What is a Limited Company?

Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll can be a burden to small business. This new series of accountant blogs from Nottingham Accounting Solutions aims at making Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll a little clearer.

What is a Limited Company?

Most businesses start out small, owned by one person or by a partnership. The most common type of business when there are multiple owners is a Limited Company.

The law sees a Limited Company as real, live person. Like an adult, a Limited Company is treated as a distinct and independent individual who has rights and responsibilities.

A Limited Company 's "birth certificate" is the legal form that is filed with the Secretary of State and Companies House. It must have a legal name, just like a person.

A Limited Company is separate from its owners. It's responsible for its own debts. The bank can't come after the shareholders if a Limited Company goes bankrupt- except under certain circumstances.

A Limited Company issues ownership share to persons who invest money in the business. These shares are documented and the Company has to keep a register, or list, of how many shares everyone owns. Owners of a Company are called shareholders because they own shares issued by the company. One share of stock is one unit of ownership and how much one share is worth depends on the total number of shares that the business issues. The more shares a business issues, the smaller the percentage of total owners' equity each share represents.

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd offer accounts, bookkeeping and payroll services in the Nottingham , Mansfield and Sutton in Ashfield area as well as Sage sales, set-up and 1 - to - 1 training on Sage accounts and Sage payroll. So why not take a look at Accountant in Nottingham Mansfield and Sutton in Ashfield to see our website.

What is financial window dressing?

Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll can be a burden to small business. This new series of accountant blogs from Nottingham Accounting Solutions aims at making Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll a little clearer.

What is financial window dressing?

Financial managers can do certain things to increase or decrease net income that's recorded in the year. This is called profit smoothing, income smoothing or just plain old window dressing. This isn't the same as fraud, or cooking the books.

Most profit smoothing involves pushing some amount of revenue and/or expenses into other years than they would normally be recorded. A common technique for profit smoothing is to delay normal maintenance and repairs. This is referred to as deferred maintenance. Many routine and recurring maintenance costs required for cars, trucks, machines, equipment and buildings can be delayed, or deferred until later.

A business that spends a significant amount of money for employee training and development may delay these programs until the next year so the expense in the current year is lower. A company can cut back on its current year's outlays for market research and product development.

A business can ease up on its rules regarding when slow-paying customers are written off to expense as bad debts or uncollectible accounts receivable. The business can put off recording some of its bad debts expense until the next reporting year. A fixed asset that is not being actively used may have very little current or future value to a business. Instead of writing off the un-depreciated cost of the impaired asset as a loss in the current year, the business might delay the write-off until the next year.

You can see how manipulating the timing of certain expenses can make an impact on net income. This isn't illegal although companies can go too far in massaging the numbers so that its financial statements are misleading. For the most part though, profit smoothing isn't much more than robbing Peter to pay Paul. Accountants refer to these as compensatory effects. The effects next year offset and cancel out the effects in the current year. Less expense this year is balanced by more expense the next year.

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd offer accounts, bookkeeping and payroll services in the Nottingham, Sutton in Ashfield and Mansfield area as well as Sage sales, set-up and 1 - to - 1 training on Sage accounts and Sage payroll. So why not take a look at Accountant in Nottingham, Mansfield and Sutton in Ashfield website.

Disclosure in Accounts

Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll can be a burden to small business. This new series of accountant blogs from Nottingham Accounting Solutions aims at making Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll a little clearer.

Disclosure in Accounts

Financial statements are the backbone of a complete financial report. In fact, a financial report is not complete if the three primary financial statements are not included. But a financial report is much more than just those statements. A financial report requires disclosures. This term refers to additional information provided in a financial report. Therefore, any comprehensive and ethical financial report must include not only the primary financial statements, but disclosures as well.

The chief executive of a business (usually the CEO in a publicly held corporation) has the primary responsibility to make sure that the financial statements have been prepared according to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and the financial report provides adequate disclosures. He or she works with the chief financial officer or controller of the business to make sure that the financial report meets the standard of adequate disclosures.
Some common methods of disclosures include:

--Footnotes that provide information about the basic figures. Nearly all financial statements require footnotes to provide additional information for several of the account balances in the financial statements.

--Supplementary financial schedules and tables that provide more details than can be included in the body of the financial statements.

--Other information may be required if the business is a public corporation subject to regulations regarding financial reporting to its stockholders. Other information is voluntary and not strictly required legally or according to GAAP.

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd offer accounts, bookkeeping and payroll services in the Nottingham, Sutton in Ashfield and Mansfield area as well as Sage sales, set-up and 1 - to - 1 training on Sage accounts and Sage payroll. So why not take a look at http://www.nottingham-accounting-solutions.co.uk/

Who uses a forensic accountant?

Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll can be a burden to small business. This new series of accountant blogs from Nottingham Accounting Solutions aims at making Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll a little clearer.

Who uses a forensic accountant?

Forensic accountants are financial investigative specialists who work with financial information for the purpose of conveying complicated issues in a manner that others can easily understand. While some forensic accountants and forensic accounting specialists are engaged in the public practice of forensic examination, others work in private industry for such entities as banks and insurance companies or governmental entities such as police departments and HMRC.

The occupational fraud committed by employees usually involves the theft of assets. Embezzlement has been the most often committed fraud for the last 30 years. Employees may be involved in kickback schemes, identity theft, or conversion of corporate assets for personal use. The forensic accountant couples observation of the suspected employees with physical examination of assets, invigilation, inspection of documents, and interviews of those involved.

Experience on these types of engagements enables the forensic accountant to offer suggestions as to internal controls that business owners could implement to reduce the likelihood of fraud.

At times, the forensic accountant may be hired by lawyers to investigate the financial trail of persons suspected of engaging in criminal activity. Information provided by the forensic accountant may be the most effective way of obtaining convictions. The forensic accountant may also be engaged in bankruptcy proceedings when submitted financial information is suspect or if employees (including managers) are suspected of taking assets.

Opportunities for qualified forensic accountants abound in private companies. CEOs must now certify that their financial statements are faithful representations of the financial position and results of operations of their companies and rely more heavily on internal controls to detect any misstatement that would otherwise be contained in these financials.

In addition to these activities, forensic accountants may be asked to determine the amount of the loss sustained by victims, testify in court as an expert witness and assist in the preparation of visual aids and written summaries for use in court.

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd do not offer forensic accounting but we do offer accounts, bookkeeping and payroll services in the Nottingham, Sutton in Ashfield and Mansfield area as well as Sage sales, set-up and 1 - to - 1 training on Sage accounts and Sage payroll. So why not take a look at www.nottingham-accounting-solutions.co.uk

What is a forensic accountant?

Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll can be a burden to small business. This new series of accountant blogs from Nottingham Accounting Solutions aims at making Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll a little clearer.

What is a forensic accountant?

Forensic accounting is the practice of utilising accounting, auditing, and investigative skills to assist in legal matters. It encompasses 2 main areas - litigation support, investigation, and dispute resolution. Litigation support represents the factual presentation of economic issues related to existing or pending litigation. In this capacity, the forensic accountant quantifies damages sustained by parties involved in legal disputes and can assist in resolving disputes, even before they reach the courtroom. If a dispute reaches the courtroom, the forensic accountant may testify as an expert witness.

Investigation is the act of determining whether criminal matters such as employee theft, securities fraud (including falsification of financial statements), identity theft, and insurance fraud have occurred. As part of the forensic accountant's work, he or she may recommend actions that can be taken to minimize future risk of loss. Investigation may also occur in civil matters. For example, the forensic accountant may search for hidden assets in divorce cases.

Forensic accounting involves looking beyond the numbers and grasping the substance of situations. It's more than accounting...more than detective work...it's a combination that will be in demand for as long as human nature exists. Who wouldn't want a career that offers such stability, excitement, and financial rewards?

In short, a forensic accountant requires the most important quality a person can possess: the ability to think. Far from being an ability that is specific to success in any particular field, developing the ability to think enhances a person's chances of success in life, thus increasing a person's worth in today's society. Could you become a forensic accountant??

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd offer do not offer Forensic accounting but we do offer accounts, bookkeeping and payroll services in the Nottingham, Mansfield and Sutton in Ashfield area as well as Sage sales, set-up and 1 - to - 1 training on Sage accounts and Sage payroll. So why not take a look at http://www.nottingham-accounting-solutions.co.uk/

Who are auditors and are they accountants?

Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll can be a burden to small business. This new series of blogs from Nottingham Accounting Solutions aims at making Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll a little clearer.

Who are auditors and are they accountants?

Auditors are generally accountants that help to ensure that the Nation's firms are run efficiently, its public records kept accurately, and its taxes paid properly and on time. They perform these vital functions by offering an increasingly wide array of business and accounting services, including public, management, and government accounting, as well as internal auditing, to their clients. Beyond carrying out the fundamental tasks of the occupation-preparing, analysing, and verifying financial documents in order to provide information to clients-many accountants now are required to possess a wide range of knowledge and skills. Accountants and auditors are broadening the services they offer to include budget analysis, financial and investment planning, information technology consulting, and limited legal services.

Specific job duties vary widely among the four major fields of accounting: public, management, and government accounting and internal auditing.

Internal auditors verify the accuracy of their organization's internal records and check for mismanagement, waste, or fraud. Internal auditing is an increasingly important area of accounting and auditing. Internal auditors examine and evaluate their firms' financial and information systems, management procedures, and internal controls to ensure that records are accurate and controls are adequate to protect against fraud and waste. They also review company operations, evaluating their efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance with corporate policies and procedures, laws, and government regulations.

There are many types of highly specialized auditors, such as electronic data-processing, environmental, engineering, legal, insurance premium, bank, and health care auditors. As computer systems make information timelier, internal auditors help managers to base their decisions on actual data, rather than personal observation. Internal auditors also may recommend controls for their organization's computer system, to ensure the reliability of the system and the integrity of the data.

Government accountants and auditors work in the public sector, maintaining and examining the records of government agencies and auditing private businesses and individuals whose activities are subject to government regulations or taxation. Accountants employed by governments guarantee that revenues are received and expenditures are made in accordance with laws and regulations.

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd do not offer auditing amongst their services but do offer accounts, bookkeeping and payroll services in the Nottingham, Sutton in Ashfield and Mansfield area as well as Sage sales, set-up and 1 - to - 1 training on Sage accounts and Sage payroll. So why not take a look at Accountant in Nottingham, Mansfield and Sutton in Ashfield website.

Managing the Bottom Line with your accountant

Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll can be a burden to small business. This new series of blogs from Nottingham Accounting Solutions aims at making Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll a little clearer.

Managing the Bottom Line with your accountant

If you don't keep track of how much money you're making, you have no idea whether your business is successful or not. You can't tell how well your marketing is working. And I don't just mean you should know the amount of your total sales or gross revenue. You need to know what your net profit is. If you don't, there's no way you can know how to increase it.

If you want your business to be successful, you need to make a financial plan and check it against the facts on a monthly basis, then take immediate action to correct any problems. If you have monthly Management Accounts produced by your accountant then this will help you to be aware of any changes in the business, allowing you to make timely changes.

So, here are the steps you should take:

* Create a financial plan for your business. Estimate how much revenue you expect to bring in each month, and project what your expenses will be. Ensure your accountant produces Management Accounts for you on a regular basis – say monthly.

* Remember that lost profits can't be recovered. When entrepreneurs compare their projections to reality and find earnings too low or expenses too high, they often conclude, "I'll make it up later." The problem is that you really can't make it up later: every month profits are too low is a month that is gone forever.

* Read your Management Accounts (you would be surprised how many business owners don’t do this) and make adjustments right away. If revenues are lower than expected, increase efforts in sales and marketing or look for ways to increase your rates. If overhead costs are too high, find ways to cut back. There are other businesses like yours around. What is their secret for operating profitably?

* Think before you spend. When considering any new business expense, including marketing and sales activities, evaluate the increased earnings you expect to bring in against its cost before you proceed to make a purchase.

* Evaluate the success of your business based on profit, not revenue. There is an old adage that says “Turnover is Vanity, Profit is Sanity”. It doesn't matter how many thousands of dollars you are bringing in each month if your expenses are almost as high, or higher. Many high-revenue businesses have gone under for this very reason -- don't be one of them.

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd offer accounts, bookkeeping and payroll services in the Nottingham, Mansfield and Sutton in Ashfield area as well as Sage sales, set-up and 1 - to - 1 training on Sage accounts and Sage payroll. So why not take a look at http://www.nottingham-accounting-solutions.co.uk/

Accountant in Nottingham moves offices

Accountant in Nottingham moves offices

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd has just moved to new offices just outside Nottingham to offer an even better service to Nottingham clients. We can relieve you of an enormous accounting and bookkeeping burden by taking care of all your accountant needs including accounts, accounting and bookkeeping in and around Nottingham using the latest Sage Accounting software.

Your time can be spent more profitably by concentrating on what you are good at … and out-source the paperwork to us.

What’s included in our Accounts and Bookkeeping service :

Preparation of Sage Accounts

• Maintenance of Accounting records complying with Statutory requirements
• Purchase, Sales and Nominal Ledgers
• Bank Reconciliation
• Maintenance of VAT records
• Credit control
• Factoring and Invoice Financing – if required

Preparation of Quarterly VAT Returns

Our first step is to work with you to gain an understanding of your business and establish a one-to-one working relationship. We can then tailor our services to your requirements and provide exactly the accountant services, accounts and bookkeeping that you need.

So visit our Accountant in Nottingham webpage or all for an informal, confidential, no obligation chat to see where Nottingham Accounting Solutions can help you save time and money.

Accountant in Mansfield moves offices

Accountant in Mansfield moves offices


Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd has just moved to new offices just outside Mansfield to offer an even better local service to Mansfield clients. We can relieve you of an enormous accounting and bookkeeping burden by taking care of all your accountant needs including accounts, accounting and bookkeeping in and around Mansfield using the latest Sage Accounting software.

Your time can be spent more profitably by concentrating on what you are good at … and out-source the paperwork to us.

What’s included in our Accounts and Bookkeeping service :

Preparation of Sage Accounts

• Maintenance of Accounting records complying with Statutory requirements
• Purchase, Sales and Nominal Ledgers
• Bank Reconciliation
• Maintenance of VAT records
• Credit control
• Factoring and Invoice Financing – if required

Preparation of Quarterly VAT Returns

Our first step is to work with you to gain an understanding of your business and establish a one-to-one working relationship. We can then tailor our services to your requirements and provide exactly the accountant services, accounts and bookkeeping that you need.

So visit our Accountant in Mansfield webpage or all for an informal, confidential, no obligation chat to see where Nottingham Accounting Solutions can help you save time and money.

Accountant in Sutton in Ashfield moves offices

Accountant in Sutton in Ashfield moves offices


Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd has just moved to new offices just outside Sutton in Ashfield to offer an even better local service to Sutton in Ashfield clients. We can relieve you of an enormous accounting and bookkeeping burden by taking care of all your accountant needs including accounts, accounting and bookkeeping in and around Sutton in Ashfield using the latest Sage Accounting software.

Your time can be spent more profitably by concentrating on what you are good at … and out-source the paperwork to us.

What’s included in our Accounts and Bookkeeping service :

Preparation of Sage Accounts

• Maintenance of Accounting records complying with Statutory requirements
• Purchase, Sales and Nominal Ledgers
• Bank Reconciliation
• Maintenance of VAT records
• Credit control
• Factoring and Invoice Financing – if required

Preparation of Quarterly VAT Returns

Our first step is to work with you to gain an understanding of your business and establish a one-to-one working relationship. We can then tailor our services to your requirements and provide exactly the accountant services, accounts and bookkeeping that you need.

So visit our Accountant in Sutton in Ashfield webpage or all for an informal, confidential, no obligation chat to see where Nottingham Accounting Solutions can help you save time and money.

Accountant in Sutton in Ashfield

Accountant in Sutton in Ashfield

Nottingham Accounting Solutions can relieve you of an enormous accounting and bookkeeping burden by taking care of all your accounts, accounting and bookkeeping needs in and around Sutton in Ashfield.

Your time can be spent more profitably by concentrating on what you are good at … and out-source the paperwork to us.

What’s included in our Accounts and Bookkeeping service :

Preparation of Sage Accounts

• Maintenance of Accounting records complying with Statutory requirements
• Purchase, Sales and Nominal Ledgers
• Bank Reconciliation
• Maintenance of VAT records
• Credit control
• Factoring and Invoice Financing – if required

Preparation of Quarterly VAT Returns

Our first step is to work with you to gain an understanding of your business and establish a one-to-one relationship. We can then tailor our services to your requirements and provide exactly the accounts and bookkeeping services that you need.

So visit our Accountant in Sutton in Ashfield webpage or call for an informal, confidential, no obligation chat to see where Nottingham Accounting Solutions can help you save time and money.

Building Cash Reserves

Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll can be a burden to small business. This new series of blogs from Nottingham Accounting Solutions aims at making Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll a little clearer.

Building Cash Reserves

Building a financial cushion for your business is never easy. Some experts say that businesses should have anywhere from six to nine months worth of income safely stored away in the bank.

If you're a business grossing £250,000 per month, the mere thought of saving over £1.5 million in a savings account will either have you collapsing from fits of laughter or from the paralysing panic that has just set in.

What may be a nice well-advised idea in theory can easily be tossed right out the window when you're just barely making payroll each month. So how is a small business owner to even begin a prudent savings program for long-term success?

Realizing that your business needs a savings plan is the first step toward better management. The reasons for growing a financial nest egg are strong. Building savings allows you to plan for future growth in your business and have ready the investment capital necessary to launch those plans. Having a source of back-up income can often carry a business through a rough time.

When market fluctuations, such as the dramatic increase in petrol, fuel and oil prices, start to affect your business, you may need to dip into your savings to keep operations running smoothly until the difficulties pass. Savings can also support seasonal businesses with the ability to purchase stock and cover payroll until the flush of new cash arrives. Try to remember that you didn't build your business overnight and you cannot build a savings account instantly either.
Review your books monthly and see where you can trim expenses and reroute the savings to a separate account. This will also help to keep you on track with cash flow and other financial issues. While it can be quite alarming to see your cash flowing outward with seemingly no end in sight, it's better to see it happening and put corrective measures into place, rather than discovering your losses five or six months too late.

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd offer accounts, bookkeeping and payroll services in the Nottingham and Mansfield area as well as Sage sales, set-up and 1 - to - 1 training on Sage accounts and Sage payroll. So why not take a look at www.nottingham-accounting-solutions.co.uk

Investing and financing

Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll can be a burden to small business. This new series of blogs from Nottingham Accounting Solutions aims at making Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll a little clearer.

Investing and financing

Another portion of the statement of cash flows reports the investment that the company took during the reporting year. New investments are signs of growing or upgrading the production and distribution facilities and capacity of the business. Disposing of long-term assets or divesting itself of a major part of its business can be good or bad news, depending on what's driving those activities. A business generally disposes of some of its fixed assets every year because they reached the end of their useful lives and will not be used any longer. These fixed assets are disposed of or sold or traded in on new fixed assets. The value of a fixed asset at the end of its useful life is called its residual or salvage value. The proceeds from selling fixed assets are reported as a source of cash in the investing activities section of the statement of cash flows. Usually these are very small amounts.

Like individuals, companies at times have to finance its acquisitions when its internal cash flow isn't enough to finance business growth. Financing refers to a business raising capital from debt and equity sources, by borrowing money from banks and other sources willing to loan money to the business and by its owners putting additional money in the business. The term also includes the other side, making payments on debt and returning capital to owners. it includes cash distributions by the business from profit to its owners.

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd offer accounts, bookkeeping and payroll services in the Nottingham and Mansfield area as well as Sage sales, set-up and 1 - to - 1 training on Sage accounts and Sage payroll. So why not take a look at www.nottingham-accounting-solutions.co.uk

Depreciation reporting

Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll can be a burden to small business. This new series of blogs from Nottingham Accounting Solutions aims at making Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll a little clearer.

Depreciation reporting

In an accountant's reporting systems, depreciation of a business's fixed assets such as its buildings, equipment, computers, etc. is not recorded as a cash outlay. When an accountant measures profit on the accrual basis of accounting, he or she counts depreciation as an expense. Buildings, machinery, tools, vehicles and furniture all have a limited useful life. All fixed assets, except for actual land, have a limited lifetime of usefulness to a business. Depreciation is the method of accounting that allocates the total cost of fixed assets to each year of their use in helping the business generate revenue.

Part of the total sales revenue of a business includes the recovery of cost invested in its fixed assets. In a real sense a business sells some of its fixed assets in the sales prices that it charges it customers. For example, when you go to a grocery shop, a small portion of the price you pay for eggs or bread goes toward the cost of the buildings, the machinery, bread ovens, etc. Each reporting period, a business recoups part of the cost invested in its fixed assets.

It's not enough for the accountant to add back depreciation for the year to bottom-line profit. The changes in other assets, as well as the changes in liabilities, also affect cash flow from profit. The competent accountant will factor in all the changes that determine cash flow from profit.

Depreciation is only one of many adjustments to the net income of a business to determine profit from operating activities. Consideration of intangible assets is another expense that is recorded against a business's assets for year. It's different in that it doesn't require cash outlay in the year being charged with the expense. That occurred when the business invested in those tangible assets.

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd offer accounts, bookkeeping and payroll services in the Nottingham and Mansfield area as well as Sage sales, set-up and 1 - to - 1 training on Sage accounts and Sage payroll. So why not take a look at www.nottingham-accounting-solutions.co.uk

Depreciation

Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll can be a burden to small business. This new series of blogs from Nottingham Accounting Solutions aims at making Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll a little clearer.

Depreciation

Depreciation is a term we hear about frequently, but don't really understand. It's an essential component of accounting however. Depreciation is an expense that's recorded at the same time and in the same period as other accounts. Long-term operating assets that are not held for sale in the course of business are called fixed assets. Fixed assets include buildings, machinery, office equipment, vehicles, computers and other equipment. It can also include items such as shelves and cabinets. Depreciation refers to spreading out the cost of a fixed asset over the years of its useful life to a business, instead of charging the entire cost to expense in the year the asset was purchased. That way, each year that the equipment or asset is used bears a share of the total cost. As an example, cars and vans are typically depreciated over a set number of years. The idea is to charge a fraction of the total cost to depreciation expense during each of the five years, rather than just the first year.

Depreciation applies only to fixed assets that you actually buy, not those you rent or lease.

Depreciation is a real expense, but not necessarily a cash outlay expense in the year it's recorded. The cash outlay does actually occur when the fixed asset is acquired, but is recorded over a period of time.

Depreciation is different from other expenses. It is deducted from sales revenue to determine profit, but the depreciation expense recorded in a reporting period doesn't require any true cash outlay during that period. Depreciation expense is that portion of the total cost of a business's fixed assets that is allocated to the period to record the cost of using the assets during period. The higher the total cost of a business's fixed assets, then the higher its depreciation expense.

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd offer accounts, bookkeeping and payroll services in the Nottingham and Mansfield area as well as Sage sales, set-up and 1 - to - 1 training on Sage accounts and Sage payroll. So why not take a look at www.nottingham-accounting-solutions.co.uk

Stock (Inventory) and expenses

Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll can be a burden to small business. This new series of blogs from Nottingham Accounting Solutions aims at making Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll a little clearer.

Stock (Inventory) and expenses

Inventory is usually the largest current asset of a business that sells products. If the stock is greater at the end of the period than at the start of the reporting period, the amount the business actually paid in cash for that inventory is more than what the business recorded as its cost of good sold expense. When that occurs, the accountant deducts the stock increase from net income for determining cash flow from profit.

The prepaid expenses asset (accrual) account works in much the same way as the change in stock and accounts receivable accounts. However, changes in prepaid expenses are usually much smaller than changes in those other two asset accounts.

The beginning balance of prepaid expenses is charged to expense in the current year, but the cash was actually paid out last year, this period, the business pays cash for next period's prepaid expenses, which affects this period's cash flow, but doesn't affect net income until the next period. Simple, right?

As a business grows, it needs to increase its prepaid expenses for such things as fire insurance premiums, which have to be paid in advance of the insurance coverage, and its stocks of office supplies. Increases in accounts receivable, inventory and prepaid expenses are the cash flow price a business has to pay for growth. Rarely do you find a business that can increase its sales revenue without increasing these assets.

The lagging behind effect of cash flow is the price of business growth. Managers and investors need to understand that increasing sales without increasing accounts receivable isn't a realistic scenario for growth. In the real business world, you generally can't enjoy growth in revenue without incurring additional expenses.

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd offer accounts, bookkeeping and payroll services in the Nottingham and Mansfield area as well as Sage sales, set-up and 1 - to - 1 training on Sage accounts and Sage payroll. So why not take a look at www.nottingham-accounting-solutions.co.uk

Revenue and receivables

Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll can be a burden to small business. This new series of blogs from Nottingham Accounting Solutions aims at making Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll a little clearer.

Revenue and receivables

In most businesses, what drives the balance sheet are sales and expenses. In other words, they cause the assets and liabilities in a business. One of the more complicated accounting items are the accounts receivable. As a hypothetical situation, imagine a business that offers all its customers a 30-day credit period, which is fairly common in transactions between businesses, (not transactions between a business and individual consumers).

An accounts receivable asset shows how much money customers who bought products on credit still owe the business. It's a promise of payment that the business will receive. Basically, accounts receivable is the amount of uncollected sales revenue at the end of the accounting period. Cash does not increase until the business actually collects this money from its business customers. However, the amount of money in accounts receivable is included in the total sales revenue for that same period. The business did make the sales, even if it hasn't acquired all the money from the sales yet. Sales revenue, then isn't equal to the amount of cash that the business accumulated.

To get actual cash flow, the accountant must subtract the amount of credit sales not collected from the sales revenue in cash. Then add in the amount of cash that was collected for the credit sales that were made in the preceding reporting period. If the amount of credit sales a business made during the reporting period is greater than what was collected from customers, then the accounts receivable account increased over the period and the business has to subtract from net income that difference.

If the amount they collected during the reporting period is greater than the credit sales made, then the accounts receivable decreased over the reporting period, and the accountant needs to add to net income that difference between the receivables at the beginning of the reporting period and the receivables at the end of the same period.

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd offer accounts, bookkeeping and payroll services in the Nottingham and Mansfield area as well as Sage sales, set-up and 1 - to - 1 training on Sage accounts and Sage payroll. So why not take a look at www.nottingham-accounting-solutions.co.uk

Balance Sheet

Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll can be a burden to small business. This new series of blogs from Nottingham Accounting Solutions aims at making Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll a little clearer.

Balance sheet

A balance sheet is a quick picture of the financial condition of a business at a specific period in time. The activities of a business fall into two separate groups that are reported by an accountant. They are profit-making activities, which includes sales and expenses. This can also be referred to as Profit & Loss report. There are also financing and investing activities that include securing money from debt and equity sources of capital, returning capital to these sources, making distributions from profit to the owners, making investments in assets and eventually disposing of the assets.

Profit making activities are reported in the Profit & loss report; financing and investing activities are found in the statement of cash flows. In other words, two different financial statements are prepared for the two different types of transactions. The statement of cash flows also reports the cash increase or decrease from profit during the year as opposed to the amount of profit that is reported in the income statement.

The balance sheet is different from the P & L and cash flow statements which report, as it says, income of cash and outgoing cash. The balance sheet represents the balances, or amounts, or a company's assets, liabilities and owners' equity at an instant in time. The word balance has different meanings at different times. As it's used in the term balance sheet, it refers to the balance of the two opposite sides of a business, total assets on one side and total liabilities on the other. However, the balance of an account, such as the asset, liability, revenue and expense accounts, refers to the amount in the account after recording increases and decreases in the account, just like the balance in your checking account. Accountants can prepare a balance sheet any time that a manager requests it. But they're generally prepared at the end of each month, quarter and year. It's always prepared at the close of business on the last day of the profit period.

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd offer accounts, bookkeeping and payroll services in the Nottingham and Mansfield area as well as Sage sales, set-up and 1 - to - 1 training on Sage accounts and Sage payroll. So why not take a look at www.nottingham-accounting-solutions.co.uk

Gains and Losses

Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll can be a burden to small business. This new series of blogs from Nottingham Accounting Solutions aims at making Accounts, Bookkeeping and Payroll a little clearer.

Gains and Losses

It would probably be ideal if business and life were as simple as producing goods, selling them and recording the profits. But there are often circumstances that disrupt the cycle, and it's part of the accountants job to report these as well. Changes in the business climate, or cost of goods or any number of things can lead to exceptional or extraordinary gains and losses in a business. Some things that can alter the income statement can include downsizing or restructuring the business. This used to be a rare thing in the business environment, but is now fairly commonplace. Usually it's done to offset losses in other areas and to decrease the cost of employees' salaries and benefits. However, there are costs involved with this as well, such as redundancy pay, outplacement services, and retirement costs.

In other circumstances, a business might decide to discontinue certain product lines. The nature of communication has changed so drastically, with email, mobile phones and other forms, that telegrams have been rendered obsolete. When you no longer sell enough of a product at a high enough profit to make the costs of manufacturing it worthwhile, then it's time to change your product mix.

Legal action and other actions can cause extraordinary losses or gains as well. If you win damages in a legal action against others, then you've incurred an extraordinary gain. Likewise if your own legal fees and damages or fines are excessive, then these can significantly impact the Profit & Loss statement.

Occasionally a business will change accounting methods or need to correct any errors that had been made in previous financial reports. Generally, Financial Accounting Standards require that businesses make any one-time losses or gains very visible in their Profit & Loss statement.

Nottingham Accounting Solutions Ltd offer accounts, bookkeeping and payroll services in the Nottingham and Mansfield area as well as Sage sales, set-up and 1 - to - 1 training on Sage accounts and Sage payroll. So why not take a look at http://www.nottingham-accounting-solutions.co.uk/

Payroll in Mansfield

Payroll in Mansfield

Nottingham Accounting Solutions offers Sage Payroll Administration in Sutton in Ashfield.

Our Sage Payroll services save you the time, complication and burden which diverts energy and resources from the core activities of your business.

The task is made more difficult by the complexity of taxation and employment legislation and the accompanying penalties for non-compliance.

Outsourcing your Sage Payroll to Nottingham Accounting Solutions offers a great cost effective solution, simply e-mail, fax or telephone us the details each pay period and leave the rest to us.

Many businesses, of all sizes, outsource their payroll to a dedicated Sage Payroll Bureau.
Consider outsourcing - it can save you time, hassle and money.

For example:

• Free up staff to concentrate on the core aspects of your business.
• Stay up to date with the latest changes to payroll legislation
• Save the expense of having to invest in the hardware, software, staff and training for the payroll system
• Deal with Student Loans, Statutory Sick Pay, Statutory Maternity / Paternity Pay, are over retirement age and other complications such as tax credits.
• Even with only a few employees, you will make savings by engaging Nottingham Accounting Solutions to administer your Sage payroll.

Our Sage Payroll Bureau provides:

• Customised Sage payslips
• Administration of PAYE and National Insurance
• Tax credits
• Statutory sick pay
• Statutory maternity pay etc.
• Completion of statutory forms, including year end returns, to issue to your employees and submit to the Inland Revenue
• Summaries and analysis of staff costs
• Administration of incentive schemes, bonuses, and ex-gratia and termination payments

We can also supply Sage Payroll products at competitive prices and we also carry out Sage Payroll Training around the Sutton in Ashfield area on your own systems.

Click here now for an informal, confidential, no obligation chat to see where Nottingham Accounting Solutions can help you save time and money or even better, CALL NOW on 01623 550793 or 07870 359274 or visit our website for more details here Payroll in Mansfield.