Simple spreadsheet accounting or accounting software package: which is best for your small business?

A critical part of running a small business is managing your accounting. Not only do you need to manage the bookkeeping – the recording and organising of your financial data such as invoicing, expenses, payments and payroll – you also need to manage your accounts – the presentation and interpretation of that financial data including preparing tax returns, generating reports and forecasts, and auditing. So, which is the best way to record your financial information if you’re a SME? Should small businesses use simple spreadsheet accounting or invest in an accounting software package?

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What does MTD Making Tax Digital mean for sole traders from 2023 – MTD for Income Tax

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self-Assessment becomes law on 6 April 2023 and aims to make tax accounting easier for businesses and individuals such as sole traders by legislating the digitalisation of tax data and submission.

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The benefits of cloud-based accounting systems for SMEs

cloud-based accounting system is a package of software that you purchase the right to use but it is stored off-site on a remote server – the cloud – rather than on your desktop.  It’s cost-effective, can be simple to use, is secure, and provides all the relevant financial information you need at a click of a button. It has been said that small and medium-sized businesses are the biggest beneficiaries of cloud accounting for all of these reasons but cloud computing is not for every business. If you have minimal transactions, for example, or you are the type of person that just isn’t tech savvy, then we would strongly recommend retaining your manual spreadsheet as it is possible to get in an accounting pickle. However, if you’re a SME with manually intensive bookkeeping requirements, you can gain real benefits from implementing a cloud accounting system. Here are a few.  

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