As a small business owner you have more important things to do than to keep your own books. We take care of your books for you, so you can get back to the job of running your business and generating profits!
Small Business Accounting
As a small business owner you have more important things to do than to keep your own books. We take care of your books for you, so you can get back to the job of running your business and generating profits!
These tasks form the solid foundation of your small business accounting system. You can customize the package of services you receive by adding payroll, tax planning, tax preparation, or any of our other services.
Bank Reconciliation
Reconciling your business checking account each month allow us to keep your bank account, accounting, and taxes up-to-date.
Having us reconcile your account each month allows you to...
- Identify lost checks, lost deposits and unauthorized wire transactions.
- Detect and prevent excess/unjustified bank charges and ensures transactions are posted correctly by your bank.
- Detect and prevent embezzlement of funds from within your company.
- Know how your business is doing? You can't really know unless all accounts are reconciled and properly accounted for on your financial statement.
- Manage your cash more effectively. Proper management of funds not only saves money, it makes money for you.
- Protect yourself. By timely reconciling and promptly objecting to your bank about any unauthorized, fraudulent or forged checks presented to your bank and paid by that bank, you can relieve your agency of responsibility for the shortfall and transfer the risk to the bank. This reason to reconcile alone should be enough. Crime exists.
- Sleep Better. You will sleep more peacefully at night knowing your bank accounts are reconciled, in balance and that all escrow funds, accounts, checks and disbursed funds are properly accounted for.
Income Statement
An income statement, otherwise known as a profit and loss statement, basically adds an itemized list of all your revenues and subtracts an itemized list of all your expenses to come up with a profit or loss for the period.
An income statement allows you to...
- Track revenues and expenses so that you can determine the operating performance of your business.
- Determine what areas of your business are over-budget or under-budget.
- Identify specific items that are causing unexpected expenditures. Like phone, fax, mail, or supply expenses.
- Track dramatic increases in product returns or cost of goods sold as a percentage of sales.
- Determine your income tax liability.
Balance Sheet
A balance sheet gives you a snapshot of your business' financial condition at a specific moment in time.
A balance sheet helps you...
- Quickly get a handle on the financial strength and capabilities of your business.
- Identify and analyze trends, particularly in the area of receivables and payables. For example, if your receivables cycle is lengthening, maybe you can collect your receivables more aggressively.
- Determine if your business is in a position to expand.
- Determine if your business can easily handle the normal financial ebbs and flows of revenues and expenses?
- Determine if you need to take immediate steps to bolster cash reserves?
- Determine if your business has been slowing down payables to forestall an inevitable cash shortage?
Balance sheets, along with income statements, are the most basic elements in providing financial reporting to potential lenders such as banks, investors, and vendors who are considering how much credit to grant you.
Maintaining a Clean General Ledger
The general ledger is the core of your company's financial records. These records constitute the central "books" of your system. Since every transaction flows through the general ledger, a problem with your general ledger throws off all your books.
Having us review your general ledger system each month allows us to hunt down any discrepancies such as double billings or any unrecorded payments. Then we'll fix the discrepancies so your books are always accurate and kept in tip top shape.
Payroll
When it comes to paying employees, laws and the IRS have made the payroll function a time consuming nightmare for the small business owner.
Small business owners spend an average of eight hours a month performing payroll functions. That's 12 full days a year that could be spent generating sales, prospecting new business opportunities, improving products or services, or servicing customers.
We offer payroll solutions that meet your business's needs and enable you to spend time doing what you do best--running your company.
Why Outsource Your Payroll...
- It's Cost Effective
Use your staff more efficiently by letting us handle payroll and the associated legal details. Reduce overhead by removing the need to hire specialized employees.
- It's a Time Saver
Our payroll service eliminates the burden of customizing, updating and maintaining your own payroll system--no more data entry, no more researching updates or new laws, no more worries.
- Worry Free Payroll Tax Filing
Eliminate the risks of calculating and filing your own payroll taxes by having professionals do it for you. Federal, state and local payroll tax laws are frequently changing and becoming more complex. How much time do you want to spend learning all the rules and keeping your information up to date?
- Allows You To Focus On Core Competencies
Our professional staff allow you to focus on the core competencies of your business. We are accounting professionals--you get the experts working for you and with you.
- Comprehensive Reports
You get a wide variety of user-friendly and accurate payroll reports. For a nominal fee, we will include union reports, certified payroll, workers' compensation reports and much more.
Get the Payroll Solution That Best Fits Your Needs.
We know that when it comes to payroll service - no one size fits all. That's why we offer the following 3 custom payroll processing options.
1. Comprehensive Payroll Services
Our Comprehensive Payroll Service takes care of all of the payroll processing for you, so that you won't have to. You get...
- Your payroll checks prepared and printed on-time, every-time.
- All of your payroll checks are laser printed on "blank" check stock to ensure maximum security and meet the micro encoding standards as set forth by the Federal Reserve System.
- Direct Deposits for qualified employers-call for details.
- Worry Free IRS and State tax reporting as well as EFTPS tax deposits.
- User friendly, and easy to understand monthly, quarterly, and annual payroll tax reports, including W-2, W-3 and 1099 forms.
- Detailed reports on your employee's vacation, sick days, and personal days accruals.
- Creation and filing of the required new hire reports
- Your payroll records maintained in tip top shape.
2. After-the-Fact-Payroll Services
We will take your manually-prepared payroll records and other payroll information and post this information to our data files, so you get...
- Worry Free IRS and State tax reporting as well as EFTPS tax deposits.
- User friendly, and easy to understand monthly, quarterly, and annual payroll tax reports, including W-2, W-3 and 1099 forms.
- Detailed reports on your employee's vacation, sick days, and personal days accruals.
- Creation and filing of the required new hire reports
- Your payroll records maintained in tip top shape.
3. Online Payroll Processing
You can enter your employee's hours and earnings securely online and get...
- The ability to instantly print payroll checks on your own printer.
- Direct Deposits for qualified employers-call for details.
- Worry Free IRS and State tax reporting as well as EFTPS tax deposits.
- User friendly, and easy to understand monthly, quarterly, and annual payroll tax reports, including W-2, W-3 and 1099 forms.
- Detailed reports on your employee's vacation, sick days, and personal days accruals.
- Creation and filing of the required new hire reports
- Your payroll records maintained in tip top shape.
Custom Payroll Reports Service
There seems to be an endless amount of special reports government agencies require. We can prepare the following reports for you.
- Worker's Compensation Audits
- W-2 and W-3 processing
- 1099 and 1096 processing
- Preparation/assistance with Federal and State registration forms
Cash Flow Management
A wise business owner once said, "Happiness is a positive cash flow." As a business owner, I'm sure you agree. Everything is better when your cash-in exceeds your cash-out.
A cash crisis can be emotionally devastating and it can even kill your business. If you've ever had to beg, borrow and steal to cover tomorrow's payroll you know what I mean.
Our cash management service allows you to...
know when, where, and how your cash needs will occur.
know what the best sources are for meeting your additional cash needs.
- be prepared to meet these needs when they occur, by keeping good relationships with bankers and other creditors.
The starting point for avoiding a cash crisis is allowing us to develop a cash flow projection for you. We can help you develop both short-term (weekly, monthly) cash flow projections to help you manage daily cash, and long-term (annual, 3-5 year) cash flow projections to help you develop the necessary capital strategy to meet your business needs.
We also prepare historical cash flow statements to help you gain an understanding about where all the money went.
Creating an accurate cash flow projection is just one of the many cash management services we provide. You also get...
Help obtaining an appropriate line of credit
Cash collection acceleration techniques
Proven effective collection policies
Proven effective payment policies
- Help obtaining the maximum rate of return on your idle cash
Business Financing
Need money to grow your business?
Requesting a business loan without adequate preparation sends a clear message to the lender: High Risk! Therefore, it pays to be prepared and organized in your approach for financing.
Put your best foot forward by allowing us to prepare a winning loan proposal for you. Our proposals have a high likelihood of success because they're created from the lender's perspective.
You get the money you need because we know exactly what lenders want to see. Even more importantly, we know how to prove to them that you'll be able to pay them back.
Our winning loan proposals come complete with...
Executive Summary: Where we concisely state the purpose of the loan, the exact amount of money required, an explanation of what the loan will be used for and why it's needed.
Pro-forma Cash Budgets and Financial Statements: We use your data and underlying assumptions to prepare information that your lender can easily read and buy in to.
Owner's Personal Financial Statements: We make copies of the last 3 years of personal tax returns for the lender as well as identify the collateral being pledged as security for the loan.
- Representation: We help substantiate your financial needs/position to your lender in person.
Succession Planning
If you own a family business, retirement isn't simply a matter of deciding not to go into the office anymore. You've got some critical questions to answer like...
"What happens to the business when you're no longer running it?" and
"Will you have enough money to retire?"
The family dynamic complicates the whole transition because of the relationships and emotions involved. Most people are not comfortable discussing topics such as aging, death, and financial affairs.
Comfortable or not, succession planning should be a priority for any family business considering that more than seven out of ten family-owned businesses fail to survive the transition from founder to second generation, typically falling prey either to estate taxes or family discord - or both.
Developing and implementing a well-designed succession plan is essential to the survival of a family business from one generation to the next.
We help you with these key issues -
Keeping it in the family. Are you going to pass the business on to your family or sell it to a third party? We help you weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each of these options.
Who's going to run the business when you're gone? Management and ownership are not one and the same. You may decide to transfer management of your business to just one of your children but transfer equal shares of business ownership to all your children, whether they're actively involved in the business or not.
Minimizing the tax bite. The tax burden when transitioning a family business can be significant. The challenge is that a family business is not generally a liquid asset, but taxes are typically due when ownership is transferred.
- Making it fair. Transferring family ownership often adds a tremendous amount of stress to individual family members. We talk with each of the family members to ensure that they feel they a getting an equitable and fair share of the pie.
What we do for you...
Once we understand how you feel about the key issues above, we begin constructing your succession plan focusing on these 5 issues...
Business Valuation
Business Restructuring
Tax Consequences
Retirement Projections
- Tax Projections
New Business Formation
Thinking of owning your own business?
Opening your own business is exciting and thrilling. It's everything that comes after the excitement and thrill has worn off that dictates whether a small business will make it or not. It's up to you to maintain and stretch out the "thrill and excitement" period forever.
A methodical plan of action is needed to fulfill your dream or goal of being your own boss and running a successful business. Success lies in the approach you choose to take. We help you avoid the common pitfalls that many new small business owners make when starting their new venture.
We help you...
Prepare an initial business plan to clarify your marketing, management, and financial plans.
Determine your start-up capital needs.
Identify sources of start-up capital and backup sources if needed.
Evaluate and quantify your borrowing power so you know how much money you can get your hands on if needed.
Select a business structure that best fits your needs by evaluating tax advantages, legal exposure, ease of operation and portability should you need to relocate.
Select the right accounting software by evaluating your budget, needs and hardware.
Prepare a Cash Flow Budget so you know exactly how much money you need to keep the business alive each month for the first few years. Unplanned cash requirements are always emotionally painful.
Establish billing and collection procedures to maximize your cash flow.
Establish procedures to monitor and control costs.
Setup a home office so you can maximize your tax deductions.
Prepare and file all required state and local licenses and permits.
Prepare and file your application for your Federal Employer Identification Number.
Provide payroll and payroll tax filing when you bring on your first employee.
Comply with employment laws so you don't get hit with fines and unhappy employees.
Identify your business insurance needs.
- Develop a solid Operating Agreement. This is an extremely important document for all new businesses and will help prevent a tremendous amount of financial and emotional problems down the road.
Non-Profit Organizations
We can help you and maintain your non-profit organization's tax-exempt status by handling all the IRS reporting for you.
Each year the IRS requires most tax-exempt organizations to submit the Form 990 and its relations, which includes the following items.
Income Statement with very specific revenue and expense categories like donations, salaries, postage, rent...
Balance Sheet with specific categories like cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable...
Functional Expense Statement with all the expenses allocated to either program services, fundraising, or operations.
Individual Program Expense Statement that reports all of the expenses for each program or service like seminar programs or educational mailings.
- Revenue Support Schedules that detail the organization's sources of income in specific categories like charitable donations, membership fees, investment income.
The IRS uses these very specific revenue and expense classifications to determine if your organization will retain its tax-exempt status. So it's imperative that you build your accounting system around these revenue and expense classifications.
Here's what we do for you...
Review and compile your financial statements
Design, install, and maintain your Accounting System
Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly payroll preparation
Payroll Tax Preparation and Deposits
Provide training for your accounting personnel
Complete and file your non-profit status application
Provide training for your board on non-profit financial statement usage and effective budgeting practices
Prepare and file the 990 and 990T tax forms
Prepare your initial start-up documentation, including incorporation, federal employee identification number (FEIN), and payroll setup with federal and state agencies.
- Churches: We prepare the pastoral housing allowance and other required benefit documentation to meet the complex dual status of ministers.
If you're starting a new not-for-profit organization we can help you prepare your organization's 501 (c)(3) application for tax-exempt status.
Here's what's needed...
Articles of Incorporation containing the Exempt Purpose Statement as described in IRS Code section 501(c)(3) and defined in Treasury Regulation 1.501(c)(3)-1 Paragraph d and the Dissolution Statement described in Treasury Regulation 1.501(c)(3)-1 Paragraph b subparagraph 4 ("Organizational Test").
Employer Identification Number
By-laws of the Organization
Minutes of Board Meetings
Names, Addresses, and Resumes of Board Members
Names and addresses of all Active Members
Inventory of Assets like cash, furniture, equipment, property, pledges...
Inventory of Liabilities like mortgages, accounts payable, loans...
Rent/Lease Agreements and Contracts
Revenue and Expense Statements for the last four years or as far back as possible if your organization has been in existence for less than four years.
Written Reason for Formation and History of the organization.
Organization Mission Statement or Statement of Faith or Beliefs for Churches and other Religious Organizations.
Organization Activities, Operations and Programs Documentation including your statement of purpose & operations, food programs, fundraisers, flyers/brochures/pamphlets...
Financial Support Documentation including all sources of revenue like contributions, tithes, offerings, fundraisers...
Fund Raising Program Descriptions
- IRS Processing/Filing Fee
Internal Controls
At times you may need a trained outside professional to evaluate your company's operations to determine if the appropriate controls are in place to ensure proper handling of resources and to protect yourself from employee theft.
We assess your internal control systems to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of your operating procedures. Then we make recommendations that help your company become stronger and more profitable by correcting any inefficient or ineffective operating procedures we find.
What we do for you...
- Implement segregation of duties so that duties are divided, or segregated, among different people to reduce risk of error or inappropriate actions. No one person has control over all aspects of any financial transaction.
- Make sure transactions are authorized by a person delegated approval authority when the transactions are consistent with policy and funds are available.
- Ensure records are routinely reviewed and reconciled, by someone other than the preparer or transactor, to determine that transactions have been properly processed.
- Make certain that equipment, inventories, cash and other property are secured physically, counted periodically, and compared with item descriptions shown on control records.
- Provide employees with appropriate training and guidance to ensure they have the knowledge necessary to carry out their job duties, are provided with an appropriate level of direction and supervision, and are aware of the proper channels for reporting suspected improprieties.
- Document policies and procedures and making them accessible to employees. The documented policies and procedures provide day-to-day guidance to your staff and continuation of duties in the event of prolonged employee absences or turnover.
- Review operations to ascertain whether results are consistent with established objectives and goals and whether the operations are being carried out as planned.