Simplifying Bookkeeping: Quick Tips for Small Business Owners

Bookkeeping shouldn’t feel like a maze. Most business owners want clear guidance that saves time and keeps their numbers clean. I work with small business owners every day, and I see the same thing happen when the right systems fall into place. Your stress drops, your confidence grows, and your books finally make sense.

Here’s how you can simplify your bookkeeping and set yourself up for smoother financial management.

Make Accounting Work for You

When your accounting system fits your needs, everything becomes easier to manage. You don’t have to be an expert to get this right. A few solid habits can change the way you run your business.

Simple Bookkeeping Tips

Begin with a solid foundation, and your journey will become smoother. Here are some simple tips:

Stay Organized: Set aside time each week to look at your numbers. It’s easier to catch issues early than to dig through months of transactions later.

Use good software : QuickBooks and Xero give you tools that make day-to-day bookkeeping less manual. Automating invoicing and tracking expenses frees up your time.

Separate Accounts: Keep business and personal spending apart. It protects your records and makes tax time cleaner.

These small steps create real stability. They also give you a clearer picture of how your business is doing.

Build Better Processes

Adapting the right processes can make a huge difference. The key is to eliminate unnecessary steps and focus on what truly matters.

Automate Repetitive Tasks:  Set up recurring invoices and automatic bill payments. It cuts down on manual tasks and avoids missed deadlines

Regular Reconciliation:  Match your bank statements with your bookkeeping records. Doing this monthly ensures accuracy and prevents surprises.

Review Financial Statements:  A monthly check-in helps you understand where your money is coming from and where it’s going. It also helps you spot waste, including subscriptions you no longer need. If you want guidance on trimming those costs, you can read more here: https://www.booksla.com/the-benefits-of-canceling-unnecessary-subscriptions/

Clients often tell me they’re surprised by how much clarity they get when these routines become part of their month. Check out this guide for more insights.

Make the Most of Cloud Tools

Cloud accounting lets you access your books wherever you are. It also reduces errors and speeds up your workflow. If you haven’t switched yet, it’s worth considering.

QuickBooks Setup Made Easy

QuickBooks can look intimidating at first, but once it’s set up properly, it works in your favor.

Pick the right plan. : Your business size and needs determine what features you actually need.

Customize Your Invoices:  Clean, branded invoices send a strong message about your professionalism.

Connect Your Accounts:  Syncing your bank and credit card accounts removes most of the manual data entry.

A proper setup makes day-to-day bookkeeping faster and more accurate.

Benefits of Xero Accounting

Xero is another strong option for small businesses. A lot of owners appreciate its simple layout and real-time updates.

Cloud-Based Access:  You can log in from any device and stay connected to your numbers.

Real-Time Updates:  You always see the most current information.

User-Friendly Interface:  Even if you’re new to accounting tools, Xero is approachable.

Switching to Xero can offer significant advantages in managing your accounts efficiently. For more on Xero’s benefits, explore this post.

Both QuickBooks and Xero can support your growth. The key is picking the system that matches your workflow.

Strong Financial Management Matters

Good bookkeeping is only one piece of the puzzle. The right financial habits give you the information you need to make smart decisions.

Accounting Support for Small Business Owners

For small business owners, finding reliable accounting solutions is crucial. Professional help can take a lot of pressure off your plate.

Outsource with intention: A skilled bookkeeper or accountant helps you stay compliant and gives you clean, reliable numbers.

Use cloud tools as part of your system:  Leverage tools like QuickBooks and Xero to keep your financial data accurate and accessible.

Regular Consultations:  Schedule meetings with your accountant to stay on top of changes and updates in your financial landscape.

With these solutions, you can achieve financial clarity and focus on what you do best.

Manage Your Money with Confidence

Effective financial management goes beyond simple record-keeping; it’s about strategic planning and smart decision-making.

Set Clear Goals:  Define financial objectives and create a roadmap to reach them. This clarity guides your business decisions effectively.

Monitor Cash Flow:  Regularly tracking cash flow helps prevent shortages and ensures operational stability.

Adopt Financial Forecasting:  Predict future revenues and expenses to make informed strategic choices.

By adopting these solutions, you empower your business to navigate financial challenges with confidence.

Simplifying your bookkeeping gives you space to focus on what you’re building. With the right tools, clean systems, and support when you need it, your financial management becomes a strength, not a stress point.

If you ever want help setting any of this up, that’s precisely what I do every day at Books LA.

Jelena Arkula, The Founder | Books LA, Inc.

The Benefits of Canceling Unnecessary Subscriptions

Savings by cancelling unnecessary subscriptionsIn today’s digital world, it’s almost too easy to start a new subscription for various products and services.

But if you find yourself with too many subscriptions or subscriptions you no longer use, it may be time to consider canceling them. Not only can canceling unnecessary subscriptions help save you money, but the same amount can be re-invested in other areas that will benefit your life.

Let’s look at why canceling those unnecessary subscriptions can be beneficial.

Save Money

The most apparent benefit of canceling an unnecessary subscription is: SAVING MONEY.

You can free up extra cash to spend on other things by reducing your monthly payments. These could include paying down debt more quickly, investing in a retirement fund, or even splurging on something special for yourself.

Reduce Clutter

There is an emotional element to having too many subscriptions as well. Too often, we sign up for something (we think) we need and then forget about it until another payment is taken from our bank account each month. If this happens often enough, it can leave us feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with all the clutter in our physical and digital lives. Canceling unnecessary subscriptions can help reduce this clutter and bring back a sense of control over our finances.

Re-Invest Your Savings

While saving money is one way to benefit from reducing your number of subscriptions, there are plenty of other ways to positively re-invest those newfound funds into your life.

Think about what matters most: Is it building an emergency fund? Paying off debt? Investing in stocks or mutual funds? Or maybe you want to take classes for professional development or travel more often? Whatever your goal, taking the savings from canceled subscriptions and putting them towards something that matters will bring much greater rewards than simply having fewer monthly payments taken out of your account each month.

Canceling unnecessary subscriptions isn’t just about saving money; it’s also about reinvesting those savings into something meaningful for yourself and your future goals. It can also help reduce clutter, allowing you to feel more in control of your finances and life.

So take some time to review which services are essential and which are not—you might find yourself with some extra cash each month that you could use for something far more rewarding!

We Can Help!

Schedule a call today!When is the perfect time to take action? Now!

As we enter the New Year, it is a perfect time to cancel those unnecessary subscriptions, save .. and get a handle on the finances from the start of the year.

We are happy to help with your books for the previous or current year. Whatever needs you might have, we are here to help!

 

 

 

Founder, Books LA Jelena Arkula, founder and principal of Books LA, is on a mission to streamline custom Bookkeeping Services and Cloud Accounting to individuals and small businesses, making their lives better and quality of time more manageable.

 

Cloud Accounting with Xero and QuickBooks Online

Cloud Accounting with Xero and QBO (QuickBooks Online) 

If you have been struggling with balance in your business then maybe cloud accounting software is right for you.

Using accounting software should not be a dreaded chore. In the past it has not been uncommon to find yourself frustrated and dealing with a tedious issue within your accounting software. With cloud accounting software it is far less hassle and a lot easier to use. Your business runs faster, and your days go a lot smoother too.

This is software that is meant to simplify your life while amplifying your business. When you work with the cloud it is offering you a more comprehensive view of all of your finances. Cloud accounting software offers you a better understanding of where you are at financially, as well as what is working and what isn’t. Ultimately, it offers you far better communications with the rest of your team.

The crazy thing is that though small business seems to have been the ones needing comprehensive cloud software the most, it was unavailable. Not anymore. Xero and QuickBooks Online work wonderfully for small businesses.

Please note that QuickBooks online is not the same as QuickBooks Desktop. 

Cloud accounting software is not like the desktop programs that literally sucked your energy and time from the workday. Cloud accounting software makes it all far more effortless saving not only frustration, but also saving you money and time.

Take internet banking for an example; each time that you remotely connect to the data you are in fact using a cloud. It is so simple you do not even think about it, and it is so dependable that you know at the click of the button the information you are looking for or commend you need to execute will be done. Then you move on about your day. All of the complication is removed and you have peace of mind. That is much the same concept as QBO and Xero. Hassle free peace of mind that is what you have with the cloud.

Security, Security, Security! 

You do not have to worry about your information being compromised. The security within the cloud is top notch. Your data is safely stored, and there are layers of security in place protecting it. Unless someone has your log in information this information is 100% safe. Nothing is stored on your hard drive, so it is impossible to access your date for someone without the information to do so.

If there is a fire or some natural disaster all won’t be lost as it would being stored on your desk top. There is no downtime. All of your information will be neatly and accurately stored in the cloud for the next time you need to access it from your mobile device or computer. All you need is an internet connection and you are good to go.

Another nice feature is that you can control what other users see. Once you approve another user you get to set the privacy levels. That is added peace of mind for many small business owners who would not otherwise be able to allow access to the accounting platforms. Now these owners can get the help they need with accounting so that they can attend to the things that make their days more productive.

This software offers you flexibility, and it is always in real time. Updates are done a lot faster, and you are able to do more remotely hence freeing up your time.

Both Xero and QBO are great for small businesses. Both have several different size and feature variations so that you can customize your cloud accounting to your business’s needs. Both are relatively inexpensive and very dependable.

Your business can work faster and smarter with the utilization of cloud accounting software. When everything is considered it is an investment that just makes sense.

Why Xero?

Why Xero?

Xero is a new kid on the block in small business accounting, and it is becoming a staple in the industry fast! Accounting is essential for small businesses, but the past user interfaces has been less than desirable not to mention boring!

Co-founder and lead designer at Xero, Philip Fierlinger, stated that “Accounting used to be this thing that you did retroactively, “In the past, at the end of the year, your financial adviser could tell you ‘Oh man, things really went sour six months ago; This hindsight is nearly useless, but When you can do something about it as it’s happening–that’s the really important thing.”

Xero has revved up the user interface to make it easier and les monotonous. This is a web based “cloud” design that also keeps your data much safer from thieves and in the event of a fire or other natural disaster. Xero offers real time results, so you are not left wondering where you stand financially.

The web based approach that Xero utilizes allows the users that you have selected to view the same numbers all in real time. This means a lot less hassle. You set the privacy filters, so others only see what you want them too. Collaboration is easier, and it frees you up for other things too! This has made accounting easier and far more covenant.

A huge plus is that all of the bank accounts are viewable in one place! Not only your bank accounts, but your credit card balances too! This may seem like a simple change, but to anyone who has ever worked with the old desktop software knows this is a huge benefit.

You can now take pictures of your receipts and file them as expenses immediately. Invoices are also now able to be sent straight away. This amazing cloud software is working with map integration, so it knows the clients address so you do not have to hunt that information down. It makes contacting those who owe you money a heck of a lot easier, and it helps to prevent people from giving you false contact information too.

Like Co-Founder of Xero, Fierlinger, says “it’s all about cash flow.”

Security is top notch with Xero. Testing has been done to make sure that you information is never compromised. Everything is safely stored to the cloud, and only people with your log in information can access it. Again, you adjust user’s settings according to what you want them to be able to see. So this is customizable to meet your needs as a business owner.

The dash board id amazing, the entire platform is so user friendly and the real time collaboration beats Xero’s competitors hands down. Reporting is accurate, in real time and thorough. You simply cannot imagine the time this will save you to focus on aspects concerning your business.

Xero has also focused on being compatible with a number of different business software programs. You will not run into the compatibility issues that you have in the past with Xero, because it is user and program friendly. It is also leaning towards a more mobile friendly interface.

Trying Xero for your small business accounting needs just makes sense, and when you think about the affordability it is the best and only choice!

And here is one important detail. Xero and QBO are both improving daily, mostly because they both listen to the consumers and are working very hard to have you or gain you as a fan and a client. The competition is very healthy, but the clear winner is YOU!

What is Hubdoc? Why Hubdoc? And why are we so excited to be a part of their prestigious list?

For the past year we have been praising Hubdoc and thanking them for existing every step of the way. Chances are, if your company hired Books LA for your bookkeeping needs, you most likely know what Hubdoc is and how is it benefiting your business.

Hubdoc became a part of the everyday workflow and frankly, we don’t see that changing any time soon!

So, you might ask why Hubdoc and why are we so excited to be a part of the awesome group of TOP 50 accounting and bookkeeping practices for 2015… well, here are few reasons why we LOVE HUBDOC and why have we made this great app A MUST in our bookkeeping process:

  • Instead of logging in into your bank and pulling one by one PDF of the bank statements, then going back and searching for the check, clicking on images and pulling the PDF to send it over to your bookkeeper.. or pulling the deposit images and checks and saving those by the date and not by the funky long string file name, or figuring it out how to name the file… Then sending the documents via email (please don’t) or sharing them over Google Drive, Dropbox, Box where its still very hard to sort them out…

Solution: Log into the Hubdoc, click on the account linked in Hubdoc sorted by the last 4 digits, click on the sub folder called checks, deposits, statements… All PDFs are there, in order, by date, just images.. and ready for viewing with just one click. Done!

  • Let’s say you are looking for an invoice for a purchase made through Amazon more then a few months ago. Or there is a Uber receipt that you would like to find, but there are so may of them and now its hard to filter them out. Or maybe there is a cell phone bill you would like to see. Well, most likely you would log in to the site in question, go through the recent purchases and receipts, try to locate the one, save as PDF and send it to the bookkeeper, or forward via email.

Solution: Log into the Hubdoc, link the Amazon’s, Uber’s… chances are, if you have a user name and password for the account, the accounts will link into Hubdoc. If the account is not yet available to be linked (recently I haven’t found one yet, but there still are few), let Hubdoc’s awesome support know which one account is missing and they will work on it to bring the account over. They are just awesome like that!

  • Let’s say you have  cash receipt for a parking, or have a restaurant receipt that you accidentally used personal account for. So usually you would have kept the receipt in your car for a long time, and the chances are the ink will fade or you will forget who where you with at the lunch or what was it for?

Solution: Open up a Hubdoc app, snap a picture of the receipt (maybe even write down a name of the business contact of the lunch or confirm the dollar amount for the parking that isn’t maybe that visible) an the receipt is there – accounted for!

Those are just few tips, and we didn’t even touch  how Hubdoc can push the PDF copies (backup) over to QBO or Xero.

The Hubdoc cost is just $20/month, but we gladly include a Hubdoc subscription for our Simple and Full level clients.

You Books LA Team

ScanSnap to the rescue!

Mission: HON 4 drawer lateral filing cabinet – to Scan Snap Cloud


Mission Accomplished!

ix100-model

ScanSnap IX100

I was introduced to a ScanSnap IX100 at the QB Connect ’15 in San Jose and was blown away by the quality, speed, simplicity and design of that small but mighty powerful scanner. And that scanner was the only thing I needed in the past year! If I was to receive any documents, or receipts, I would just push the document through the scanner, regardless of the size, and would get a quality document that would be easily extracted by PDF2XL software.

 

Earlier in the Spring of 2016 I was made aware that the building next door (or should I be more specific and say – 6 yards away) will be tearing down and the new and improved 5 stories high building will be built in its place. What that meant was that I will lose that little sunlight I had in my office. And that is if I am able to endure the contraction noise just a few feet away for at least 12 months.  That was the idea, I needed to be strong and tune out the noise.

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ScanSnap IX500

Well, that is way easier said than done!  The office was located in the building that wasn’t soundproof /at all/ anyhow, and the vibrations alone became unbearable. The only option I had was moving! And that was not in my plan. The summer was supposed to be fun, my stepdaughter was coming for a summer, and that would be her first time to the US. I was all in the plans of what we will do once she is here. Moving wasn’t on the agenda. However, shortly after the construction started I released that NOT moving wasn’t on the new agenda either.

So, we quickly found a new place and were set to move last week of June 2016. My husband flew back to LA with his daughter just a few days before we were supposed to move. The new place was great except that my HON 4 drawer lateral filing cabinet could not fit into my new office. It was full of old papers and old documents that I might need some day. The files in the filing cabinet were there well before we implemented 100% could policy in Books LA.

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Those boxes look much smaller on the pictures! The boxes were huge!

 

One thing I had in mind was – ScanSnap!

In May 2016 I was at the Scaling New Heights Conference.  As the luck would

have it, I was a lucky winner of the #ScanSnap IX500 Contest!  Scaling New Heights Conference was amazing, but winning my new #IX500 was a cherry on the top! ScanSnap IX500 was coming to my rescue at the right moment.

 

My plan was, once we move to a new location, to have the scanning party time with my 13-year-old stepdaughter. And to scan the documents from the 4 drawers to my #ScanSnap cloud.

The plan was to have the whole project done in 4 weeks, one per each drawer.

That WAS the plan!

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ScanSnap Fujitsu Contest winning selfie!

 

Well, that didn’t happen! What happened was – I should have known that my step daughter would

rather watch Pretty Little Liars than help me (with pay – using #TSheets and all) in the office. OK, noted! #LearnedMyStepMomLesson!

 

So, I approached the task at hand and had a bit of anxiety at the beginning. I had 3 extra-large boxes of files, a will, and my ScanSnap IX500. All that and the goal of 4 weeks – start to finish

 

Fast forward 3 weeks later!

(yes, JUST 3 weeks!!)

 

Files- gone! Boxes – Gone!

ScanSnap IX500 – visible and sitting decluttered on my desk, getting some rest.

ScanSnap is the best scanner out there! Quality is amazing, the interface is super simple, and the design is really cool!scansnap

A month after I have finished my project, I was visiting a client of mine. Just the day before my visit, we were on the phone, and he was telling me how much he dislikes his regular scanner. Talk about scanning 26 pages of one bill, and scanning only one side of the document at the time, since the scanner they had in the office have had an issue with scanning double-sided documents. And then scanning the other side of the 26-page document, just to combine the two PDF’s in one! Ouch!

I was sure that they might have more bills and documents for scanning so I took my IX500 and went the next day to their office. That 26-page document was scanned within 35 sec – BOTH SIDES! And the quality was that good, the data was easily extracted by the PDF2XL Enterprise.  The rest of the bills were scanned within 10 minutes – ALL OF THEM! My client was that impressed that they immediately ordered one for their office. What a saver!

 

What have I learned from this project?

  1. Scanning can be fun!
  2. Scanning with ScanSnap IX100 is all you need for the cloud, BUT:
  3. Scanning with ScanSnap IX500 is way easier for the larger projects and offices!
  4. Scanning is not fun for a 13-year-old
  5. Shredding IS super fun project for a 13-year-old, and that is easily accomplished by finishing the:
  6. Task of scanning a HON lateral 4-drawer filing cabinet is so doable and easy!
  7. Life is way easier without the papers around!
  8. Bookkeepers life is way easier when the 4-drawer filing cabinet CAN be searched with CTRL+F
  9. And, I can’t wait for the ScanSnap Hubdoc integration

scansnap_logo

Again, THANK YOU ScanSnap! Thank you, Fujitsu!

 

*Fujitsu has 3 other models – Comparison grid can be found here

Are you ready to file W-2’s and 1099’s by the new deadline?

Upcoming changes – Deadline to file 1099’s and W-2’s

Did you know that beginning with 2016 forms, the employees must file by a new deadline?
– W2’s is to be filed by January 31, 2017 – e-file, mail, employee copy, agency copy… Regardless! The forms are now due by January 31, 2017. Simple as that!
– Deadline to file 1099’s is changing as well, but not for all filings. If your business will be filling a 1099’s and reporting amounts in BOX 7 (Nonemployee compensation) – the new deadline is also January 31, 2017 – -e-filing, mailing, recipient – deadline for all is January 31, 2017. However, 1099’s with no Box 7 reporting are still due by February 28, 2017 by mail, or March 31, 2017 by e-filing

Solution:

– Have your books updated and completed by the end of the year, and be ready for the deadline in January 2017. It’s always a good idea to update the financials on monthly basis. By updating the books on the regular basis, you will have a way better understanding of your business performance and can plan your future success.
– Use payroll service. We highly recommend Gusto. With a very reasonable monthly fee your forms will be distributed and filed on time. No need to stress.

 

Intuit published and article on this subject :

Beginning 2017 IRS changes W-2 & 1099 filing deadlines

 

Tax season is upon us! Let’s get ready!

Meal and Entertainment – Travel meals – Employee meals – Office parties

What is the difference? Is there a difference? Why does it matter?

Mike Russo, from Less Taxing Services, LLC wrote a good, entertaining and clear guide when in comes to meals and the deduction parentage.

 

“When I talk to clients about the need for professionals being involved in their finances, I describe a box of donuts.

That simple box of donuts can be coded 10 different ways (another group came up with 11 or 12, but I can’t find that list…some of them were WAY off the wall, though, so we’ll stick with 10). Once coded, the donuts could then show up on at least 7 different tax forms. (Schedule C, 1120, 1120S, 1065, 990, Form 2106 and Schedule A)

It’s never as simple as just buying a box of donuts.

 

– No Deduction – I buy a box of donuts and eat the whole thing while in town at my tax home. (Note, this would be 50% deductible if you were out of town traveling for business.)

– 50% Deductible Business Expense – I buy a box of donuts and share them with the 10 people in my first sales meeting of the day

– 50% Deductible Non-Reimbursed Employee Expense – Same as above, but now I’m an employee and my employer requires me to supply food in my business meetings but doesn’t reimburse me for it. (While this is still 50% deductible, it’s an itemized deduction and won’t even begin to count until you’ve crossed the threshold of 2% of your income.)

– 100% Deductible Business Expense – I buy a box of donuts, takes them to my first sales call and leave them in their lobby by the coffee for all to enjoy…even people off the street.

– 100% Deductible Non-Reimbursed Employee Expense – Same as above, but now I’m an employee and my employer requires me to supply food in my business meetings but doesn’t reimburse me for it. (While this is still 50% deductible, it’s an itemized deduction and won’t even begin to count until you’ve crossed the threshold of 2% of your income.)

– 80% Deductible Business Expense – I buy a box of donuts that I use as breakfast and lunch while driving my big rig across the country. (I’m subject to DOT rules.)

– 80% Deductible Non-Reimbursed Employee Expense – Same as above, but now I’m an employee and my employer don’t have any provision for meals while I drive. (While this is still 50% deductible, it’s an itemized deduction and won’t even begin to count until you’ve crossed the threshold of 2% of your income.)

– 100% Deductible Personally – I buy a box of donuts and donate them to the church bake sale. (This is deductible, but it’s only on the personal return…even if you did this for a Corp, it would still pass through to the shareholders and wouldn’t be deductible at the corp level.)

– 100% Deductible as COGS – I buy a box of donuts to resell.

– 100% Deductible as an Ordinary and Necessary Business Expense – I buy a box of donuts to use as a prop during a tax talk where I discuss the ways a box of donuts can be coded. 🙂

Now, who wants a donut? :)”

 

The 33 Best Donut Shops in America –Huffington Post

Paperless Office!

If you have filled the taxes and avoided filing the extension – Congratulations!

Taxes are done, and you might think it’s too early to talk about the Tax Year 2019.
The truth is, this IS a perfect time!

Imagine its January 2020, and:

  1. Your Financial Statements are done by January 15th, 2020
  2. The 1099 MISC hare done and issued by January 15th, 2020
  3. Your expenses are easily sorted and the receipts are digitally filed
  4. You can search your entire file cabinet with CRTL+F
  5. Your desk is paper free!

It’s not mission impossible and’s not a fairytale…

But how do we achieve 1-5? By working backward!

We, at Books LA, are known to work backward, but in a good way. We imagine ourselves how would it feel without the current problem at hand, and, as we identify the advantages in the future without those problems and obstacles at hand; we build the bridge between there and here.
So, in that fashion, let’s start from the end :

Step 5: Your desk is paper free!

If you glance at your desk now, what will you see? Notes? Bills? Statement? Mail?
Now, imagine you are done for today and are walking into your home. Is there a pile of papers somewhere in your home that needs to be looked at-filled-away-addressed?

So, now what?

ScanSnap to the rescue!
Help yourself, and grab ix1500. That is Fujistu’s own ScanSnap (workhorse) ix1500.
Plug it in, connect the USB to any PC or Mac, follow the simple instructions, and within 10 minutes or so, scan your first page(or receipt).
ScanSnap will use the AI and save the files (double scanned regardless of the same and sizes) and name the files by default, by reading the name of the document, date, amount…
All you have to do is to feed that workhorse and let it scan all.
Continue doing so, until every paper in sight is scanned*.

Step 4: You can search your entire file cabinet with CRTL+F

Sometime later you recall seeing a bill from Blue Shield or Blue Cross or Amex Blue… and want to take a look at it. All you need to do is open your ScanSnap Document Organizer, and in the search field you start typing “blue” and you watch as the documents are instantly filtered by “b”, then “bl”, then “blu” and “blue” and you pull that bill. Once you are done looking at it, you recall that you are mesmerized by instant search and you try to search for other bills too… Verizon, AT&T, ATT, DWP…
All your bills are searchable – ALL OF THEM!!!

Step 3: Your expenses are easily sorted and the receipts are digitally filed

Even though the bills are searchable, now we take it a step further and connect ScanSnap with Hubdoc, Dropbox, Google Drive…
By doing so, AI will help us determine the type of expenses.

Take it a step further and train your ScanSnap ix1500 and software of your choice to always recognize and sort the expenses and bills. That way, you can easily ‘push’ the receipts as a match to existing transactions and attach them into the accounting software of your choice, or add them bills to pay them via Bill.com.
So, any receipts that you might have from more than 6 months ago, that were printed on a thermal printer are now starting to fade. But yours won’t fade! Yours are now digital and readable! Those receipts are very much visible AND USABLE inside ScanSnap and other software of your choice.

Step 4 AND Step 5: Your Financial Statements are done by January 15th, 2020 and The 1099 MISC hare done and issued by January 15th, 2020

Yes, we saved that much time and were able to speed up the process so we combined two tasks into one.
Like any good bookkeeper, we are not going to say that AI will do everything for you. We are still a bit far from that day, but that day is coming.
Until then – here is where we are :

Your paper receipts are a thing of the past. Any paper that you see should be scanned and OCR’d (searchable) by a ScanSnap software
Let the data be extracted. There is absolutely no need for data entry. Let’s avoid the typos and allow the AI to fill and complete the data.
Pay close attention to data management. This is where the human is very much present and needed. This is where we, as bookkeepers, are needed and use our knowledge to the fullest. (i.e. loan payments splits, asset or expense qualifications, equity contribution vs income…. Just to name a few)
Review, review, review. Here at Books LA, we have a once-a-month meeting with our clients where we go over the current report and plan ahead. We also review quarterly and YTD reports as we go.
Therefore, once January arrives, all we have to do is do a final check. That’s why we CAN be done by January 15th

After you have scanned all your receipts, you are most likely to come across quite a few cash receipts. If you are like 95% of us, those receipts are usually forgotten about and rarely counted for at the year end, right?
On average, there are about 4 cash receipts per month, ranging between $6-$12 each, and some are even over $20. If we tally the total spent, on average, is between $288 and $576.
Now, by using a Fujitsu’s ScanSnap ix1500 to capture those receipts, your ScanSnap paid for itself within the first year or two. But, here is a $50 rebate as well! 

 

*This might seem like a tall order but wait until you are at your last piece of paper.  If you are slightly similar to me, you will be searching for papers to scan and be sad when you can’t find any. You are welcome!

Ever wondered how much does it cost to hire an employee?

We are often asked what is the difference between the Independent Contractor and an employee. Often times employers are turned off by hiring an employee due to the cost. However, engaging an independent contractor that is actually classified as an employee can we very costly and usually involves additional audit, accounting and sometimes legal fees when addressed the misclassification few year later.

 

Our partner Gusto wrote a really good article about the difference an how to classify to either a new hire or a new contract.

The main difference is :

An employee:
  • Works at a specific time and place set by you, the employer
  • Generally works for just one company
  • May receive training
  • Uses your tools or other work-related resources
  • Is subject to a large degree of control by you
  • Is generally paid a salary or hourly wage
Why does it matter? Because employees…
  • Often receive employment benefits
  • Are subject to financial deductions such as income tax and Social Security tax, among others
  • May join a union
  • Are often protected by state and federal law for overtime and employment discrimination issues
An independent contractor:
  • Can work whenever and sometimes wherever they’d like
  • Can work for multiple companies
  • Usually trains on their own
  • Uses their own tools and resources
  • Controls their own method of work
  • Is often (but not always) paid by the project or on a flat-fee basis
Why does it matter? Because contractors…
  • Do not normally receive employment benefits
  • Pay their own self-employment tax and are not subject to other withholdings
  • May not join a union
  • Generally do not receive overtime or protection for employment discrimination

 

So regardless of the cost, the businesses should always follow the rules and the law, when determining the difference.

Employee Cost Calculator by Intuit

However, if you are just wondering what would be the cost alone, here is a really cool tool that our partner Intuit created to help us along.

Employee Cost Calculator

 

 

With this tool, you can plan better, and have a very good idea how will the new hire effect your budget. But the decision if you should hire or contract out should be made solely based on the type of the relationship, and not on the cost!