Tag Archives: Sunshine Coast bookeeper

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Does BAS preparation make you panic?    Not quite confident you’ve got it right?   Could a Registered BAS Agent and Sunshine Coast Bookkeeper remove the stress?

 

Many business owners aren’t thrilled about doing their Business Activity Statements.  They find them complicated and time consuming to prepare and often leave them till the last minute.  You also want to be sure you get it right, avoiding underpaying or overpaying tax or worse getting stuck with fines from The Australian Tax Office.

As a Sunshine Coast Bookkeeper for the past 16 years, I find It makes sense to use an appropriate bookkeeping software to help you keep accurate records of your GST and PAYG liabilities making it easier to produce and check reports prior to lodging your BAS.  If books are kept up to date BAS preparation becomes a much simple and time effective exercise.

It also makes sense to hire a registered BAS Agent who is familiar with the accounting software you use so that they can create the necessary reports, checks and BAS preparation required for you to meet your obligations with The Australian Tax Office.

“Registered BAS agents” were introduced as part of reforms in the Tax Agent Services Act 2009. It created a clear set of training, experience and professional standards a bookkeeper must achieve to offer BAS services for a fee or other reward.

To qualify as a BAS Agent the following applies:

  • a recognised accounting and/or bookkeeping course must have been completed
    • agents are bound by a strict code of conduct and their registration is terminated if there is misconduct.
    • agents continually undergo professional development.
    •  professional indemnity insurance that protects you financially if the agent makes an error, omission or some other act.
    • at least 1,000 hours relevant work experience in the three years before registering.

This gives your BAS agent the experience and knowledge to produce your BAS reports accurately, and on time.

It is important that you work with your BAS agent/bookkeeper to ensure that accurate records are provided and you allow enough time for them to prepare and lodge the Business Activity Statements for you.

If you answered yes to the questions at the beginning of this article it is definitely worth hiring a BAS agent/bookkeeping in your local area to assist you with implementing systems to make BAS time just that little easier.

 

 

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Like many business owners you may find it difficult to justify time spent on bookkeeping when you feel your energies could be put to better use in other areas of building your business or following your passion, but bookkeeping is simply an indispensable tool for helping you maintain a healthy business.

Benefits of Regular Bookkeeping

  • Keeping your books up to date and in good order actually will save you time and money in the long run and assist you with making better business decisions.  Accurate bookkeeping not only keeps you up to speed with your spending habits but can also track time spent on jobs and lets you know how much you are making per job.  When your paperwork is in order and easily accessible looking up suppliers bills and following up on client payments is a snap.  By updating your bookkeeping regularly and keeping your source documents in order you can easily see what areas of your business are more profitable than others and make business decisions accordingly.  Reports can be quickly compiled and provided to financial institutions, accountants, advisers and of course the taxman.

Bookkeeping in a nut shell

  • As they say it is not rocket science.  Basic bookkeeping is simply the process of working out how much comes in and how much goes out.  As a business owner your aim is to have more coming in than out and the only way to achieve this is to learn to view bookkeeping as something to be embraced not an annoying chore.
  • Today with all the wonders of technology there a number of easy to use computer bookkeeping programs such as Quick Books (Reckon Accounts).  You can have them locally on your computer or they can be cloud based which enables you to access your books from anywhere in the world via the internet.

The most important key to good bookkeeping is to set aside a regular time each week to bring all your records up to date and to ensure you or your staff get the proper training in both basic bookkeeping techniques and appropriate software.

If, like many business owners you feel your time is better spent elsewhere or you simply can’t stand bookwork then you need a consultant bookkeeper who can assist you with all or part of your bookkeeping needs.

At Beat the Bookkeeping Blues we can help you with all areas of setup and training and hands on bookkeeping from basics to business activity lodgement.

Mobile 0407 089 033

Email: stressrelief@beatthebookkeepingblues.com.au

Web: www.beatthebookkeepingblues.com.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beatthebookkeepingblues

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All businesses small and large need a good bookkeeper, either on your staff or an outside consultant.   If you have the staff they need to be trained properly on appropriate software and basic bookkeeping.   Or you need to find a consultant bookkeeper to properly record the financial activities of your business. Without good bookkeeping your accountant can't properly do their job. In fact, many accountants may not take on your business if your books aren’t in proper order and compiled by a reputable bookkeeper.

It is becoming common practice for bookkeepers and accountants to work together and they may even overlap in some of the services they offer.

You may wish to handle your own bookkeeping.  This can work (if you have the time) by using a BAS agent to review and check your books quarterly and an accountant to review and prepare tax annually, all working as a team for the benefit of your business.

Alternatively you need to use a qualified registered bookkeeper to accurately record and report the business's financial information, saving you, the business owner time and money and most importantly leaving you to focus on the job of running your business.