Get The Best Services of Bookkeeping in Charleston
Bookkeeping consists of creating and maintaining an organization’s financial records. It involves consistently recording a company’s financial transactions, as well as the archiving and secure storage of financial documentation. When bookkeeping is handled properly, the information is accurate, well organized and helpful so that business owners or shareholders can make key financial decisions involving the company. Get the services of bookkeeping in Charleston by the best firm named as Baldwin & Associates. In this blog, all the detailed information is provided.
What Is Bookkeeping?
- Bookkeeping involves verifying receipts, depositing payments into a bank account, and keeping clear records so that all financial information is easily accessible when needed.
- Bookkeeping is important because accurate accounting records are essential to a company’s sustainability. Accurate bookkeeping helps a business manage its cash flow, meet its financial obligations and plan its investments.
- To get started with bookkeeping, you need to become familiar with and set up a chart of accounts, record all financial transactions, reconcile bank accounts, and run monthly financial statements.
- This article is for business owners who want to improve their knowledge of bookkeeping and follow best practices in setting up a system to record the financial activities of their company.
Whether you are an independent contractor or a multinational corporation, bookkeeping is important to you. It will help you establish a budget. With a budget, you are better equipped to plan for future expenses. It will also aid in tax preparation. These bookkeeping tips and best practices will help your business improve its financial record keeping.
Why is bookkeeping important for businesses?
Proper bookkeeping helps you maintain accurate financial records, which businesses are required by law to do for taxation purposes. Besides the legal requirement, good bookkeeping in Charleston offers practical business benefits. Some of the reasons why good bookkeeping is essential to a successful business are:
- Budgeting: When income and expenses are recorded, it is easier to review your financial resources and estimate cash flow.
- Organization: Bookkeeping is an important tool for others – the IRS, investors, accountants and lenders – who have an interest in your financial records. When your records are well organized, it is easier to locate and provide information when needed, it can be easier to file your taxes, and it can improve your chances of securing funding.
- Analysis: Bookkeeping helps your company generate financial statements. These statements can be used as a tool to track cash flow and assist you in analyzing your company’s strengths and weaknesses.
- Planning: Financial statements can also indicate initiatives that have or haven’t worked, which can help business owners and shareholders plan for the future.
How to get started with bookkeeping
To get started with bookkeeping, the first step is to familiarize yourself with bookkeeping terms and phrases. (You can find a glossary of bookkeeping terms below.) In addition to reading this article (and others on Business News Daily), you can find resources online, including helpful blogs, webinars, and tutorials. There are also workshops you can attend.
The next step is to choose which accounting method (single entry or double entry) you want to use. Once you know that, then decide how you want to maintain your records. The following are the three most popular options:
- Spreadsheets: This is a good option when your business is in the early stages. You can use programs like Excel or Google Sheets.
- Accounting book: You can purchase hardbound accounting journals or ledger sheets, which provide an efficient way of tracking simple accounting records.
- Bookkeeping software: You can use a cloud-hosted bookkeeping app or desktop software to help you record your company’s transactions.
When implementing a bookkeeping system in your business, familiarize yourself with bookkeeping terms and processes, choose which method you want to use for your business, and, finally, consider whether you will use a spreadsheet, paper records, or bookkeeping software.
Glossary of bookkeeping terms
Some common terms used in bookkeeping to be aware of include:
- Account: A place where financial entries are recorded. You enter business credits and debits pertaining to the operation of your business.
- Accounting: The process of organizing and entering financial data into a bookkeeping system for your business.
- Accounts payable (A/P): These are funds owed by your business to other businesses or authorities. Money that you owe is also known as a liability.
- Accounts receivable (A/R): This is money owed to your business by your customers or other entities. Money owed to you can also be called an asset.
- Assets: This is any item of value owned by your business. It includes cash and accounts receivables, as well as any equipment or vehicles owned by your company.
- Budget: A financial plan that estimates what you will earn during the year and what your earnings will be spent on. Once this plan is in place, you can then compare the actual figures to what was estimated.
- Capital: This refers to cash or other assets a business owner has to start and run a business.
- Credit: A credit is a bookkeeping entry that decreases assets and expenses and increases income and liability.
- A creditor is a person or business to whom your company owes money.
- Data is financial information entered in your bookkeeping system.
- Debit: A debit is an entry in your bookkeeping system that increases assets and expenses and decreases income and liability.
Conclusion:
If you are looking for someone to record just the daily activities and handle payroll and important financial reports, then bookkeeping services in Charleston might be enough. At Baldwin Associates, we are registered in the State of South Carolina as a public accounting firm. Our firm has many who possess the Certified Public Accountant license. Contact us today to discuss how to get started if we may be of help to you.