Every business, irrespective of size, has some accounting needs. However, financial concerns restrict small businesses from hiring an experienced accountant. While some try DIY accounting strategies, many others ignore their accounting needs.
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Both cases can lead business to greater penalties and financial losses, and at worst, can shut down your company. However, if you are outsourcing your accounting to an agency, not only do you save money, but you also get benefits from their expertise and efficiency.
This blog post shares the benefits of outsourcing your accounts to a third party and whether you should hire them.
Table of contents
- What is accounting outsourcing?
- How outsourcing accounting is beneficial for small business?
- When you should outsource accounting?
- Conclusion
What is accounting outsourcing?
Accounting outsourcing is an approach to handing over your accounting needs to an outside vendor or a third party. This can be an agency or a freelancer who will perform all necessary accounting measures on your behalf and charge you a fee for their services.
You can outsource different accounting services that help you manage finances and ensure compliance with regulations. For example, bookkeeping, tax preparation, payroll management, financial statement preparation, budgeting and forecasting, and audit support.
However, data security is the biggest concern for most businesses when hiring them. Whenever you work with a third party, you might not be sure about sharing your vital financial documents. Therefore, you must be careful in choosing a reputable agency after thorough research.
How is outsourcing accounting beneficial for small business?
You are always under time and financial pressure as a small business owner. You already have multiple tasks, from talking to vendors and customers, focusing on your product or service line, and administrative tasks to hiring employees, purchasing machines, and more.
Accounting can be difficult for you to handle, especially when you aren’t a professional. So, it’s better to outsource your accounting needs to an agency.
What is the need for outsourced accounting?
● Cost savings
Outsourcing your accounting needs offers substantial financial advantages to small businesses. Due to budget concerns, they cannot hire experienced professionals, which affects their accounting standards.
Additionally, hiring staff can be costly as you need to pay them salaries and employee benefits, invest in their training, submit payroll taxes and insurance rates, etc.
● Accurate financial management
These agencies usually work with industry experts who know about handling the finances of multiple businesses across various industries. They can understand your cash flows and record them efficiently in your books, such that you have accurate financial statements.
● Use the latest tools and technology
Accounting tools and technologies are updated regularly, but purchasing them can be costly. Even though some offer a trial period that is also for a month, which isn’t sufficient for your company.
Moreover, buying a subscription and updating your tools regularly is time-consuming and expensive. But with an agency, you don’t have to spend a penny on them, while they use the latest tools for better work quality.
● Save time
By outsourcing your accounting needs and financial operations to an agency, you can save time for core business activities. Managing your finances can be time-consuming and often takes away your essential hours from important business tasks, negatively impacting business.
These agencies work as an extension of your team and help you accurately fulfil accounting tasks.
● Ensure scalability
Your accounting needs may change as your business grows. Agencies understand your demand and have sufficient resources to fulfil your changing needs efficiently.
For example, as your business expands, your tax preparation becomes complicated, or you need additional bookkeeping services, etc. You can outsource such needs to an agency while you deal with increasing customers and closing more deals.
● Data security
While businesses worry about data security, if you are hiring a reputed agency, you can stay in peace of mind. They are responsible for keeping your financial information, or you can hold them accountable for any leakage or data breaches.
● Improved cash flow
As a small business owner, you may often face difficulties in managing your cash flow. However, an agency can help you track these incomes and expenses, forecast your future financial needs, and create budgets. This ensures you can cut unnecessary costs, look for ways to improve your revenue generation and stay prepared for future needs.
● Reduce risk
The biggest risk of accounting is a little mistake on your books can lead to fines, penalties, and legal issues. Additionally, accounting standards, tax laws, and other regulations in the UK keep changing.
You may face HMRC investigations or other legal issues if you don’t comply with these regulations. But, as you outsource accounting to an outside vendor, they keep track of such changes and ensure your company complies with them.
● Expert advice
Small businesses might make bigger financial decisions at times, like making an investment, asking for loans, starting a production line, etc. These agencies can give you valuable insights into your current scenario and financial health so that you can make data-driven decisions.
When should you outsource accounting?
There’s no fixed time for outsourcing accounting; you can do that anytime.
However, you must first identify your accounting needs and see if you really need an agency to help. We have listed a few situations when you can consider outsourcing accounting.
- Business doesn’t require a full-time accountant but needs a person with more skills than a receptionist or a front desk manager.
- You cannot find full-time employees with suitable skills and abilities at an affordable cost.
- Your growing company is looking for opportunities to scale their accounting services anytime.
- Currently looking for temporary services like tax preparation, help with end-of-the-year reports, or when your full-time employee is on leave.
- You are overwhelmed by the workload and have trouble meeting deadlines.
- Present accounting measures are taking a lot of your budget.
- You aren’t getting the expected financial insights.
- Missed out on tax deadlines several times.
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Conclusion
Small businesses outsourcing their accounting needs save money and can focus on growing their business and achieving goals.
They reduce stress from fulfilling accounting needs and staying compliant with regulatory measures. Thus, you can put your entire time into planning for business success.