Bookkeeping is the process of recording your company’s financial transactions into organized accounts on a daily basis. It can also refer to the different recording techniques businesses can use. Bookkeeping is an essential part of your accounting process for a few reasons. When you keep transaction records updated, you can generate accurate financial reports that help measure business performance. Detailed records will also be handy in the event of a tax audit.
This guide will walk you through the different methods of bookkeeping, how entries are recorded, and the major financial statements involved.
Before you begin bookkeeping, your business must decide what method you are going to follow. When choosing, consider the volume of daily transactions your business has and the amount of revenue you earn. If you are a small business, a complex bookkeeping method designed for enterprises may cause unnecessary complications. Conversely, less robust methods of bookkeeping will not suffice for large corporations.
With this in mind, let’s break these methods down so you can find the right one for your business.
Single-entry bookkeeping is a straightforward method where one entry is made for each transaction in your books. These transactions are usually maintained in a cash book to track incoming revenue and outgoing expenses. You do not need formal accounting training for the single-entry system. The single-entry method will suit small private companies and sole proprietorships that do not buy or sell on credit, own little to no physical assets, and hold small amounts of inventory.