Monday, May 6, 2013

What Can Bookkeeping And Payroll Services Do For You?

By Mona Moody


Bookkeeping and payroll services can save time and money for business owners and individuals alike. There are many benefits to utilizing this type of service. Even someone who is knowledgeable in these areas may wish to hire someone else to complete these tasks quite simply for the peace of mind that a professional is handling them.

Bookkeepers use accounting software to record transactions that take place in the operations of a business, such as accounts receivable, payments, sales, purchases, etc. They can also be useful in assisting individuals with a large amount of financial concerns in keeping their finances straight. Such companies will also reconcile credit card and bank statements. All transactions are then put in the proper accounts for use by the company or accountant.

While a bookkeeper may not have a four-year accounting degree, accountants who will check the work for accuracy oversee them. Therefore, one can trust that the work is done properly and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and state and local laws. This can become very important when dealing with taxes that must be paid in a timely and accurate manner.

Another frequent chore that business owners need to perform is payroll processing. This can often get complicated very fast, due to tax withholding calculations and other functions. Some of these are wage garnishments, retirement contributions, and bonuses. Some employees might change their withholding amounts frequently. They may also need access to past pay stubs and records. A payroll service takes care of all of this and more.

A payroll service can figure the proper amount of taxes and determine the amounts each worker is paid. They can also print checks for the business and distribute these. They also deal with direct deposits, which many employees prefer. This service can also issue W-2s at the end of the year and keep W-4 forms organized. This can save the business owner a lot of time and prevent the need to hire someone whose sole function is to generate paychecks.

A payroll company and a bookkeeper can also generate useful reports for owners and managers. These reports show how much money employees are making and where the money the business generates is going overall. Their records also make calculating and filing taxes at the end of the year much easier, as everything is already organized and easy to access.

It is estimated that processing paychecks and taking care of recording expenses and receivables can eat up 40% of a small business owner's time. It makes good sense to utilize a bookkeeping and payroll service. Such services often will work with the accounting software that the company uses, making it easier for owners and managers to generate reports that they might need. Certain services may also specialize in particular types of businesses and their related software, such as auto dealerships or agriculture.

Many bookkeeping and payroll services can also train employees in using accounting software. They can also clean up existing files and information that has already been inputted. A bookkeeping service is also considerably cheaper than a CPA, and can work closely with the one chose by the company to create financial statements or filing taxes. Such a service saves time and money, even for very small businesses.




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