Accounting Software and Setup

AJF Taxation > Accounting Software and Setup

Is accounting software compulsory?

The short answer is no, it isn’t.

The longer answer is on the lines of it being a choice.

We are proud to have the most amazing bookkeeping gurus that are always pleased to have a conversation about the benefits of accounting software such as Xero or Quickbooks and the many functions they can offer to your business.

emma

Emma

alice

Alice

Xero is our favourite software at the moment.  Quickbooks is our second choice.  Our opinion of course and not the same as others.

We will never force anyone to use it, it has to be the right decision for our clients, and we are here to help train or support anyone that is new to using something like Xero or Quickbooks.

Can you help me with Xero or Quickbooks?

Absolutely.

It’s always a pleasure.

Using Xero as an example, we can help you with setting up an account if you haven’t already subscribed.

We will then help you set up the software appropriately for your business.  This includes:

Creating your invoice template to enable you to hit the road running and not lose any time for invoicing income.
If you already have an invoice template that you have used from Word or Excel, we can recreate this for you in the Xero or Quickbooks platform.
We will ensure that you are comfortable with how to invoice from your new software, whether this is on your PC, laptop, ipad or phone.
We will show you how to upload documents such as receipts to the platform so that we incorporate this into the bookkeeping
Your business may have more than one type of income stream and so we can show you how to categorise this
Your business will also have categories of expenses relevant to the business spending and we will create relevant codes, to aid bookkeeping and keep it time and cost effective

Our team is on hand to answer queries, provide specific training and be there for you.

What if I don’t want to use accounting software?

Respectfully, not everyone wants to use it.

Let us use it for you.

There are situations where accounting software is the best way forward for your business in terms of reporting for VAT, filing your accounts, filing your tax returns with HMRC, or providing reports and information to help you make informed decisions.

But maybe you are still concerned about using the software or simply don’t have time?

There are so many ways in which we can assist you, in a way that suits you.

Some typical situations that we manage are as follows:

We help businesses that prefer to keep paper records of the sales transactions and receipts, and all income and purchases go through the bank account. The business is VAT registered but the owner doesn’t like to use spreadsheets or accounting software of any kind. We take all of the paper records and bank data and then convert the information through the accounting software for time and cost efficiency.
Many businesses raise invoices by using the accounting software and then choose not to do anything further. We then use our own log in to the platform and manage the bookkeeping on a regular basis for the business owners.
We have given training and continued support to business owners that see the benefits of the use of software but didn’t have the time to learn a new system on their own. We have often introduced Xero or Quickbooks, set up the platform and then helped the transition from existing record keeping to software and given full guidance along the way.

In any situation, for any business, we are there to help as much as you need.

CLIENT CASE

We have worked with James for some years.  He is a very successful builder and carpenter and has seen growth over the years.

Previously, we worked with James’s paper records – he’d always invoiced using a Word template and printed all of the documents and provided these with the paper receipts and paper bank statements for us to process.

Around two years ago, there became a time when it was beneficial for James’s business to incorporate into a company and we helped him to do this.

At the time, and as part of the transition, we introduced Xero as the accounting software.  He was cautious but had complete faith in our recommendation.  The invoicing template was created for James, just as it was for his sole trader business but with all of the new details such as the company logo, company bank account details and terms and conditions.

We have also guided James on how to take a scan or picture of his receipts and upload them into his secure Xero files for us to see on his platform.

We manage all of the bank data, filing of VAT returns, CIS returns and manage his director drawings using the system – all very time and cost effectively.

Xero can also work wonders with the management of the CIS scheme – Xero understands the CIS deductions of tax within the invoicing of the business.  It also helps James to determine the amount of CIS tax to deduct from his subcontractors, that then agrees to the filing of the CIS returns.

Emma
efisher@ajftaxation.com

Contact us for a chat or a demo:

If you’d like to find out more and whether software will be great for you and your business, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Emma and Alice.