Bookkeepers Thatcham Berkshire (RG18) Area: You're responsible for keeping accurate, "true and fair" financial and accounting records for at least 6 years, if you own a small business, run an online store or are a sole trader in Thatcham, according to the 2006 Companies Act. You may face a fine of thousands of pounds, and perhaps Company Director disqualification, if you're unable to produce these records. The trade magazine Accounting Today claims that over 40% of small businesses spend at least eighty hours annually on their bookkeeping, so although you can complete these financial recordings on your own behalf, it can pay to employ a professional bookkeeper or accountant to do them for you.
The time has come to get in touch with a bookkeeper in Thatcham for advice, if you are filled with terror merely thinking about tracking liabilities and assets, creating profit, loss and financial statements, writing out ledgers or producing balance sheets.
BOOKKEEPER OR ACCOUNTANT?
For many small business owners in Thatcham, the first question that springs to mind when faced with this predicament is "What is the distinction between an accountant and a bookkeeper?" In the past it was frequently regarded as to be beneath the skill set, qualifications and experience of an accountant to do bookkeeping, however due to significant improvements in software over the past 10 years or so, many bookkeeping tasks will now be undertaken by accounting firms in Thatcham. To ensure their bookkeeping services are consistent with an independent bookkeeper's fee, it is now quite common for accountancy companies to have a set rate for such services. This is excellent news for business owners in Thatcham since it generates a wider range of competition within the marketplace and can make the cost of your bookkeeping more affordable than initially thought.
It is basically the amount of training and qualification that's needed for each of these disciplines, that illustrates the big difference between an accountant and a bookkeeper in Thatcham. An accountant will generally hold at least a degree in accounting with further training in the field of taxation and other fiscal and business management. While probably not holding the same financial qualifications, or having this level of training and experience, a bookkeeper in Thatcham will still have a good grasp of all such procedures.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF A BOOKKEEPER IN THATCHAM
The recording of day by day monetary transactions of any enterprise or business in Thatcham, describes the process of bookkeeping in simple terms. This is likely to include, but is in no way limited to;
- VAT recording and submissions.
- Documenting the receipt of invoices and making certain payment is completed on time.
- Highlighting any discrepancies in the financial accounts and rectifying them.
- Payroll services.
- Making sure that double-entry bookkeeping and accounting practices are followed.
- Monthly reconciliation and reporting.
- Recording of all financial incomings; including cash, card and electronic payments.
- Billing of customers for work completed or goods.
Whilst it is dependent on the type of service you're looking for, if you're prepared to perform the vast majority of your own bookkeeping work, a bookkeeper may only be needed to double check your records periodically. So any problems or mistakes can be found and rectified swiftly, at the bare minimum, this should be done each month. Providing you are confident of remaining on top of your monetary transactions without having a negative impact on your everyday trading activities, this option can be the most economical solution.
If you're presently looking at hiring a bookkeeping service in Thatcham, whatever your scenario, it's a good bet that you could be fretting over your tax and financial procedures. To enable the seamless processing of financial data, a professional bookkeeping service will help you link the most suitable software to your accounts, and will give advice and guidance on such things as creating expense reports, invoicing and stocktaking.
An especially important aspect of good bookkeeping is the ability to reconcile accounts payable with cash flow. This means that rather than paying an outstanding bill right away, or waiting for a final notice, which a lot of small businesses in Thatcham are guilty of doing, your bookkeeper will arrange the payment of bills to times when your accounts are buoyant. This is not merely to make certain that your business or enterprise is financially secure at all times, but also to keep you in good stead with the businesses who supply your materials or services. When you're primarily focussed on the smooth running of your company, this is a juggling act that you may find tricky to accomplish as an individual.
Employing a certified bookkeeper in Thatcham, if you're a sole trader, or for your small business also gives them the chance to cast an independent eye over your financies. Business patterns and trends that you may have overlooked could be pinpointed by this sort of independent assessment. It is by no means unheard of for a smart bookkeeper to flag an area where profits are dropping off, or spot a new opportunity that could be lucrative. Spotting these key performance indicators (KPI's) is vital for the long-term growth of any small business in Thatcham.
If your business sends out invoices it can sometimes be uncomfortable to pursue late payments. Having someone outside your business bubble, can take the apprehension out of making that phone call or visit to your customers. There are legal solutions a professional bookkeeper can use, if you've got problems with a consistent late payer, and these can help to clear up the issue before the matter winds up in a claims court.
SOLE TRADER'S BOOKKEEPING REQUIREMENTS
The bookkeeping requirements for a sole trader, as laid out by law, are reasonably straightforward and easy to understand. It's stated that sole traders should monitor expenditure and income on a month by month basis and retain all receipts and invoices. Even though this may initially sound quite easy, hiring the expert services of a bookkeeper is still a wise move. A professional sole trader bookkeeper in Thatcham can give you advice on what you're able to claim back from HMRC as business expenses. This might include advertising, consumables, stationery goods, items such as laptops and rent and bills if you work from home. For more detailed advice, talk to your local bookkeeper, and learn how they may be able to help your small business to grow moving forward.
BOOKKEEPING FOR ONLINE TRADERS
Certain small businesses that work in niche markets, might need to retain the services of a specialised bookkeeper. You're going to need a bookkeeper in Thatcham who understands international and cross-border taxes, online payments, exchange rate transfers and multi-currency processing, if you operate an online store for instance. If that same shop sells goods that you produce or hold, then controlling your stock on a 24/7 basis is a vital concern, as I'm sure you'll be aware the internet does not sleep, therefore nor should your bookkeeping services and software.
A virtual office can also be supplied together with your bookkeeping service. This is useful in allowing an online only business or sole trader to have a postal address and phone service to provide a physical link with their client base. It is certainly worth talking about this possibility if it's something that could benefit you, although not all Thatcham bookkeeping companies will offer this option.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS
A professional Thatcham bookkeeper doesn't need to have a university degree and many qualifications in this sector are at Diploma and Certificate level. If the preferred route to qualification is via further education universities and colleges, this is still a possibility, although there there's an ever-growing number of online bookkeeping courses.
To provide training and certification for bookkeepers, there are basically two principal organisations of interest:
The Association of Accounting Technicians or AAT: The Association of Accounting Technicians or AAT provides advanced qualifications and training enabling a fully certified member to use the letters AATQB after their name. They then become registered AAT bookkeepers, backed up by this reputable association, which guarantees a certain standard of service for their clients. To protect the credibility of the AAT, a bookkeeper who's associated with the AAT can be liable to disciplinary and tribunal processes if a complaint is made against them or they are found to have broken the code of conduct.
The ICB or Institute of Certified Bookkeepers: The Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB) is the largest bookkeeping organisation in the world and offers accreditation to certified bookkeepers, in addition to training and reference material to keep their members up-to-date with the latest trends and developments.
By going to their respective websites, you're able to check the accreditations of any Thatcham bookkeeper on the register of ICB or AAT members. Before hiring any bookkeeper in Thatcham it is advised to perform this check.
Bookkeeping services are available in Thatcham and also in nearby places like: Beenham, Midgham, Greenham, Bradfield Southend, Colthrop, Ashmore Green, Benham Hill, Bucklebury, Upper Woolhampton, Shaw, Bishops Green, Cold Ash, Curridge, Brimpton, The Slade, Marlston Hermitage, Upper Bucklebury, Henwick, Tutts Clump, Newbury, Miles's Green, Heads Hill, Stanford Dingley, Crookham Common, Reading, together with these postcode areas: RG18 3AY, RG14 2QG, RG14 2QT, RG18 3DF, RG18 3HJ, RG18 3HD, RG18 3GL, RG18 3AA, RG18 4EB, RG18 3DU. Local Thatcham bookkeeper services will likely have the postcode RG18 and the phone code 01635. Checking this can confirm that you access locally based bookkeepers. Thatcham sole traders and business owners are able to utilise these and countless other similar services.
Sales and Purchase Ledger Management
Sales and purchase ledger management by a bookkeeper helps keep financial records accurate and under control. On the sales ledger, invoices are recorded as they're issued, payments are matched correctly, and outstanding balances are clearly visible. This makes it easier to understand what money is due in and when. On the purchase ledger, supplier invoices are logged, checked for accuracy, and tracked through to payment so nothing is missed. A bookkeeper will also carry out regular reviews to spot unusual activity before it becomes a bigger issue. Keeping both ledgers up to date supports healthier cash flow. It also reduces confusion and saves time when reports or accounts are needed later on. (Tags: Sales and Purchase Ledger Management Thatcham)
Year-End Tax Return Preparation
Year-end tax return preparation relies on accurate data, and a bookkeeper helps make sure nothing is missed. They'll review the year's transactions, tidy up postings, and correct small errors before figures are finalised. Income and expenses are checked for completeness, and reconciliations are confirmed. As part of this process, the bookkeeper may also prepare information relating to VAT year-end adjustments if required. This ensures consistency across records. Once checks are complete, organised schedules are prepared to support the return. This careful preparation makes the final stages smoother and far less stressful for business owners. (Tags: Year-End Tax Return Preparation Thatcham)
Outsourced Bookkeeping Thatcham
All businesses in Thatcham should understand the significance of bookkeeping. It helps business people monitor the total value of their assets and liabilities, the money left in the bank, their payables/receivables, and more. With the business owner having to deal with the concerns and issues of running a business, the task of carrying out the bookkeeping is frequently outsourced to freelance bookkeepers or a bookkeeping company in Thatcham.

If a company in Thatcham hires a bookkeeper so as to become an employee, the company will need to fork out a substantial amount of money in training the individual for the purpose of doing the bookkeeping duties. In addition to that, there is no guarantee that the person will stay after the training is finished. In that situation, the company can lose a considerable amount of money. As well as that, firms will need to seek out solutions to provide incentives and benefits to keep the trained employee in place. These are just some of the reasons behind business organisations enlisting the services of bookkeeping companies and professional bookkeepers in Thatcham.
With the advent of new technology there is no need for business owners to stick to a freelance bookkeeper who may continue with outdated accounting practices. Again, they aren't under pressure to hire and retain some in-house bookkeepers. Bookkeeping outsourcing is becoming increasingly common in the financial sector. You will find many companies offering financial bookkeeping services catering to all kinds of clients and industries in Thatcham. A majority of these companies promise and deliver top quality service. It assumes importance for a business to look into the reputation of these Thatcham bookkeeping companies when it comes to hiring a 3rd party company for bookkeeping purposes.
Business owners in Thatcham can look for the following options with the bookkeeping company that offers outsourcing services. Find out and check how much savings can be enjoyed by outsourcing the bookkeeping work. Because the expenses related to hiring and training the in-house staff is a great concern, it would be wise on the part of business owner in Thatcham to focus on an outsourcing company that can offer good savings. Try to get first hand information regarding the methods and systems employed by the company involved in bookkeeping services. It's very important to get high quality accounting services and greater security for your financial data. By quality, we mean precise, reliable, and real-time bookkeeping data delivered within the agreed timeframe. In a nutshell, the company that offers bookkeeping services in Thatcham should have a well protected system that can be relied on and trusted.
Bookkeeping Tasks

Most bookkeepers in Thatcham will be willing to offer you the following services: accountancy packages, invoice processing, keeping digital records compliant with HMRC requirements, month-end & year-end bookkeeping, bookkeeping services in Thatcham, CIS record-keeping & submissions (for construction businesses), bookkeeping services for small businesses, mobile bookkeeping services, maintaining fixed asset registers, bookkeeping for retail outlets, payroll processing & payslips, bookkeeping for restaurants, bookkeeping services for startups, VAT returns, data entry & cleanup of historic records, bookkeeping services for charities, bank reconciliation in Thatcham, setting up & managing accounting software, management accounts, VAT record-keeping & VAT return preparation, Kashflow bookkeeping services, financial statement preparation, bookkeeping price quotes in Thatcham, general bookkeeping services, cash flow monitoring & reporting, sales & purchase ledger management, and more. Listed are just a small portion of the activities that are conducted by local bookkeepers. Thatcham professionals will be happy to tell you about their entire range of services. If there happen to be some other Thatcham bookkeeper requirements that you want but don't see here, you can mention them on the QUOTE FORM provided. We will be in touch with specifics just as soon as we can.
Bookkeeping Questions

Just yesterday I decided that I would have a look at the types of questions folks in Thatcham ask in relation to bookkeeping. A number of our visitors put forward some important questions which are worthy of a mention. The ones I chose were, Can bookkeeping be done remotely? How can a bookkeeper help my business in Thatcham? Is bookkeeper and accountant the same? What are the advantages of a bookkeeper? What does bookkeeping entail? Does a bookkeeper need a license? What do bookkeeping services charge? How does bookkeeping help a business in Thatcham? What are a bookkeeper's duties? The vast majority of these queries will have hopefully been covered in the preceding paragraphs, and if not a bookkeeping "Questions and Answers" feature is a feature we'll be including shortly. Thank you to Maxwell Young, Bertie Dawson, Mario Sutton and Eliana Morley from Thatcham, for submitting these questions. We were also thankful to get pertinent enquiries from Evelyn Spence in Upper Bucklebury, Josiah Miah in Tutts Clump and Clara Lacey in Greenham.
Bookkeepers in Nearby Areas
Also find: Bradfield Southend bookkeepers, Shaw bookkeepers, Ashmore Green bookkeepers, Henwick bookkeepers, Bucklebury bookkeepers, Upper Bucklebury bookkeepers, Stanford Dingley bookkeepers, Heads Hill bookkeepers, Colthrop bookkeepers, Curridge bookkeepers, Benham Hill bookkeepers, Cold Ash bookkeepers, Greenham bookkeepers, Bishops Green bookkeepers, Midgham bookkeepers, Tutts Clump bookkeepers, Upper Woolhampton bookkeepers, Reading bookkeepers, Crookham Common bookkeepers, Brimpton bookkeepers, Newbury bookkeepers, Beenham bookkeepers, Marlston Hermitage bookkeepers, The Slade bookkeepers, Miles's Green bookkeeper and more. All these areas are catered for by local bookeepers. Thatcham businesses and traders can get fees for bookkeeping services by going here.
Bookkeeping Services Thatcham
- VAT Returns
- Cash Flow Management
- Payroll Services
- Bookkeeping Services
- Tax Returns
- Accountancy Packages
- Credit Control
- Double-Entry Bookkeeping
- Cheap Bookkeeping
- Bookkeeping Estimates
- Profit and Loss Reporting
- PAYE Wages and CIS
- Small Business Bookkeeping
- Sole Trader Bookkeeping
Planned Bookkeeping Articles: Here are some of our bookkeeping articles that we plan to publish in the near future. So, if you are interested in any of these, please call back again: Bookkeeping clean-up in Thatcham. Accounts receivable management in Thatcham. Accounts payable management in Thatcham. Management reporting in Thatcham. Budget preparation and analysis in Thatcham. Bank and credit card reconciliation in Thatcham. General ledger maintenance in Thatcham. Business startup advice and support in Thatcham. Cash flow management in Thatcham.
Bookkeeper Thatcham
Bookkeeping Services Near Thatcham
Bookkeeping ThatchamBookkeepers in RG18 area, phone code 01635.
Self-Assessment Tax Returns - VAT Returns - Bookkeepers RG18 - Cheap Bookkeeping Thatcham - Bookkeeping Quotes - Bookkeepers Thatcham - Kashflow Bookkeeping - Double-Entry Bookkeeping - Bookkeeper Thatcham



