Keod Smith

Danbro - Accounting Solutions for Contractors asked:


Blackpool-based specialist accountants for contractors, Danbro, is bucking the trend of decreasing sales and rising unemployment by continuing to grow its business in 2009.

The town has suffered a big rise in its jobless total in recent months, with latest figures showing over 3,300 people now claiming jobseekers’ allowance, following cutbacks at several high-profile firms and the abandonment of job creation schemes such as the ‘super casino’.

But Danbro’s success has continued, with eight new members of staff recruited so far this year, buoyed by strong demand for its umbrella and limited company services, aimed at the thousands of temporary and freelance workers in the UK.

The firm opened an office in London last July, and expanded into Manchester earlier this year. It also acquired rival firm Safe Business Solutions (SBS), bringing its client base to around 2,700 active contractors and just over 1,000 limited companies.

It also recently achieved ISO9001 accreditation, which confirms it adheres to an internationally-agreed set of standards for its management systems, and an Investors in People award in recognition of the training and development of its staff, while it has continued to invest in IT with the launch of a new website and back office within the last six months.

Danbro’s Gareth Richardson said: “Blackpool’s unemployment figures are increasing at a higher rate than the national average and potentially undesirable job creation exercises such as the ’super casino’ have failed. Danbro is creating and safeguarding long-term, highly skilled and highly trained jobs in the region.”

Danbro is not resting on its laurels, and is set to continue its expansion with plans to open a second office in London as well as one in Birmingham later this year.

For more information contact Danbro on:

Head Office: 01253 600140

London Office: 0207 836 84000

Manchester Office: 0161 238 4918

or visit www.danbro.co.uk

Terry Cartwright asked:


in importance of accounting records lies in the fact that it holds true for all uneven situations and keeping a proper note of financial transactions can prove useful for you in times of problematic conditions. So whether business is big or small accounting records prepared in the proper manner will never loose value and is always recommended so that the business can potentially grow and outgrow others and stand as a reputable organisation.

Importance of Accounting- A Helping Hand in Outsourcing Business

In this growing age of money oriented society one generally opts for becoming an entrepreneur rather than slogging for hours as an employee in a company owned by others and there arises the need and importance of accounting records. If you are someone who wants to break into a new business, the importance of accounting should never be ignored. Accounting and finance are two very useful terms in business whether you are working on the day to day accounts activities or the longer term strategies that face you when setting up and running a company. Accounting software is always an option as it can mean low setup fees along with helping you begin your business with good bookkeeping and accounting principles from the outset.

Accounts for business and accounts formats help in managing a company well. A company’s accounts records held on an accounts ledger give the detailed description about its profits and losses in a cash spread sheet format. Auditors study the financial statement and thus determine the accuracy and integrity of your business and an accounting statement distinguishes the success ratio of your present business from past progress using accounts formats that are recognised by other companies and bodies.

The importance of accounting can be discovered from the fact that accounting principles such as double entry bookkeeping are compulsorily to be followed by all companies to avoid any future mishaps and this is clear when you look back at larger company crisis, small businesses can suffer more than larger companies through accounting ledger errors as they are less likely to have the assets available for sale should finances go wrong. Accounting asset of a company is calculated so that banks can easily provide loans and fund any projects you wish to take on in future. The strategy to be followed to establish a new business varies with accountant planning. With this in mind, if you wish to have a well established business then you need to take accounts for business very seriously from the start.

Knowledge of accounting software can help expand your business and help in building a bright future in accounting and finance. Accounting asset can include your employees, monthly input, services offered by them, products being produced. Accounting statements can track the entire positive and negative aspects of your company’s growth therefore having knowledge of accounts formats can help you in reach new heights and in turn business success.

Referral to accounts for business is a great way of keeping a note of the entire accounting asset, liabilities, profits and loss occurring in any organisation in a form of account ledger. It records all the transactions taking place in a company so that you can always have a check on the losses if required and according to generally accepted accounting principles, the basic framework of accounting should always include finance and accounting records. This is because accounting is relative to finance and goes hand in hand with it. Finance talks about the happenings of a company the profits and losses that it is facing. So importance of accounting plays a vital role in determining your goals and objectives.

Nicholas Tan asked:


To make sure that financial statements are easy to understand, there is a set of rules and practices that is established, which is known as the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). This has been developed to provide a basic guideline for the rules of accounting because I think it’s fair to say that it can get confusing at times. There are a lot of variations to the meaning so here is the best answer.  It’s the generally accepted accounting rules and procedures that are necessary to define accounting practice. Basically it’s a set of theories that accountants come to accept, and there are always controversies with some methods between accountants like any other field of study.

Accounting is a discipline that is always growing and changing so it’s a good idea to keep up to date with all of the trends that are going on. Since the management prepares the financial statements of a company it is possible that a financial statement can be altered to give a company a particular boost. So, that’s why the companies that sell their ownership to the public needs to get their financial statements audited by a public certified accountant. A certified public accountant (CPA) are licensed through the sate for the same exact reason lawyers and doctors are, so they and protect the public by providing the highest quality of professional service possible.  The reason why CPAs are used is because they have no connection with the company and are independent. They have zero financing ties with the company.

Some firms that employ a lot of certified public accountants include Deloitte & Touch, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. An accountant with no strings attached or is independent commonly performs an audit, which is evaluating a companies financial statements, product, accounting systems, and records.  The main purpose of an audit is to make sure that the financial statements have been properly prepared according to the excepted accounting rules. Keep in mind; since accounting is not a precise science it has room for interpretation according to the GAPP. 

However, that doesn’t mean that the accountants report should contain substantial errors in the financial report, but more like that for the most report it is reliable for creditors to take a look at.  An accountant can make a decision only when the financial statements conform to the guidelines of GAAP.  In the past creditors, banks, and investors tend to favor an auditor when they are deciding to invest in a company or give loans, because of their independence.  The individualistic audit is an extremely crucial factor in the growth of financial markets internationally.

Also, many organizations can directly or indirectly influence a GAAP. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is the most critical body for the development and issuing of rules on accounting practice. The website I previously listed is extremely critical and you can attend seminars online for no cost, and also stay up to date with the rules.  This independent body issues the Statements of Financial Accounting Standards. Next, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) is the official professional association for certified accountants. It’s the largest CPA organization that exists in America and heavily influence accounting practices through its senior committees. 

The Securities and Exchange Commission is the agency of the federal government that legally has the power to set and execute accounting practices for companies that sell security to the public, and it has a large impact on accounting practice.  Next, the governmental accounting standard (GASB) is critical for accounting because its main job is to issue the standards for accounting to the local and state governments in the United States.  However, a lot of these organizations are focused on the rules in regulations in the United States.

There are a lot of businesses and accountants internationally so that’s why the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB) was formed.  It was approved by more then 25 international agencies.  The U.S laws that analyze the revenues for the cost of operating a business can also affect accounting practice. It’s no question that the major provider for income for the government comes from income tax. The income tax rules are heavily applies by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Sometimes these rules actually cause a conflict with the accepted rules of accounting. A lot of businesses use accounting practices because it’s a requirement by tax law.  Also, companies can use the rules of tax law to their advantage financially.  Accounting also has laws of conduct for profession, and one extremely important one is ethics.

It touches bases on questions that help determine if something is either right or wrong, and is based on moral decisions. Most people are faced with several ethical issues each day and, and some ethical activities could be on the range of illegal. If a business decides to use false or misleading advertising, or to bribe customers into giving them testimonials for a specific product, then they could be acting in an unethical manner.  The ethics of a company could also be a result of the employees so that’s why it’s always a good idea to run a background check of who you are hiring, whether it’s online or offline.  Professional ethics is the guidelines that apply to the conduct of individuals of a certain profession. 

Similar to the ethical actions of a company, the ethical actions of an individual is a decision.  As being a member of an organization, accountants have to take the responsibility not only to their customers and employers, but also to the general public to act in the greatest ethical way possible. Accountants are very good at following professional ethics because they are the second professional group as having the largest ethical standards, with clergy being the highest, no surprises about that one.  It is important for individuals who decide to become an accountant to have the highest levels of professionalism as possible.

To enforce that its prestigious members are following the rules, the AICPA along with each state have adopted some codes of professional conduct that certified public accountants have to follow.  Some simple rules are being responsible to the people that depend on the trust of accountants, such as creditors and investors. When working with people the accountant must act with integrity which means that they are honest, and the individuals gain from the visit with the accountant. The accountant must display objectivity which means that they are intellectually honest, and they must remain independent which means that they must avoid any relationship with the business or individual because it will damage the accountant’s principles.

Terry Cartwright asked:


Accounting software can vary from multi million pound solutions for major public companies to simple managed lists of income and expenses. Simple accounting solutions are most suitable for small business.

The most comprehensive financial accounting packages incorporate financial reporting information and managed by teams of qualified accountants supported by accounts clerks, bookkeepers and substantial input from automated data sources. At the other end of the scale a self employed sole trader might use accounting software themselves and produce a set of financial accounts for the year in an afternoon.

Different accounting standards are required from accounting software dependent upon the fitness for purpose and client needs. Double entry bookkeeping automated through a database system and probably arranged in financial modules would normally be the choice of the majority of public companies. Single entry bookkeeping would not be an acceptable accounting solution for a limited company due to audit requirements and statutory obligations.

Single entry bookkeeping does however have its place in the market place for the smaller less complex businesses who maintain financial control through a close intimate knowledge of every financial transaction. The main objective of a sole trader is more likely to be the production of the tax accounts and complete the periodic and annual tax return forms.

The most sophisticated level of accounting software in the largest companies mirrors the accounting functions in those organisations with various financial modules for accounts receivable, accounts payable, stock control, general ledger and fixed assets. These accounting modules may also be integrated with non accounting functions such as production and dispatch functions and also divided into separate modules within the accounting function.

In larger companies the sales daybook and data entry of sales turnover would often be the responsibility of one department while the accounts receivable function might be split with a specialist credit control function within that accounting module. A further division may also include sales administration and customer records. Accounts payable would normally be multi functional of the purchasing department, purchase invoice accounts department and a legal function for overdue payments.

Accounting software for smaller companies and organisations is commonly a system of data entry of prime transactions which include sales income, purchase expenses and cash and bank transactions. The prime entry of these documents being to a database which automates the double entry accounting principles and produces both accounts receivable, accounts payable and general ledger databases.

Some accounting knowledge is usually required tom operate a database accounting software system and that financial knowledge is usually available within the company as most companies that use database accounting software also employ a bookkeeper or accounts clerks to input data and in slightly larger small companies also qualified accountants to manage the accounting function.

The need for accounting knowledge in a database system is partially to understand the data entry principles and the relevancy of the rules that need to be followed but essentially understanding of accounting principles is required to understand what is happening ton the information after input. And most important, a qualified accountant has the financial knowledge, training and experience to know what the system should be producing and how to query the database to retrieve that information.

A database accounting software system not only produces high quality financial records but offfers numerous financial control alternatives for both junior and senior business management. The accounting function also has the security of producing trial balances, periodic profit and loss accounts, balance sheets and other financial and statements for tax and control purposes.

Accounting solutions requiring little bookkeeping or accounting knowledge are available usually based uponh spreadsheets as this is the most transparent method of viewing the accounts.

Small limited companies must obtain accounting software based upon double entry accounting principles as in addition to producing a profit and loss account and a trial balance to demonstrate accuracy and integrity of the financial records plus a balance sheet is required for reporting purposes. Accounting standards require the limited company to have a system of financial control and accounting software is an essential tool in achieving this.

Some accounting knowledge either from the management or outsourcing the bookkeeping services is usually required with even the simplest database accounting solutions eve3n if this requires the understanding of what accounts receivable ledgers, accounts payable ledger and control accounts mean.

There are other possibilities and those businesses with a minimum of accounting knowledge can consider spreadsheet based accounting software. Accounting software compiled from spreadsheets is less flexible and often does not have the range of options a database system has due to the lack of database queries available. These disadvantages of flexibility being compensated by the fact that all entries are visible, transparent and changes can be made more easily.

Financially at the sole trader and self employed end of the business spectrum then the requirements from accounting software may be completely different. Gone are the sophistications of control accounts, trial balances and many aspects of financial control. The most important aspect of self employed accounting software is often to produce a set of accounts for tax purposes.

Self employed small business that do not require a balance sheet can use accounting software based upon single entry bookkeeping rather than double entry and with the reduced requirement for financial control then less financial queries to the system are required. In these respects the simpler an accounting solution the better and in this market an accounting solution written on spreadsheets that can produce the net taxable profit would meet the requirements.

Naz Daud asked:


Computer accounting is an important part of any business, and the fact that a company accountant generally holds a senior position is indicative of just how important a part it is. However, much of the accountant’s traditional work is now being looked after by computers and an ever-increasing array of programs and applications that automate a business’s financial procedures.

If you are seeking a computer accounting system for your business, you have two basic systems to choose from: a module based system and a comprehensive accountancy system. It is important that you consider each of these if you are seeking an accountancy solution, so that you are able to make the correct considered decision based on what is more appropriate for you.

Comprehensive accounting systems are currently being offered and integrated accountancy systems are available for accounts payable alongside accounts receivable in the event that these suit your needs. Practically any Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application with integrated accounting will include these features, although an exception to this would be a cash-based business. You can purchase integrated accounting software in a fully comprehensive package, or in modules that you can plug together to design the system that you need.

Here is a comparison of both types of accountancy systems.

Comprehensive Accounting Systems

Positives:

1. A single accounting software system is easier and quicker to install. You have the whole package delivered at once rather than adding modules at various times as required.

2. A number of comprehensive computer accountancy packages are created specifically for small to medium businesses that yours is liable to be. The vast majority of UK and even world businesses are in the small to medium range, with emphasis on the small. Such comprehensive integrated software packages offer a greater depth of functionality than an individual module, frequently with alternative versions to offer a broad range of accountancy functions to meet the needs of a variety of business types.

Negatives

1. The major problem of a complete comprehensive accountancy package is that it is not designed only for a small or medium sized business. Thus, some of the accountancy options will not be required and some of the functions offered will never be used. This suggests that you are not making the best use of the money you spend on such a package.

It will also take longer to load than necessary since you are loading functions you will never use, and they will also take up more of your valuable memory than necessary. If you opt for a comprehensive package, you will have to accept that you will not be using all that you pay for.

2. A separate software license will be needed for each of the users in your organization, so if you have two computers needing to use the system, such as one for accounts receivable, and another for accounts payable, you will have to pay for a license for each.

Module Based Systems

There are several module-based accountancy software packages on the market today and they are ideal for the smaller business. Whether or not they are best for a medium sized business depends upon the size of the business.

Positives

1. In a module based computer accounting system, you purchase only the applications or functions that you need. The relative cost between this and that above will depend upon how many modules you need to effectively run your business. Do you need only one or do you need them all? The situation for you will likely lie between the two, and exactly where that balance is will determine whether you are more economical with this or with just going for the comprehensive accounting system from the start.

2. Data can be transferred from one module to another, since the modules are designed to integrate with each other. If you add a module later to expand your functionality as your business grows, make sure that they are compatible.

Negatives

1. You could end up paying more in the long run than if you opted for a comprehensive system from the outset. If you are successful, your business will eventually need so many modules that you will eventually spend more.

2. You will not be able to mix data accounting systems. Your next module will have to be from the same system as your first, at least with respect to file formats. Therefore, prior to purchasing a module, make sure that the other modules in the system are compatible with each other. Also make sure that available modules will meet your future needs, or you may end up scrapping your accountancy software and starting again with a comprehensive system.

There is more to purchasing a computer accounting package than simply choosing one type of system or another. It is important to determine if a comprehensive accounting package suits your needs better than a module accounting system, particularly when you take your future expansion into consideration.

Jeffrey Matsen asked:


ght (c) 2009 Jeffrey Matsen

Recently, upheavals in the lending industry and bank failures have led many depositors to be concerned over the safety of their bank accounts. As most people are aware, a large number of banks and credit unions are covered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which insures accounts up to $100,000.00 (Credit unions are insured by the National Credit Union Administration [NCUA]). For many individuals, a $100,000.00 insured amount is more than sufficient coverage for their personal accounts, although all of your single accounts at the same insured bank are added together and the total is insured up to $100,000. For example, if you have a checking account and a CD at the same insured bank, and both accounts are in your name only, the two accounts are added together and the total is insured up to $100,000. For greater protection, you can always split amounts greater than $100,000.00 among multiple banks.

However, corporate accounts often hold amounts greater than $100,000.00. Under the FDIC Rules and Regulations, corporate accounts are also insured up to $100,000.00 combined, even when a corporation has separate accounts for divisions or units which are not separately incorporated.

One of the largest and most important account held by a corporation is the payroll account. Protection of a payroll account which exceeds $100,000.00 in deposits takes special planning which our office can assist you with.

Some banks may offer a service where they reciprocate accounts amongst other banks. When the account goes over the FDIC limit, they automatically open an account at another bank for the overflow, as many times as needed. You may wish to speak to your banking institution to see if they offer this service. Your payroll company may be able to draw from separate accounts and therefore allow you to open separate accounts at separate banks. You could then, for example, have multiple payroll accounts at separate banks, all insured separately, and all under the $100,000 limit.

Secondly, under the FDIC Rules & Regulations §330.11(a), if a corporation maintains deposit accounts in a representative or fiduciary capacity, such accounts shall not be treated as the deposit accounts of the corporation but shall be treated as fiduciary accounts and insured in accordance with separate provisions regarding accounts held by an agent or fiduciary and/or the provisions regarding joint ownership accounts.

FDIC Rules provide that the interests of each co-owner of a joint account are separately insured even if the account is in excess of $100,000. The amount of the co-owners interest is added to any other funds the co-owner may have on deposit at that banking institution, and the total is covered up to $100,000.

The FDIC will look at certain evidence to determine how the account should be treated. One of the factors is how the account is titled. For the strongest protection, we would recommend that you title your account “XYZ, Inc., as fiduciary for the XYZ, Inc. Employee’s Payroll Account.” Further, payroll accounts should be kept in a separate account from any other corporate funds, and preferably at a separate bank, if possible. All accounting records kept by the corporation should show that such account is only used for payroll purposes and list the names of the employees who are paid from that account, as if they were the owners.

One method not to use would be to hold separate accounts, all under the $100,000 limit, in your personal name or the names of family members. Co-mingling of assets is a hallmark of the doctrine of ‘piercing the corporate veil,’ and doing so could open you up to possible personal liability to answer for debts of the corporation.

Our research indicates that the above is the strongest protection your company can have with regards to FDIC insurance. We urge you to properly maintain your corporate records to ensure maximum protection. While the above advice may not be absolute, we believe it will provide your corporation with the strongest protection available to safeguarding your deposits.