About 'define liabilities in business'|Direct Selling Business: Thriving in an Economic Winter
What Accounting Books Do I Need to Keep for My Small Business? Keeping the books for your business actually involves keeping different books, called journals and ledgers. All your transactions and accounting entries are first recorded in the journals, and the effects of those transactions and entries are reflected and summarized in the different accounts in the general ledger and subledgers. The trial balance generated from the general ledger is used as the basis for preparing the financial statements for your business, including the balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement, and others. Journals The journals used to record transactions include the cash or bank book, the purchases and sales journal, and the general journal. The cash or bank book is used to record all cash receipts and disbursements. Cash receipts are booked with a debit to the cash or bank account and a credit to sales or other accounts as applicable. Cash disbursements are booked with a credit to the cash or bank account and a debit to cost or expense accounts; asset accounts for the purchase of securities, investments, inventory, equipment, or other assets; or debits to the liability accounts when you make payments on accounts payable, loans, or other obligations. In the purchases and sales journal, purchases are recorded with a debit to merchandise inventory or another asset account, or to an expense account, with a credit to accounts payable. Sales are recorded with a credit to a sales account and a debit to accounts receivable. In the general journal various types of accounting entries are made that do not correspond to one of the other journals; that is, entries that do not involve a cash receipt or disbursement, or a purchase or sale. These include entries to record depreciation, amortization, accruals, adjustments, reclassifications, and corrections. The payroll register, even though it may not be considered an accounting journal, constitutes a transactions register. Charges are recorded to expense accounts for salaries, wages, and other compensation, employee benefits, the employer's portion of payroll taxes, and other accounts as applicable. The offsets are credits to salaries and wages payable, employee benefits payable, taxes withheld, and payroll taxes payable. All the accounting entries in each one of the journals are summarized and posted to the general ledger each month. Depending on the accounting system implemented, the general ledger could be updated in real time, each time an entry is made in one of the journals. General Ledger The accounting entries from the journals are posted to the general ledger, which consists of the accounts set up in the chart of accounts, with each account showing the opening balance for the period, the activity for the period, and the closing balance. According to double-entry accounting, the total of all the debits must always be equal to the total of all the credits, and therefore total assets are always equal to the total liabilities and capital, from which the concept of balancing the books is derived. Once all the entries from the journals have been posted to the general ledger, a trial balance can be generated. This is a report that shows all the balance sheet and income statement accounts with their respective balances. The trial balance is reviewed, any necessary adjustments are recorded, and the trial balance is then ready to be used as a basis for generating the financial statements. The general ledger may be accompanied and supported by subledgers, which provide a breakdown of the related accounts on the general ledger. For example, the trade accounts receivable subledger shows the activity in each individual customer's account, and the trade accounts payable subledger shows the activity in each individual vendor's account. The balance of the subledger must always be equal to the balance of the control account on the general ledger. Integrated Accounting for Your Business Taken together, the journals, general ledger, and subledgers make up your accounting books. Many times, an accounting software package treats the books as modules that interact. The modules for the journals feed the general ledger and subledger modules, with the capacity to generate various types of reports and analyses. Accounting on a Cash or Accrual Basis There are basically two methods for keeping the books for your business: cash basis and accrual basis. There may be cases in which you can use a combination of these two methods. There can be differences between the two methods with regard to when income and expenses are recognized, that can therefore affect net income for the period. Cash Basis Accounting When your business involves a relatively rapid and constant turnover of cash month to month, cash basis accounting could be appropriate. For example, if your sales are mostly on a cash basis, and you pay your expenses as they are incurred, the cash basis could correctly reflect your net income each accounting period. One of the main advantages of this method is its simplicity. You basically do your accounting according to the activity in your bank account. You may have to make some adjustments for items like depreciation, which do not involve a cash flow. Accrual Basis Accounting If there are significant fluctuations in your cash flow, for example when you receive significant amounts in one month that represent payment for several months of work, the accrual basis will more correctly reflect your net income month to month. And when your business involves handling inventory, you should use the accrual basis for your accounting. According to this method, income is recorded when it is earned, regardless of when payment is received, and expenses are booked when they are incurred, and not necessarily when they are paid. The accrual method is a more proper representation of the accounting principle of matching income with the expenses incurred in order to produce that income. The differences that distort net income under the cash method are overcome with the accrual method by making accounting entries for earned income and accrued expenses, for amortizing prepaid expenses over the periods affected, and by deferring charges paid during the current period that affect subsequent periods. The accrual method involves more accounting work, but it is the most correct and appropriate method according to generally accepted accounting principles. Combining the Cash and Accrual Methods The idea of combining the cash and accrual methods is to take the positive aspects of each to achieve a system that is practical, and that generates correct results. For example, with a combined method you could record your sales based on your cash receipts, your expenses based on cash disbursements, and then make additional accounting entries to distribute certain items to properly reflect their effects in the corresponding accounting periods. These entries, based on the accrual method, would include entries to make accruals, to defer charges, to account for the cost of sales based on changes in your inventory, and to account for depreciation and amortization. It should be noted that certain accounting treatments are required in certain circumstances according to income tax law. If the accounting method you are using for book or financial purposes does not conform to the treatment required for tax purposes, you will need to make adjustments when you prepare your income tax return. Choosing Accounting Software for Your Business The most suitable accounting software for a business depends on the characteristics of each business. There are many off-the-shelf accounting software packages you can purchase that cover a wide range of needs. Various accounting software suppliers offer different versions of their software to accommodate different types of business, in terms of their size, complexity, and the information technology requirements of the users. Do You Need Accounting Software? If you are a sole proprietor and run your business from home you may not even need accounting software. As long as you keep adequate records in order to file your tax returns, and meet your own information requirements and those of any interested third party, such as a lender or investor, it may be sufficient to keep records of your income and expenses in a spreadsheet, or use software designed for managing personal finances. But when there is more than one person in the business, when you are established as a partnership or corporation, or when there are certain regulations on the reports your business is required to generate, it will probably be necessary to have accounting software for your business. It may be that you have employees or partners in your business who are sufficiently trained and able to develop customized software for your business. When you are considering this option, the cost factor must be taken into account, and it is also important to considerer the potential need to adapt the software later one, when your business grows and develops. Factors to Consider when Selecting Accounting Software The accounting software you select should be sufficiently complete to cover all the financial information needs of your business. Depending on the type of business you have, these needs normally include the capacity to keep the basic accounting books; provide information to prepare your tax returns; and generate the standard financial statements, which are the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement, in addition to any other special financial reports you need in your business. The software may be separated in modules, such as sales and accounts receivable, purchasing and accounts payable, payroll, fixed assets, and general ledger. The software should be integrated in the sense that all the modules are compatible, and that data are transferred from one module to another, without the need to enter data more than once. When more than one person works in your business, it may be necessary to have multi-user software. The software you purchase must be compatible with your hardware and operating system, or you could purchase the software first and then buy compatible hardware. Off-the-shelf accounting software has become very flexible and adaptable, but if you are in a highly specialized business, it may be necessary to consider your special needs when looking for software. The availability of customer service and technical support is another important factor, as is access to new improved versions of the software when they become available, or the option to migrate to a more advanced version of the same supplier's software later on. And obviously the cost is always a factor. Deciding on Software If the purchase of accounting software does not represent a significant investment for your business, you have a good understanding of the operations and informational needs of the business, and are generally familiar with accounting software, the decision should be relatively easy. But if the software involves a large investment and your business has relatively sophisticated information requirements, it may be necessary to do a more thorough evaluation, possibly including the participation of a systems analyst and one or more users. Setting Up a Chart of Accounts One of the first things you will have to do when you implement your accounting system is set up the chart of accounts. This is a listing of all the accounts you will use to keep the books for your business. The chart of accounts forms the outline according to which the balance sheet, income statement, and other financial reports will be generated. The accounts you set up in your chart of accounts provide you with the structure for the financial information you need to manage your business. Therefore, when you set up your chart of accounts, it's important to think carefully about the financial information you will need in order to issue reports to third parties, prepare your tax returns, satisfy any other regulatory reporting requirements that may apply, and be able to adequately control and manage your business operations. The Chart of Accounts as a Function of Your Business There are certain guidelines that can be followed in setting up your chart of accounts, which generally correspond to standard formats for the balance sheet and income statement. But every business is unique and each business owner has his or her own preferences regarding how the business's financial information should be managed. A very generalized chart of accounts, with only broad categories of accounts, can facilitate bookkeeping, but it will not give you much in terms of analytical capacity. On the other hand, a very complex chart of accounts can make for cumbersome bookkeeping, with a tendency to misclassify transactions or make errors. In general, your chart of accounts should provide you a tool to meet your regulatory and tax obligations, issue the financial reports you need, and adequately plan, manage, and control your business. Level of Detail in Your Chart of Accounts The chart of accounts should be broken down into the level of detail you are capable of, and interested in managing. For example, if your business has more than one bank account, you should have a separate account on your books for each account, in order to reconcile your bank statements. It may be necessary to have separate accounts for different classes of inventories or for inventories in different locations. If you use various types of equipment in your business, you may need to set up separate accounts for each class of equipment. Expense accounts should be set up at the level of detail you want to analyze and control. This could be based on the budget you prepared for your business. Coding the Chart of Accounts Generally, codes are assigned in accounting software to identify the accounts. The structure for assigning account numbers may be pre-established in the software, or you may need to assign the numbers yourself. You can use ranges of numbers to define the principal categories and subcategories of accounts, with individual numbers assigned to each account within the range. Here it's important to have a logical sequence for assigning account codes that is sufficiently broad and flexible to be able to add accounts as needed, to accommodate the continuing needs of your business as it evolves and grows. Financial Statements from Your Accounting System The objective of the accounting system is to be able to produce financial information that is useful to you in managing the business and that enables you to generate financial statements that show the status of the business and the results of its operations. All accounting systems should be able to generate at least the three principal financial statements, which are the balance sheet, the income statement, and the cash flow statement. These are the basic financial statements that would be presented to interested third parties such as lenders, investors, suppliers, and possibly regulatory or tax agencies. And if you need to have an audit of your company, the audit opinion would be based on these financial statements. Balance Sheet El balance general, also known as the statement of financial position, is basically a snapshot of your business at some given moment, typically the end of the month or year. It shows your assets, liabilities, and capital or equity. Assets include everything you own in your business, such as cash, accounts receivable, inventories, and property, plant and equipment. Liabilities include what your business owes, such as accounts payable, loans, and other debt. The capital or equity section represents what you have invested in the business. It includes capital contributions, in the case of a sole proprietorship or partnership, and capital issued in the form of shares of stock in the case of a corporation. Equity also includes accumulated earnings from prior periods and the net income or loss for the current period. Income Statement The income statement, also known as the profit and loss statement, is a summary of the financial results achieved by the business for the period. The period could be a month, quarter, year, or any other period defined. The income statement shows your revenues (sales, fees, commissions), your cost of producing those revenues (cost of sales), and your operating and other expenses, including income tax. The income statement ends with the net result, which is your profit or loss for the period. Statement of Cash Flows The statement of cash flows shows your sources and uses of cash; that is, where your cash came from and how it was spent during a certain period. Different formats can be used for the statement of cash flows, depending on your business and the type of information you need. One of the standard formats generally accepted for the cash flow statement involves separating sources and uses of cash in three different groups of activities: cash flows from operating activities, cash flows from investing activities, and cash flows from financing activities. The statement of cash flows starts with the balance of cash in the business at the beginning of the period, shows the cash received and spent during the period, classified according to the above-mentioned categories, which are summarized as the net increase or decrease in cash for the period, and ends with the balance of cash at the end of the period being reported. These three financial statements form the basis for the financial reporting generated by the accounting system you implement for your business, and can be supplemented with additional reports as necessary. |
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