A Brief On Small Business Accounting Software

IT revolution has enabled business organizations to be more efficient in their performance in multiple ways. Well, business accounting software is one such by-product of IT revolution that has made it easier for business entities to maintain their balance sheets and other accounting aggregates.
The IT industry has come up with different software solutions for different business entities. For a bigger organization, software packages comprise of additional features to meet vast accounting requirements of the organization. Similarly, for small business entities, a good number of small-business accounting software are on the block. They come with sufficient features to facilitate smooth maintenance of various accounting aggregates and related financial statements.
Let’s find out what all small accounting software can do for your business and what are their basic features.
A decent small business accounting software proves very helpful in day-to-day maintenance of inflow and outflow of accounts. It enables you to keep a fair detail of your revenues and expenses that help you in making business forecasting.
Modern software packages keep clear records of invoices, bank deposits, purchase records, expected cash flow and other such aggregates. You also get to know about relative status of these accounting aggregates. It helps in regulating undesirable expenses thus help increase profit of the company.
Since most people operate small scale business through internet now a days, online accounting and business features in the software are must.
There are a good number of small business accounting software in the market with varying features. While choosing one for yourself you must ensure that the software enjoys credibility by other small business organizations.
More innovated versions of these software have been also found coming up with auto financial details with the help of data fed under different categories of receipts and payments.
The software package must possess user friendly data entry system which is almost similar to Microsoft Excel entry system. This is to simplify complex aggregates to make you reach at financial conclusions from your balance sheets and other bills and receipts.
Many software also lay special emphasis on payroll details. Self generated financial directives often happen to be of immense importance in making fortune of your company. So you should never overlook these software delivered reports.
So always look into these aspects before buying a software package for your small company.

The author writes about a number of different topics. For more information on accounting software visit http://www.managemyaccounting.com and also visit the article page: http://www.managemyaccounting.com/accounting-softaware-competition/

Intermediate Accounting, 2007 FASB Update

Product Description
Keeping its finger on the pulse of the profession, the new twelfth edition update of this bestselling book effectively prepares readers for their accounting futures. They’ll find the latest information in the field, including Sarbanes-Oxley Act legislation as well as proven tips for passing the computerized CPA exam. Reflecting the demands for entry-level accountants, the focus of this book is on fostering critical thinking skills, reducing emphasis on memorization … More >>

Intermediate Accounting, 2007 FASB Update

Cpa Tips for Simpler Small Business Accounting

If you operate a small business, you know that you need a decent, working accounting system, right?

Decent accounting means you know things like whether or not you’re making money. And such a system lets you make better decisions about the products and services you sell and which customers and employees you want to work to keep.

Unfortunately, small business accounting isn’t always easy or straightforward. Accordingly, consider these five tips to simplify your business’s bookkeeping.

Tip #1: Don’t Incorporate

Incorporation complicates your accounting. By incorporating, for example, you’ll automatically add payroll accounting to your bookkeeping duties–even if you’re the only employee.

What’s more, by incorporating, you’ll typically have to provide more information when you do your tax return than is the case if you operate as a sole proprietorship. A corporation tax return is several pages long, for example, as compared to the typical one or two page sole proprietorship tax form.

If you want to incorporate for legal reasons, by the way, you should know that you have another option for limiting your liability. You can set up a one-owner limited liability company. A one-owner business operating as a limited liability company is treated for tax accounting purposes as a sole proprietorship.

Tip #2: Don’t Depreciate

If your business is profitable or if you or your spouse have earned income from wages and you’re operating as a sole proprietorship, you may be able to use something called the Section 179 election to avoid dealing with depreciation.

Rather than go to the bookkeeping burden of allocating a $500 desk as “depreciation” expense over seven years, for example, you can use the Section 179 election to just immediately write off the entire $500 furniture cost in the year you purchase and begin using the asset.

Not all states allow Section 179, so you’ll want to confer with your tax advisor. But by simply writing off asset purchases, you greatly simplify your accounting. You don’t, for example, find yourself a few years down the road doing the depreciation calculations for, say, several dozen or several hundred items you’ve purchased. Ugh.

Note: Most assets that a small business purchases can be immediately expensed using the Section 179 election. Some assets can’t, however, including real estate.

Tip #3: Don’t Combine Business and Personal Items

Another tip for keeping your business accounting simpler: Don’t combine business and personal items. For example, setup a separate bank account for the business and use that account only for business deposits and withdrawals.

Another example… Don’t go try to buy a car, call the purchase a business expense, and then attempt to deduct a portion of the car’s price and operating expenses.

A general rule about tax accounting: Any deduction that’s been abused by taxpayers in the past is probably closely watched by the IRS and the state revenue folks. And that close monitoring almost always means that in order to take the deduction you need to go to a bunch of extra bookkeeping work. That extra bookkeeping work not only costs you time and money, the extra work also tends to truly complicate your accounting.

With a car, for example, deducting some portion of your auto expenses will require you to carefully track all of your car expenses (fuel, service, insurance, and so on) and also your business, commuting, and personal use of the vehicle. Furthermore, whenever you trade-in your “business vehicle,” you or your accountant will also probably have to do the tax accounting for a like-kind exchange.

Seriously, small businesses commonly make the mistake of deducting items like cars only to find (if they’re honest with themselves) that after all the wailing and gnashing of teeth (and perhaps a bit of dishonesty, too) the deduction saves only an extra two to three hundred dollars.

Tip: Do keep track of any business miles so you can claim the easy standard business miles deduction. That deduction, for many businesses, is an easy tax deduction.

Tip #4: Do Consider Using Cash-basis Accounting

Tax laws don’t allow all businesses to use cash-basis accounting. For example, if your business resells inventory or manufactures items, you probably can’t use cash-basis accounting.

However, service businesses typically can use cash-basis accounting. And cash-basis accounting, while a little frowned upon by accountants, should always been considered if the resulting accounting lets you prudently run your business.

Cash basis accounting simplifies your accounting because you don’t have to setup and then work with an accounts payable system. And because you don’t have to do accrual journal entries at the end of each month and year.

Note: The popular small business accounting program QuickBooks lets you do both cash-basis accounting and accrual-basis accounting.

Tip #5: Do Consider Outsourcing

A final quick tip that’s especially applicable once you have employees: You should consider outsourcing your accounting, or some part of your accounting, once you’ve got employees or too little time to do the job yourself.

And this outsourcing option is actually very simple, straightforward, and even economical as compared to the options of letting your books turn into a mess or hiring a modestly competent full-time bookkeeper.

You can typically pay a service bureau a couple of thousand dollars a year, for example, to do your payroll. And a few hundred dollars a month is often enough to pay for a general bookkeeping service.

Small business incorporation and limited liability company CPA Stephen L. Nelson has written do-it-yourself limited liability kits for all fifty states. He holds an MBA and MS in tax.

Current Accounts- Meeting the Needs of Businessmen

Current Account is primarily meant for businessmen, firms, companies, public enterprises etc. who have to perform numerous daily banking transactions. In this account, the customer can deposit any amount of money any number of times. He can also withdraw any amount as many times as he wants, as long as he has funds in his credit. They are meant neither for the purpose of earning interest nor for the purpose of savings. These accounts are only for convenience of the business.A proper introduction by an existing customer or a respectable person known to the bank is essential for opening the current account. The account holder can access his account from any branch of the concerned across the country. The cheques of the customer can be payable at par at all branches of the Bank across India. For this purpose you need for a demand draft. The customer can also give standing instructions to carry out his regular payments like Insurance premium, rent, taxes etc., with the current account provided sufficient balance is maintained in the account. The account holder also avails the facility of transfer of funds by means of Mail Transfer/ Telegraph Transfer/ Demand Drafts.The current account can be opened with a minimum deposit, as stipulated by the Banks from time to time. The prospective account holder/customer needs to give a declaration that he/they are not enjoying credit facilities with any other bank or branch of the same bank at the time of opening the account. The Prospective account holder(s) should fill in the Account Opening Form, sign it and furnish the operational instructions to avail the current account facility.Loans and credit cards charge you interest on the basis of an Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on the amount you borrow, whereas current accounts pay you an Annual Equivalent Rate (AER) on your credit from that account. This rate indicates what the amount would be if interest is paid on annual basis. The higher is the AER, the more is the interest the account holder earns. It works in the same way for any overdraft withdrawal, but money is deducted rather than credited from the savings amount. Current account interest rates are subject to change; both the provider and the Reserve bank of India can change them. However, the concerned banks notify of any interest rate changes before they take effect. To make a balanced decision regarding current account interest rates, you should look at the interest rate for both when in credit and if you are overdrawn. A high interest rate on your credit and a low interest rate on your overdraft is all about opening best bank current accountThe account holders should watch out for interest rates on disarranged borrowing . When the account holder goes into the red or over the agreed overdraft limit, he is not only charged,but also can face a high rate of interest on this unauthorised borrowing. Some banks offer current accounts with tiered interest rates. Therese accounts work on the basis that different interest rates are applied to your money according to the balance available on your account. The tiered interest rates can mean the interest paid on your credit will drop once you pass a certain financial threshold. Similarly the interest on your overdraft amount can rise if you borrow over a certain limit.Comparing before Opening best bank current account makes a significant difference. Comparison can help you reduce the cost of having an overdraft by helping you find an account with a lower rate of interest charged on your borrowing or overdraft. It can also help you find the best available rate of interest on your balance so you can earn more while your money is lying idle in your account. You need to compare the interest rates.Current accounts- meeting the needs of businessmenSummary: Current Accounts come with the answer of all kinds of business requirements.These accounts have been customised to ensure efficient fund management, quick transfers and instant availability of your funds across the network of the bank.Current Account is primarily meant for businessmen, firms, companies, public enterprises etc. who have to perform numerous daily banking transactions. In this account, the customer can deposit any amount of money any number of times. He can also withdraw any amount as many times as he wants, as long as he has funds in his credit. They are meant neither for the purpose of earning interest nor for the purpose of savings. These accounts are only for convenience of the business.A proper introduction by an existing customer or a respectable person known to the bank is essential for opening the current account. The account holder can access his account from any branch of the concerned across the country. The cheques of the customer can be payable at par at all branches of the Bank across India. For this purpose you need for a demand draft. The customer can also give standing instructions to carry out his regular payments like Insurance premium, rent, taxes etc., with the current account provided sufficient balance is maintained in the account. The account holder also avails the facility of transfer of funds by means of Mail Transfer/ Telegraph Transfer/ Demand Drafts.The current account can be opened with a minimum deposit, as stipulated by the Banks from time to time. The prospective account holder/customer needs to give a declaration that he/they are not enjoying credit facilities with any other bank or branch of the same bank at the time of opening the account. The Prospective account holder(s) should fill in the Account Opening Form, sign it and furnish the operational instructions to avail the current account facility.Loans and credit cards charge you interest on the basis of an Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on the amount you borrow, whereas current accounts pay you an Annual Equivalent Rate (AER) on your credit from that account. This rate indicates what the amount would be if interest is paid on annual basis. The higher is the AER, the more is the interest the account holder earns. It works in the same way for any overdraft withdrawal, but money is deducted rather than credited from the savings amount. Current account interest rates are subject to change; both the provider and the Reserve bank of India can change them. However, the concerned banks notify of any interest rate changes before they take effect. To make a balanced decision regarding current account interest rates, you should look at the interest rate for both when in credit and if you are overdrawn. A high interest rate on your credit and a low interest rate on your overdraft is all about opening best bank current accountThe account holders should watch out for interest rates on disarranged borrowing . When the account holder goes into the red or over the agreed overdraft limit, he is not only charged,but also can face a high rate of interest on this unauthorised borrowing. Some banks offer current accounts with tiered interest rates. Therese accounts work on the basis that different interest rates are applied to your money according to the balance available on your account. The tiered interest rates can mean the interest paid on your credit will drop once you pass a certain financial threshold. Similarly the interest on your overdraft amount can rise if you borrow over a certain limit.Comparing before Opening best bank current account makes a significant difference. Comparison can help you reduce the cost of having an overdraft by helping you find an account with a lower rate of interest charged on your borrowing or overdraft. It can also help you find the best available rate of interest on your balance so you can earn more while your money is lying idle in your account. You need to compare the interest rates.

For more information about current account interest rate and other online banking services. Please visit our website: http://www.paisawaisa.com/

Small Business Accounting Services

Different requirements and business strategies are required for the management of any business no matter what the size is. The bottom line should be to make more profits and fewer losses, whether it is a small, medium or a large scale business. It is never been easy to add handling accounts, transactions and other financial details to any business but KNR-Accounting-Services.com provide you with the services of small business accounting services with which all these can be achievable.

Our small business accounting services provides customized solutions to suit your business needs and if you are owner then rest easy as with the help of our accounting services your business can grow by leaps and bounds. The main benefit of our small business accounting services lies in the areas where sometimes running a small business can become overwhelming in the long run. It also offers accounting software that eases the whole process of making records and tallying them over and over again. However, we also know that most of the small business owners or for that matter any other business owner is not a qualified accountant, and that is why they need to hire the services of a professional to handle this. And small business accounting services is the right choice as it not only reduces time but also personnel resources.

Small business accounting services with KNR Accounting Services have professionals who specialize in providing business accounting services to clients. The accountant will handle the small business accounting work of your business. But just make sure that from time to time you oversee the work is being carried out by the small business accounting services professional. As the business owner, you will like to be informed about all the work that is being done with regard to accounting and bookkeeping of your business, so that you know where your business is heading and if you are making any profits or not.

This is of great deal by having well maintained accounts and this also makes your life much easier during the tax paying season. We also provide tax services, payroll services as well as consulting services. Everyone has to pay taxes and you must make sure that you have all the calculations done properly before the season approaches. Surely you do not want to hurry things in the last moment and in the process end up doing major blunders. The whole purpose of having a professional from small business accounting services will make things easier for you, so that you pay your tax on time. It also helps in preparing a daily report on the regular transactions and the client is updated through online file transfers. Small business accounting services additionally provides the business with a transparency that gives it a good reputation among investors, shareholders and even the general public.

KNR-Accounting-Services.com gives advice to business owners about how to manage their business efficiently without any hassles. To know more about Bookkeeping Services, Payroll Services, Tax Services, Consulting Services and Small business accounting services.

Brooke Thom is an expert author and webmaster of KNR Accounting Services website. The website having details of consulting services, accounting services, bookkeeping services, financial consulting services.

Bookkeeping Software Spreadsheets Are Essential Small Business Accounting Tools

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Bookkeeping Software Spreadsheets Are Essential Small Business Accounting ToolsBy Terry Cartwright

Businesses generally make extensive use of spreadsheets both in accounting and all other business fields. Being a numerically based system of analysing information spreadsheets are used throughout every accounting function as the technique presents an ideal basis to maintain accuracy and automate the collection of financial information.Every small business needs to keep records of sales invoices and income received and purchase invoices in respect of expenses. It is not sufficient for accounting and taxation purposes for these receipts and payments to be left in the office or the back of a van in a carrier bag. At some stage these prime bookkeeping documents need to be processed.Processing the financial documents related to a business enterprise basically means they need to be listed. For taxation and financial control purposes the invoices also need to be added up and analysed. The most basic method would be to simply make a list of the sales income and a second list of the purchase expenses.Using a manual method of listing the information falls short of the analysis required and is more time consuming that using a little technology to both ensure the summation is accurate and the analysis simplified. Listing the sales and expenses of a small business on spreadsheets is no more difficult then a manual paper system and has tremendous advantages in automating and ensuring accuracy.Hence the use of bookkeeping spreadsheets to prepare the accounting information required.Instead of listing the items on a paper list the items can be just as easily listed on a spreadsheet which will add up the items as required without the requirement to double check the adding up is accurate. Such a list has a history in accounting term as a sales daybook and a purchase daybookTo achieve the required analysis of sales and purchases all that is required is to write into the top of each of the spreadsheet columns the titles of the analysis headings required. Then repeat the value of each transaction in the total column into the analysis columns. Use the spreadsheet technology to add up each column and you have an effective bookkeeping spreadsheet.Preparing such a bookkeeping spreadsheet might and often does suffice the needs of the smallest business enterprise and is a close step towards achieving a valuable tool for this purpose, bookkeeping software. Bookkeeping software can be as simple as a home produced spreadsheet but with additional facets that can have significant financial benefits to the business.Bookkeeping software produced on spreadsheets would normally be a series of spreadsheets with the columns preset and titled and formulae written into the sheet to automatically add up each column. In addition the columns used would normally be restricted to general headings to include a full analysis of all items.Small businesses that might produce their own spreadsheet would often do this on an annual basis. Bookkeeping software is much more likely to provide these bookkeeping spreadsheet templates on a monthly basis to enable a degree of financial control to be exercised by the small business.That is the second real value of bookkeeping spreadsheets, the ability to provide the business with financial information and through that data financial control over the business activities. The first value is of course the simplicity of listing with automated summation of the figures.Small businesses can also benefit from professionally produced bookkeeping spreadsheets that have been specifically arranged not just to produce a list of income and expenses but also in a way that analyses that information in the way the small business requires it. There are two main requirements of the way the financial records are analysed being to produce a financial profit and loss account for the business on a periodic basis but also to provide the totals of the categories required for taxation purposes.Buying a piece of bookkeeping software written on spreadsheets can thus become an essential tool for the business. The essential element being to both make the accounting simple and easy as listing items, automated analysis and summation assisting the financial control and improved financial performance while also producing the benefits of being analysed to make the completion of annual tax return forms easier.Everyone in business wants to make a profit making financial control important. Everyone in business has to fill in tax forms and submit accounts in the tax authority format. Bookkeeping spreadsheets provide an essential accounting tool for every business to achieve these objectives.

Terry Cartwright a qualified accountant at DIY Accounting in the UK designs Accounting Software on excel spreadsheets providing complete Small Business Accounting Software solutions with single and double entry Bookkeeping Software for both limited companies and self employed business

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The Importance of Small Business Accounting

When a Small Business is created, it must embark on several activities such as registering the business, selecting a name, selecting the right business structure, among others.  A vital piece of this puzzle is Small Business Accounting. This is to place on record every financial transaction of the Small Business. At any given point of time, if the owner wants to know the health of the Small Business – whether it is running profitably or incurring loss – the one and only way is to check the Profit & Loss numbers recorded by the Accountant.

There are two methods of Accounting for Small Businesses – Cash-Basis Accounting and Accrual-Basis Accounting. Small Businesses are free to select either of the methods, in accordance with the law and conditions imposed by the IRS.

Cash-Basis Accounting:  This is the age-old and simple system, followed universally by businessmen owning Small Businesses. In this method, one’s income is taxable when it is received and expenses are deductible when they are paid. So this accounting system registers when money arrives, and registers expenses when money goes out. For Small Business Tax purposes this is a straight forward and easily understood method of bookkeeping.

Accrual-Basis Accounting: This method is an elaborate one, treating accounting events in real time, without regard to payments actually being made. In this system, income is recorded as soon as the sale takes place even if the payment for the transaction does not arrive until weeks or months later. Similarly when the business incurs an expense, the deduction is recorded immediately even if the payment is made at a later date. This bookkeeping system enables a small business owner to include such things as accounts receivable, accounts payable, and inventory when preparing financial statements.  Due to the complexity if this system, it is advisable to have a Certified Public Accountant handle your books if you use the Accrual Basis.

For the purpose of Small Business Tax planning and paying Small Business Taxes, both systems are acceptable. The object of Small Business Tax planning is to maximize the profit and minimize the taxable income. So, the tax implications of each system should be analyzed when choosing which method to use.

For small businesses with gross receipts under $1 million (often referred to as Micro Businesses), the cash-basis accounting system is typically recommended for its simplicity.  For other sized businesses, the determination should be made based on tax planning purposes.  If accounts payable is typically greater than accounts receivable, use the accrual basis.  If accounts receivable is typically greater than accounts payable, use the cash basis.

Rick Carsten is an entrepreneur. He has successfully started, grown, and sold three different small businesses over the past decade. He has been writing about topics that affect small businesses such as marketing, sales, and accounting/taxes for the past five years. He has gained expertise in areas of small business tax planning, small business accounting and small business.

Take Care of your Achievements With Small Business Accounting

Keeping a tab on various financial transactions throughout the year is a tough job, especially when you are a businessperson handling small business. Whether you own a big or small business enterprise, every organization needs an expert to take care of his or financial numbers efficiently. In fact, small enterprises equally need the small business accounting like their counterparts. It is moreover, a good idea to go for small business accounting services from various vendors.

Every business wants to do a great business in terms of both money and popularity; hence, a small business accounting is needed to handle the account books of various small companies. Well, sometimes running a small business can become overwhelming and that is the reason, why many small organizations opt for small business accounting firms because they offer results that are more profitable in a shorter period of time. In fact, the services offered by small business accounting also enhance the business performance of its clients in the market. Alternatively, you can say that with the help of it, the smaller organizations tend to earn more profits and are at the same time able to curtail losses that were incurred during the financial year. Like many big and large business enterprises, small companies are also getting tech savvy and in turn opting for various software solutions specifically designed for them. In fact, with the help of this accounting software, you can ease the whole process of making records and tallying them over and over again.

However, most of the small business owners are not a qualified accountant and are always busy in churning out new and effective ways to get the business more profitable. Hence, hiring an accountant for various small business accounting tasks is a good option. This is one of the foremost and significant reasons to have small business accounting expert for a big business deals for a future. And taking services from small business accounting firm is a perfect way to reduce time and personnel resources. Therefore, small business accounting is professionals who specialize in providing efficient and accurate accounting services. To achieve this, all you have to do is to hire a person from it for your business needs. The accountant will handle the small business accounting work carefully and accurately. As a result, you will be able to know the position of your firm and also if your firm is making any profit or not.

Nobody wants to make a mess with numbers and especially, when these are your profit earning numbers. Hence, every businessperson wants to make sure that all the calculations are properly executed as well as maintained. To avoid such kind of blunders, small business accounting is a perfect way. In fact, it also helps in preparing a daily report on the regular transactions and the client is updated through online file transfers. Small business accounting additionally provides the business owners with healthy relationship with his counterparts, agents, shareholders and consumers. Therefore, small business accounting is your way to more success.

Alvis Brazma gives advice to business owners about how to manage their business efficiently without any hassles. To know more about Accounting outsourcing services,Small Business Accounting,Bookkeeping help, Accounting Outsourcing,Small Business Accounting visit this leading internet source: www.impacctusa.com

Selecting Small Business Accounting Software

If you are a small business owner, you either have an accountant or you are an accountant. Either way, choosing the right accounting software is an important business decision. Some of the most important brands include Quickbooks and Peachtree.
Here are some of the important features to look for:
Adaptability: Small businesses in particular tend to change over time, and you need to make sure that the software you are buying today will be just as useful tomorrow. Are upgrades offered? How much trouble and expense is required to upgrade? How often are upgrades offered? Today’s software is likely to be obsolete in 5 years.
Support: How much support is offered? How effective is it? Is local service available or will you be restricted to dealing with a call center in India?
Price: Software packages vary greatly in price, not only among brands but also among merchants. Choose an appropriate package and then shop around for the best deal.
User Friendliness: How easy is it to use? If you are a sole proprietor, try using it yourself. Otherwise, have your accountant try using it and get his/her opinion.
Features: Don’t pay for features you don’t need, but look ahead 5 or 10 years when deciding which features you’re likely to need. If you don’t need them now, you can always check and see if your package can be easily upgraded to add features you may need in the future.
QuickBooks is by far the most popular accounting software, but then again there are many versions of Quickbooks available on the market. QuickBooks comes in Basic, Online, Pro, and Premier editions. The Pro Edition features tools such as the Cash Flow Projector and the Vehicle Mileage Tracker. Peachtree offers a premium small business accounting software package with over 125 functions including as in-depth inventory, time and billing and job costing features. Other popular accounting software packages include MYOB Plus Accounting Software and Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting.
Good luck!

The Accounting Software website offers information about all types of accounting software. Please bookmark “Accounting Software”!

How accounting works

This article is for beginners of accounting profession who just started their long way and already struggling to understand the basics. The starting point of almost any accounting course is an explanation of the double-entry bookkeeping system which then stands as a core of any further studies. If you did not clearly understand how it works in the beginning the effect of further education will be zero.

I’ll try to illustrate the basics of accounting in the simplest possible way, avoiding in the beginning the use of such confusing terms like assets, liabilities, debits and credits, etc.

Let’s start:

Assume we have some Company X, which was established a year ago and now we are at the year-end, trying to draft accounts of Company.

All we can guess from the ‘accounting’ word itself, that it is a bunch of accounts. Great! That would be a starting point for us. Let’s put down some accounts on a paper (if you’re reading this article on your PC, it’s advised to do the below manipulations in Excel spreadsheet):

Account A

Account B

Account C

Account D

Account E

Account F

Account G

Account H

Account I

What you see above is just a list until we put some values opposite every account. The only point to bear in mind is that overall total of listed values should eventually be equal to 0:

Account A         12

Account B          9

Account C         -4

Account D         -8

Account E        -13

Account F         -5

Account G         -7

Account H          6

Account I           10

Total = 0

Coming back to accounting, each value above is called an Account balance. List itself is usually called a Trial balance. Let’s assume that these account balances were actual ones for our Company X at the year-end.

Now it’s time to understand how the double-entry system actually works. Basically the purpose of the double-entry system is to reflect transactions that Company was involved into. Not going deep into details let’s imagine that Company X made a credit sale on the first day of current year amounted to 5 dollars. The effect on our accounts will be the following:

Before                      Entry                 After

transaction                                        transaction

Account A                  12                                                     12

Account B                   9                            5                        14

Account C                  -4                                                      -4

Account D                  -8                                                       -8

Account E                 -13                                                      -1

Account F                  -5                            -5                        -10

Account G                  -7                                                       -7

Account H                   6                                                        6

Account I                   10                                                       10

Total 0 0

Above sample illustrates the main principle of accounting. So, every transaction, whatever the substance of it, simultaneously increase one account and decrease the another. In our case Account B that was increased by 5 and Account F – decreased by 5. That’s why the Total of accounts equal to 0 remains unchanged.

To make the example more practical let’s define what each account actually indicates and call these accounts respectively:

Account A Cash – The balance of this account shows how much cash our Company has in hand at the moment.

Account B Receivables – This account shows how much money our customers owe to us as at the moment.

Account C Payables – Shows the total amount that we owe to our suppliers at the moment.

Account D Borrowings – Shows how much we are due on Bank loan at the moment.

Account E Share capital – Shows how much money the Company owes to its Shareholder, i.e. money invested into business by owners.

Account F Revenue – This account shows how much Company earned from its main activity for the period of time (usually year to date).

Account G Other income – This account shows any other revenues earned out of main activities for the period of time.

Account H Operating expenses – Shows cumulatively how much Expenses Company incurred to run it’s main business for period of time.

Account I Interest expense – Shows the amount of interest paid to Bank for the period of time.

Let’s now get back to our transaction when Company sold the goods for 5 dollars on credit. It resulted in increasing of Account B and decreasing of Account F. Let’s see why. Account B showing us an amount receivable from customers and since we sold goods on credit this amount should increase from 9 to 14. On the other hand by selling goods we earned a revenue which must be reflected on Revenue account. Before the transaction Revenue balance was -5, showing us that we earned 5 dollars so far – negative sign should be ignored, as it’s used only for the purpose of getting equality. Surely by selling more at the amount of 5 dollars, we should increase our Revenue to make it 10. However because of the negative sign in place, mathematically we decrease the -5 and it becomes -10.

Let’s take another example. Company pays 3 USD rental for the office in cash. Consequently we should decrease Account A (Cash) by 5 and increase Account H (Operating expenses) by 5.

Now, when we understand how double entries work, let’s see how these accounts form financial statements which are usually the ultimate purpose of any accounting. For that purpose we’ll allocate our accounts to certain groups: Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Incomes and Expenditures. Accounts A (Cash) and B (Receivables) will form Assets of the Company. Assets are what Company actually possess(e.g. Cash) or suppose to possess (e.g. Receivables). Next group is Liabilities. That’s what Company owes to suppliers, banks, other partners. In our case Liability group will include: Accounts C (Payables) and D (Borrowings). Another group is Equity, which comprises of accounts showing how much Company owes to its shareholders. Also this group can be called share capital. All 3 above – Assets, Liabilities and Equity eventually constitute Balance Sheet of the Company. Balance sheet accounts are always showing information as of particular date. E.g. if Cash account balance equal to 3, it means that as of present moment Company has 3 USD of cash in hand.

Other groups are Incomes and Expenditures. Income or revenue accounts reflect all incoming money that Company earn from its activities. E.g. for supermarket it would be revenue from goods sold, for bank – interest income, etc. Expenditures reflect amounts expended to maintain business. Main point to remember about Income and Expenditure accounts is that they are always showing us amounts earned or expended FOR the period of time (usually year to date). E.g. if Revenue account balance equals to 500 USD as at March 31 it usually means that Company made sales totaling to 500 USD since the beginning of year up to date.

Let’s now draft financial statements out of Trial Balance we have above. They will look like this:

Balance Sheet

Assets

A Cash                                    12

B Receivables                          14

Total Assets                            26

Liabilities

C Payables                              -4

D Borrowings                            -8

Total Liabilities                      -12

Equity

E Share capital                         13

Current year’s profit                    -1

Total Equity                            -14

Total Liabilities and Equity     -26

Income Statement

F Revenue                                -10

G Other income                          -7

Total income                           -17

H Operating expenses                 6

I Interest expense                       10

Total expenses                         16

Net Profit                                  -1

Now we came to the last point – introduction of Debits and Credits. In above example we were calling accounting entries like Increase of Account B and Decrease of Account F. However to making life easier accountants use Debits and Credits to formulate accounting entries. There is following rule:

To apply this rule, let’s formulate above entry:

Dr Receivable     5

Cr Revenue       -5

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