What is Accounting? Learn Basic Accounting Principles

By Ellis Jackson Jr

If you ever wanted to know what is accounting then this is your change to learn? Who is in charge of setting basic accounting standards that we all follow? Is there some type of regulatory system is place to investigate and arrest people for accounting fraud? Well guess what, there is, at least to a certain degree any way. So hear is a quick accounting principles education that can explain everything.

First, just what is accounting anyway? Well in simple terms accounting is the comprehensive system of gathering and recording financial information of a business for the purpose of preparing summaries for tax authorizing, investors, managers and other who make decisions within the companies or organizations that they are involved in. The accounting terminology or terms can get tricky at times and you may need to keep handy an accounting glossary that explains the terms in plain language if you are a beginner. To keep people from ethics frauds in accounting the United States top experts created the Financial Accounting Standards Board or (FASB) for short. This was established in 1973 and it replaced the Accounting Principles Board(APB). The job of the (FASB) is to analyze and review problems in the field that is brought to them. After much deliberation they will make an assessment of what type of action that will be taken when an accounting issue occurs.

This was mainly voluntary and it had very good success. Double-entry accounting was founded in Italy in the 1400's and the accounting formula has change since then. The reason why the basic accounting concepts worked or well was that the business community would not be able to function properly if there were no consistency in the reporting of finances.The FASB has its' own private financing and is not government organized. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants(AICPA) are a big supporter of the FASB and many of our Certified Public Accountants(CPAs) are members of this prestigious organization. Accounting careers are shaped on you being a member. They are bound by the guidelines and principles that they offer as other countries also have similar boards that require a high level of accounting conduct.

The FASB created the basic accounting concepts code known as General Accepted Accounting Principles(GAAP). The idea behind this is if everyone uses the same business financial statement prepared according to GAAP, then who ever uses the information can trust or rely on the information more steadily than if prepare differently. Any business that prepare their statements without using the GAAP standards, like a lot of small businesses do, cannot say that their statements are created under GAAP guidelines and they should let the user know they are not and let the buyer beware.

To keep a watch out on everything the government relies on the Securities Exchange Commission(SEC) to sort of police the accounting world. They mostly focus on public companies because they are responsible for protecting investors from fraudulent misrepresentation. The SEC has established it own set of accounting standards and with the economy the way it is today they really have their hands full with this.

Accountants are now more involved with preparing income tax returns and they use their business financial statements. The Internal Revenue Service(IRS) may review those financial records when they perform an audit and not following the rules can get you in to big trouble risking fines and penalties.

As you can see the principles and standards in many ways are a combination of voluntary and regulatory guidelines. There is a push to create an international accounting standards board or (IASB) due to the growing globalization process. This will be a huge undertaking that will surely take years to build. Now that the stock markets around the world are in trouble it is obviously needed.

The author is a website creator how gives advice and reviews products for niche website creating and home business start up and more. If you like the information shown then you can read more on this subject and other by clicking Research Articles. You can also check out our product reviews by clicking: http://www.allproman.com/product-reviews/

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Duties of the Bookkeeper

By Natali Leeds

There are many parts to a company. When you start a company formation UK, you have to make sure that not only make sure that you register the company with the Companies House and make sure that all of your shareholders and directors are chosen. But you have to make sure that you have someone on board to help with your bookkeeping. One of the fastest ways to lose control of your company is improper bookkeeping.

If you are a new company owner, you should read up on what duties and responsibilities you want your bookkeeper to have. A bookkeeper is going to have access to all of your accounts including bank accounts so make sure that you have a job description in writing. As a guideline, you should make sure that you cover the basics at least.

A bookkeeper's job is to provide payroll services. Some companies choose a payroll service but most companies these days keep their payroll in house. This may sound easy enough but there is more to payroll than just keeping track of employee hours and producing a paycheck. There is the payroll to each employee and director every week or every two weeks. Then you have the PAYE, sick pay, holiday pay, vacation pay, nation insurance, maternity leave pay if necessary and if a worker becomes injured while on the job.

Company formation UK bookkeepers are also required to complete statutory forms that will include the end of the year returns that will go to both the employees and the Inland Revenue. There will also be bonuses, staff costs, ex-gratis, severance pay and the pensions.

Then you will have the duties of registering and complying with the Value Added Tax or Vat. This is a tricky one, the requirements are strict and sometimes they are hard to understand so companies often pay to much or too little. A Bookkeeper should understand how to configure the VAT or they may know where they can enlist help. A good bookkeeper knows their job and they know how to get it done.

If you are a company that works with overseas companies, a bookkeeper who is knowledgeable in overseas tax laws and setting up procedures to help work with the Euro and other foreign currency. There is so much that goes into becoming a bookkeeper that it may not be a job for just one person. You may want to consider hiring a team. You have to remember that there is also Corporate Tax Planning, Audit Services if necessary and even Shareholder Profits. The person or people you hire should be well versed in all of these things. A good bookkeeper makes for a successful business.

Natali Leeds provides how-to advice on small business and home-based work issues. Her helps small businesses reach their fullest potential. Her recommendation for to-day is to visit Accounting services and VAT registration

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Accounting Tips For Small Businesses

By Jodi Hayes

With tax time nearly upon us, many small businesses and first time entrepreneurs are scrambling to get their accounting information straightened out in order to file on time. When many small business owners think of accounting, they tend to associate it with income tax preparation and filing. The accounting for your small business should not be relegated to tax time. Accounting information can help business owners make better decisions, and improve the management of their business. It can also help them secure financing, and facilitate reporting to stakeholders (such as creditors, banks, and government agencies), and it can tip them off to any serious problems that might be brewing, such as dwindling cash resources, or debt burdens which may become overwhelming.

The accounting aspect of many small businesses is often the most neglected. Most small business owners don't feel they have the time or expertise to devote to keeping their books. Let's face it, most small business owners didn't start a business because they were eager to deal with the finance and accounting aspects of it. The accounting is a function done at the end of the year for tax purposes. This attitude is unfortunate, because the accounting results of a business can represent a wealth of information, and can help business owners make better decisions. The fact is that accounting information really serves as an indicator of how healthy your business is. Think of your accounting information as a reading on a thermometer.

If you only see the value in accounting at tax time, you are missing out on an opportunity to get a true picture (and not just a "gut feeling) of how your business is performing financially. It is not likely that the individual who prepared your information is going to give you any tips or guidance with respect to the management of your business (unless your accountant or bookkeeper is also a relative or associate). Remember, in this instance you've paid them to prepare information for tax filing purposes, not provide consulting services on how to improve the performance of your business.

If you've already paid someone to prepare financial information for you, then the information is all there, waiting to be used. Business owners need not be the ones who prepare financial information, but they'd better be ready to be the ones who pay attention, and interpret, that financial information (or have a trusted associate who is willing to do this for them - although most accountants don't come cheap). A responsible small business owner makes it a point to understand how to read financial statements, and draw conclusions from the information contained therein.

Unfortunately, you can't really purchase accounting advice tailored to your small business over the internet. The good news is that you don't need to be a financial genius to understand your balance sheet. There are many resources available on the web which can guide you through the process of understanding your financial statements. You may be just starting out, and looking for potential solutions. Or, you may be a seasoned business owner looking for some tips. There is a wide variety of solutions available, and these range from tutorials and e-books, to accounting and bookkeeping software. Learn more about these here: Accounting Tips for Small Businesses

With tax time nearly upon us, many small businesses and first time entrepreneurs are scrambling to get their accounting information straightened out in order to file on time. When many small business owners think of accounting, they tend to associate it with income tax preparation and filing. The accounting for your small business should not be relegated to tax time. Accounting information can help business owners make better decisions, and improve the management of their business. It can also help them secure financing, and facilitate reporting to stakeholders (such as creditors, banks, and government agencies), and it can tip them off to any serious problems that might be brewing, such as dwindling cash resources, or debt burdens which may become overwhelming.

The accounting aspect of many small businesses is often the most neglected. Most small business owners don't feel they have the time or expertise to devote to keeping their books. Let's face it, most small business owners didn't start a business because they were eager to deal with the finance and accounting aspects of it. The accounting is a function done at the end of the year for tax purposes. This attitude is unfortunate, because the accounting results of a business can represent a wealth of information, and can help business owners make better decisions. The fact is that accounting information really serves as an indicator of how healthy your business is. Think of your accounting information as a reading on a thermometer.

If you only see the value in accounting at tax time, you are missing out on an opportunity to get a true picture (and not just a "gut feeling) of how your business is performing financially. It is not likely that the individual who prepared your information is going to give you any tips or guidance with respect to the management of your business (unless your accountant or bookkeeper is also a relative or associate). Remember, in this instance you've paid them to prepare information for tax filing purposes, not provide consulting services on how to improve the performance of your business.

If you've already paid someone to prepare financial information for you, then the information is all there, waiting to be used. Business owners need not be the ones who prepare financial information, but they'd better be ready to be the ones who pay attention, and interpret, that financial information (or have a trusted associate who is willing to do this for them - although most accountants don't come cheap). A responsible small business owner makes it a point to understand how to read financial statements, and draw conclusions from the information contained therein.

Unfortunately, you can't really purchase accounting advice tailored to your small business over the internet. The good news is that you don't need to be a financial genius to understand your balance sheet. There are many resources available on the web which can guide you through the process of understanding your financial statements. You may be just starting out, and looking for potential solutions. Or, you may be a seasoned business owner looking for some tips. There is a wide variety of solutions available, and these range from tutorials and e-books, to accounting and bookkeeping software.

Learn more about these options here: http://www.squidoo.com/Accounting-1

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