Bookkeeping involves more than numbers and spreadsheets — it’s the process of recording each of your business’ financial transactions. Whether you’ve been an entrepreneur for years or you’re only getting started, you can improve your finances. Bookkeeping gives you an accurate view of your organization’s performance and can set you up for success.
To help you understand the importance of bookkeeping, we cover the meaning of bookkeeping, the benefits, the differences between bookkeeping and accounting and whether you should do your bookkeeping yourself or hire professionals.
Bookkeeping refers to the process of recording and tracking each of your business’ financial transactions. Your company’s accounting department or a third-party bookkeeper records your business activities according to your organization’s accounting principles and supporting documents. Supporting documents may include:
While you can record your business transactions in an Excel spreadsheet or a notebook, tracking your organization’s financial history will be much easier with bookkeeping software or help from an accounting professional. Crucial aspects of your accounting process include keeping your transaction records up to date and generating accurate financial reports to measure your organization’s performance.
With an organized bookkeeping process, you can carefully monitor your business’ financial capabilities and progress toward growth and increased profits. You can also make pivotal investing, financing and operating decisions. Additionally, having detailed records will be helpful if you face a tax audit.
A bookkeeper is someone who manages all your company’s financial data. Without an effective bookkeeping process or a reliable bookkeeper, you may be unaware of your business’ current financial position and transactions. A bookkeeper can ensure your records are correct for you and external users, such as the government, financial institutions or investors. These organizations need access to accurate financial information to make lending or investment decisions.
There are three types of bookkeeping — single-entry, double-entry and accrual-based or cash-based bookkeeping. Your business needs will determine the correct method for you.
An efficient bookkeeping process can offer the following advantages.
Though sometimes used interchangeably, bookkeeping and accounting have some notable differences. While accounting is an umbrella term that encompasses all processes involved in recording your business financial transactions, bookkeeping is a crucial part of the accounting process. To better understand the differences, consider these bookkeeping examples:
On the other hand, accounting tasks include:
Bookkeeping differs from accounting in that it focuses on the administrative side of your company’s finances, while accounting tends to be more subjective. Bookkeeping is an essential part of accounting and allows your company to gain the insights you need to make more informed financial decisions that can help grow your business and increase profits.
Armed with a thorough understanding of what bookkeeping entails, you may now wonder whether you should take on this responsibility yourself or outsource it to a team of experienced professionals. There are two factors to consider when determining whether you should handle your bookkeeping on your own — whether you have the time to dedicate to the process and the expertise needed to efficiently and successfully perform your bookkeeping tasks.
If you lack the necessary time and expertise to handle the bookkeeping process, turn to our team of bookkeeping professionals at Steph’s Books.
At Steph’s Books, we can tackle your bookkeeping and take the task off your hands forever. Our team of caring, resourceful and reliable bookkeepers will help you grow your business. You can trust that we’ll use our more than 25 years of experience to streamline your operations and bookkeeping. We can augment your team, which means you can choose how much or how little of your bookkeeping you want us to handle.
Contact us at Steph’s Books to learn more about our online bookkeeping services or get a free instant quote today.
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