Small Business Bookkeeping (2023 Guide)

Whether you do the bookkeeping yourself or hire someone to do it, certain elements are fundamental to properly maintaining the books. Some of these elements are done more regularly than others to ensure that the books are always up to date. Other elements are completed at certain time periods as necessary to complete a business task.

Recording Transactions

Bookkeepers use journal entries to record debits and credits. Every financial transaction should have a line item in the general ledger, which tracks everything in one place. The general ledger notates the account number to which the debit or credit is applied. The best accounting software automates a lot of the process in journal entries for regular debits and credits to help eliminate possible errors in data entry.

Sending Invoices

If not done at the time of the transaction, the bookkeeper will create and send invoices for funds that need to be collected by the company. The bookkeeper enters relevant data such as date, price, quantity and sales tax (if applicable). When this is done in the accounting software, the invoice is created, and a journal entry is made, debiting the cash or accounts receivable account while crediting the sales account.

Preparing Basic Financial Statements

Since the information gathered in bookkeeping is used by accountants and business owners, it is the basis of all the financial statements generated. Most accounting software allows you to automatically run common financial statements such as an income and expense statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement. Business owners or accountants can then use these statements to gain insight into the business’s financial health.

Completing Payroll

At the end of every pay period, the bookkeeper will accumulate employee payroll details that include hours worked and rates. From there, the total pay is determined with the applicable taxes and withholdings. Paychecks are completed and issued. In the accounting software, the primary journal entry for total payroll is a debit to the compensation account and credits cash.