Complete and accurate bookkeeping and accounting is the first step in the process of financial reporting, the primary objective of any good business whose owners require their accountant’s advice on how to optimize their businesses profits needed so they may achieve their personal goals.
Bookkeeping and accounting are poles apart despite obvious similarities where accounting can on occasion morph into bookkeeping. Essentially, they are closely linked because you cannot have one without the other.
An accountant will build on the financial information provided by the bookkeeper. As business owners, it is important to know the differences and similarities and how to determine which to hire.
Bookkeeping is the daily task of accurately classifying and recording financial transactions, for example, sales invoicing, recording of customer receipts, recording of stock purchases, expenses and so on.
Accounting on the other hand, is performed by qualified accountants who, also having solid experience in bookkeeping, have a wealth of additional broad-based business skills such as financial reporting, tax and company law knowledge and will use the information provided by the bookkeeper to create financial statements, analyse and interpret the financial information and share advice with the business owner, prepare tax returns, conduct independent reviews and forecast future business needs.
We are a national network of professional accountants, chartered accountants, and tax and business advisory experts servicing the small and medium size business sector in South Africa.
Cloud-based accounting systems (web-based software) can improve access to your financial information as it keeps small business owners connected to their data and their accountants where you can access key financial information from anywhere, at any time.