The Essential Bookkeeping Checklist for Small Businesses

If you can’t do these yourself or can’t afford to hire a full-time employee, consider hiring a professional bookkeeper. It could also save you from problems related to your taxes and the IRS. That’s a long list of reports, and it’s time-consuming to keep up and review! But the review gives you the best way to evaluate your business status and trends that may have an influence on your business’s future. Monthly, quarterly, and annual sales tax returns should be filed with the state where you do business. A checklist allows you to break down each task and see how each can be improved, simplified, automated or delegated. Perhaps a monthly task can be done way more efficiently using software or utilizing features of your existing software.

• The P&L statement is the best way to know how your company is doing financially and something your bookkeeper or accountant should provide to you on a quarterly basis.
• Review the income statement accounts for anything that looks off based on the preceding period and significant account balances that look out of place.
• Manage inventory each month to determine which business materials should be reduced and which materials should be increased.
• Ask your vendor to fill that order and send an invoice for the purchase order so you can move the money from your asset account into COGS .
• Now that you know the costs and tools for bookkeeping services, you will be better prepared to adopt the right professional services for your business.
• That is about perfect because I charge this client $250 a month, which works out to be about $50 an hour.

This may also be outsourced and need to be imported into the financials. Either way, this will need to be completed and payroll deductions submitted. Imagine having a clear checklist of the tasks you need to complete every month for your clients.

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Keeping up-to-date with your invoices is as helpful for your business as it is for your customers. An invoice sent while your services are still fresh in customer’s mind is more likely to be paid. In practice, the sooner you send out invoices, the sooner you’ll get paid as it starts the clock ticking. Prepare quarterly payroll formsand make quarterly tax payments. Some businesses also choose to manage theiraccounts receivable andaccounts payable on a daily basis. These days, the software options are pretty advanced and it’s possible to handle the books on your own, even if you don’t have any formal training.

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Prepare and Send Invoices

What needs to be done every day, month and at the end of the fiscal year. This will vary Monthly Bookkeeping Checklist by business and by location but something to keep in mind to be completed regularly.

• A checklist can be helpful if you want to pass the bookkeeping responsibility onto someone else.
• An open vendor deposit is money your business has sent to a vendor, but the vendor hasn’t sent you a vendor invoice to use that money.
• It may seem daunting to keep up with so many of your business’s financial activities throughout the year.
• Chances are, you probably don’t have time to record transactions every day.
• Address any incorrect or uncategorized transactions to ensure your net income is reported accurately.
• Your bookkeeper should be conducting a quarterly, if not monthly, cash flow review and sharing that information with you through a cash flow statement.

Find out how long each task is taking you or your team each month, and find solutions to reduce that. A checklist will allow you to delegate to other team members or automate with technology as your business grows. At some point, as your business grows, you may want to pass some responsibility off to another team member.

If your monthly income varies, contact me to request a custom quote!

It’s easy to lose track of customer invoices when you don’t have a set schedule for sending them. Carving out a specific time each week to complete this task will help you keep tabs on who owes what. To help hold you accountable, we’ve created a bookkeeping checklist that will help you stay on track throughout the year. Not only are you the CEO, you’re also the head of marketing, finance, sales, customer service, and human resources. With so many responsibilities to juggle, it’s easy to let bookkeeping fall to the wayside. Taxes aren’t just a yearly thing when you run a small business, so stay up to date and informed. These payroll filings and payments are due on the last day of the month after the quarter ends.

• Perhaps a monthly task can be done way more efficiently using software or utilizing features of your existing software.
• Employees and contractors come and go throughout the year, so it’s important to keep your records updated.
• If you have never hired bookkeeping services before, you might be wondering what those services include specifically.
• The solution is to hire professional bookkeeping services.
• That’s why AccountingDepartment.com has processes, procedures and deadlines in place to ensure that reports are filed—and received by you and all appropriate parties—in time.
• Business owners occasionally enter account numbers incorrectly, enter debits as credits or overlook payment items.

For instance, recording receipt and sale of inventory should be daily bookkeeping tasks for businesses working with higher sales volume or perishable goods. It can all get complicated quickly, so inventory management software that integrates https://www.bookstime.com/ with your bookkeeping software can be a lifesaver. It may seem daunting to keep up with so many of your business’s financial activities throughout the year. It can be a lot to handle, but you can make it easier on yourself.

Strategies To Improve Cash Flow In 2022

Say goodbye to disorganized books and hello to a month-end closing procedure. At the most basic level, bookkeeping is simply “keeping an eye on your numbers.” When you have a good sense of where you stand, you can make informed decisions about your business’s future. You can also address financial challenges early — before they grow into big problems. I will not share or disclose any information about your business financials at any time.

• It will also help keep track of payroll expenses so you can make changes to your labor mix and stay within your own budgets.
• Every month, your bookkeeper should be recording the company’s revenue, expenses, profit, and loss.
• This will vary by business and by location but something to keep in mind to be completed regularly.
• Preparing and sending invoices every week, rather than at the end of the month, can help reduce the scale and frequency of late payments.
• Counting your inventory monthly allows you to accurately record inventory levels in your books at month-end.
• Contacting customers and clients once a month is reasonable for the initial reminder.

It’s important that all these tasks be completed monthly in a timely manner to keep your business on track. That’s why AccountingDepartment.com has processes, procedures and deadlines in place to ensure that reports are filed—and received by you and all appropriate parties—in time. The more frequently you send invoices, the more frequently you get paid—so instead of waiting until the end of the month to invoice your clients, send an invoice every week. Also make sure to include payment terms so your clients know when their payments are due. As a bookkeeper, you are likely not preparing the tax returns. Having accurate financial statements and source documentation will save your clients money when they pass over to their CPA at tax-filing time.

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After tracking your transactions, record them in your books at the end of each week or month. During your monthly close, cross-check your records to make sure you paid all bills and invoices.