Five tips to help you prepare for the coming tax season with Autobooks
Are you ready for the coming tax season?
If you’re like most small business owners, you like to save time and do more. That’s probably why you rely on Autobooks in conjunction with your financial institution to get paid.
But did you know that Autobooks also offers an optional suite of accounting and reporting tools? These tools are ideal for small business owners who want to be better prepared for the coming tax season. Of course, that may mean next year for you, but it’s a good time to start now.
Not using Autobooks, but maybe considering it? That’s OK. Take a look at our tips and decide for yourself, but just remember that Autobooks was built for real small business owners who have limited time and resources (and might not have access to a regular bookkeeper). If that’s you, then the good news is that using Autobooks can help (that’s also why it’s our first tip below)!
Tip 1: Save time and money by paying for a solution built specifically for your needs.
When it comes to efficiency, it’s true that bookkeeping software can really help. You might already have access to a complex tool like QuickBooks, but it’s also likely that you don’t have the time (or patience!) to make it work for your specific needs. And let’s face it, bookkeepers can get expensive. What you need is Autobooks, a solution that’s both easy to use and affordable.
As a matter of fact, most users can learn to use the Autobooks invoicing and payment acceptance tools in just a few minutes by following the onscreen tutorials and in-app tool tips. Users interested in the Autobooks accounting and reporting tools can schedule a 30-minute session with an Autobooks small business expert to get started in one day.
Tip 2: Track all of your balances in one place to make management easier.
By bringing all of your accounts into your online and mobile banking platform, you can more easily track your business income and expense activity. This means that if you rely on other accounts outside of your primary checking account, such as credit cards, you can easily integrate them into Autobooks.
As we mentioned earlier, this feature is only available if you subscribe monthly to the Autobooks accounting and reporting tools. Visit our support center to learn how to upgrade Autobooks by adding accounting and reporting tools today.
Tip 3: Automatically categorize all of your transactions to stay up to date.
If you don’t already categorize all of your transactions, you should consider doing so. Although this task can take time out of your day, it also pays off in the long run when it comes to organizing your records and reports during tax time. This is where Autobooks automation features can help.
If you have transactions that use the same accounting category (who doesn’t?), you can set up rules to categorize these transactions automatically. A rule can take a few minutes to set up, but once it’s working, you will likely never have to worry about that kind of transaction again.
Please note, this feature is only available if you subscribe monthly to the Autobooks Accounting and Reporting services. To learn how to set up rules to automatically categorize transactions, refer to out Autobooks support center article.
Tip 4: Keep an eye on the bottom line with a profit and loss (P&L) report.
Make it easy for yourself and your accountant. There’s a lot of information that you’ll need ahead of time when it comes to filing your taxes. Among these documents is an up-to-date profit and loss report, sometimes called the income statement. This report subtracts your expenses from your income to give you net income, also known as the bottom line.
Autobooks makes it easy to track your business’s performance with just a few clicks. Just access the Reports menu, and select the P&L report from the lineup. This report is detailed enough to come in handy for yourself or your accountant, especially because the revenue and expense sections can be expanded to get a detailed view any time you need it.
Tip 5: Allow your accountant to take advantage of Autobooks reporting (safely).
Remember, you can always grant your accountant access to your Autobooks data, especially during the tax season. This will allow them a more accurate picture of your current situation. There is a safe and easy way to grant them access, without sharing your financial institution login credentials.
If you would like give an accountant or sub-administrator access to your data, but want to restrict access to specific portions of Autobooks, please contact Autobooks customer care by phone at (866) 617-3122 or by email at Support@Autobooks.co. This will allow us to set up the account with the necessary restrictions in place.
As another tax season arrives, it may be a good time to evaluate your software options now — especially in preparation for next year. If the tips we’ve shared align with your current situation, then Autobooks may be a good fit for your small business.