Some people may think that all accountants do is just sit in a room with a calculator and pour over a stack of receipts. That simply couldn’t be further from the truth. This article will explain just where an accountant will fit into your business, and what the benefits are of having one on-board.
Lay the Foundations of Good Business Practice
If you have an accountant from the very start of running your business, then we will help you embed the very best working practices into your business. We can advise you on the best way to structure your business (sole trader, partnership, Limited company, charity, CIC etc.) and can even deal with the company formation for you.
We will show you how to keep your books up to date and what important things you should be keeping track of that might be useful down the line. An example of this could be your business expenditure that can be claimed back as legitimate costs for tax purposes.
If you choose to get an accountant later on in your business’s life cycle, then you might be missing out on money-saving opportunities when it matters the most – in the formative years of your business.
Cashflow Management
Accountants can help you get a good understanding of your cash inflows and outflows. We can then use this information to give you an idea of how quickly your business is growing and how you can prepare for the future. We can also warn you when you may find yourself short of cash a few weeks or months down the line because revenues are going down and/or costs are going up. We can also select specific cash-flow apps to feed into your bookkeeping software so you can monitor cash yourself and support and train you in how to use them.
Not understanding how cash moves through your business can be seriously detrimental to your company’s health. By having an accountant create a cashflow forecast, you will be able to see how much ready cash you will have in times of feast or famine.
Prepare and Grow Your Business
When the time comes to expand your business, your accountant will be able to take you through each step. You will need to make sure that you have the funds to do so and that you know why and what you need to spend on. We can help you create a cogent, credible business plan to secure funds if you need them. We will also help you manage your growth and keep an eye on your spending once you have acquired the finances.
Without the help of an accountant, your chances of growing your business through investment are much less certain.
Keep You in the Taxman’s Good Books
Business owners who don’t do what HMRC wants them to do, whether intentionally or not, are always punished. You could be fined, penalised – and even worse. Accountants are very well versed in all aspects of taxation so, on our watch, we won’t let you fall foul of HMRC.
This benefit shouldn’t be underestimated. UK tax law is very complex and having someone on your side who knows the system inside out will save you time, money, and hassle in the long run.
We can also provide access to tax investigation insurance to provide cover in case of an investigation into your affairs by HMRC. This goes towards our costs so that we can fully support you through any investigation, including dealing with HMRC on your behalf.
Tax Efficiency
Of course, accountants can also help you minimise your tax bill, whilst remaining fully within the law. We know every single way to make sure that you keep as much of your hard-earned cash as possible. Whether it is by using the most up-to-date salary/dividend split for your earnings or claiming as many expenses as possible against your corporation tax, accountants will make your business more efficient with taxes.
You might be eligible for a tax relief that you hadn’t previously considered. You might not know exactly what you can claim for. You might be using an online bookkeeping system that isn’t working as well as it could be. These are all things that we can inform you of.
Keep You Compliant with Companies House
If you own a limited company, you are legally required to prepare statutory accounts and submit these to Companies House annually. In addition, a separate annual Confirmation Statement is also required, along with various statutory forms needed in situations like a change of shareholder. Your accountant will be experienced in all of these complex requirements and will make sure deadlines are met, forms are filed, and payments made on time so that you remain legally compliant and can focus on your day job.
We can help
If you are looking for a reliable, established, professional accountant that can benefit your business, get in touch with the D V Marlow team. We love what we do and we are certain you will see that in how we look after you. Please email info@dvm.co.uk to find out more about how we can support you and your business.
