial records and taxes. To enable the seamless sorting of transactional data, a decent bookkeeping service will help you to link the most suitable software application to your accounts, and will give advice on stuff like producing expense reports, invoicing and stocktaking.
Being able to reconcile cash flow with accounts payable, is an extremely crucial aspect of a good bookkeeper. Which means that instead of waiting for a final notice, which many small businesses in Ashington are guilty of, or paying off a bill right away, your bookkeeper will optimise the payment of bills to a time when your finances are in good shape and buoyant. In addition to keeping your business or enterprise financially secure, this also maintains your reputation with your suppliers and service providers. This is a juggling act that you may find tricky to accomplish on your own when you're mainly focussed on running your company.
Having somebody who is unconnected to the business cast a fresh eye over your financial transactions, is another benefit of using a certified bookkeeper in Ashington if you are a sole trader, or for your small business. Business patterns and trends that you may have overlooked might be highlighted by this sort of nonpartisan evaluation. It's not at all unheard of for an astute bookkeeper to flag an area of the business which is plummeting in profits, or spot a brand new opportunity that could be lucrative. Spotting such key performance indicators (KPI's) is vital for enabling growth in any enterprise in Ashington.
Having to pursue a late payment can be an awkward situation for you, if you send out invoices in your business operations. Having an independent person from outside your business situation, can take the apprehension away from visiting your client or making that telephone call. If you've got problems with a consistent late or non-payer there are legal solutions a professional bookkeeper can employ to help resolve the issue before the matter winds up in a claims court proceeding.
SOLE TRADER'S BOOKKEEPING REQUIREMENTS
There are some fairly uncomplicated bookkeeping requirements for sole traders, that are laid out by law. In essence, sole traders must retain all receipts and invoices, and track income and expenditure on a month by month basis. Even though this might at first sound fairly simple, retaining the expert services of a bookkeeper is still good practice. Advising you on what legitimate business expenses you can claim back, a professional sole trader bookkeeper in Ashington will look after your dealings with HMRC. This could include promotional advertising, stationery, items such as computing equipment, rent and bills if working from home and consumables. For more detailed advice, chat to your bookkeeper, and discover how they may be able to help your business to thrive and grow going forward.
BOOKKEEPING FOR ONLINE TRADERS IN ASHINGTON
Specialised bookkeepers are needed now and again for specific niches in bookkeeping. If multi-currency processing, exchange rate transfers, cross-border and international taxes and online payments are involved, for example if you operate an online store, you will want to hire a bookkeeper in Ashington who understands these practices. Given that the internet doesn't sleep, if that same store sells goods you produce or hold then monitoring your inventory and stock on a 24 hours a day basis is a crucial priority which will have to be dealt with.
In conjunction with your bookkeeping services, a virtual office can also be provided. This enables an online only business or sole trader to have a postal address and phone service to provide a physical link with their clients. If this type of service could be helpful, it's certainly worth discussing, although this option won't be provided by all Ashington bookkeepers.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS
A qualified Ashington bookkeeper need not hold a degree and a good many qualifications for the industry are at Certificate and Diploma level. There is an ever-increasing choice of online courses available, although bookkeeping qualifications can still be gained via further education colleges and universities.
To provide certification and training for bookkeepers, there are basically 2 key organisations of interest:
The AAT or Association of Accounting Technicians: Providing a training schedule with advanced qualifications, the AAT or Association of Accounting Technicians, entitles fully trained bookkeepers to use the letters AATQB. This promises a certain standard of service to their customers which is backed up by the organisation, and permits them to become a licensed AAT bookkeeper. If an AAT bookkeeper is found to have contravened the code of conduct or has a complaint filed against them, they may be liable to tribunal and disciplinary procedures to safeguard the trustworthiness of aat membership.
The ICB or Institute of Certified Bookkeepers: Providing accreditation to bookkeepers, in addition to training and reference material to ensure their members are informed about the latest trends, the ICB or Institute of Certified Bookkeepers is the largest organisation of its kind on the planet.
By going to their respective websites, it's possible to verify the qualifications of any bookkeeper in Ashington on the register of AAT or ICB members. Implementing this check is highly recommended before you retain the services of any professional bookkeeper in Ashington.
Ashington Bookkeeper Tasks
Most Ashington bookkeepers will be ready to offer you the following services: bookkeeping for shops, Xero bookkeeping Ashington, maintaining fixed asset registers Ashington, bookkeeping services for retail outlets, VAT returns, profit & loss reports, bank reconciliation Ashington, assistance with registering for self-employment in Ashington, off-site bookkeeping Ashington, management reports, invoice processing Ashington, accounting and bookkeeping services Ashington, Quickbook bookkeeping services, landlord bookkeeping, cash flow analysis, independent bookkeeping services, franchise bookkeeping in Ashington, bookkeeping for tradesmen, wages & PAYE, business bookkeeping, bookkeeping for organisations in Ashington, bookkeeping services Ashington, credit control, bookkeeping for payroll, partnership returns, management accounts, bookkeeping and accounting in Ashington, charity bookkeeping Ashington, tax returns, payment services Ashington, and more. Listed are just an example of the activities that are undertaken by local bookkeepers. Ashington providers will keep you informed about their full range of bookkeeping services. If there happen to be additional Ashington bookkeeper requirements that you want but can't see here, you can easily mention them on the QUOTE FORM provided. We will be in touch with information as soon as we can.
Bookkeepers Near Ashington
Also find: Longhirst bookkeepers, Woodhorn bookkeepers, Ellington bookkeepers, Choppington bookkeepers, Cresswell bookkeepers, Cambois bookkeepers, West Sleekburn bookkeepers, Lynemouth bookkeepers, Widdrington bookkeepers, Scotland Gate bookkeepers, Guide Post bookkeepers, Pegswood bookkeepers and more. Near to pretty much all of these areas, there are professionals offering bookkeeping services. Ensuring such easy access allows both businesses and individuals to readily obtain the financial support they need for effective account management. By clicking here, residents in the area can obtain quotations for bookkeeping.
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