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Understand a Bookkeeping for Effective Financial Management

Understand the Bookkeeping for Effective Financial Management

What is Bookkeeping?

Bookkeeping is a process of recording and organizing all the business transactions that have occurred in the course of the business.  Bookkeeping is an integral part of accounting and largely focuses on recording day-to-day financial transaction of the business.

All the financial transactions such as sales earned revenue, payment of taxes, earned interest, payroll and other operational expenses, loans investments etc. are recorded in books of accounts.

The way the bookkeeping is managed determines the accuracy of the overall accounting process that is been followed by the business. Thus, bookkeeping ensures that the record of financial transactions are up-to-date and more importantly, accurate

Why Bookkeeping is important for all business?

Just like to prepare a report, you need a source of data, bookkeeping is a source that gets summarized into the financial statements or any other accounting report that you see. With bookkeeping tracks and records all the financial transactions, it becomes the starting point of accounting. No bookkeeping = No accounting.

Thus, it becomes important for businesses, small or big to have bookkeeping in place.

 

The following are the importance of bookkeeping:

  • Bookkeeping helps to keep track of receipts, payments. Sales, purchases and record of every other transaction made from the business.
  • It helps to summarize the income, expenditure and other ledger records periodically.
  • It provides information to create financial reports which tells us specific information about the business as how much profits the business has made or how much the business is worth at a specific point of time.

Tasks and examples of the Bookkeeping system

With the definition of bookkeeping, it’s clear that the bookkeeping task involves all that is required to track, record and organize all the financial transaction that has occurred in the business.

The person is responsible for managing bookkeeping usually entrusted with the responsibility of tracking all the transaction related to business. The following are the bookkeeping tasks examples:

  • Billing for goods sold or services provided to clients.
  • Recording receipts from customers.
  • Verifying and recording invoices from suppliers.
  • Recording payment made to suppliers and so on…

 Are accounting and bookkeeping different? Read ‘Bookkeeping and Accounting’

Bookkeeping  period

The accounting period that a business entity chooses for its business becomes part of its bookkeeping system and is used to open and close the financial books. The accounting period affects all aspects of the company’s finances, including taxes and analysis of your financial history.

In most of the countries, the accounting period is the financial year which starts from 1st April and ends on 31st March of every year. In some countries like the Middle East (UAE, Saudi, Bahrain etc) the calendar year is used as an accounting period i.e. 1st January to 31st December.

Types of Bookkeeping

Business entities choose from two types of bookkeeping systems, although some entities use a combination of both.

The single-entry system of bookkeeping requires recording one entry for each financial activity or transaction. The single-entry bookkeeping system is a basic system that a company might use to record daily receipts or generate a daily or weekly report of cash flow.

The double-entry system of bookkeeping requires a double entry for each financial transaction. The double entry system provides checks and balances by recording corresponding credit entry for each debit entry. The double-entry system of bookkeeping is not cash-based. Transactions are entered when a debt is incurred or revenue is earned.

Read ‘Types and Methods of Bookkeeping System’ to know more.

Method of Bookkeeping

The cash-based system of accounting records financial transactions when payment is made or received. This system recognizes revenue or income in the accounting period in which it is received and expenses in the period in which they are paid.

The accrual basis method, which is favoured under the generally accepted principals of accounting, record income in the accounting period in which it is earned and records expenses in the period incurred.

Principles of Bookkeeping

To ensure the all the transactions are recorded and organized systematically, bookkeeping principles are applied. The following are the bookkeeping principle

  • Revenue principle
  • Expense principle
  • Matching principle
  • Cost principle
  • Objectivity principle

Read ‘Principles of Bookkeeping’ to know more.

How to record entries in Bookkeeping

Entries in bookkeeping are recorded in the archaic method of journal entry. Here, the respective individual or accountant manually enters the account numbers and performs individual action of debits and credits for each transaction. This approach is time-consuming and subject to error, and so is usually reserved for adjustments and special entries.

Posting entries and documentation

All Financial transactions undertaken by a business entity are posted in ledgers using the information from receipts and other documentation. Ledgers summarize the transactions recorded.  Most bookkeeping software automates the posting of transaction details to respective ledgers and reports.

Most entities post financial transactions daily, while others post in batches or outsource the posting activity to accounting professionals. Posting entries regularly helps in generating on-time financial statements or reports.

Financial transactions documentation is an important element of a company’s bookkeeping system. It requires maintaining files of receipts and other documents. The duration period for maintaining documentation records depends on your company policy and legal or tax requirements.

Influence of Bookkeeping on the chart of accounts

A business entity can create more comprehensive bookkeeping system when it includes accounts for each area of financial transactions. Financial accounts are grouped or categorized based on the nature of accounts or impact on the financial statements. This usually includes balance sheet accounts and income statement accounts.

Balance sheet accounts are assets, liabilities, and stockholder or owner equity. Income statement accounts are operating and non – operating revenues, expenses, gains and losses.

 

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Frequently asked questions

What exactly does a bookkeeper do?

A bookkeeper is primarily responsible to record and track a company’s financial transactions which include, purchases, sales and expenses. These transactions are first recorded as general ledger, which are later used while preparing a balance sheet.

What is the difference between Accounting and Bookkeeping?

Accounting is a broad subject. It calls for a greater understanding of records obtained from bookkeeping and an ability to analyze and interpret the information provided by bookkeeping records.

Bookkeeping is the recording phase while accounting is concerned with the summarizing phase of an accounting system. Bookkeeping provides necessary data for accounting and accounting starts where bookkeeping ends.

Take a look at the difference between Bookkeeping and Accounting

Is it hard to be a Bookkeeper?

No. Bookkeeping is a rather simple and straight forward process which can be easily learnt while you’re on-the-job. 

What are the 2 kinds of Bookkeeping?

The single-entry and double-entry bookkeeping systems are the two methods commonly used. While each has its own advantage and disadvantage, the business has to choose the one which is most suitable for their business.

 

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What is bookkeeping ? Definition, types, and best practices

3 key benefits of bookkeeping

If you’re new to business, you may be wondering about the importance of bookkeeping. Whether you outsource the work to a professional bookkeeper or do it yourself, you’ll be able to reap a variety of benefits.

bookkeeping
bookkeeping

1. Access to detailed records of all transactions

By logging and keeping track of all financial transactions, you will have easy access to any financial information you might need. To make it even easier, bookkeepers often group transactions into categories.

Common transaction categories include:

When it’s finally time to audit all of your transactions, bookkeepers can produce accurate reports that give an inside look into how your company delegated its capital. The two key reports that bookkeepers provide are the balance sheet and the income statement. The goal of both reports is to be easy to comprehend so that all readers can grasp how well the business is doing.

2. Ability to make informed decisions

Because bookkeeping involves the creation of financial reports, you will have access to information that provides accurate indicators of measurable success. By having access to this data, businesses of all sizes and ages can make strategic plans and develop realistic objectives.

Examples of financial statements that can help with decision-making include:

  • Balance sheets
  • Income statements
  • Cash flow statements

Not only can this help you set goals, but it can also help you identify problems in your business. With an accurate record of all transactions, you can easily discover any discrepancies between financial statements and what’s been recorded. This will allow you to quickly catch any errors that could become an issue down the road.

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3. Better tax preparation

When it’s time to file your taxes, you’ll need to comply with the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) legal regulations and systems that govern their finances. Some of the most common documentation businesses must provide to the federal government include:

  • Financial transactions
  • Financial statements
  • Tax compliance
  • Cash flow reports

By staying up to date with your bookkeeping throughout the year, you can help alleviate some of the stress that comes with filing your taxes.

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