We know the feeling. It’s that time of year when you’re scrambling to get your books in order to send to your accountant. You’re hoping they can figure out a plan, so you don’t owe an arm and a leg in taxes. It’s enough to make anyone want to crawl under a rock until after year-end and tax season is over.
But it doesn’t have to be that bad.
First things first – start early. We know, we know, it’s easier said than done. But trust us, the earlier you start, the less stressful it will be. Don’t wait until the last minute to start getting things in order. The best time to get this started was a year ago. The second-best time is now. If you know your systems and process are going to lead to another messy year end several months from now, it’s time to face it head on. Every hour you invest in sorting this out now will save you several hours (not to mention the screaming headache that comes along with it) at year-end.
Next, get organized. This might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many people don’t have a system (even a basic one) in place. Do you have clear job descriptions with roles, responsibilities and procedures for all activities in the accounting department? We get it. That sounds painful to put in place. But what’s even more painful is facing the year-end mess, not to mention the financial surprises when you get your books back from the accountant. Wait? What?! Our numbers weren’t right all along??
Now, automate as much as possible. Accounting technology is improving all the time. From receipt tracking to time tracking to job costing, there is almost certainly a software out that that can help you streamline, making everything leading up to year end much, much simpler.
Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help. We get you might feel stuck, frustrated, or even embarrassed about the state of your books. That’s okay! You just need some assistance. That’s where we come in. Our job is to help make accounting not suck and to make sure your year end is smooth and easy. The help that you need may not be limited to accounting, sometimes it can be funding or budget. When that happens, you can gather information on courses like the Kiana Danial course.
But don’t take our word for it, this is what one of our client’s year-end accountants said about our work:
Start now – contact us and make your next year-end so much easier!