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FAQ

What is a bookkeeper?
A bookkeeper is a person who takes care of recording all the financial transactions undertaken by a business or an individual.

So whether you buy or sell something, generate an income or pay someone else's salary, every activity needs to be recorded appropriately because the Taxation Office requires supporting documentation for tax purposes.

There are many types of records or 'books' that can be created- daybooks, petty-cash books, journals and ledgers.

There are many types of bookkeeping systems as well - you may require computerised or manual bookkeeping services depending upon the specific needs of your business.

It's important to understand that bookkeeping is different from accounting- while a bookkeeper does the groundwork by preparing all the documentation, an accountant analyses these and makes financial reports.

Will I get fined for not having a bookkeeper?
Certainly not, but the ATO demands that records are kept to support tax calculations and submissions made. Also, the ASIC also demands that if you're running a business – with or without a bookkeeper, you must keep records for several years depending on the type of business. Severe penalties are imposed on businesses that fall behind in their reporting obligations. This means if you don't have your reports filed correctly and in an easy to find way, your accountant will charge you a bomb to find them. Just because you own the business, does not mean you should be responsible for filling out highly technical documents. In addition, you're definitely capping the potential of your business by wasting time and money.

Here's how:

  • You're wasting money on employing a full-time bookkeeper all year round when you can get the services when you need for as long as you need them.
  • You're wasting money on overheads by paying holiday and leave loading, superannuation, work cover, sick pay and PAYG (pay as you go) tax.
  • You're paying your accountant extra money for doing the books and taking away from the time they should be spending on coming up with strategies to help you save on tax, instead of recording documentation. Book keeping fees will be less than if you use an accountant to complete these regular tasks.
  • You're more liable to be wasting time on errors - bookkeepers utilise specialised tools so that you can be sure that all calculations are accurate, which saves you the additional headache of dealing with mistakes in the Business Activity Statements.
Are all bookkeepers the same?
Bookkeepers in Adelaide can differ widely in terms of their qualifications, experience, professional memberships, technical tools that they use and their commitment towards your business.

At TLB Bookkeeping Solutions, we're professionals with experience dealing with businesses of all natures, who will work with you at every step of the way to make sure you get the maximum value for your investment. We also utilise remote bookkeeping technology and advanced software such as Quickbooks to ensure that your records are accurate down to the last cent.

Why outsource your bookkeeping?

Save money:

  • Save on the overheads by not paying for downtime.
  • Save on training new employees to do the role.
  • Save on the technology you will need to use in order to record all financial transactions.
  • Save on the extra money you'll be spending on your accountant for doing the books. Remember: Book keeping fees will be less than if you use an accountant to complete these regular tasks.
  • Save on the penalties imposed for the incorrect completion of accounting documents.


Save time:

  • Save YOUR own time preparing BAS returns and entering invoices.
  • Save time by not having to hire and train an in-house bookkeeper to perform the role. A TLB Bookkeeping Solutions bookkeeper won't be answering your phone or getting distracted. They will focus on getting your books in order to complete your bookkeeping on schedule.
  • Save your technical person's time by not having to setup computers and complicated software for carrying out bookkeeping functions.
  • Save your accountant's time by not making them do the recording work, and instead letting them focus on making financial strategies to help you save money.
  • Save everyone's time by not having to re-enter incorrect details on your accounting software or re-do calculations due to errors.

Sleep easy:

  • We handle all the material- the paperwork, calculations, overheads- the works.
  • You have control over the amount spent on accounting- Don't waste money paying accountants for bookkeeping work. You can utilise our services however you need - from one hour a quarter to a few days every week - you have complete control over how many hours we work. Your bookkeeper only does your bookkeeping so you save on downtime and only pay for the services you actually utilise.
  • Get efficient and accurate results: You don't have to worry about redoing any of the calculations or facing heavy penalties for incorrect documentation.
  • Get customised support according to your needs and requirements: Your TLB Bookkeeping Solutions bookkeeper operates around how you like to work. They can pick up the materials from your office and work from our offices. Or you can come down and meet your friendly team for personal face-to-face discussions and see for yourself the health of your business.
  • Let us adjust out schedules to suit your needs: Need a loan? Tax season approaching? Certain times of the year demand a higher workload and we can accommodate to fit your schedule.


Deliver more value to your clients:

Its not easy running a business - your competitor is breathing down your neck waiting to grab your clients and leads. Customers have so many choices these days that you have to give them value and service that truly stands apart. And how are you going to focus on your unique selling point when there's administrative work to worry about?

Professionally qualified bookkeepers such as our staff at TLB Bookkeeping Solutions have the experience to save your time by doing these tasks for you faster so that you're free to work on what you're best at – expanding your business. So you get the health checks on your finances whenever you need so that you can make more informed decisions.

Let us worry about reconciling bank accounts, entering invoices and preparing monthly reports. You don't need to worry about all that when you've got an important client to attend to!

How do I know I need a bookkeeper?

Try measuring the number of hours you spend on preparing overbearing documentation and complying with reporting guidelines imposed in Australia. Then think about what you charge per hour for your services. Calculate the monetary value of each hour wasted on doing bookkeeping functions. Multiply this by the number of hours it takes you to do all the work (we haven't even taken into consideration the time it takes in redoing the work in case of errors!)
Shocked? You probably weren't even aware of the amount of potential revenue being wasted!

Well, don't waste another cent. Instead, maximise your profitability by:

  • Reducing overhead, free up resources,
  • Avoiding capital expenditure,
  • Improving efficiency,
  • Offloading non-core functions,
  • Getting access to specialised skills,
  • Saving on manpower and training costs,
  • Reducing operating costs,
  • Effectively handling temporary business peaks.
  • In short, give your business a power booster shot!
How to choose a bookkeeper?
Hiring a local bookkeeper will be one of the best decisions you can make.

Here's what you should look for when hiring a new bookkeeper:

Professional qualifications:

What kind of professional qualifications does your bookkeeper have?

Make sure your bookkeeper is at least an associate member of a registered accounting body and has professional indemnity insurance.

This will ensure they have the legal requirements for performing bookkeeping services.

Experience:

It's very important when hiring a bookkeeper for you to check what bookkeeping experience they might have had.

  • Have they worked for an accounting firm?
  • Do they have auditing experience?
  • Have they worked in a bookkeeping business or bookkeeping firm?

Educational background:

  • Has your bookkeeper been to university?
  • Does your bookkeeper have post-graduate qualifications?
How much does a bookkeeper cost?

Bookkeeping services are usually charged for by the hour. The price of a bookkeeper can range from $50 - $75 (excluding GST) per hour.

When you think of how much an accountant costs ($100 – $250 per hour excluding GST) compared with your bookkeeper, you can see how expensive it can be not getting the right bookkeeper in and making your accountant do the bookkeeping tasks instead!

Firstly, bookkeeping is supposed to be done by your bookkeeper, not your accountant. Your bookkeeper has the skills, experience and SPEED to process large numbers of transactions, your BAS statements, invoicing, bank reconciliations and other bookkeeping services.

So not only does hiring a bookkeeper for these tasks turn out to be cheaper per hour, it also takes them less time to do the tasks so you're also paying for fewer hours. This frees up your CASH and your TIME to spend on running your business.

See the "Fees and Rates" link at left for our fees.

So why are we cheaper than other bookkeepers?

We value human relationships - Your Business Is Our Business. We want to build a long-term relationship with you and not just work with you one time. And we know that's only possible when we value your money by giving you the fairest and most accurate price for our services.

In addition, we keep costs to a minimum by using up-to-date and efficient methods, such as the remote services, which is reflected in the hourly cost of our bookkeepers.

Do I need to change my accountant when I hire a Bookkeeper?
Not at all - we're here to help your accountant help your business so we take care of all the bookkeeping functions and prepare the paperwork to provide your accountant all the detailed information he/she may need in order to give you the best financial advice.

So not only do you save money by not having to pay your accountant for the bookkeeping functions, your accountant also saves time by not having to prepare the reports themselves. This way, he/she is free to focus on the financial planning aspects of your business.

So while small businesses get all the benefits of having a skilled and experienced bookkeeper for the job, they don't have to waste precious resources on full-time staff.

This puts our bookkeepers within your budget and makes financial sense.