Planning and strategizing has always been one of the most important
aspects of business. You need to deal with legal, fiscal and financial
matters effectively and efficiently. Of all the three, handling the
finances is the most important.
You can never, manage your
business effectively if you do not have an accurate record of your
financial transaction. However, keeping a record of your business
transactions will take too much time and energy. Doing them on a daily
basis could be too tolling for you. Fortunately, there are many
certified accountants where you can outsource this work.
The Services Provided by Accounting Firms
Accounting
firms have certified accountants that can provide assistance when you
are evaluating a business plan. They can provide you an accurate
financial structure that will help you determine the course of action
that you should undertake. Aside from that, the accounting reports that
you will receive from them will enable you to check if you have met all
regulatory requirements to keep your business operational.
There
are many types of accounting services offered today, and you are free to
choose which one will help you the most. Even if you do not have your
own business yet and is still planning to establish one, accounting
services can still be helpful to you. They can help you prepare the
financial requirements for the business you are planning to establish.
They can make suggestions on how you should prepare your business
proposal, finance sources, and bank introductions.
Accounting
experts can also advise you about the most suitable structure for the
type of business you are venturing into. For example, they can tell you
whether to go for partnership, sole proprietorship, or settle for a
limited company.
The Importance of Accounting Services
When
you already have your own business, accounting services are invaluable.
Certified accountants can give you an accurate record of your cash
flow, trading forecasts, budgets, as well as the financial layout of
your business plans. In addition to that, some accountants also offer
secretarial works, which will save you from hiring additional staff for
secretarial positions.
With the help of accounting services, you
will be able to determine the financial status of your company. This in
turn will enable you to make wise decisions regarding the finances of
your company. This will also help you maintain a steady cash flow, which
in turn will help you in growing your business.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Small Businesses Are Benefiting From Tax Laws
The recent changes in the tax laws have definitely put small
businesses in a tight spot. There is no denying this fact. But that in
no way means that small businesses cannot work their way around it in
order to mitigate the effects of such aggressive tax laws. For starters,
aggressive year-end tax strategies is not what small business owners
should be banking upon at this point of time. Your tax strategies should
not be stringent. They should be flexible enough to accommodate
benefits or losses incurred due to preplanned or unplanned policies.
A small business cannot always plan all its expenses in advance. It is common knowledge that there are times when a small business owner needs to pump more money into the venture than was planned in order to cover up some extra efforts that the company is probably making that could be related to marketing, increased production, etc. Alternately, there are times when a company is not able to spend as much as it set out to due to some reasons. This is why planning taxes in advance makes them bound to a plan and unable to make changes that would benefit them in the long run.
It is prudent that you try and maximize your deductions in order to minimize your taxes. When following this advice, keep a tab on the timing. In case you've had a particularly bad year financially, and you do not expect a change from this in the next year too, you would be placed in a lower tax bracket. So you do not need to take deductions right now, as your taxes would already be low. If things turn around however, you will be placed in the higher tax bracket, and this is when you should implement your deductions plan.
It is important that you as a business owner understand that when you spend $1, it is not $1 worth of tax paid, but $1 worth of money spent. So don't just go about spending money hastily for no reason in order to save tax.
The most commonly held false notion surrounding year-end tax planning is that it is wise to 'zero out your business bank account by 12/31'. While this is a good way to defer present year's taxes into the next year's it will not result in any complete tax deferral. Make sure you make your company's tax strategies keeping the above points in the hindsight.
A small business cannot always plan all its expenses in advance. It is common knowledge that there are times when a small business owner needs to pump more money into the venture than was planned in order to cover up some extra efforts that the company is probably making that could be related to marketing, increased production, etc. Alternately, there are times when a company is not able to spend as much as it set out to due to some reasons. This is why planning taxes in advance makes them bound to a plan and unable to make changes that would benefit them in the long run.
It is prudent that you try and maximize your deductions in order to minimize your taxes. When following this advice, keep a tab on the timing. In case you've had a particularly bad year financially, and you do not expect a change from this in the next year too, you would be placed in a lower tax bracket. So you do not need to take deductions right now, as your taxes would already be low. If things turn around however, you will be placed in the higher tax bracket, and this is when you should implement your deductions plan.
It is important that you as a business owner understand that when you spend $1, it is not $1 worth of tax paid, but $1 worth of money spent. So don't just go about spending money hastily for no reason in order to save tax.
The most commonly held false notion surrounding year-end tax planning is that it is wise to 'zero out your business bank account by 12/31'. While this is a good way to defer present year's taxes into the next year's it will not result in any complete tax deferral. Make sure you make your company's tax strategies keeping the above points in the hindsight.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Provision for restoration cost/ provision for reinstatement cost
When an audit client signed an rental / lease agreement to lease a space (i.e. office / warehouse), please make sure that we, as an auditor, we review the agreement thoroughly.
Generally, audit client has to reinstate/ restore the lease space to its original state. To illustrate, audit client may have renovated the building for its own purpose. The owner would request the audit client to reinstate the lease space to its original state when the lease expire and the audit client decided not to renew the lease agreement.
A provision for instatement cost / restoration cost need to be recorded, as it is an existing obligation of the audit client. This amount relates to the cost to be incurred to reinstate the lease space back to its original state. This amount can be estimated by obtaining quotation from the renovator / building contractor.
The accounting entries are:
Dr. Fixed asset- reinstatement cost
Cr. Accrual
The amount capitalised above relates to the full cost to be incurred when the lease expire ( note: assume the inflationary adjustment to be not material. On an annual basis, the following entry need to be recorded:
Dr. Reinstatement cost- P&L
Cr. Accum Dep- Fixed asset- reinstatement cost
This amonut is computed based on the amount capitalised divided by remaining lease period.
The depreciation entry is to record the cost capitalised into P&L on a straight line basis.
Generally, audit client has to reinstate/ restore the lease space to its original state. To illustrate, audit client may have renovated the building for its own purpose. The owner would request the audit client to reinstate the lease space to its original state when the lease expire and the audit client decided not to renew the lease agreement.
A provision for instatement cost / restoration cost need to be recorded, as it is an existing obligation of the audit client. This amount relates to the cost to be incurred to reinstate the lease space back to its original state. This amount can be estimated by obtaining quotation from the renovator / building contractor.
The accounting entries are:
Dr. Fixed asset- reinstatement cost
Cr. Accrual
The amount capitalised above relates to the full cost to be incurred when the lease expire ( note: assume the inflationary adjustment to be not material. On an annual basis, the following entry need to be recorded:
Dr. Reinstatement cost- P&L
Cr. Accum Dep- Fixed asset- reinstatement cost
This amonut is computed based on the amount capitalised divided by remaining lease period.
The depreciation entry is to record the cost capitalised into P&L on a straight line basis.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)