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Will I need an accountant to help with the business finances?

  • Writer: Norman Pringle
    Norman Pringle
  • Dec 17, 2020
  • 3 min read

Small business accounting can quickly become complex if you do it on your own. If you feel you're losing control of who owes you money and how much, an accountant can help you get back on track.

You may also want to measure key business metrics, such as the ratio of salaries and other employee payments to total revenue. An accountant can help here by managing your payroll and producing graphs so you can see how the ratio changes over time.

If your accountant uses cloud-based accounting software, they'll be able to share your business accounts with you quickly and easily. And they can produce tables and charts that will help you understand your company's current financial situation at a glance. This will help you monitor the pulse of your business and keep track of important things like cash flow.

Hire an accountant when you're ready to delegate

As a small business owner, no doubt one of the things you like best is that you have control. You can set your own working hours, craft your business strategy, regulate your workload (at least to some extent) and determine your own finances. And being the master of all of these things is a wonderful and liberating feeling.

But sometimes it can stop you from delegating. Business owners can feel overworked, partly due to a reluctance to allow other people to help out. You might feel that no one can possibly know your business as well as you do, therefore nobody can handle any part of your business as well as you can.

Inability to delegate can mean you’re left feeling overworked and stressed. At some point you will have to let go, and learn to trust other people to handle some parts of your business so that you can look after the rest.

Delegating your company's financial affairs is a good start. You need to choose the right accountant and make sure you trust them with your company's financial information. Once you've handed over your company's finances to someone more experienced in accountancy than you are, you will have more time to concentrate on other aspects of your business.

Some of the most successful business owners in the world are experts at delegating work to the right people – so try to learn from them.

Hire an accountant when you have to deal with the government

It can be daunting dealing with government paperwork when you run your own business. This is why so many small business owners hire an accountant when the first tax filing is due.

But they can also help you cope with more than just tax returns. They can help your company interact with the government in other ways.

A good accountant will be able to:

  • Complete and file the required legal and compliance documents for your business

  • Keep your company up to date with the latest tax laws

  • Prepare annual statements of accounts

  • Keep your company's status updated in the government's company register

  • Maintain records of directors and other administrative personnel

  • Organize and record share/stock allocation, such as when the business is formed, when a business partner leaves or a new partner joins

  • Handle your payroll and ensuring that all employees' tax codes and payments are recorded correctly.

Preparing your tax documents correctly could save you money – perhaps more money than your accountant charges you. And a good accountant will use their knowledge of tax laws and legislation to suggest ways you can free up cash flow, save money and raise capital for expansion.

When your company is growing, hire an accountant

Companies don't always grow at a steady rate. A new client or a big project can mean you need to grow your business more quickly than expected.

An accountant can help you handle growth transitions, such as hiring employees or taking on more office space. They'll look after the detail (payroll, employee tax management, property tax, utility payments and so on), leaving you free to look at the bigger picture of the way your business is growing.


An accountant can also use accounting software to analyze your cash flow, stock management and pricing. They can also provide insight into how to properly grow your business through financial analysis. They could even help determine when is the best time to introduce a new product or service offering to your range.






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