In today’s world, it can be difficult to keep track of every little expense and income. This is where hiring the services of a professional accountant comes in handy as they can prepare all of your statements of accounts and periodical reports. Let’s take a look at the scope of what you can expect from an accountancy firm should you get them to look at your books of accounts.
Services offered by an Accounting Firm
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Bookkeeping
This is one of the most basic services in which an accounting firm would specialise in. This entails the simple task of maintaining books of accounts by recording all day-to-day transactions of a person or an organisation. Transactions may include all sales, purchases, payments, and receipts made by an individual or business. The methods generally used by firms offering financial services in Yeovil are the single-entry system and double-entry system.
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Finalisation of Accounts
Another important service provided by most accounting firms is the preparation of final accounts at the end of the financial year. This is especially required in the case of businesses which need to understand whether they turned a profit or loss at the end of a certain period, usually a year. Final accounts usually consist of a trial balance, trading account, profit and loss account and lastly, a balance sheet.
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Maintaining VAT Records and Filing for Associated Returns
VAT records must be maintained for 6-10 years, depending on whether a business uses a VAT MOSS service. This requires keeping a record of all transactions, keeping a separate VAT summary in a VAT account, and issue invoices. Accountants in Yeovil also specialise in helping you maintain VAT records and file for returns when the time comes.
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Help you Prepare for HMRC Investigations
It can be a difficult phase to go through if you are being checked by the HMRC, as they might have reasons to believe you are not paying as much tax as you should. Having a qualified accounting professional can help you get through this difficult period. You are likely to come under the HMRC’s radars if you or your business is engaged in giving and accepting a high proportion of cash payments, or if the costs of purchase are higher than the normal. Whatever the reason, hiring an accounting firm will definitely ease the stress.
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Preparation of Periodical Management Accounts
Financial service firms can also help you prepare management accounts from time to time so that there is clarity in understanding what was expected of a business compared to what was achieved. More and more businesses are turning towards these reports to rectify whatever they are doing incorrectly. The reports can help the management make informed decisions based on the information on paper.
As is evident from the above points, it may not be an absolute necessity to hire a professional financial services firm to look after accounts, but it is always a good idea to let the experts do what they do best.