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Every business needs good records for expenses and income, by maintaining accurate records of inventory, purchases, sales, shipping, and attendant expenses. An accountant is needed as a strategy planner and help businesses to track profit and loss, and evaluate the business status from multiple viewpoints at any moment. But there is one important thing every business must have, namely tax accountants. Tax accounting is needed so that the business is always in full compliance, and alerting business owners to potentially costly pitfalls such as penalties and fees for non-compliance. What is the purpose of tax and accounting? Personal income and company income have been regulated by the state to pay tax if it reaches a certain amount. Even though Hong Kong is an area with low taxation, every business must understand the rules and regulations, what is required for tax reporting, and how it is calculated. That's why every business must have tax accounting knowledge or hire a tax accountant. The purpose of tax accounting is to ensure compliance for accurate tracking of income and expenses, ensuring businesses fulfill their needs to pay their tax obligations. Why should taxation and accounting always be considered in business? Because accounting functions to record and analyze the company's performance in terms of financial transactions and make informed decisions about financial management. While taxation focuses on complying with the government tax laws and collecting taxes. Tax accounting is the process for every business to create reports, calculations, and filing company's documents for income and expenses. Every tax has a period, and every business must pay according to existing rules. What is the goal of a tax accountant? A tax accountant's goal is to assist businesses to fulfill their legal obligations by preparing and filing taxes. They can also create strategies to minimize tax liabilities and must always keep on track with taxation laws. Every business must always comply so as not to be subject to fines or sanctions. Tax accountants will work longer hours during tax time, and their responsibilities are organize financial records, compute taxes, examine financial statements, create budget plans, inspect accounting systems, and communicate with clients about the tax return process. Sometimes businesses can be hit by tax issues, and tax accountants have an obligation to identify solutions. Every accountant needs to manage and maintain the company's tax database, always prepare necessary paperwork and reports, and keep track on changes related to taxes. Reasons why every business must have a tax accountant Sometimes business people only have an accountant, but are still confused when managing taxes. Below are several reasons why tax accountants are needed. Saves time Having a business certainly has a lot to think about, starting from planning, marketing, selling, and managing all finances. By hiring tax accountants, business owners can focus more on other points in the business, and let the accountants take care of the company's obligations, from documents to calculating costs that must be incurred. Provides invaluable advice Every accountant who studies corporate finance can navigate through complex tax problems and make a business pay less tax. The savings in terms of tax will have big benefits for the company, because while the company remains compliant with laws and regulations, the accountant will also continue to monitor if there are changes in rules or business trends. Avoid costly mistakes Business owners can make errors such as giving the wrong income amount of taxes, because they are inexperienced or don't have knowledge of taxation.   10 Accounting Challenges Entrepreneurs Must Deal With   Honestly, the whole tax process can be confusing for business owners, and there has to be someone to take care of it. Tax accountants understand how to manage taxes easily, prevent any mistakes, and can save their client’s money. Tax preparation and filing Paying taxes are not only paid in a certain amount, but must fill the form, providing facts about income, expenses, and accounts payroll while running the business. Business owners who already have a lot of thought and energy to manage the company will not be able to withstand the stress of tax preparation and filing, release yourself from stress by letting a professional handle it. Stay updated with the new tax laws Many companies may not be aware of new policies, or even many of them completely underestimate taxes. Even though taxes in Hong Kong are not large, your company can get into big problems if it does not pay taxes regularly or violates existing regulations. It's part of the accountant's job to be well-informed about the new tax laws, and always inform the business owner about it. Can be reliable beyond taxes Tax accountants are not only useful when paying taxes, because every accountant must understand important financial concerns besides taxes. So, they can provide asset management, business advice, and retirement plans. All of this will be connected to tax, because every accountant must know the track record of the company's finances, the company's potential, and what particular expense is tax-deductible and can be paid lower than before. This means you are not only hired as a tax accountant for your tax needs, but you can also become your business partner as well. After knowing the importance of tax and accounting, you need to think about hiring a professional to manage your company's taxes. For more than a decade, SME Bro has been supporting local companies to get accurate financial services.  By hiring a reliable accountant from SMEBrother, you don't need to worry about tax preparation, tax filing, learning about company finances, asset management, and whatever company needs until taxes are met. Many SME owners do not have accounting knowledge, but SMEBrother is the best place for you in that matter. You just need to focus on expanding your business, and let us take care of the rest. We will keep the tax costs low and transparent, so you can focus more on growing your business. Immediately contact our customer service team and our CPA team will help answer your questions about Hong Kong taxes and any accounting needs for your company.

作為全球知名的國際金融中心、貿易中心和航運中心，香港憑藉其特殊的地理位置和極為寬鬆的政策環境，成為了內地客商最青睞的離岸公司註冊地之一。 依據香港公司法例，香港公司成立後，每年的維護工作是必不可少的，其中最關鍵的兩個就是：年審和審計，這是每個香港公司重點關注的。 但常常有很多客戶將香港公司年審和香港公司審計這兩個業務混為一談。 經常將年審視為審計是錯誤的。經過年審後，公司不再需要審計，情況並非如此。 01香港公司年審 當一個香港公司運作屆滿一年，就必須要向政府申請該公司繼續存在，主要包括以下兩方面內容： 向稅局申請下一年度的新商業登記證，同時繳納政府規費； 周年申報表，這裏指的並非財務報表，而是記錄公司最新組閣情況的報表，包括最新的公司名稱、公司股份數量、股份分配比例、股東以及董事成員，同時申報公司上年度發生變更的詳情。 以上統稱為年審或年檢。簡單來說，年審就是企業自己向政府申請企業還要繼續經營以獲得新證件，同時告知政府公司最新的股份股東以及變更等資訊。 年審的時間：從公司成立的時間計算，每年一次。香港公司年審到期後，沒有及時進行更新的話，是會產生罰款的，並且罰款是累計增加的，若一直不理會罰款，法院將會下發傳票。 值得注意的是，香港政府要求將香港公司的賬目和資料妥善保存至少7年以上。 02香港公司審計 香港公司審計是對公司上年度財務狀況的審查，是由獨立會計師對公司財務的安全合理性、合法性進行評估。 審計是經濟監督的重要組成部分，主要對財政、財務收支及其他經濟活動的真實、合法和效益進行審查，具有外在性和獨立性。 根據不同的目的，又分為多種用途的審計，通常我們接觸的比較多的是稅務審計，而其他用途的審計，則稱為“特殊目的的審計”。 香港公司審計報稅是按照香港公司業務劃分，這一程式應劃分為3個方面，即理賬、審計、報稅。 （1）理賬：香港公司經過1年的經營，必定會產生銀行流水、業務單據、商品進出明細、運輸憑證等等商業檔及賬務資料，而理賬就是將商業檔及賬務資料一一對應，使之能準確反映該商業實體過去1年中的經營情況。 （2）審計：待賬務檔與商業檔對應後，香港執業會計師將會對每一筆交易活動進行核對，確認其中沒有錯誤關聯或虛假交易，並對這些情況發表意見（包括無保留意見、部分保留意見、不發表意見），就稱為審計。 （3）報稅：香港執業會計師確認交易情況，計算出該商業實體的盈利情況，便會將盈利情況及應繳稅數額如實上報香港稅務局。 審計的時間：第一次審計是公司成立時間的第18個月，之後是每12個月一次。 03香港公司審計和年審的區別 1、時間上來看 時間上，香港年審是在公司成立第12個月進行，審計是在公司成立第18個月進行。兩個時間段不同，做著兩種不同的工作。 2、性質上來看 兩者都是香港公司成立後期需要做的維護，香港公司年審到期後,沒有及時更新的話,是會產生罰款的,一直不理會罰款,會有法院傳票下發,這對公司董事是影響的。若公司沒有處理稅表或沒做審計,也同樣是會有罰款,另外還會要求補審。 3、內容上來看 香港公司年審是針對公司經營許可的審核，即為更新商業登記證和周年申報表、續期註冊證書、法定秘書及註冊地址，是每個香港公司每年在成立日期必須做的。 香港公司審計是對公司財務賬目的核實與核准，由於香港公司報稅時必須連同審計報告一同遞交，因此一般統稱為“審計報稅”。 04香港公司年審流程 1、確認周年申報並簽字： 香港公司註冊一年後，香港公司必須根據公司的股東，董事，法務秘書，註冊地址和其他資訊製作一份周年申報檔； 2、更換新的商業登記證： 自公司成立周年紀念日起每年應向稅務局領取新的商業登記證。過期的商業登記證無需退還，該年的商業登記費應向稅務局繳納； 3、提交年審檔： 要提交的年審材料包括：已簽署的年度審查委託檔，年度聲明，由董事或股東簽署的周年申報確認書，註冊香港公司的重大事項登記冊以及所有董事和股東的有效身份證副本。 05香港公司審計報稅流程 做賬報稅方案 零申報： （1）要求：沒有在香港購買任何物業；沒有開香港銀行帳戶或者帳戶沒有資金進出；沒有經營任何業務。 （2）做賬報稅：無需做賬，只需填寫利得稅表，但必須保存公司的所有票據及合約。 做賬報稅所需資料 銀行月結單及水單; 銷售票據,發票、合同; 成本票據,發票、合同; 費用票據,工資、租金(須提供租賃合同或協議)、運費等; 其他相關檔,章程正本一份、周年申報表、所有公司變更資料(若有)、固定資產票據。 審計報稅流程 準備審計所需資料，出具審計初稿； 客戶查看審計初稿沒問題後簽字寄回； 出具審計終稿後提交香港稅務局； 拿到利得稅表格後香港會計師填報後提交香港稅務局； 將已提交的審計終稿和報稅表給客戶。 SMEBro提供專業審計報稅服務。想要了解更多服務詳情，立即WhatsApp(+852-67059572)SMEBro客戶經理，我們將很樂意為您提供幫助。

一直以來，香港作為國際金融中心，香港是一個資訊極為發達的國際大都市，是世界上享有最自由的貿易通商港口，再加上本身良好的基礎設施，。其低稅率及簡單稅制對內地投資者非常有吸引力。在做賬報稅方面，大陸公司做賬採用的是複式記賬法的原理，香港公司也大致採用這種原理。 那麼與內地的稅務制度相比，香港公司在稅務上能獲得哪些便利與優惠呢? 一、報稅週期不同 1、主要稅種 大陸——增值稅&附加稅、企業所得稅 香港——無增值稅及附加稅、只有利得稅 2、稅務申報 大陸——增值稅（月/季報）、企業所得稅（季報）、個人所得稅（月報） 香港——利得稅（首年18個月申報）之後按年度申報 3、年報 大陸——工商：每年6月底前完成上年度企業信用公示。稅務：每年5月底前完成企業所得稅匯算清繳 。商委：每年6月底前完成外資商委聯合年報 。 香港——註冊處：以成立周年日為年報節點進行周年申報。稅務局：利得稅申報（首年18個月）之後按年結日時間安排。 二、做賬報稅流程不同 1、香港公司做賬報稅辦理的大致流程 ①香港公司提供財務單據，做賬代理公司進行評估報價後，香港公司付款； ②代理做賬公司根據香港公司財務單據進行做帳；做賬完畢後，由香港執牌會計師進行審計； ③香港公司審計完畢後，由股東簽署審計報告，會計師持簽署的審計報告給到政府報稅； ④ 審計會計師將相關檔返還給到香港公司（客戶）保留。 2、大陸公司做賬流程大致流程： ①審核各種原始憑證，審核無誤後，編制記賬憑證； ②根據記賬憑證登記各種明細分類賬； ③月末作計提、攤銷、結轉記賬憑證； ④結賬、對帳； ⑤編制準確完整的會計報表； ⑥將記賬憑證裝訂成冊。 香港公司審計，也叫香港公司核數。即香港持牌會計師對香港公司進行公司財務帳目的核實與核准。根據流程對比，大陸工作做賬審計相比香港公司的做賬審計流程，確實更加繁瑣複雜。   SMEBro提供專業審計報稅服務。想要了解更多服務詳情，立即WhatsApp(+852-67059572)SMEBro客戶經理，我們將很樂意為您提供幫助。

香港公司如何做審計     香港是世界金融中心之一，也是世界上稅基最窄，稅率最低的地區之一。任何人士（包括法團、合夥業務、受託人或團體）在香港經營任何行業、專業或業務而從該行業、專業或業務獲得在香港產生或來自香港的利潤均需繳納利得稅（若屬於售賣資本資產所得的利潤則除外）。如果是並非在香港當地產生的利潤，即使將這筆錢匯回香港，也是不需要交稅的。       根據香港公司法規定，香港有限公司每年必須做核數師報告向股東、董事及稅務局申報公司的財務及狀況。有限公司成立的第一年，政府允許其完成核數師報告的最長時間為18個月。核數師的報告反映公司是否有利潤產生，有利潤的情況下才需要交稅。而如果不做核數報告，當一間公司的運作規模越來越大，越來越有錢，被稅務局一查問，其實就已經沒有辦法交待這間公司的財富來源。甚至連所賺的錢來自哪里都交待不清楚的話，就很可能被人懷疑有洗黑錢的嫌疑。那麼，香港公司應該如何做審計，也就是核數呢？   香港公司審計流程       香港公司審計步驟一：整理公司交易記錄、單據（收據與合同）及銀行對帳單。     每一間香港公司在經營的過程中，均會產生一系列的單據，根據這些單據，我們需要將其整理成為可供審計師審查使用的資料。與此同時在公司經營的初期，妥善保管好銀行對帳單尤為重要。各個銀行對於對帳單的處理均有所不同，審計師將對針對公司所發生的交易與支出，對這些單據逐一的審核盤查，發現問題會與客戶一一核對，因此單據與銀行對帳單都十分重要。       香港公司審計步驟二：出具會計報表。      香港公司審計需要有著規範的會計報表，並是建立在此基礎上的。由於內地與香港會計制度的不一致性，香港公司審計所要求的通常是香港會計制度下的會計報表。香港公司審計所需要的會計報表通常包括：總賬、明細賬、憑證(看情況而定)、資產負債表、損益表、現金流量表、試算平衡表。       香港公司審計步驟三：委託審計師進行審計。     香港會計師公會規定，香港審計師（在香港稱之為核數師）需要特別考取執照，並獲得執業資格證書。目前香港地區的服務行業十分發達，持牌核數師數量達到數千名，服務的品質與速度參差不齊，不要選擇經驗不豐富的核數師為您的香港公司做審計。香港公司審計通常需要的時間根據公司的財務複雜情況與單據齊備情況而定，一般簡單的法定審計是10-20個工作日，複雜點的審計過程甚至長達數個月。   香港公司審計步驟四：完成，出具審計報告。   香港公司年審流程 香港公司註冊署，辦理周年申報檔 1、時間：每週年辦理一次； 2、作用：提交最新的公司資料進行備案，即該公司在上年度內，是否有註冊資金、股東、董事、公司地址等資訊的變更，或其他需要備案的情況等； 3、逾期罰款：註冊處周年申報逾期費用詳細（按遞交日期不同收取不同費用）： 公司成立的周年日翌日起計算，超過42天但不超過3個月罰款870港幣； 公司成立的周年日翌日起計算，超過3個月但不超過6個月罰款1,740港幣； 公司成立的周年日翌日起計算，超過6個月但不超過9個月罰款2,610港幣； 公司成立的周年日翌日起計算，超過9個月以上罰款3,480港幣；   香港稅務局，換領新一年的商業登記證 1、時間：原商業登記證所列的有效時間。（可以提前1個月換領新證）； 2、作用：主要是延續香港公司的合法經營權利，同時銀行也需要這份檔來證實公司可以繼續使用帳戶。 3、逾期罰款：商業登記證失效超過30天，即會產生稅務局登記逾期罰款300港幣； 而香港稅務局會默認該公司持續營業，並依照無證經營情況處理。向香港法院提出相應訴訟。   香港公司報稅流程 依照香港法律規定，所有的香港公司無論是否有盈利，都需要申報上一年度的經營情況，並由香港稅務局依照一定標準，確定該香港公司是否需要繳納稅收。   通常，香港公司報稅可分為三種方式：稅務零申報、實際業務申報、離岸免稅申報。   而具體的報稅操作流程如下： 1、首次註冊的香港公司會在註冊成立後第18個月，首次收到由香港稅務局發出的報稅表。 2、香港公司在收到報稅表後，需要第一時間進行賬務整理、賬務審計、填寫報稅表，並在規定時間內將審計報告連同填寫完畢的報稅表，一同遞交香港稅務局，完成報稅工作。 3、香港稅務局收到香港公司遞交的報稅表後，會依據香港公司提供的審計檔進行評稅。 4、在稅務局評稅工作完成後，稅務局會發出載明應繳稅款金額的繳稅通知單。 5、需要繳稅的香港公司則依據通知單上注明的費用，準備應繳稅金（可採用現金、支票等形式繳納），再次遞交香港稅務局。 6、在交完應繳稅金後，會取得繳納稅金的收據，至此完成整個稅務申報工作。 之後每一年度的報稅工作，也是依照這一流程進行，即收到香港稅務局發出的報稅表後，進行香港公司賬務整理和審計，填報香港公司稅務申報表，並遞交香港稅務局。 在報稅表的填寫中，可根據香港政府當年頒佈的稅收優惠政策，進行應繳納稅金的核算。或是根據各項優惠政策，進行香港公司的稅收籌畫，以達到節省稅務成本的目的。   香港公司的年審和報稅工作是非常重要的，如果不按時完成，將會面臨罰款和其他法律後果。因此，公司應該提前準備好相關檔，委託專業的註冊會計師或審計師進行年審和報稅工作，以確保工作的順利進行。  SMEBro提供專業審計報稅服務。想要了解更多服務詳情，立即WhatsApp(+852-67059572)SMEBro客戶經理，我們將很樂意為您提供幫助。

Auditing is something that is needed for business progress that assesses the documentation and evidence of the economic transactions of a company. Without auditing, the office does not have independent examination and open-minded people to obtain financial statements. There are still many companies that do not see that auditing is a primary need, and are still thinking about other things. Why auditing is important? This article will answer your questions about this. What is auditing? Auditing is an official inspection and verification carried out by business' management, by government, or outside parties to check the credibility of financial reports, in case there is suspicious financial activity. Auditing can be done to check all financial records, from individuals to businesses. The main goal of auditing is to ensure that the company has accurate financial statements and follows regulatory guidelines. Auditing provides confidence to creditors, investors and stakeholders as assurance that they can rely on your company. The different types of audits There are several types of audits that businesses can choose from to assess the overall company health. The following are several different types of audits: Internal audit This audit is carried out with the company, with the owners taking the initiative to get the firm audited. The internal auditing is needed to update company board members about the finances. It helps the company to check and adjust to the firm's financial goals. External audit The external audit has requirements and rules made by its shareholders. External audits are carried out at annual general meetings, to be shown to all shareholders and board of directors meetings. This audit can be done half-yearly, quarterly, or annually. Performance audits Auditors will conduct performance audits by assessing business systems and processes, while measuring their productivity and efficiency against business goals. The main objectives of performance audits are business perspective analysis, evaluation of the company's internal control, and assessing program results and effectiveness. Operational audits This audit is almost the same as an internal audit, the difference is that agents are hired to improve organizational operations and check which areas are less efficient.   Reasons Why an Internal Audit is Necessary in a Company   The main goal is to align the company with its goals, analyze the policies, check for progress, and see the outcomes of its functions. Information system audit The digital era means that every company will use software to speed up its business performance. But the company still needs an audit to check whether there are IT risks, how the security of the company's data can be guaranteed, and what preventive ways the company can minimize data breaches. The report of this audit will ensure stakeholders that the company has carried out data protection properly, and the business structure is always updated. Why auditing is important for your business? There will always be reasons to answer "why auditing is important" because we have to know the background of why we have to carry out an audit by hiring auditors for the progress of our business. Here are the 5 main reasons why auditing is vital for your business. Provides objective insight Every company will not be able to audit your own work, because they could face a conflict of interest. To remain objective, you must hire an auditor or team that does not have any operational responsibility. Companies must have a different, independent and unbiased view, to add value to the organization. Auditing purposes can be carried out by cross-training employees in different departments, to see office conditions broadly and from several different points of view. Evaluate risks and protect assets Audits will help management to identify and check risks through a systematic risk assessment. A remediation plan can be carried out if the risk assessment can identify any gaps in the work environment. Every environmental change will be tracked and documented, to ensure that mitigation will uncover risks. Every asset must be safeguarded, and every risk must be considered. Improve operations efficiency An objective review of organizational policies and procedures is needed, because the company needs to ensure that it has followed the right procedures and policies. Company policies and procedures must be aligned with possible risks in order to overcome various forms of company risk. Monitoring and evaluation must be carried out on an ongoing basis, so that you can identify suggestions for business progress and increase its efficiency and effectiveness. Once the audit runs smoothly, your organization will trust the operational process and it can be carried out regularly and efficiently. Assesses controls Companies need internal audits to improve the organization's control environment. This is needed to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of operations. Internal audits can be used to ensure whether risk mitigation is adequate? Are the company controls in accordance with the purpose? All company controls are only useful to help the organization, but auditing also helps you achieve its goals. Ensure compliance with laws and regulations Internal audits need to be carried out regularly because they can ensure that the company is in compliance with all relevant laws and regulations. If the audit can be carried out successfully and get good results, you will have peace of mind for the next audit. Companies that do not comply with regulations can be subject to expensive fines and have a negative impact on future business. But if an audit is done correctly, it can be an important enabler for any licensing, and gain greater client confidence. How to choose the best auditors? Now, we already understand why auditing is important. Thinking about auditing firms is the same as thinking about long-term business partners. Auditors are someone who can be collaborated with year after year, and they can be an important figure for the organization's success. There are several key qualities that organizations should look for when choosing an auditing firm: A solid reputation The reputation of auditors must be taken into account, because of how many companies they have dealt with, whether there have been positive results from the companies they have collaborated with. Even though there is no guarantee that the auditing process will run smoothly, checking the reputation of the auditory firm will provide security and reduce skepticism about your audit report. The right qualifications Ensure the auditing firm has carried out training and qualifications, making them certified as proper auditors and showing how they perform assessments according to what your company needs. Certifications such as public accountant, or global licensed are the auditory firms you need. Room for negoisations Look for auditors who can be negotiated with for long-term cooperation. If you pay a short-term auditor at a high price but there is no change for your business, of course you will lose money. To choose a non-permanent auditor, look at auditors who can offer competitive prices, total transparency of assessments, and provide exceptional value. Customer service Auditors must have good communication skills with consumers. Auditors not only communicate with higher ups, but also all staff members needed to analyze data, discuss risk mitigation, and company goals. What companies most hope for is an auditing firm that is friendly, responsive and helpful. Are you looking for an auditing film that has all the needs for your company? SMEBrother is your answer. Since 2012, SMEBrother has been an extra support for many businesses for SME companies. SME business is challenging, but we as auditory firm can support our clients on all fronts and become a business brother. Our website not only provides important information about how to thrive your business, but also helps you with licensing, finance, and auditing. Immediately visit our website, and let's talk about what we can do to help your SME business.

We need many factors to survive and continue to grow with our small business. One of them is ensuring the money is well-managed. If a business wants to run well, then nothing is more important than accounting. Solid accounting will keep the business in top financial shape and you can have better financial decisions. How to always keep an eye on accounting if the business owner doesn't have a lot of knowledge in finance and accounting? Accounting software is the answer. There are still many business owners who think that their business does not need accounting software because of cost issues, or feel that software is not very helpful. Let's take a look at what software can do to keep a business running. What accounting is needed for a small business? Small business uses a complete record of income and expenses, then extracts financial information from all transactions accurately. The early stages of business must track and manage their money effectively. If it's done well, small business accounting will maintain overall finances, and helps in generating payroll and invoices. Is it worth using accounting software? Yes, small businesses can rely on accounting software because it can help bookkeeping and all services that can be performed by a certified public accountant (CPA). The software can ensure the business does not have financial errors. 5 Signs small business needs accounting software The business experiencing growth For every small business that is just starting out, spreadsheets are a handy tool for budgeting and planning out your next business finances. As your business grows, you can find many things easier to do, such as tracking invoices, cash flow projections, getting multiple spreadsheets and paperwork. There will be a time when there must be more than one person to manage finances. You can choose to hire a professional accountant to run software that can handle tasks such as generating reports, recording new information, or approving payments. Right now, a lot of software has features to be accessed on several devices, and only certain parties can access them. Requiring faster financial information Growing businesses will have large volumes of financial data. If the data has been arranged in spreadsheets, you can easily make decisions because analyzing neat data doesn't take a long time. Manual bookkeeping requires a higher level of accuracy and must have other data as confirmation. If you are not used to seeing manual bookkeeping formats, then you will need a lot of time to read data and analyze it. The software has many tools and analytics to get detailed summaries of the cash flow, profit, expenses, etc. The key to accessing information is cropping up any issues and being able to identify where the problems are. Small businesses that can identify financial problems will rectify instantly and make better decisions. Need automation repetitive tasks Small business owners need to do many things for their company with multiple tasks and tackling any conflicts. For administrative tasks, there are many things that need to be done repetitively and take up a lot of time. Some of these things are processing transactions, invoicing customers, and inventory tracking. By owning software, you can automate some tasks and leaves you with additional time to spend on solving other problems, determining how your business grows, rather than managing documents and spreadsheets every day. Increasing manual errors If your business starts getting frequent manual errors, it's a sign that you need a software to help you in tracking records. It's not surprising that when you work on financial records manually, there will always be number errors, discrepancies in amounts, or data that has not been entered. Why Outsource Accounting Services is The Best Choice for Your Company If you are manually keying all your invoice data, then you need to record all the date, invoice number, invoice amount, customer name, and update the data to the spreadsheet immediately. If you procrastinate even a bit and forget, it leaves room for error. Mistakes are inevitable, but can be greatly reduced if you use software. Innacurate statements or lost tax credits are less common in businesses that store financial data in software. Lack accounting system or technical accounting skills Not all business owners are highly skilled in accounting and bookkeeping. Sometimes many owners are still not comfortable with accounting and bookkeeping and need to delegate these tasks to other people. If small businesses cannot manage their finances properly, they can eventually fail due to highly volatile cash flow transactions. Another possibility is a business that does not have a proper accounting system that still records all their finances on paper. If there are missing papers or data inconsistencies, it will have a big impact on cash flow. The benefits of using accounting software for small business The primary benefits of using software are cuts down on redundant data entry, saving a lot of time, and helping to keep more accurate records. Many tasks can be done using software, such as sales tracking, inventory management, budgeting, payroll, estimates, business tax reporting, etc. The primary benefits of using software are cuts down on redundant data entry, saving a lot of time, and helping to keep more accurate records. Many tasks can be done using software, such as sales tracking, inventory management, budgeting, payroll, estimates, business tax reporting, etc. Let's discuss more thoroughly. For example, tracking expenses. Cash and cash flow are the most essential things for any small business. A single accounting mistake can cost a lot. With the software, you can scan and record any transactions and track expenses, preventing yourself for any mistake scenarios. Next, managing inventory. If inventory is not recorded properly, then you will lose a lot of costs to buy new items. Software will help you to manage inventory and ensure you don't fall short of goods. You can manage the ordering process, and determine which ones you will buy based on which types of goods are performing and which are not. There's a lot of benefits when you start using software for your accounting problems. If you are still confused about what software is right for your small business, or what you should do for financial records, you can visit smebrother.com. Our website offers a wide range of articles, guides, and services to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses and overcome challenges. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your business to the next level, our team of experts is here to support you every step of the way. Check out smebrother.com today and see how we can help your business thrive.

Small businesses always have new things that become challenges for them, and must be tackled to survive. It's not uncommon for small businesses to experience accounting challenges, and some small business owners fear that their businesses will have to bear the same burden as accounting challenges in corporations. While accounting challenges might be frightening for many startups, we will discuss what are the possible accounting problems faced by entrepreneurs in the early days of opening their business. Hope this article will help you to tackle the accounting problems and give you an idea of what you might be facing. How does accounting impact small businesses? Accounting is an extremely beneficial thing for business, it helps owners, investors, managers, and stakeholders to keep track of the financial performance and track assets, liabilities, cash flow, and income. When business owners understand how their financial condition is, it enables them to make the next accounting decisions. Businesses that do not track their financial condition will result in unnecessary expenses, greater expenses than income, or even bankruptcy. To avoid these things, we need to know some of the accounting challenges that are often faced by small businesses. 10 accounting challenges entrepreneurs must deal with Managing cash flow It's a big challenge for small businesses in managing cash flow. The percentage of businesses that fail because cash flow is higher than other problems. Small businesses find it challenging to keep the cash flow steady, because they find it challenging to cover recurring costs and try to stay on business. An easy way to stay on top of cash flow, is to analyze bills carefully. Pay attention to the monthly expenses, and try to cut costs where you think they can be reduced. If there is inventory that is rarely used, you can sell it to generate cash. Unexpected expenses Some examples of unexpected expenses are employee health insurance costs when they fall or slip while working, one-time government taxes, essential office inventory that is suddenly damaged, etc. If a small business earns more than usual and might be in good shape, set aside some for emergencies or unexpected expenses. Don't forget to always record how much you save, and how much you spend on an expense. If you have a lot of records about unexpected expenses, you can estimate how much it costs to be prepared each month for unexpected things. Using accounting software Although small businesses need good records for bookkeeping, using accounting software is sometimes unnecessary. In order to run accounting software, you need to have a basic understanding of accounting, and you will need to do a lot of installation. You need to learn about financial health to utilize accounting software properly. If you are satisfied with manual recording and can be checked periodically, then using accounting software can be postponed until you need it. Some software requires an annual rental fee or purchase of a license, and is a significant problem for small businesses. Reporting finances Every business in Hong Kong must prepare financial statements by submitting their profit tax return and the adjacent reports. The annual filing needs to be studied, or company owners are advised to seek professional services to ensure that the company complies with the regulations. Professionals will help you with various legal services, including tax compliance for individuals and companies. Errors and miscalculations If the recording is only done once and does not use accounting software, there is a possibility of miscalculations or transactions that are forgotten to be recorded. This is common in small businesses where they often postpone income or expenses because they feel that the amount is small. No matter how small your income and expenses are, you must record it as soon as you can prevent unrecorded financial data. How to Reduce Common Accounting Errors in Small Business Lots of errors and miscalculations will create an unmatched balance sheet, and can be a big disaster. Never let anything go unchecked, and record every single detail of a transaction as soon as it happens. Regulating payroll Managing payroll is important in small businesses, because each employee must be classified properly. Each employee has a different salary amount, and it affects taxes. Ensuring employees are paid according to the agreement, and properly tracking when employees have holidays. Now there are many accounting software that can make it easier for payroll, but you must have good and thorough records. Analyzing finances Reconciling or analyzing your finances may be annoying, but it's a must. You have to check if there is an error that leads to incorrect data. If you do not use accounting software, you must verify all of your transactions on a monthly basis. Don't forget to run through the accounting books every end of the day to ensure no transactions are forgotten. Financial decisions can exist because you are analyzing and advising. Securing data Secure your financial data whether it's online or offline. If your financial data is put online, there are many possibilities for your data getting targeted by hackers. You can use cybersecurity for online data. If the data is online, you can only entrust financial data to a few important people. Not all employees are allowed to know, because this is a company secret. Besides you writing in a journal, you can put financial data in excel or accounting software. Bank accounts A common mistake small businesses make is combining bank accounts. The owners cannot distinguish between office income and their personal income. It's impossible to track all of the finances. Personal and business expenses may not be combined into one bank account. If it continues, then it's a major accounting problem that can lead to bankruptcy or fraud. Business financial health Bookkeeping perfectly, maintaining and operating the business's accounting is not enough. You need to analyze, assign a specific budget that derives to the next steps, and do careful analysis. You can ask an accountant or conduct an audit with a professional to determine the next financial step. The business's financial health can be seen from how you process and also continue to develop the business. How do you fix accounting problems? Fixing accounting problems can be done in several ways. First, you can hire someone qualified for detailed bookkeeping of all financial company data. Next, you can use accounting software if there are a lot of transactions, income and expenses. Don't forget to do an audit and hire a professional accountant for your next step. If you're looking for a reliable auditor and accountant for small and medium-sized businesses, look no further than smebrother.com. We offer a wide range of guides and services to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses and overcome challenges. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your business to the next level, our team of experts is here to support you every step of the way. Check out smebrother.com today and see how we can help your business thrive.

For any business, accounting is a crucial part of running a business. From small to medium-size businesses, accounting is an aspect that must be handled with care. Even the slightest mistake can pose a huge risk to a business, could cost time, money, or lead to an audit. Even though you can't manage everything in business finance, such as customers' buying trends or the economy, you can reduce the chances of any accounting errors. This article will discuss about that, so stay tune till the end. What Is Accounting Errors? All unintended accidents in accounting caused by a slip of the hand, like entering an incorrect key when filling in finances in an accounting application, or transposing a number. Common errors can occur due to many factors, from data entry to errors in principle. There are two broad categories of accounting errors that can be detected easily, but require a closer look. First, errors that impact the trial balance like unbalanced journal entries and single entry accounting, and second, errors that have no trial balance impact like duplicate entries, omitted transactions, reversed entries, incorrect values, incorrect general ledger accounts, or incorrect accounting treatment. What causes inaccurate financial reporting? Innacurate financial reporting can occur both internally and externally. It creates a cascading effect and impacts your organization's health. Some of the things below are examples of why financial reports can be wrong. Data incosistencies Minor or inconsequential inconsistencies can create storm clouds over your operational money. For example, when you are rounding your figures in disclosures, there's a result in data that is a single digit different from your financial statements. Every slightly differing figures can make mistakes in all financial reports, and are ill-prepared. No-post close review process You can improve on your closing by taking notes on what needs to be fixed in the system. Any inefficiencies must be identified in post-close reviews. The absence of a review on the closing process can miss any misses on business changes, guidance updates, or costs that don't stay on track. Incompetent staff Inadequately trained staff can directly and indirectly cause errors, such as miscount inventory, miscount in expense reports, etc. They do not understand financial rules, and may not be up to date with accounting standards and regulatory requirements. How can small businesses reduce accounting errors? Every prevention is worth as a cure. The accounting departments must have control procedures in filling out reports carefully and preventing any mistakes. You can do preventive and detective controls to minimize any errors. Use accounting software Any accounting software or application includes error-reducing features, such as block lopsided transactions. Many software provide the highest level of automation and system integration to minimize data entry errors. You can find software that suits your needs by applying the specified standards, and policies to limit errors of principle and errors of commission. Staff training Investing does not have to be in resources or capital, but can also be through staff. By training your staff properly, you can provide adequate resources and ensure maximum performance. Provide staff with manageable workloads. It is better to have more than one staff for financial checking, because overstretched accounting departments are easier to generate errors. Provide adequate review You can review another person's work product to minimize errors. It might be challenging for companies that still have a small staff, but you can try using an accounting person, or someone professional to review accounts periodically. Stay organized Try to have properly organized records to reduce the overlooking of accounting transactions that can produce errors of omission. Organized records are needed in the event of a tax audit. Reconciliations Comparing accounting balances with bank statements, credit card statements, and loan statements requires account reconciliations. It can also apply to comparisons of subsidiary journals to the general ledger. Subsidiary journals are chronological records of frequently occurring transactions. Even though this step can be skipped by using integrated accounting software, there's nothing wrong with trying it. Comparing actual and budgeted balances Highlight the variances of actual balances and budgeted balances. By analyzing variances that seem unreasonable, you can find any accounting errors. For example, omitted transactions are compared with the possible duplicated entries that could make the larger expected balances, and you can see which might make sense. Another procedure you can try is to compare the actual balances from the current year and the prior year with several key performance indicators. How to ensure financial records are accurate? After reducing the possibility of errors, you need to ensure that your financial statements are correct. Keep up with your financial statement regularly by creating an annual balance sheet or income statement that is developing monthly updates. It will help you pinpoint concern areas and research which ones need to be fixed. If you are not familiar with the balance sheet, then you will not be able to realize which errors occur frequently or where unexpected errors occur. If you feel overwhelmed because you have to check the balance sheet alone, get an accountant and work with you regularly. Choose a professional accountant like Smebrother as a third party to review your records and books. An accountant can see a hard look at reported numbers and patterns to determine which ones can become concerns. Having a second set of eyes will help you spot mistakes.

Starting a business and trying their best to develop it is the goal of every businessman. After preparing many things for the running of the business, the next step is deciding how to manage and structure your finances. If you study small business accounting, you'll save time to get simple business finances and reduce the stress at any given moment. New businesses need a strong financial foundation to keep the business steady and keep the money on the right path. If you have never known about how to structure business accounting, let's take a look about the basics of small business accounting in 2023. What is small business accounting? All processes of recording, analyzing and tracking the financial transactions of your business. The business accounting will translate numbers into a comprehensive statement about business profitability. Many business owners think accounting is a boring aspect because they can't freely follow their business plan, but it is also necessary to maintain cash flow and avoid piles of paperwork. The business accounting will track all the in and out flows including sales, purchases, liabilities and payments. For small businesses, it will be bookkeeping, creating financial reports, and filing tax returns. Accounting will help any business owner pay attention to the values and health of the company and make better decisions about short and long term success. How to do accounting for small business? The most basic method to do business accounting is manual recording with a pen and paper, but it takes a lot of patience and has a high error rate. At least two people must do the same recording to avoid misses. To start properly, you can use accounting software or hire professionals like Smebrother. If you are still confused about choosing between hiring a professional, looking for an accounting software application or doing it yourself, there are a few things you need to do first. Choose business structure wisely The business structure will affect everything you do in your business. There are four basic business structures: Sole proprietorship, Limited liability company, partnership, and corporation. If you are a single owner, you can choose a sole proprietorship because it requires little setup, but there is no legal differentiation between your business and you as owner. An LLC is almost the same as a sole proprietorship, but is not responsible for business debt. You can have multiple partners and be more flexible in filing business taxes. If you run a business with more than one person, you can share ownership through partnerships. Each partner is responsible for developing the business, with detailed duties and responsibilities in a partnership agreement. Or the last option, corporation. It's the most complex business structure, but has many benefits, such as lower corporate taxes, and legal protection. But remember, choosing this one is complicated and requires a lot of money. Open a business bank account Every business structure requires a business bank account. Even if you choose a sole proprietor, it's good to have a separate account rather than your own. Having a business bank account makes it easier for you to file business taxes, increases the confidence of anyone who wants to do transactions with you, and separates the business income from your personal funds. Choose an accounting method Don't just rely on simple accounting experience just checking accounts at the end of the month. You must understand the difference between the cash accounting method and the accrual accounting method. The cash method is the simpler method and is suitable for freelancers with limited accounting activity. You have to recognize revenue and expenses when money comes out of a bank account or changes hands. The accrual method provides an accurate picture for business health, because it recognizes revenue when earned, and only sees expenses when they occur. It's more complicated than the cash method. Learn how to manage income and expenses Handling income and expenses is the same as handling the majority of financial transactions. You need to learn how to invoice. White an invoice to provide customers an easy way to pay. You can link to online payment options, or explain an easy way for customers to pay you. Next, pay your bills in time, because good credit is important for every business. Don't forget to record all of your expenses to pay accurate taxes at the end of the year. Enter all financial transactions whether you record them manually, or use accounting software. Don't forget to do it regularly and properly entered. Reconcile bank accounts Many business owners skip this step because they are already using electronic banking. But don't skip this step because reconciling bank accounts each month is necessary. It will help you to pinpoint any bank errors and identify items that must be in the general ledger. Run financial statements Once all transactions have been entered, you are ready to run financial statements. Enter adjusting entries by starting with an unadjusted trial balance and help locating any out-of-balance accounts. After everything is done, look over the financial statements to analyze how your business is running. You must run three financial statements each month: profit and loss statement, statement of cash flow, and balance sheet. What are accounting best practices for small businesses? The key of accounting best practices is to separate personal finance and business finance. You cannot put these two things together, because business finances will not be healthy because they are mixed with personal matters. Maintaining accurate records by checking at the end of each month, as well as tracking income and expenses. Every small business requires neat and appropriate records in order to properly analyze their business performance. Don't let a lot of mistakes in income and expenses. Do not let expenses be greater than income, because it can have a big effect on the course of your business. Prepare several business plans to prepare for unexpected costs, and keep the finances in check. Do you already know the basics of small business accounting? If you still feel overwhelmed with business accounting, you can consider getting an accounting software or hiring professional accountants.