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Michael Pignatelli, CPA
CEO, Unloop

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Understanding your business finances is the key to managing your business properly. Business cash flow dictates business operations. You should have sufficient balance to pay your obligations such as wages, taxes and suppliers, while ensuring that a good amount comes into your business for a positive income.

The amount of money coming in and out can make or break a business. In this article, we'll talk about the difference between cash inflow and outflow and tips to help manage them to maintain positive overall financial health.

Cash Inflow vs. Cash Outflow: Why They Matter

The net amount of money entering and leaving your business is known as cash flow. It disregards the funds in your bank account and credit from suppliers. Cash flow also does not count the money that other businesses owe you. Cash flow is plainly the cash coming and leaving your business in a certain period: weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually.

Understanding business cash flow is crucial. It lets you see if you have enough resources to pay for your business operations—like rent, supplies, employee wages, and other operational costs. Business cash flow also helps your business grow. Investors and banks use cash flow statements to assess your overall financial health and see if you can be eligible for loans and investments.

Types of Cash Flow

There are three ways that money enters and leaves your company. To help you better comprehend each of them, let's look at each one in more detail.

Operating Activities

Operating cash flow is money that comes in and out of your business through basic business operations such as creating sales or providing services. Inflow from operating activities is the net income you make from selling your products or service, inventory and accounts receivable.

Cash outflow is related to operating activities where you spend resources on the cost of production, rent, marketing and advertising efforts, taxes, and employee salary.

Investing Activities

The money that passes throughout your business as a result of the company's investment is known as cash flow from investing activities. A company can have short-term or long-term investments. For example, getting government-issued bonds like bills and floating-rate notes are short-term investments.

Buying new equipment or purchasing a building to house your business is a long-term investment for businesses. The money you used to buy these investments is considered outflow. Cash outflow is more common in investing activities.

Financing Activities

Cash flow from financing activities include stock sales, loans, dividend payments, and long-term debt payments. Cash inflow in this category is the money you receive when you apply for loans and the ones you generate from selling stock and equity.

Cash outflow in financing activities is money you use to repay the principal amount of existing debts and dividend payments.

cashflow

What is Cash Inflow?

Cash inflow is the money coming into your business. Simply put, cash inflow is all the money that goes into your business, whether from investments or selling your products and services. When the cash inflow for your company exceeds the cash outflow, you have a positive cash flow. 

A positive cash flow guarantees that business operations can run smoothly and without problems. It is a good indication that you have enough resources to keep your business operations running, and that you can allocate some of them toward business growth.

What is Cash Outflow?

Cash outflow is the money moving out of your business. The money you use to pay for your business to continue operating is outflow. Rent, wages, operating costs, buying inventory, and interest payments for the loans you borrow are all outflows.

Startups and new businesses may experience more cash outflow in the beginning. Since all their resources are used to launch the business, more outflow is expected. However, once you start selling, you can break even and generate more cash inflow.

Tips To Help Maintain Positive Cash Flow

When you have been running your business for quite some time, and your cash outflow is still greater than the inflow, it is an indication of negative cash flow. This can be the start of the downfall of your business.

But it's not too late! We have some tips to help your business generate positive cash flow.

Get Deposits for Long-Term Projects

It's always good for a business to take on long-term projects with big payouts. But when a project is spread over a long period of time, the more difficult it is to pay bills to enable the project to continue.

Ask for a deposit and establish milestones to avoid burning out your resources. The initial deposits will help you buy the materials you need, and the milestones will allow your clients to see your progress and keep cash flow consistent.

Consider Raising Your Prices

One way to keep a positive cash flow is to increase your prices. If you're worried you'll lose clients with a price increase, you can experiment with it. For example, you can sell products for higher prices to new customers and retain the price for your returning and loyal customers.

You can also increase the price for some of your products and retain the original price for others so your customers won't be perplexed by the price changes while you keep a positive cash flow.

Negotiate With Suppliers

Sales and revenue are just one part of a business's cash flow. You can keep a positive cash flow by controlling your expenses. Negotiating with suppliers can be advantageous to business owners. For example, bulk ordering supplies can give you discounts.

You can enjoy free or discounted shipping rates if you order from suppliers in your locality. Negotiating with suppliers can lessen your expenses, equating to an improved and positive cash flow.

Use Technology To Reduce Production Costs

Many business owners think that investing in technology is an unnecessary expense. Technology is advancing rapidly, and some are designed to reduce production costs. There are pieces of machinery that can do what humans do. Technology can do tasks faster and more efficiently which means you can hire fewer people—saving your payment on wages and other expenses.

Look for technology that will make your production more efficient. However, always consider its price. If you're buying a piece of equipment, ensure you have enough resources to purchase it, and that it will not affect any of your business operations.

cashflow statement

Managing Cash Flow With Unloop

Now that you are aware of how vital business cash flow is, managing it properly should be on top of your list. If you're new to the business and are still confused about how cash flow works, Unloop is here to help you.

Unloop offers professional ecommerce accounting services, and organized bookkeeping is the key to getting an overview of your business cash flow status. Our bookkeeping services include:

  • Generating monthly income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.
  • Preparing necessary financial statements using accrual accounting methods.
  • Linking your business to accounting systems such as QuickBooks and Xero.
  • Creating custom KPIs and analytics tailored to your business.
  • Providing unlimited support through Slack.

Cash flow is just one part of running a business, and we hope this blog post gives you a better understanding of your finances. For more professional accounting help, book a call and work with Unloop today!

Cash Inflow and Outflow: Understanding Them and Why They Matter
Watch Now

Understanding your business finances is the key to managing your business properly. Business cash flow dictates business operations. You should have sufficient balance to pay your obligations such as wages, taxes and suppliers, while ensuring that a good amount comes into your business for a positive income.

The amount of money coming in and out can make or break a business. In this article, we'll talk about the difference between cash inflow and outflow and tips to help manage them to maintain positive overall financial health.

Cash Inflow vs. Cash Outflow: Why They Matter

The net amount of money entering and leaving your business is known as cash flow. It disregards the funds in your bank account and credit from suppliers. Cash flow also does not count the money that other businesses owe you. Cash flow is plainly the cash coming and leaving your business in a certain period: weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually.

Understanding business cash flow is crucial. It lets you see if you have enough resources to pay for your business operations—like rent, supplies, employee wages, and other operational costs. Business cash flow also helps your business grow. Investors and banks use cash flow statements to assess your overall financial health and see if you can be eligible for loans and investments.

Types of Cash Flow

There are three ways that money enters and leaves your company. To help you better comprehend each of them, let's look at each one in more detail.

Operating Activities

Operating cash flow is money that comes in and out of your business through basic business operations such as creating sales or providing services. Inflow from operating activities is the net income you make from selling your products or service, inventory and accounts receivable.

Cash outflow is related to operating activities where you spend resources on the cost of production, rent, marketing and advertising efforts, taxes, and employee salary.

Investing Activities

The money that passes throughout your business as a result of the company's investment is known as cash flow from investing activities. A company can have short-term or long-term investments. For example, getting government-issued bonds like bills and floating-rate notes are short-term investments.

Buying new equipment or purchasing a building to house your business is a long-term investment for businesses. The money you used to buy these investments is considered outflow. Cash outflow is more common in investing activities.

Financing Activities

Cash flow from financing activities include stock sales, loans, dividend payments, and long-term debt payments. Cash inflow in this category is the money you receive when you apply for loans and the ones you generate from selling stock and equity.

Cash outflow in financing activities is money you use to repay the principal amount of existing debts and dividend payments.

cashflow

What is Cash Inflow?

Cash inflow is the money coming into your business. Simply put, cash inflow is all the money that goes into your business, whether from investments or selling your products and services. When the cash inflow for your company exceeds the cash outflow, you have a positive cash flow. 

A positive cash flow guarantees that business operations can run smoothly and without problems. It is a good indication that you have enough resources to keep your business operations running, and that you can allocate some of them toward business growth.

What is Cash Outflow?

Cash outflow is the money moving out of your business. The money you use to pay for your business to continue operating is outflow. Rent, wages, operating costs, buying inventory, and interest payments for the loans you borrow are all outflows.

Startups and new businesses may experience more cash outflow in the beginning. Since all their resources are used to launch the business, more outflow is expected. However, once you start selling, you can break even and generate more cash inflow.

Tips To Help Maintain Positive Cash Flow

When you have been running your business for quite some time, and your cash outflow is still greater than the inflow, it is an indication of negative cash flow. This can be the start of the downfall of your business.

But it's not too late! We have some tips to help your business generate positive cash flow.

Get Deposits for Long-Term Projects

It's always good for a business to take on long-term projects with big payouts. But when a project is spread over a long period of time, the more difficult it is to pay bills to enable the project to continue.

Ask for a deposit and establish milestones to avoid burning out your resources. The initial deposits will help you buy the materials you need, and the milestones will allow your clients to see your progress and keep cash flow consistent.

Consider Raising Your Prices

One way to keep a positive cash flow is to increase your prices. If you're worried you'll lose clients with a price increase, you can experiment with it. For example, you can sell products for higher prices to new customers and retain the price for your returning and loyal customers.

You can also increase the price for some of your products and retain the original price for others so your customers won't be perplexed by the price changes while you keep a positive cash flow.

Negotiate With Suppliers

Sales and revenue are just one part of a business's cash flow. You can keep a positive cash flow by controlling your expenses. Negotiating with suppliers can be advantageous to business owners. For example, bulk ordering supplies can give you discounts.

You can enjoy free or discounted shipping rates if you order from suppliers in your locality. Negotiating with suppliers can lessen your expenses, equating to an improved and positive cash flow.

Use Technology To Reduce Production Costs

Many business owners think that investing in technology is an unnecessary expense. Technology is advancing rapidly, and some are designed to reduce production costs. There are pieces of machinery that can do what humans do. Technology can do tasks faster and more efficiently which means you can hire fewer people—saving your payment on wages and other expenses.

Look for technology that will make your production more efficient. However, always consider its price. If you're buying a piece of equipment, ensure you have enough resources to purchase it, and that it will not affect any of your business operations.

cashflow statement

Managing Cash Flow With Unloop

Now that you are aware of how vital business cash flow is, managing it properly should be on top of your list. If you're new to the business and are still confused about how cash flow works, Unloop is here to help you.

Unloop offers professional ecommerce accounting services, and organized bookkeeping is the key to getting an overview of your business cash flow status. Our bookkeeping services include:

  • Generating monthly income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.
  • Preparing necessary financial statements using accrual accounting methods.
  • Linking your business to accounting systems such as QuickBooks and Xero.
  • Creating custom KPIs and analytics tailored to your business.
  • Providing unlimited support through Slack.

Cash flow is just one part of running a business, and we hope this blog post gives you a better understanding of your finances. For more professional accounting help, book a call and work with Unloop today!

Read more

Supervising finances and keeping track of daily payments for business operations is challenging. There are obligations to your suppliers and business operations, such as rent, electricity bills, and employee payroll. As their business gets busier and bigger, owners tend to forget their payables, and if they don’t, manually tracking them makes them prone to errors.

Luckily for business owners, accounts payable software exists. AP automation software solution helps businesses manage their payable processes conveniently.

If you're considering investing in an AP automation solution, we have some of the top features you should look for that will benefit your business.

Invoice Processing

Invoicing should be the top feature you look for in AP software. The system can tell you how much you need to pay, notify you of your deadlines, and tell which people or businesses you owe money to. There are accounts payable solutions that can handle invoicing efficiently.

Accounts payable software can also store and collect basic details such as addresses, names, account numbers, and terms and conditions for each individual or organization you owe payments to. A software can receive thousands of invoice data and record them from the moment your business receives them and is done with the payment.

Automatic Payments

Delayed payments are often caused by human error. According to research, almost 47% of business owners find the payment process tedious and lengthy. Business owners don't need to worry about forgetting their dues because AP solutions automate payment processes.

Accounts payable software will help business owners skip the lengthy process. All they need to do is input the specifics like name, amount, and date of payment, and the software will do the rest.

Reporting Capabilities

It is not enough that you pay your dues. It is also crucial to keep track of the payments to ensure that you pay the correct amount and not over or under. Many accounts payable systems can generate expense reports for your business.

You can access the data in real-time and use them to analyze your business spending patterns to strategize on areas where you can reduce your expenses and improve savings.

Global Compliance

There are instances where businesses get their products from international suppliers. VAT and GST global compliance regulations change from time to time. According to studies, almost 70% of VAT documents from manual processes contain errors. Implementing accounts payable software for your business reduces the risk of errors and makes international invoicing workflow faster.

End-to-End Workflow

If your business's accounts payable department does things manually, there is a high chance that you experienced discontinued and confusing workflow. Your workflow probably goes like this: signing in to different tools, looking up in your list of supplier invoices which ones are dues, calculating the amount, manually creating an invoice, and finally sending them.

We won't be surprised after all the things you have to go through, you forget to send the payment. One of the benefits of AP automation solutions is you can do all accounts payable processes in one software—from sending payments and updating the payment status, to recording them.

Paperless Transactions

Receipts are essential business documents, but paper invoices are easy to lose and hard to organize. Accounts payable solutions make the shift to paperless transactions, so all your expense receipts are stored on the cloud, and you access them anytime and anywhere.

Moreover, AP software allows touchless invoice processing, allowing accounts payable managers and teams to manage all your invoices correctly and on time and take advantage of early payment discounts.

Remote Work Compatible

This feature may not be for everybody, but it certainly makes the software more flexible. Whether you're at home, in the office, or anywhere, wouldn't it be easier to see information on your payables whenever you need it, or when you need to generate a quick report or instantly pay a supplier? Cloud-based software options are generally suitable for businesses that involve remote work.

accounts payable software

Why Skip Doing Accounts Payable Manually?

Some businesses still prefer to do things the old-fashioned way. Who can blame them? Although it is time-consuming, traditional methods are practically free. But before you decide to go old school, here are some downsides to it.

Prone to Human Error

Human errors are one of the crucial dangers of manually doing accounts payables. From simple arithmetic mistakes to more complex errors and miscommunication on transactions, there are a number of things that can go wrong in doing things manually. Even a tiny mistake can cause enormous consequences, especially for small businesses.

Provides No Real-Time Insights

Reports are essential to assess the status of your business. When you rely on manual reports, you are limited to generating reports in a short time frame. If you want an annual expense report, you'll have to review tons of records and put them together. You'll spend more than a week just doing that.

It will be harder for your business to spot patterns and identify pain points because you can't see the bigger picture. If problems need addressing, you won't be able to spot them before they become significant.

Not Scalable

When your business grows, the more data you need to track and record. When you expand your business, you'll probably do business with more vendors, and committing due dates to memory is impossible. Your transactions will increase, and keeping up with them will be more challenging.

The bottom line, a manual accounts payable system is not scalable. In the long run, it will only cause your business more complications.

The Best Accounts Payable Automation Software for Small Businesses

There are hundreds of accounts payable software you can use for your business. Before you make an investment, ensure that the software solution you purchase can meet your business's account payable needs. Here are some of the best AP automation solutions for small businesses.

QuickBooks

QuickBooks Online is an all-in-one accounting system. It can do all your essential accounting tasks, including accounts payables. QuickBooks Online has both web-based and mobile versions, and you can use it as a cloud-based or a desktop program. 

Here are some of its key features:

  • Payment tracking
  • Invoice management
  • Exporting data to Excel and vice versa

NetSuite

NetSuite is a cloud accounting solution that automates business payment processes such as processing supplier invoices, transaction matching, journal entries, and reconciliations. NetSuite automates the majority of accounting processes, so it eliminates manual tasks and significantly reduces human error. 

Here are the top features of NetSuite:

  • Purchase orders management
  • Vendor management
  • Data extraction

TeamPay Accounts Payable Software

TeamPay is an automated invoice processing software that handles routing for approval and payments, provides complete visibility into POs, and creates and pays bills via virtual cards, checks, wire, or ACH.

Here are some of the highlights of TeamPay:

  • Automatic recurring payments
  • Requisition management
  • Workflow management

Airbase

Airbase is an all-in-one spend management platform that gives businesses control over every dollar they spend. In one automated platform, you can create bills and invoices, schedule and send payments, and sync with your accounting system.

Here are more of its outstanding features:

  • Cheque writing
  • Electronic fund transfer
  • Expense tracking
business owner calculating expenses

Outsource Accounts Payable Tasks to Unloop

If accounts payable procedures are slowing you down, maybe it's time to get a professional to handle it. Luckily, Unloop provides accounts payable services to help small business owners. Here is an overview of our accounts payable service:

  • Pay Invoices: We guarantee to pay suppliers on time and correctly to maximize your business's cash flow.
  • Easy Approval: Just click to approve. From there, our team will process the cheque, ACH, or EFT payment, and automatically record it in your current accounting software.
  • Low Exchange Rate: If you have due payments to your international supplier, our services have got you covered. We use tools such as OFX and Wise for international payments and can help you find the lowest rate in the market.

Handling accounts payable properly is vital for a business. If you can't fund your business expenses or pay suppliers, you won't be able to run it smoothly. We hope this article encourages you to invest in accounts payable software. 

For more professional accounting services, check out Unloop and book a free call with us today!

7 Accounts Payable Software Features That Every Business Needs
Watch Now

Supervising finances and keeping track of daily payments for business operations is challenging. There are obligations to your suppliers and business operations, such as rent, electricity bills, and employee payroll. As their business gets busier and bigger, owners tend to forget their payables, and if they don’t, manually tracking them makes them prone to errors.

Luckily for business owners, accounts payable software exists. AP automation software solution helps businesses manage their payable processes conveniently.

If you're considering investing in an AP automation solution, we have some of the top features you should look for that will benefit your business.

Invoice Processing

Invoicing should be the top feature you look for in AP software. The system can tell you how much you need to pay, notify you of your deadlines, and tell which people or businesses you owe money to. There are accounts payable solutions that can handle invoicing efficiently.

Accounts payable software can also store and collect basic details such as addresses, names, account numbers, and terms and conditions for each individual or organization you owe payments to. A software can receive thousands of invoice data and record them from the moment your business receives them and is done with the payment.

Automatic Payments

Delayed payments are often caused by human error. According to research, almost 47% of business owners find the payment process tedious and lengthy. Business owners don't need to worry about forgetting their dues because AP solutions automate payment processes.

Accounts payable software will help business owners skip the lengthy process. All they need to do is input the specifics like name, amount, and date of payment, and the software will do the rest.

Reporting Capabilities

It is not enough that you pay your dues. It is also crucial to keep track of the payments to ensure that you pay the correct amount and not over or under. Many accounts payable systems can generate expense reports for your business.

You can access the data in real-time and use them to analyze your business spending patterns to strategize on areas where you can reduce your expenses and improve savings.

Global Compliance

There are instances where businesses get their products from international suppliers. VAT and GST global compliance regulations change from time to time. According to studies, almost 70% of VAT documents from manual processes contain errors. Implementing accounts payable software for your business reduces the risk of errors and makes international invoicing workflow faster.

End-to-End Workflow

If your business's accounts payable department does things manually, there is a high chance that you experienced discontinued and confusing workflow. Your workflow probably goes like this: signing in to different tools, looking up in your list of supplier invoices which ones are dues, calculating the amount, manually creating an invoice, and finally sending them.

We won't be surprised after all the things you have to go through, you forget to send the payment. One of the benefits of AP automation solutions is you can do all accounts payable processes in one software—from sending payments and updating the payment status, to recording them.

Paperless Transactions

Receipts are essential business documents, but paper invoices are easy to lose and hard to organize. Accounts payable solutions make the shift to paperless transactions, so all your expense receipts are stored on the cloud, and you access them anytime and anywhere.

Moreover, AP software allows touchless invoice processing, allowing accounts payable managers and teams to manage all your invoices correctly and on time and take advantage of early payment discounts.

Remote Work Compatible

This feature may not be for everybody, but it certainly makes the software more flexible. Whether you're at home, in the office, or anywhere, wouldn't it be easier to see information on your payables whenever you need it, or when you need to generate a quick report or instantly pay a supplier? Cloud-based software options are generally suitable for businesses that involve remote work.

accounts payable software

Why Skip Doing Accounts Payable Manually?

Some businesses still prefer to do things the old-fashioned way. Who can blame them? Although it is time-consuming, traditional methods are practically free. But before you decide to go old school, here are some downsides to it.

Prone to Human Error

Human errors are one of the crucial dangers of manually doing accounts payables. From simple arithmetic mistakes to more complex errors and miscommunication on transactions, there are a number of things that can go wrong in doing things manually. Even a tiny mistake can cause enormous consequences, especially for small businesses.

Provides No Real-Time Insights

Reports are essential to assess the status of your business. When you rely on manual reports, you are limited to generating reports in a short time frame. If you want an annual expense report, you'll have to review tons of records and put them together. You'll spend more than a week just doing that.

It will be harder for your business to spot patterns and identify pain points because you can't see the bigger picture. If problems need addressing, you won't be able to spot them before they become significant.

Not Scalable

When your business grows, the more data you need to track and record. When you expand your business, you'll probably do business with more vendors, and committing due dates to memory is impossible. Your transactions will increase, and keeping up with them will be more challenging.

The bottom line, a manual accounts payable system is not scalable. In the long run, it will only cause your business more complications.

The Best Accounts Payable Automation Software for Small Businesses

There are hundreds of accounts payable software you can use for your business. Before you make an investment, ensure that the software solution you purchase can meet your business's account payable needs. Here are some of the best AP automation solutions for small businesses.

QuickBooks

QuickBooks Online is an all-in-one accounting system. It can do all your essential accounting tasks, including accounts payables. QuickBooks Online has both web-based and mobile versions, and you can use it as a cloud-based or a desktop program. 

Here are some of its key features:

  • Payment tracking
  • Invoice management
  • Exporting data to Excel and vice versa

NetSuite

NetSuite is a cloud accounting solution that automates business payment processes such as processing supplier invoices, transaction matching, journal entries, and reconciliations. NetSuite automates the majority of accounting processes, so it eliminates manual tasks and significantly reduces human error. 

Here are the top features of NetSuite:

  • Purchase orders management
  • Vendor management
  • Data extraction

TeamPay Accounts Payable Software

TeamPay is an automated invoice processing software that handles routing for approval and payments, provides complete visibility into POs, and creates and pays bills via virtual cards, checks, wire, or ACH.

Here are some of the highlights of TeamPay:

  • Automatic recurring payments
  • Requisition management
  • Workflow management

Airbase

Airbase is an all-in-one spend management platform that gives businesses control over every dollar they spend. In one automated platform, you can create bills and invoices, schedule and send payments, and sync with your accounting system.

Here are more of its outstanding features:

  • Cheque writing
  • Electronic fund transfer
  • Expense tracking
business owner calculating expenses

Outsource Accounts Payable Tasks to Unloop

If accounts payable procedures are slowing you down, maybe it's time to get a professional to handle it. Luckily, Unloop provides accounts payable services to help small business owners. Here is an overview of our accounts payable service:

  • Pay Invoices: We guarantee to pay suppliers on time and correctly to maximize your business's cash flow.
  • Easy Approval: Just click to approve. From there, our team will process the cheque, ACH, or EFT payment, and automatically record it in your current accounting software.
  • Low Exchange Rate: If you have due payments to your international supplier, our services have got you covered. We use tools such as OFX and Wise for international payments and can help you find the lowest rate in the market.

Handling accounts payable properly is vital for a business. If you can't fund your business expenses or pay suppliers, you won't be able to run it smoothly. We hope this article encourages you to invest in accounts payable software. 

For more professional accounting services, check out Unloop and book a free call with us today!

Read more

Behind every successful ecommerce business is an understanding of how ecommerce accounting works. When running an online business, accounting has a vital role to play in ensuring your business is on the right track for positive growth.

As a business owner, you can do your own accounting or partner with a professional to help with your business finances. In this blog post, we'll talk about the fundamental roles of a Shopify accountant to see if you can handle your finances yourself.

Keeping Track of Business Cash Flow

It is vital for every business to keep track of its cash flow to have complete transparency of how much money you have in your business accounts. If your personal and business bank accounts are merged, you basically have twice the amount of work to do.

The money going in and out of your business is an excellent way to tell if your business is doing good. If your business is getting more than you expect, it's a good indication that your sales are booming. Always have a separate business bank account to track your cash flow conveniently.

Furthermore, having a separate bank account means that you can have a clear picture of your business expenses. You can guarantee that you can pay your obligations on time, or strategize if you are spending too much.

Inventory Management

If you are an online seller, you have an inventory of the items you sell. Keeping track of your goods will help you decide which goods to stock up on or slow down on. Inventory management is also the responsibility of an accountant.

When an item is not popular, it gets stuck in your inventory and is considered a capital lockup. You can release these goods through various means (e.g., promos, sales, and bundles), but it's always risky since you can end up earning less than what you paid for when you ordered those products.

Inventory shrinkage is something else to watch out for as an accountant. It is common in small businesses where employees can easily steal from the inventory, or where vendor fraud and damaged goods are common. This shrinkage can negatively affect an ecommerce business. 

Creating Financial Reports

Creating detailed financial reports is crucial for every business. These statements contain financial data and key metrics that reflect the status of your Shopify business. Here are some of the financial reports important for ecommerce businesses.

  • Profit and Loss Statement: This statement contains the summation of your net income and net loss monthly, quarterly, and yearly.
  • Cash Flow Statement: This statement shows your business's ingoing and outgoing money over a specific period. It gives business owners an idea of their financial transactions contributing to growth or unnecessary expenses.
  • Balance Sheet: Balance sheets give reports on a business's total assets and liabilities. Balanced assets and liabilities indicate that your business is in a good cash position.

There are even more financial reports that accountants can whip up for your business. They should be able to produce them for your business when you need them for documentation, business planning, and other management tasks.

Handling Taxes

Accounting for Shopify means tax obligations. The central role of accountants for small businesses is to ensure they pay their taxes on time and correctly. Accountants handle tax planning by filling out income tax returns and preparing necessary financial reports for the accounting period.

Part of the accounting process is providing strategies regarding taxes. Accountants can give small business owners tips on reducing their overall tax obligations. They also ensure your business follows global sales tax compliance and doesn't pay more taxes than what is necessary.

Implementing an Accounting System

Ecommerce accounting entails various accounting tasks. Accounting is not just about taxes. There's financial management, creating reports, inventory, and many more tasks. Accountants should utilize a proper accounting software to do repetitive tasks such as sending and creative invoices or automatically recording transactions.

There are free accounting software options that accountants can use to cover the basic accounting tasks of Shopify businesses. But if you have the budget for it, you can invest in more advanced accounting software options for a smoother and more convenient accounting process.

Bookkeeping Process

Organized bookkeeping is the backbone of a successful accounting process. Bookkeeping involves recording and organizing all business transactions. You can hire a bookkeeper, but a professional accountant can also handle bookkeeping for your Shopify business.

Bookkeeping is usually divided into two different categories: account receivables and account payables. Account receivables are sales made or money you receive when a customer buys from your business. Account payables are your obligations and business expenses.

ecommerce business accountant

Is It Worth Hiring an Ecommerce Accountant?

The million dollar question is, is it worth hiring an accountant? The answer is a definite yes! For small Shopify sellers, an accountant may sound like an unnecessary expense, but here are some reasons why hiring an accountant is a good idea.

  • Maximizes Efficiency: A professional ecommerce accountant can streamline the entire accounting process to maximize efficiency. They are experts in the field who can quickly identify pain points and provide valuable insights to fix them.
  • Provides Accurate Financial Data: Valid and accurate data is essential to make informed decisions. Not to mention, internal revenue agencies conduct audits that will require valid financial documents.
  • Helps With Strategic Planning: Accountants can help ecommerce business plan for their growth. Accountants have great financial expertise, and their financial perspective can lessen business expenses, boost your sales, and help you reach your goals.
  • Keeps You Tax Compliant: Every business is subject to taxes, and tax preparation is the most tedious part of accounting. From preparation to payment, accountants can ensure the accuracy of your taxes.

Unloop: Expert Ecommerce Accounting Solution

Whether you need bookkeeping for Shopify or an accountant to help with the finances of your Shopify store, Unloop is the expert ecommerce accounting solution for you. We have a reliable finance team who are all experts in ecommerce.

Our services include:

  • Bookkeeping: We handle your monthly financial statements using compatible Shopify accounting software.
  • Accounts Payable: We handle paying your vendors on time, so you worry less about due dates.
  • Forecasting: We help peek into your business's future to prepare budgets or to create an exit strategy.
  • Payroll: We can handle payroll for your business, so your employees get paid on time.

Doing business accounting on your own can be overwhelming. Take advantage of professional services for ecommerce accounting. Unloop can get everything done for you. so you can spend time marketing and growing your business while we handle your finances.

If you are looking for a Shopify accountant, book a call with us today!

The Key Roles and Responsibilities of a Shopify Accountant
Watch Now

Behind every successful ecommerce business is an understanding of how ecommerce accounting works. When running an online business, accounting has a vital role to play in ensuring your business is on the right track for positive growth.

As a business owner, you can do your own accounting or partner with a professional to help with your business finances. In this blog post, we'll talk about the fundamental roles of a Shopify accountant to see if you can handle your finances yourself.

Keeping Track of Business Cash Flow

It is vital for every business to keep track of its cash flow to have complete transparency of how much money you have in your business accounts. If your personal and business bank accounts are merged, you basically have twice the amount of work to do.

The money going in and out of your business is an excellent way to tell if your business is doing good. If your business is getting more than you expect, it's a good indication that your sales are booming. Always have a separate business bank account to track your cash flow conveniently.

Furthermore, having a separate bank account means that you can have a clear picture of your business expenses. You can guarantee that you can pay your obligations on time, or strategize if you are spending too much.

Inventory Management

If you are an online seller, you have an inventory of the items you sell. Keeping track of your goods will help you decide which goods to stock up on or slow down on. Inventory management is also the responsibility of an accountant.

When an item is not popular, it gets stuck in your inventory and is considered a capital lockup. You can release these goods through various means (e.g., promos, sales, and bundles), but it's always risky since you can end up earning less than what you paid for when you ordered those products.

Inventory shrinkage is something else to watch out for as an accountant. It is common in small businesses where employees can easily steal from the inventory, or where vendor fraud and damaged goods are common. This shrinkage can negatively affect an ecommerce business. 

Creating Financial Reports

Creating detailed financial reports is crucial for every business. These statements contain financial data and key metrics that reflect the status of your Shopify business. Here are some of the financial reports important for ecommerce businesses.

  • Profit and Loss Statement: This statement contains the summation of your net income and net loss monthly, quarterly, and yearly.
  • Cash Flow Statement: This statement shows your business's ingoing and outgoing money over a specific period. It gives business owners an idea of their financial transactions contributing to growth or unnecessary expenses.
  • Balance Sheet: Balance sheets give reports on a business's total assets and liabilities. Balanced assets and liabilities indicate that your business is in a good cash position.

There are even more financial reports that accountants can whip up for your business. They should be able to produce them for your business when you need them for documentation, business planning, and other management tasks.

Handling Taxes

Accounting for Shopify means tax obligations. The central role of accountants for small businesses is to ensure they pay their taxes on time and correctly. Accountants handle tax planning by filling out income tax returns and preparing necessary financial reports for the accounting period.

Part of the accounting process is providing strategies regarding taxes. Accountants can give small business owners tips on reducing their overall tax obligations. They also ensure your business follows global sales tax compliance and doesn't pay more taxes than what is necessary.

Implementing an Accounting System

Ecommerce accounting entails various accounting tasks. Accounting is not just about taxes. There's financial management, creating reports, inventory, and many more tasks. Accountants should utilize a proper accounting software to do repetitive tasks such as sending and creative invoices or automatically recording transactions.

There are free accounting software options that accountants can use to cover the basic accounting tasks of Shopify businesses. But if you have the budget for it, you can invest in more advanced accounting software options for a smoother and more convenient accounting process.

Bookkeeping Process

Organized bookkeeping is the backbone of a successful accounting process. Bookkeeping involves recording and organizing all business transactions. You can hire a bookkeeper, but a professional accountant can also handle bookkeeping for your Shopify business.

Bookkeeping is usually divided into two different categories: account receivables and account payables. Account receivables are sales made or money you receive when a customer buys from your business. Account payables are your obligations and business expenses.

ecommerce business accountant

Is It Worth Hiring an Ecommerce Accountant?

The million dollar question is, is it worth hiring an accountant? The answer is a definite yes! For small Shopify sellers, an accountant may sound like an unnecessary expense, but here are some reasons why hiring an accountant is a good idea.

  • Maximizes Efficiency: A professional ecommerce accountant can streamline the entire accounting process to maximize efficiency. They are experts in the field who can quickly identify pain points and provide valuable insights to fix them.
  • Provides Accurate Financial Data: Valid and accurate data is essential to make informed decisions. Not to mention, internal revenue agencies conduct audits that will require valid financial documents.
  • Helps With Strategic Planning: Accountants can help ecommerce business plan for their growth. Accountants have great financial expertise, and their financial perspective can lessen business expenses, boost your sales, and help you reach your goals.
  • Keeps You Tax Compliant: Every business is subject to taxes, and tax preparation is the most tedious part of accounting. From preparation to payment, accountants can ensure the accuracy of your taxes.

Unloop: Expert Ecommerce Accounting Solution

Whether you need bookkeeping for Shopify or an accountant to help with the finances of your Shopify store, Unloop is the expert ecommerce accounting solution for you. We have a reliable finance team who are all experts in ecommerce.

Our services include:

  • Bookkeeping: We handle your monthly financial statements using compatible Shopify accounting software.
  • Accounts Payable: We handle paying your vendors on time, so you worry less about due dates.
  • Forecasting: We help peek into your business's future to prepare budgets or to create an exit strategy.
  • Payroll: We can handle payroll for your business, so your employees get paid on time.

Doing business accounting on your own can be overwhelming. Take advantage of professional services for ecommerce accounting. Unloop can get everything done for you. so you can spend time marketing and growing your business while we handle your finances.

If you are looking for a Shopify accountant, book a call with us today!

Read more

Every business owner knows accounting is central to a business, especially in ecommerce. If you're a seller on Amazon, lacking proper accounting can ruin your business. But accounting isn’t easy—there’s so much you need to keep track of. Here’s a rundown of what you need to focus on in Amazon seller accounting to get your finances in order.

Why Is Accounting Important?

Finances are the lifeblood of any business, and if you want to run your business effectively, you'll have to back it up with some good accounting.

Accounting keeps your finances in check by documenting all transactions and making forecasts from them for future use. A proper accounting system is also crucial for tracking sales tax and other essential tax obligations so your business thrives uninterrupted by legal liability.

In the Amazon marketplace, a good accounting system is the key to success. It tracks your business's revenue and checks how many orders you send out, and if you've lost any goods in Amazon FBA, saving you money when it comes time to refund your losses.

Ecommerce accounting is more complicated than you think. If you run an Amazon business, your accounting needs to be tip-top. In addition to various advertising strategies, you also have to deal with taxes and operating expenses—surely, you'll need some help from experts.

Accounting for Amazon FBA Sellers

Tracking your assets is vital to your ecommerce business’s survival. If your business uses Amazon FBA, you’ll need an accounting system that keeps track of your company’s assets and the products shipped to customers, and that’s no easy task. Here are some areas your accounting needs to focus on to keep your Amazon FBA business in good shape.

Inventory Management

Amazon FBA takes the responsibility of storing inventory and shipping independently from sellers who take part in the program. To keep up with the massive demand, Amazon uses fulfillment centers to store goods and later ship them to customers.

However, fulfillment centers don’t serve sellers. So as an ecommerce business owner, you’ll have to keep track of inventory on your own.

Make sure your accounting system has inventory management as a feature. So in case you lose a unit or two in the warehouse, you’ll know where to find them. More importantly, you’ll have proof that your losses are Amazon’s fault and not yours (which we’ll get to more later).

Inbound Shipping

Even though Amazon provides warehouses for sellers to store their FBA goods in, shipping them to fulfillment centers is entirely the responsibility of the seller. That’s why, in addition to inventory management, you’ll also need to track inbound shipping—what goes to fulfillment centers and what arrives there, as well as if the inbound shipper damages any of your goods—so you can save money on returns by charging your inbound shipper the cost of what you lost.

Lost or Damaged Items and Returns

It’s very common to lose items in Amazon warehouses. Or worse, get items damaged beyond your supervision. During situations like this, Amazon sellers ask for refunds to compensate them for their losses. However, Amazon doesn’t often budge.

If you want to build a strong case for reimbursement on lost or damaged items, you’ll need the accounting to back it up. A concise accounting of your products in an Amazon warehouse is great evidence that your company is not at fault for mishandling any products and could later get you refunds on the items you lost.

Amazon seller accounting - Business asking for help regarding taxes

Accounting Tasks for Ecommerce Businesses

Ecommerce accounting can be a daunting task; with operations worldwide, ecommerce businesses have a lot on their plate with regard to accounting, like transactions in different countries, different taxes, and thousands of miles between every payment. If you want an easier time dealing with accounting, here’s a breakdown of certain tasks that are essential to ecommerce accounting.

Purchasing Inventory

If you run an ecommerce business, replenishing your stock should be one of your top priorities. That’s why purchasing inventory is an essential accounting task for ecommerce businesses. You can’t just buy inventory, you’ll have to make sure everything is accounted for.

Purchasing inventory properly means buying stock in accordance with your company’s financial goals and ensuring you don’t overspend or buy too much stock, since you’ll have to sell everything to get back its value.

Inventory Reconciliation

Once you’ve gotten your hands on an inventory ready to sell, it’s time to manage it well enough so that every item in your inventory gets shipped out. Mismanaging your inventory could lead to lost, damaged, or, in some cases, stolen items, which is why you need to reconcile your inventory regularly.

Regular inventory reconciliation will give you an updated view of your stocks and immediately notify you when any of your inventory is missing. Adding this information into your accounting software or system provides your company with more context going forward, since you’ll know how much stock you have ready to sell.

Accounts Reconciliation

Reconciling your accounts—both accounts payable and receivable—are vital to the integrity of your ecommerce business’s accounting. Reconciling accounts gives you an idea of how much you owe and how much you can expect, which you can use as valuable input into making financial forecasts.

Reconciling accounts also helps you manage your cash flow, since you’ll be including “earned” income and “owed” expenses, whether paid or not, in your balance sheet.

Sales Tax Calculation

Since ecommerce businesses usually sell internationally, expect to run your sales taxes through more than a single tax policy. Sales tax rates are different in every country, so each sale across the border must be accounted for separately in tax returns.

You’ll also have to check with the country you have sold products in regarding your company’s tax obligations regarding the sale. This is different from regular businesses, where their accounting departments are different per country.

Forecasting

Financial forecasting is a company’s foresight into their financial future. To get an accurate forecast, you need accurate accounting. Once all the data to make a forecast has been gathered and analyzed, you can use the forecast to make decisions for your company to help it grow.

A great example is using a forecast to deal with product seasonality. If your product’s peak season is coming up, you’ll have to refer to the forecast to check whether you can double-up on purchasing inventory ahead of the season, and whether or not your business can afford to buy it.

Do Amazon Sellers Need an Accountant?

Every business needs a way of recording transactions for the company. And while it's possible to do your own bookkeeping and accounting, growing your business is easier with professionals handling your finances.

You'll have to hire an accountant if you want to ensure your company's finances remain in good health. Accountants are experts in finance and tax obligations. Hiring an accountant will expand your company's financial freedom and keep track of assets or liabilities that you might miss out on.

Getting the help of an accountant is also ideal for ecommerce businesses since online transactions can get complicated, in addition to managing inventory and shipping costs.

A team of accountants working on financial records

Unloop's Accounting for Amazon Sellers

If you have an Amazon Seller Central account, then you're probably aware of Amazon's default reports, which you know aren't enough for a full view of your company's finances. So instead of doing your own bookkeeping, save yourself the trouble and let Unloop handle your Amazon accounting.

Our team of accountants are experts in accounting for ecommerce businesses, so book a call with us and see how we can help you!

Why You Should Get Amazon Seller Accounting Services
Watch Now

Every business owner knows accounting is central to a business, especially in ecommerce. If you're a seller on Amazon, lacking proper accounting can ruin your business. But accounting isn’t easy—there’s so much you need to keep track of. Here’s a rundown of what you need to focus on in Amazon seller accounting to get your finances in order.

Why Is Accounting Important?

Finances are the lifeblood of any business, and if you want to run your business effectively, you'll have to back it up with some good accounting.

Accounting keeps your finances in check by documenting all transactions and making forecasts from them for future use. A proper accounting system is also crucial for tracking sales tax and other essential tax obligations so your business thrives uninterrupted by legal liability.

In the Amazon marketplace, a good accounting system is the key to success. It tracks your business's revenue and checks how many orders you send out, and if you've lost any goods in Amazon FBA, saving you money when it comes time to refund your losses.

Ecommerce accounting is more complicated than you think. If you run an Amazon business, your accounting needs to be tip-top. In addition to various advertising strategies, you also have to deal with taxes and operating expenses—surely, you'll need some help from experts.

Accounting for Amazon FBA Sellers

Tracking your assets is vital to your ecommerce business’s survival. If your business uses Amazon FBA, you’ll need an accounting system that keeps track of your company’s assets and the products shipped to customers, and that’s no easy task. Here are some areas your accounting needs to focus on to keep your Amazon FBA business in good shape.

Inventory Management

Amazon FBA takes the responsibility of storing inventory and shipping independently from sellers who take part in the program. To keep up with the massive demand, Amazon uses fulfillment centers to store goods and later ship them to customers.

However, fulfillment centers don’t serve sellers. So as an ecommerce business owner, you’ll have to keep track of inventory on your own.

Make sure your accounting system has inventory management as a feature. So in case you lose a unit or two in the warehouse, you’ll know where to find them. More importantly, you’ll have proof that your losses are Amazon’s fault and not yours (which we’ll get to more later).

Inbound Shipping

Even though Amazon provides warehouses for sellers to store their FBA goods in, shipping them to fulfillment centers is entirely the responsibility of the seller. That’s why, in addition to inventory management, you’ll also need to track inbound shipping—what goes to fulfillment centers and what arrives there, as well as if the inbound shipper damages any of your goods—so you can save money on returns by charging your inbound shipper the cost of what you lost.

Lost or Damaged Items and Returns

It’s very common to lose items in Amazon warehouses. Or worse, get items damaged beyond your supervision. During situations like this, Amazon sellers ask for refunds to compensate them for their losses. However, Amazon doesn’t often budge.

If you want to build a strong case for reimbursement on lost or damaged items, you’ll need the accounting to back it up. A concise accounting of your products in an Amazon warehouse is great evidence that your company is not at fault for mishandling any products and could later get you refunds on the items you lost.

Amazon seller accounting - Business asking for help regarding taxes

Accounting Tasks for Ecommerce Businesses

Ecommerce accounting can be a daunting task; with operations worldwide, ecommerce businesses have a lot on their plate with regard to accounting, like transactions in different countries, different taxes, and thousands of miles between every payment. If you want an easier time dealing with accounting, here’s a breakdown of certain tasks that are essential to ecommerce accounting.

Purchasing Inventory

If you run an ecommerce business, replenishing your stock should be one of your top priorities. That’s why purchasing inventory is an essential accounting task for ecommerce businesses. You can’t just buy inventory, you’ll have to make sure everything is accounted for.

Purchasing inventory properly means buying stock in accordance with your company’s financial goals and ensuring you don’t overspend or buy too much stock, since you’ll have to sell everything to get back its value.

Inventory Reconciliation

Once you’ve gotten your hands on an inventory ready to sell, it’s time to manage it well enough so that every item in your inventory gets shipped out. Mismanaging your inventory could lead to lost, damaged, or, in some cases, stolen items, which is why you need to reconcile your inventory regularly.

Regular inventory reconciliation will give you an updated view of your stocks and immediately notify you when any of your inventory is missing. Adding this information into your accounting software or system provides your company with more context going forward, since you’ll know how much stock you have ready to sell.

Accounts Reconciliation

Reconciling your accounts—both accounts payable and receivable—are vital to the integrity of your ecommerce business’s accounting. Reconciling accounts gives you an idea of how much you owe and how much you can expect, which you can use as valuable input into making financial forecasts.

Reconciling accounts also helps you manage your cash flow, since you’ll be including “earned” income and “owed” expenses, whether paid or not, in your balance sheet.

Sales Tax Calculation

Since ecommerce businesses usually sell internationally, expect to run your sales taxes through more than a single tax policy. Sales tax rates are different in every country, so each sale across the border must be accounted for separately in tax returns.

You’ll also have to check with the country you have sold products in regarding your company’s tax obligations regarding the sale. This is different from regular businesses, where their accounting departments are different per country.

Forecasting

Financial forecasting is a company’s foresight into their financial future. To get an accurate forecast, you need accurate accounting. Once all the data to make a forecast has been gathered and analyzed, you can use the forecast to make decisions for your company to help it grow.

A great example is using a forecast to deal with product seasonality. If your product’s peak season is coming up, you’ll have to refer to the forecast to check whether you can double-up on purchasing inventory ahead of the season, and whether or not your business can afford to buy it.

Do Amazon Sellers Need an Accountant?

Every business needs a way of recording transactions for the company. And while it's possible to do your own bookkeeping and accounting, growing your business is easier with professionals handling your finances.

You'll have to hire an accountant if you want to ensure your company's finances remain in good health. Accountants are experts in finance and tax obligations. Hiring an accountant will expand your company's financial freedom and keep track of assets or liabilities that you might miss out on.

Getting the help of an accountant is also ideal for ecommerce businesses since online transactions can get complicated, in addition to managing inventory and shipping costs.

A team of accountants working on financial records

Unloop's Accounting for Amazon Sellers

If you have an Amazon Seller Central account, then you're probably aware of Amazon's default reports, which you know aren't enough for a full view of your company's finances. So instead of doing your own bookkeeping, save yourself the trouble and let Unloop handle your Amazon accounting.

Our team of accountants are experts in accounting for ecommerce businesses, so book a call with us and see how we can help you!

Read more

Are you an Amazon seller trying to make sense of the plethora of accounting software options? Or are you a budding entrepreneur looking for bookkeeping and financial management advice? It doesn’t matter which stage you are in your business, finding the right accounting solution for your Amazon business can take time and effort. 

Whether you're just getting started or are already an expert, this post will guide you through everything you need to know about selecting and using the right accounting software as an Amazon seller. From understanding the features offered by different products to knowing the features of the best tools, we'll cover all aspects so that you can make informed decisions in managing your finances. Let’s begin!

Amazon Data To Track With an Accounting Software

Your journey to managing your business finances begins with bookkeeping. Although many software have ready-made templates of the different data to track, you can still customize the details according to your Amazon business’s needs. 

The good news is Amazon provides much of the information you’ll need on Seller Central. Here are some variables and details you’ll want to see in your books and financial reports. You can combine these with the details available in your chosen accounting tool.

Amazon Sales

Amazon tracks your sales, and when integrated into your accounting software, you can see this critical data in your accounting tool. Your Amazon sales results from search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) campaign, A+ Content strategies, and the other strategies you launched for your store.

Cost of Production

Production costs are any materials or labour expenses you have to pay to manufacture your product. The cost of production may be higher when you make or build your product as an Amazon brand owner compared to being a reseller and acquiring ready-made items from already established stores.

Sales Tax

Sales taxes are one of the most challenging details to track as a business owner because they are sensitive to change. Good thing Amazon already has a system that keeps sales tax rates updated. You can integrate this data into your accounting system for sales tax summaries, reporting, and tax payment purposes.

PPC Ad Spend

A technique many brand new Amazon sellers utilize for PPC campaigns is to go all out to know which keywords their listing will rank for. Amazon tracks PPC data for you, and you can integrate this into your accounting software for further analysis and calculated decision-making for your campaigns. As data piles up, sellers can slowly optimize bids and lower PPC costs.

Advertising Cost of Sales (ACoS)

You can always customize formulas on your accounting tool to get the ACoS, but you can also use features provided by Amazon. Amazon tracks the ACoS with the same goal as you—to know if the PPC campaign is efficient. To calculate the ACoS, use this formula: (ad spend/ad revenue) x 100.

Return of Advertising Investment (RoAS)

Along with the ACoS, Amazon also tracks oOAS, which can give sellers an idea of how much income they’ll get from a campaign. You can use this insight best in business planning and forecasting. RoAS is calculated using this formula: ad revenue/ad spend.

Total Page Views and Sessions

Along with the monetary value data from Amazon Seller Central, they also provide details like total page views and sessions for ads and listings. You can integrate this information into your central accounting tool and put it against other variables to see how effective your campaigns are and their impact on your finances.

Inventory

You can stay on top of your orders and always keep high-demand products in stock because Amazon has your back with shipping and inventory management. Integrate this data into your accounting software to see inventory costs and include the report in other business areas to see the totality of your finances.

Conversion Rate

Are your ads and strategies effective? Check your conversion rate. The conversion rate reflects the percentage of visitors who have bought products from you. When you monitor this detail, you can create strategies to improve it immediately when you see that it’s low.

best bookkeeping software for amazon sellers

Features of the Best Accounting Software

The data above can all be in your accounting tool by integrating the information from Amazon Seller Central and other financial data tracking tools you have. But for an accounting tool to be good, it shouldn’t just track your numbers. Check if an accounting tool has these features to get the best Amazon accounting software for your business.

Accounts Receivable and Payable

The advantage of tracking account receivables and payables is getting a better view of your finances for a long period of time. This contrasts with seeing only the money you receive and give out daily.

Cloud-Based Accounting Software

With all the essential and confidential financial information in your software, it is only right to invest in cloud-based accounting software. This technology ensures cybersecurity, warding off hackers and protecting data from corruption. 

App Integrations

It is highly convenient to use only a single software to see all the relevant data. The best accounting software will allow you to integrate a multitude of applications, like HR tools and tax software, so you can see the data from these sources in one place.

Payment Gateways and Bank Integrations

You’ll cater to different customers that use various payment methods. It's best to have an accounting tool ready with various payment gateways. And by integrating your bank, you can monitor the money being deposited and withdrawn in your bank account in real-time.

Tax Season-Ready

Because all your business transactions will be in one place, computing the income tax return you need to pay annually will be easier, as well as any sales taxes you have to remit to the government. In case of any audits, you’ll also have the receipts and documents you need on hand

Multiple Currencies 

Are you planning to scale your business and sell in an international market? There are accounting tools equipped with multiple currencies you can use. Skip the hassle of shifting to another accounting tool or finding an integration for different currencies when you use these features.

Manage Inventory

When looking for accounting software for Amazon FBA sellers, find one that already offers inventory tracking and management. You can combine this with the data Amazon already has to ensure that you are on top of your business demands and supplies, and you can track where your products are.

Mobile Access

The best Amazon accounting software offers both mobile and computer access. If updates need to be made, you can use your phone. Basically anywhere there is the internet, you can check your business's financial health, even on the go.

Role-Based Access

For additional security, look for software that has role-based access. With role-based access only authorized users in your company can edit the data in your books. Since the tool operates on the cloud, updates are automated and happen in real time—allowing for better collaboration.

Scalable

Excellent accounting software should have plans that fit every type of business. If you are signing up for a beginner plan, you must have the choice to add more accounting features to the software as you grow your venture.

amazon accounting software

Different Accounting Software for Amazon Sellers

So, in the sea of ecommerce bookkeeping and accounting tools out there, which \ is the best for Amazon sellers? We have three great accounting tools in mind. Here's what to expect from them.

QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks is a one-stop-shop online accounting solution. The software has all these features:

  • Accounts payable and accounts receivable
  • Cash flow management
  • Live bookkeeping
  • Payroll
  • Invoicing
  • Creation and receipt of payments
  • Bank reconciliation
  • Inventory management
  • Projects and time tracking
  • Training
  • Cloud accounting

QuickBooks has plans for various business sizes you can choose and grow with.

Xero

Another reliable accounting tool online sellers can use is Xero. With Xero, your bookkeeping and accounting tasks will be automated, and you can enjoy these functions:

  • Income and expense tracking
  • Accounts receivable and payable
  • Payments and invoicing
  • Bank reconciliation
  • Time and projects tracking
  • Integration of payroll tools 
  • Generation of reports
  • Analytics
  • Sales tax tracking
  • Inventory management

Xero also operates on the cloud, so financial data will be secured, accessible to authorized individuals only, and can be accessed on the phone.

Peachtree/Sage50 cloud

Meanwhile, if you are looking for software you can use for your Amazon business and more, you can check Peachtree or Sage50 cloud. Here are some of its features:

  • Cash flow management
  • Payments and banking
  • Time and projects tracking
  • Human resource management
  • Customer relationship management
  • Construction-specific accounting
  • Inventory management
  • Enterprise resource planning
  • Creation of professional invoices
  • Detailed financial reports

Sage50 cloud is one of the few software with specialized setups for specific industries.

Accounting for Amazon Sellers With Unloop

Now that you know the importance of accounting for your Amazon business and what features to look for in accounting software, it's time to decide which software is right for you. Whichever software you choose, ensure it meets all of the criteria we discussed so that you can properly track your data and grow your business.

Even if you already have the best bookkeeping software for Amazon sellers, know that you can still get help. Unloop can handle your Amazon accounting, get your numbers right, and utilize the most reliable bookkeeping and Amazon accounting software. Give us a call to know about our offers.

In the Know About Accounting Software for Amazon Sellers
Watch Now

Are you an Amazon seller trying to make sense of the plethora of accounting software options? Or are you a budding entrepreneur looking for bookkeeping and financial management advice? It doesn’t matter which stage you are in your business, finding the right accounting solution for your Amazon business can take time and effort. 

Whether you're just getting started or are already an expert, this post will guide you through everything you need to know about selecting and using the right accounting software as an Amazon seller. From understanding the features offered by different products to knowing the features of the best tools, we'll cover all aspects so that you can make informed decisions in managing your finances. Let’s begin!

Amazon Data To Track With an Accounting Software

Your journey to managing your business finances begins with bookkeeping. Although many software have ready-made templates of the different data to track, you can still customize the details according to your Amazon business’s needs. 

The good news is Amazon provides much of the information you’ll need on Seller Central. Here are some variables and details you’ll want to see in your books and financial reports. You can combine these with the details available in your chosen accounting tool.

Amazon Sales

Amazon tracks your sales, and when integrated into your accounting software, you can see this critical data in your accounting tool. Your Amazon sales results from search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) campaign, A+ Content strategies, and the other strategies you launched for your store.

Cost of Production

Production costs are any materials or labour expenses you have to pay to manufacture your product. The cost of production may be higher when you make or build your product as an Amazon brand owner compared to being a reseller and acquiring ready-made items from already established stores.

Sales Tax

Sales taxes are one of the most challenging details to track as a business owner because they are sensitive to change. Good thing Amazon already has a system that keeps sales tax rates updated. You can integrate this data into your accounting system for sales tax summaries, reporting, and tax payment purposes.

PPC Ad Spend

A technique many brand new Amazon sellers utilize for PPC campaigns is to go all out to know which keywords their listing will rank for. Amazon tracks PPC data for you, and you can integrate this into your accounting software for further analysis and calculated decision-making for your campaigns. As data piles up, sellers can slowly optimize bids and lower PPC costs.

Advertising Cost of Sales (ACoS)

You can always customize formulas on your accounting tool to get the ACoS, but you can also use features provided by Amazon. Amazon tracks the ACoS with the same goal as you—to know if the PPC campaign is efficient. To calculate the ACoS, use this formula: (ad spend/ad revenue) x 100.

Return of Advertising Investment (RoAS)

Along with the ACoS, Amazon also tracks oOAS, which can give sellers an idea of how much income they’ll get from a campaign. You can use this insight best in business planning and forecasting. RoAS is calculated using this formula: ad revenue/ad spend.

Total Page Views and Sessions

Along with the monetary value data from Amazon Seller Central, they also provide details like total page views and sessions for ads and listings. You can integrate this information into your central accounting tool and put it against other variables to see how effective your campaigns are and their impact on your finances.

Inventory

You can stay on top of your orders and always keep high-demand products in stock because Amazon has your back with shipping and inventory management. Integrate this data into your accounting software to see inventory costs and include the report in other business areas to see the totality of your finances.

Conversion Rate

Are your ads and strategies effective? Check your conversion rate. The conversion rate reflects the percentage of visitors who have bought products from you. When you monitor this detail, you can create strategies to improve it immediately when you see that it’s low.

best bookkeeping software for amazon sellers

Features of the Best Accounting Software

The data above can all be in your accounting tool by integrating the information from Amazon Seller Central and other financial data tracking tools you have. But for an accounting tool to be good, it shouldn’t just track your numbers. Check if an accounting tool has these features to get the best Amazon accounting software for your business.

Accounts Receivable and Payable

The advantage of tracking account receivables and payables is getting a better view of your finances for a long period of time. This contrasts with seeing only the money you receive and give out daily.

Cloud-Based Accounting Software

With all the essential and confidential financial information in your software, it is only right to invest in cloud-based accounting software. This technology ensures cybersecurity, warding off hackers and protecting data from corruption. 

App Integrations

It is highly convenient to use only a single software to see all the relevant data. The best accounting software will allow you to integrate a multitude of applications, like HR tools and tax software, so you can see the data from these sources in one place.

Payment Gateways and Bank Integrations

You’ll cater to different customers that use various payment methods. It's best to have an accounting tool ready with various payment gateways. And by integrating your bank, you can monitor the money being deposited and withdrawn in your bank account in real-time.

Tax Season-Ready

Because all your business transactions will be in one place, computing the income tax return you need to pay annually will be easier, as well as any sales taxes you have to remit to the government. In case of any audits, you’ll also have the receipts and documents you need on hand

Multiple Currencies 

Are you planning to scale your business and sell in an international market? There are accounting tools equipped with multiple currencies you can use. Skip the hassle of shifting to another accounting tool or finding an integration for different currencies when you use these features.

Manage Inventory

When looking for accounting software for Amazon FBA sellers, find one that already offers inventory tracking and management. You can combine this with the data Amazon already has to ensure that you are on top of your business demands and supplies, and you can track where your products are.

Mobile Access

The best Amazon accounting software offers both mobile and computer access. If updates need to be made, you can use your phone. Basically anywhere there is the internet, you can check your business's financial health, even on the go.

Role-Based Access

For additional security, look for software that has role-based access. With role-based access only authorized users in your company can edit the data in your books. Since the tool operates on the cloud, updates are automated and happen in real time—allowing for better collaboration.

Scalable

Excellent accounting software should have plans that fit every type of business. If you are signing up for a beginner plan, you must have the choice to add more accounting features to the software as you grow your venture.

amazon accounting software

Different Accounting Software for Amazon Sellers

So, in the sea of ecommerce bookkeeping and accounting tools out there, which \ is the best for Amazon sellers? We have three great accounting tools in mind. Here's what to expect from them.

QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks is a one-stop-shop online accounting solution. The software has all these features:

  • Accounts payable and accounts receivable
  • Cash flow management
  • Live bookkeeping
  • Payroll
  • Invoicing
  • Creation and receipt of payments
  • Bank reconciliation
  • Inventory management
  • Projects and time tracking
  • Training
  • Cloud accounting

QuickBooks has plans for various business sizes you can choose and grow with.

Xero

Another reliable accounting tool online sellers can use is Xero. With Xero, your bookkeeping and accounting tasks will be automated, and you can enjoy these functions:

  • Income and expense tracking
  • Accounts receivable and payable
  • Payments and invoicing
  • Bank reconciliation
  • Time and projects tracking
  • Integration of payroll tools 
  • Generation of reports
  • Analytics
  • Sales tax tracking
  • Inventory management

Xero also operates on the cloud, so financial data will be secured, accessible to authorized individuals only, and can be accessed on the phone.

Peachtree/Sage50 cloud

Meanwhile, if you are looking for software you can use for your Amazon business and more, you can check Peachtree or Sage50 cloud. Here are some of its features:

  • Cash flow management
  • Payments and banking
  • Time and projects tracking
  • Human resource management
  • Customer relationship management
  • Construction-specific accounting
  • Inventory management
  • Enterprise resource planning
  • Creation of professional invoices
  • Detailed financial reports

Sage50 cloud is one of the few software with specialized setups for specific industries.

Accounting for Amazon Sellers With Unloop

Now that you know the importance of accounting for your Amazon business and what features to look for in accounting software, it's time to decide which software is right for you. Whichever software you choose, ensure it meets all of the criteria we discussed so that you can properly track your data and grow your business.

Even if you already have the best bookkeeping software for Amazon sellers, know that you can still get help. Unloop can handle your Amazon accounting, get your numbers right, and utilize the most reliable bookkeeping and Amazon accounting software. Give us a call to know about our offers.

Read more

Amazon has revolutionized the shopping process for both large and small businesses. Selling your products online allows your business to expose your products to millions of customers. However, since online selling is continuing to be popular with entrepreneurs, you also have millions of competitors out there.

If you are determined to put your business online, Amazon is the best for you. Setting up an Amazon Business account helps companies get ahead by giving Amazon-exclusive discounts on pricing, plus it offers features to aid in your business operations.

What Is an Amazon Business Account? 

Amazon Business is a business-focused account that caters to all businesses, from small and medium to large enterprises. The main purpose of a business account is for businesses to have an approval process so they can keep their spending in check.

Business accounts allow an entity to create multiple users to make purchases for the company. Your business also enjoys the benefits of efficient and swift deliveries. But, it doesn’t stop there! Once you have a business account, you can upgrade to a Prime account which opens your business to more exclusive benefits. 

But unlike business accounts (which are free), Prime members need to pay a membership fee to enjoy its features. 

Amazon Business Prime Membership Fees 

Amazon Prime membership fees may vary depending on the number of users that use the account. Here is a breakdown of their annual prices.

Number of Users 1 user3 users10 users 100 users Unlimited Users 
Price$69 $179$499$1,299$10,099

4 Benefits of Amazon Business Accounts

You may be thinking that you already have a personal account, So why do you still need to get a Business account? Amazon offers many features and services exclusive to business account holders. For example, having these accounts opens you to business-only selections, bulk discounts, and a wide variety of product lines.

Once your Amazon Business account is set up, you can add multiple sellers in one central account, which anyone in your business can use. The benefits of an Amazon business account is for both the seller and buyer, and here's what you can do with it. 

amazon gift card

An Amazon Business Account Is Free

Amazon helps with the selling process when you set up a business account, and it's free. Whether you're a small-scale one-person business or a larger enterprise, it doesn't matter. Any company can open a business account.

To set up your account:

  1. Open the Amazon Business membership page and click on "Create a business account."
  2. Provide a work email and type in your password.
  3. After verifying your email address and providing the necessary information, your account creation will be complete.

Access to Business-Only Prices

There are over 5 million products currently available across business accounts on Amazon. Aside from access to an unlimited number of items, you also enjoy exclusive prices for business account holders. Whether you do B2B transactions or use your business account as a buyer, you'll enjoy discounts that are not available on personal accounts.

Amazon offers lower prices for bulk purchases. Furthermore, you can ask sellers for discounts.

Potential for Big Sales

In 2022, there were currently 200 million active users on Amazon. This number grows each year. When you enroll in Amazon Business, your products will be listed in the vast Amazon catalog, which is accessible to millions of established customers.

Eligible for the FBA program

Whether you sell from the US or are an international seller, you will be eligible for the FBA program. Amazon is available in numerous countries worldwide, and is continually expanding. Amazon has warehouses in different locations even outside of the US, so international sellers can enjoy the FBA program too.

Furthermore, since the primary feature of FBA is storing your products and shipping, you can save money from renting warehouse space and hiring extra workers for the shipping and packing process. You can also guarantee that the FBA program will handle your products correctly to satisfy your customers.

amazon business prime

Is It Worth Upgrading to Amazon Business Prime Account?

You can choose to upgrade to a Business Prime account if you already have a Business account. The Prime account is a membership offered by Amazon for businesses and companies. Using a Business Prime account comes with more benefits compared to a standard business account. However, Amazon charges businesses when they upgrade to Prime depending on the number of users in your account.

So is it worth upgrading to a Business Prime account? Here are a few benefits of Amazon Business Prime memberships.

Fast and Convenient Shipping Rates

With a Prime account, you can send orders to your customers faster. Customers who shop from your business can enjoy discounted shipping rates, and even free one- or two-day shipping on eligible items. Free shipping will entice shoppers to buy from your business primarily because of the savings they can get.

Free Survey and Analytics Tool

It's vital for businesses to know the feedback of their customers regarding their products and services. Amazon helps companies gather their customer's reviews by using a third-party application. The free tool Amazon provides sends surveys to your customers via SMS, emails, POS kiosks, and other integrated services.

The free analytics tool is beneficial for businesses to track their growth, and with Amazon Prime, you get to enjoy these tools for free.

Amazon Business American Card

You will receive an Amazon Business American Express card upon membership with Amazon Prime. This card is exclusive to Prime holders and has no annual fees. With the card, you can enjoy 5% cashback or 90 days to pay with no interest for your purchases.

Amazon Workdocs and Guided Buying

Amazon Workdocs allows you to store your essential business files in one location. You can quickly locate invoices, receipts, and other documents, allowing for collaborations.

The guided buying allows you to create buying policies for your Business Prime account. 

If you have staff, you might give them the responsibility of making purchases from other companies. You can control the items they buy through the guided buying feature. You can list approved items they can purchase and put up restricted categories.

Sign Up for a Business Account Today!

If there's a way to make selling on Amazon better and more convenient, grab it. Utilize the advantages of having an Amazon Business account. If you have the budget for a Business Prime membership, you're in for more benefits and tons of savings for your business. So don't forget to sign your business up today.

Running a small ecommerce firm may also be time-consuming and labour-intensive. While you handle selling your products and launching advertisements, Unloop can help with the accounting side of things. Unloop can help your business stay on top of taxes, expenses, payroll, and several other accounting tasks.

Book a call with us and learn more about how to get started.

Amazon Business Account Benefits for Online Sellers
Watch Now

Amazon has revolutionized the shopping process for both large and small businesses. Selling your products online allows your business to expose your products to millions of customers. However, since online selling is continuing to be popular with entrepreneurs, you also have millions of competitors out there.

If you are determined to put your business online, Amazon is the best for you. Setting up an Amazon Business account helps companies get ahead by giving Amazon-exclusive discounts on pricing, plus it offers features to aid in your business operations.

What Is an Amazon Business Account? 

Amazon Business is a business-focused account that caters to all businesses, from small and medium to large enterprises. The main purpose of a business account is for businesses to have an approval process so they can keep their spending in check.

Business accounts allow an entity to create multiple users to make purchases for the company. Your business also enjoys the benefits of efficient and swift deliveries. But, it doesn’t stop there! Once you have a business account, you can upgrade to a Prime account which opens your business to more exclusive benefits. 

But unlike business accounts (which are free), Prime members need to pay a membership fee to enjoy its features. 

Amazon Business Prime Membership Fees 

Amazon Prime membership fees may vary depending on the number of users that use the account. Here is a breakdown of their annual prices.

Number of Users 1 user3 users10 users 100 users Unlimited Users 
Price$69 $179$499$1,299$10,099

4 Benefits of Amazon Business Accounts

You may be thinking that you already have a personal account, So why do you still need to get a Business account? Amazon offers many features and services exclusive to business account holders. For example, having these accounts opens you to business-only selections, bulk discounts, and a wide variety of product lines.

Once your Amazon Business account is set up, you can add multiple sellers in one central account, which anyone in your business can use. The benefits of an Amazon business account is for both the seller and buyer, and here's what you can do with it. 

amazon gift card

An Amazon Business Account Is Free

Amazon helps with the selling process when you set up a business account, and it's free. Whether you're a small-scale one-person business or a larger enterprise, it doesn't matter. Any company can open a business account.

To set up your account:

  1. Open the Amazon Business membership page and click on "Create a business account."
  2. Provide a work email and type in your password.
  3. After verifying your email address and providing the necessary information, your account creation will be complete.

Access to Business-Only Prices

There are over 5 million products currently available across business accounts on Amazon. Aside from access to an unlimited number of items, you also enjoy exclusive prices for business account holders. Whether you do B2B transactions or use your business account as a buyer, you'll enjoy discounts that are not available on personal accounts.

Amazon offers lower prices for bulk purchases. Furthermore, you can ask sellers for discounts.

Potential for Big Sales

In 2022, there were currently 200 million active users on Amazon. This number grows each year. When you enroll in Amazon Business, your products will be listed in the vast Amazon catalog, which is accessible to millions of established customers.

Eligible for the FBA program

Whether you sell from the US or are an international seller, you will be eligible for the FBA program. Amazon is available in numerous countries worldwide, and is continually expanding. Amazon has warehouses in different locations even outside of the US, so international sellers can enjoy the FBA program too.

Furthermore, since the primary feature of FBA is storing your products and shipping, you can save money from renting warehouse space and hiring extra workers for the shipping and packing process. You can also guarantee that the FBA program will handle your products correctly to satisfy your customers.

amazon business prime

Is It Worth Upgrading to Amazon Business Prime Account?

You can choose to upgrade to a Business Prime account if you already have a Business account. The Prime account is a membership offered by Amazon for businesses and companies. Using a Business Prime account comes with more benefits compared to a standard business account. However, Amazon charges businesses when they upgrade to Prime depending on the number of users in your account.

So is it worth upgrading to a Business Prime account? Here are a few benefits of Amazon Business Prime memberships.

Fast and Convenient Shipping Rates

With a Prime account, you can send orders to your customers faster. Customers who shop from your business can enjoy discounted shipping rates, and even free one- or two-day shipping on eligible items. Free shipping will entice shoppers to buy from your business primarily because of the savings they can get.

Free Survey and Analytics Tool

It's vital for businesses to know the feedback of their customers regarding their products and services. Amazon helps companies gather their customer's reviews by using a third-party application. The free tool Amazon provides sends surveys to your customers via SMS, emails, POS kiosks, and other integrated services.

The free analytics tool is beneficial for businesses to track their growth, and with Amazon Prime, you get to enjoy these tools for free.

Amazon Business American Card

You will receive an Amazon Business American Express card upon membership with Amazon Prime. This card is exclusive to Prime holders and has no annual fees. With the card, you can enjoy 5% cashback or 90 days to pay with no interest for your purchases.

Amazon Workdocs and Guided Buying

Amazon Workdocs allows you to store your essential business files in one location. You can quickly locate invoices, receipts, and other documents, allowing for collaborations.

The guided buying allows you to create buying policies for your Business Prime account. 

If you have staff, you might give them the responsibility of making purchases from other companies. You can control the items they buy through the guided buying feature. You can list approved items they can purchase and put up restricted categories.

Sign Up for a Business Account Today!

If there's a way to make selling on Amazon better and more convenient, grab it. Utilize the advantages of having an Amazon Business account. If you have the budget for a Business Prime membership, you're in for more benefits and tons of savings for your business. So don't forget to sign your business up today.

Running a small ecommerce firm may also be time-consuming and labour-intensive. While you handle selling your products and launching advertisements, Unloop can help with the accounting side of things. Unloop can help your business stay on top of taxes, expenses, payroll, and several other accounting tasks.

Book a call with us and learn more about how to get started.

Read more

Trading in your Windows-based accounting system for Apple accounting software can be daunting at first. It often requires a significant adjustment in how you oversee financial operations. You might also feel like the new application holds your potential back, leaving you stuck and frustrated.

Don’t worry! The switch may have its challenges, but it also offers exciting opportunities. There is now free accounting software specifically made for your current setup.

Start your accounting journey on the right foot with these tips for finding the right software solution designed for Mac users. Get ready to streamline and facilitate every financial aspect of running a small business.

The Relevance of Accounting Software for Apple

Apple is committed to revolutionizing the business world by introducing cutting-edge features such as accounting into its operating system. They aim to simplify digital operations for enterprises and open up more opportunities that provide maximum return on investment, freeing them from compatibility problems.

Thanks to Mac-friendly accounting software, entrepreneurs everywhere can experience an exponential increase in productivity and workflows. No longer should they miss out on the huge gains of modern financial programs—software is a must-have for new Apple users who want to continue their business efficiency.

Financial statements and graph visualizations are also taken to a whole new level when using accounting software for Mac. Every table and chart a business produces showcases its best work like never before. They can even present data points without sacrificing quality.

Best of all, small business owners won't have to worry about inaccuracies that come with manually handling accounts. Like with Windows, software is automated and adaptive for Mac users everywhere. 

All these factors make software an ideal solution for successful financial collaborations.

What To Consider in Accounting Software for Mac Desktops

accounting summary report

With the overwhelming variety of Mac accounting software programs, it can be challenging to choose just one. But you’ll soon discover the best accounting software for your accounting needs by considering certain key factors in your decision-making process.

Here are a few things to keep in mind.

#1: Available Online and Offline 

The availability of both online and offline versions is a great starting point for your research. With cloud-based accounting software, you can get vital information from any corner, making financial processes much more manageable.

At the same time, going offline provides users with secure access free of connection errors or other technical trouble. Users can take full advantage of their informational needs and wants by having both options available.

#2: iOS Apps

There may be times when you’ll need to move your financial data from your Mac computer to other Apple devices such as iPads or iPhones. This extra feature can make transferring and syncing records much more accessible and smoother. 

By staying connected with your accounts, you can ensure that no important update or deadline slips past unnoticed. It may be a low priority for some, but getting an iOS app can make a difference in terms of convenience.

#3: Payroll Integration

Don't get bogged down with payroll calculations; choose an accounting software solution for your Mac desktop with integrated payroll management tools. With this feature, you can easily access employee data analytics and calculate salaries to help you breeze through those operations. 

Payroll integration guarantees timely tax withholdings, employee payments, and federal and state regulations compliance. Automating these business processes improves bookkeeping tasks and offers an extra layer of assurance and peace of mind.

#4: Automatic Reconciliation

Keep your Mac desktop running with accounting software that includes automatic reconciliation features. As the name suggests, it allows small businesses to manage monthly transactions without the time-consuming hassle of data entry and manual reconciliations.

Automated reconciliation can verify bank accounts, credit cards, and other transactions within the accounting system against their sources. From there, users can gain insight into company finances—all in a fraction of the usual processing period.

#5: Unlimited Users

Finding an accounting platform with unlimited user access is ideal for effective operation and future growth so your team can thrive without additional financial burdens.

Companies can control their data and collaboration efforts with unlimited access to a single account. These accounting software features also have major implications for tracking employee productivity. Integrating this with team management tools means they can maximize efficiency in their accounting tasks like never before.

#6: Customer Support

For Mac desktop users, customer support is an often ignored yet fundamental element when choosing the perfect accounting software. Eye-catching interfaces and tech enhancements may be a plus, but strong customer support can address any issues or queries you may have—proving why this feature shouldn't go unnoticed.

Poor customer service can leave you feeling stranded and frustrated. Make sure your digital experience is worry-free by selecting an accounting solution that delivers reliable, patient, and knowledgeable support when dealing with account-related matters.

#7: Client Data Management

Good accounting software should give you easy access to the customer-facing aspects of your financials, such as professional invoices, purchase order management, and customer accounts. This way, you can prepare for conversations with clients and vendors.

Leveraging an integrated client data system can also open a world of market access. It makes it easier to manage emails, conduct follow-up interactions with customers, get an overview of the customer journey, and make data-driven decisions that propel your enterprise forward.

#8: Expense Management

Here’s your chance to be resourceful without sacrificing productivity. Accounting software with excellent expense tracking, reporting capabilities, and tax calculation is much-need for any business. 

You can’t go wrong with these accounting features to easily manage hundreds of transactions and sort them out quickly. By finding a way to accurately break down expenses, measure necessary data research, and initiate automated calculations, you can access any information related to expenses without intricacy.

What Accounting Software Can You Use for Apple Devices?

Apple devices on a wooden table

It’s time to move on to the next step—finding the right accounting programs for your device. With all the knowledge you need, you can dive into some of the excellent options available from Apple.

Below are the best accounting solutions for Apple’s operating system. From the highly advanced to simple, user-friendly tools, there’s sure to be an accounting app that fits what you’re looking for.

#1: QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online is the go-to choice for small business owners looking to control their money operations. This cloud accounting software empowers entrepreneurs with features like invoice tracking, expense monitoring, and secure payment acceptance, enabling them to stay on top of their finances without inconvenience. 

Another version of QuickBooks is available to many Mac Users: QuickBooks Desktop App for Mac. It can give you instant insight into cash flow and profitability. It can also link directly to bank accounts, so you don't have to load multiple financial applications. Unfortunately, you can no longer enjoy this version after May 2023. So use it while you can.

#2: FreshBooks

FreshBooks is another small business accounting software option for Apple. From tracking billable hours to safeguarding data integrity in the cloud, this tool offers an Apple-friendly approach to tackling all your monetary resources.

With FreshBooks, companies can trust that their accounting operations have powerful capabilities to monitor and evaluate expenses. This gives an unbeatable view of its return on investment while categorizing personal and business finances.

#3: Sage Business Cloud Accounting

Sage's basic subscription offers the perfect starting point for small business owners who want to get their finances in order. Accounting and organizational tools give users a helping hand to focus on growing their business without worrying about numbers or clutter.

With its intuitive interface, 1-on-1 expert session, and secure payment processing options, this scalable accounting software is setting a new benchmark in the field, proving to be an invaluable asset for any Mac user. 

#4: Xero

Xero is the perfect pick for taking care of those pesky accounting tasks. With clear interfaces and convenient features like capturing snapshots of key accounts, you can easily reference previous versions with one click, making it perfect for even the busiest business owner.

Xero also can add additional users to their plan without increased cost. It is perfect for companies with multiple staff involved in their accounting processes. Apple users no longer have to strain over the paperwork. Instead, they can keep things efficient and organized.

Discover More Efficient Accounting Solutions With Unloop

Financial management through Apple can be a struggle, especially when you’re not accustomed to the PC and android environment. It takes patience, attention to detail, and organizational skills that may not come naturally to most.

But one thing is sure: those frustrating days of handling your financial operations will now be in the past. Thanks to the availability of high-quality, reliable accounting software for Mac, you can make your bookkeeping, budgeting, and project management easier than ever before.

Feeling uncertain? Unloop can help free you up! Our accounting professionals will find the perfect software for your small business to ensure everything runs smoothly and accurately. 

Get in touch today, and we'll sort things out!

A Small Business Owner’s Guide to Apple Accounting Software
Watch Now

Trading in your Windows-based accounting system for Apple accounting software can be daunting at first. It often requires a significant adjustment in how you oversee financial operations. You might also feel like the new application holds your potential back, leaving you stuck and frustrated.

Don’t worry! The switch may have its challenges, but it also offers exciting opportunities. There is now free accounting software specifically made for your current setup.

Start your accounting journey on the right foot with these tips for finding the right software solution designed for Mac users. Get ready to streamline and facilitate every financial aspect of running a small business.

The Relevance of Accounting Software for Apple

Apple is committed to revolutionizing the business world by introducing cutting-edge features such as accounting into its operating system. They aim to simplify digital operations for enterprises and open up more opportunities that provide maximum return on investment, freeing them from compatibility problems.

Thanks to Mac-friendly accounting software, entrepreneurs everywhere can experience an exponential increase in productivity and workflows. No longer should they miss out on the huge gains of modern financial programs—software is a must-have for new Apple users who want to continue their business efficiency.

Financial statements and graph visualizations are also taken to a whole new level when using accounting software for Mac. Every table and chart a business produces showcases its best work like never before. They can even present data points without sacrificing quality.

Best of all, small business owners won't have to worry about inaccuracies that come with manually handling accounts. Like with Windows, software is automated and adaptive for Mac users everywhere. 

All these factors make software an ideal solution for successful financial collaborations.

What To Consider in Accounting Software for Mac Desktops

accounting summary report

With the overwhelming variety of Mac accounting software programs, it can be challenging to choose just one. But you’ll soon discover the best accounting software for your accounting needs by considering certain key factors in your decision-making process.

Here are a few things to keep in mind.

#1: Available Online and Offline 

The availability of both online and offline versions is a great starting point for your research. With cloud-based accounting software, you can get vital information from any corner, making financial processes much more manageable.

At the same time, going offline provides users with secure access free of connection errors or other technical trouble. Users can take full advantage of their informational needs and wants by having both options available.

#2: iOS Apps

There may be times when you’ll need to move your financial data from your Mac computer to other Apple devices such as iPads or iPhones. This extra feature can make transferring and syncing records much more accessible and smoother. 

By staying connected with your accounts, you can ensure that no important update or deadline slips past unnoticed. It may be a low priority for some, but getting an iOS app can make a difference in terms of convenience.

#3: Payroll Integration

Don't get bogged down with payroll calculations; choose an accounting software solution for your Mac desktop with integrated payroll management tools. With this feature, you can easily access employee data analytics and calculate salaries to help you breeze through those operations. 

Payroll integration guarantees timely tax withholdings, employee payments, and federal and state regulations compliance. Automating these business processes improves bookkeeping tasks and offers an extra layer of assurance and peace of mind.

#4: Automatic Reconciliation

Keep your Mac desktop running with accounting software that includes automatic reconciliation features. As the name suggests, it allows small businesses to manage monthly transactions without the time-consuming hassle of data entry and manual reconciliations.

Automated reconciliation can verify bank accounts, credit cards, and other transactions within the accounting system against their sources. From there, users can gain insight into company finances—all in a fraction of the usual processing period.

#5: Unlimited Users

Finding an accounting platform with unlimited user access is ideal for effective operation and future growth so your team can thrive without additional financial burdens.

Companies can control their data and collaboration efforts with unlimited access to a single account. These accounting software features also have major implications for tracking employee productivity. Integrating this with team management tools means they can maximize efficiency in their accounting tasks like never before.

#6: Customer Support

For Mac desktop users, customer support is an often ignored yet fundamental element when choosing the perfect accounting software. Eye-catching interfaces and tech enhancements may be a plus, but strong customer support can address any issues or queries you may have—proving why this feature shouldn't go unnoticed.

Poor customer service can leave you feeling stranded and frustrated. Make sure your digital experience is worry-free by selecting an accounting solution that delivers reliable, patient, and knowledgeable support when dealing with account-related matters.

#7: Client Data Management

Good accounting software should give you easy access to the customer-facing aspects of your financials, such as professional invoices, purchase order management, and customer accounts. This way, you can prepare for conversations with clients and vendors.

Leveraging an integrated client data system can also open a world of market access. It makes it easier to manage emails, conduct follow-up interactions with customers, get an overview of the customer journey, and make data-driven decisions that propel your enterprise forward.

#8: Expense Management

Here’s your chance to be resourceful without sacrificing productivity. Accounting software with excellent expense tracking, reporting capabilities, and tax calculation is much-need for any business. 

You can’t go wrong with these accounting features to easily manage hundreds of transactions and sort them out quickly. By finding a way to accurately break down expenses, measure necessary data research, and initiate automated calculations, you can access any information related to expenses without intricacy.

What Accounting Software Can You Use for Apple Devices?

Apple devices on a wooden table

It’s time to move on to the next step—finding the right accounting programs for your device. With all the knowledge you need, you can dive into some of the excellent options available from Apple.

Below are the best accounting solutions for Apple’s operating system. From the highly advanced to simple, user-friendly tools, there’s sure to be an accounting app that fits what you’re looking for.

#1: QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online is the go-to choice for small business owners looking to control their money operations. This cloud accounting software empowers entrepreneurs with features like invoice tracking, expense monitoring, and secure payment acceptance, enabling them to stay on top of their finances without inconvenience. 

Another version of QuickBooks is available to many Mac Users: QuickBooks Desktop App for Mac. It can give you instant insight into cash flow and profitability. It can also link directly to bank accounts, so you don't have to load multiple financial applications. Unfortunately, you can no longer enjoy this version after May 2023. So use it while you can.

#2: FreshBooks

FreshBooks is another small business accounting software option for Apple. From tracking billable hours to safeguarding data integrity in the cloud, this tool offers an Apple-friendly approach to tackling all your monetary resources.

With FreshBooks, companies can trust that their accounting operations have powerful capabilities to monitor and evaluate expenses. This gives an unbeatable view of its return on investment while categorizing personal and business finances.

#3: Sage Business Cloud Accounting

Sage's basic subscription offers the perfect starting point for small business owners who want to get their finances in order. Accounting and organizational tools give users a helping hand to focus on growing their business without worrying about numbers or clutter.

With its intuitive interface, 1-on-1 expert session, and secure payment processing options, this scalable accounting software is setting a new benchmark in the field, proving to be an invaluable asset for any Mac user. 

#4: Xero

Xero is the perfect pick for taking care of those pesky accounting tasks. With clear interfaces and convenient features like capturing snapshots of key accounts, you can easily reference previous versions with one click, making it perfect for even the busiest business owner.

Xero also can add additional users to their plan without increased cost. It is perfect for companies with multiple staff involved in their accounting processes. Apple users no longer have to strain over the paperwork. Instead, they can keep things efficient and organized.

Discover More Efficient Accounting Solutions With Unloop

Financial management through Apple can be a struggle, especially when you’re not accustomed to the PC and android environment. It takes patience, attention to detail, and organizational skills that may not come naturally to most.

But one thing is sure: those frustrating days of handling your financial operations will now be in the past. Thanks to the availability of high-quality, reliable accounting software for Mac, you can make your bookkeeping, budgeting, and project management easier than ever before.

Feeling uncertain? Unloop can help free you up! Our accounting professionals will find the perfect software for your small business to ensure everything runs smoothly and accurately. 

Get in touch today, and we'll sort things out!

Read more

Every great business starts small, and every great business owner knows that the key to success is a little grit. 

That’s right! It takes someone with a keen eye and an open mind willing to consume a good amount of knowledge to expand a business that’s just starting out. After all, nothing remarkable ever comes easy.

If you’re reading an article like this, you’ve already got that part checked out, which means you’re up for something a little bit more challenging: learning how to do accounting for a small business. 

A basic understanding of accounting can help small business owners manage their finances more efficiently, comply with tax code requirements, make a realistic business plan, and even invite more investments with the proper presentation of financial data. 

Of course, if you’re still starting out, it might be a good idea to read up on online business accounting to catch up on how new businesses are doing things in the modern world, because you know what they say? “A strong foundation turns students into masters.”

Luckily for you, we’ve prepared a quick guide you can breeze through.

Setting Up a Business Bank Account

Every business needs its own business bank account. It helps establish your small business and separate your personal and business finances, making it a lot easier to track business expenses and income. 

Before you get a separate bank account for your small business, do your research and compare different banks and their offerings, such as fees, interest rates, and account features. 

The convenience and accessibility of the bank's branches and ATMs, as well as the level of customer service they offer, are also things you might want to take a look at, especially since you’re probably going to be transacting with the bank in the long run.

Besides having separate bank accounts, you might also want to get a business credit card. Having a good credit score helps small businesses gain access to business assets and capital that they wouldn’t have had otherwise, allowing them to make large purchases and take advantage of supplier discounts without having to pay upfront in cash.

Recording Financial Transactions

When you run a business, you must keep track of the money going in and out of your operations. This is what “bookkeeping" is for. 

You’ve probably heard of that word, and perhaps, you’ve seen it being used interchangeably with “accounting,” but understand that these two services are entirely different

Bookkeeping vs. Accounting

Bookkeeping involves recording and tracking business transactions. This includes recording sales, purchases, receipts, and payments systematically. Basic bookkeeping aims to provide accurate and up-to-date financial reports of a business's financial activities.

Accounting is analyzing and interpreting financial information generated from those financial reports to produce business financial statements, such as income statements and balance sheets, which provide a snapshot of a business's financial position at a given time.

What’s the Basic Small Business Accounting Process?

Basic business accounting cycle

This question might have popped up in your head as you read that previous paragraph. Yes, there is a process, and it’s referred to as “the accounting cycle.”

The accounting cycle is the series of steps that a business follows to ensure that its transactions are recorded, processed, and reported accurately. It follows eight significant steps:

  1. Journalizing: Transactions are recorded systematically in the business's books of account, such as a general ledger. 
  2. Posting to Ledger Accounts: After all the journal entries have been completed, they are posted to the appropriate ledger accounts, which are accounts payable, accounts receivable, and cash.
  3. Preparing an Unadjusted Trial Balance: An unadjusted trial balance is prepared to ensure that the total of the debit balances equals the total of the credit balances.
  4. Adjusting Entries: Adjusting entries are made to correct any errors or omissions in the recorded transactions, such as depreciation or accruals.
  5. Preparing an Adjusted Trial Balance: An adjusted trial balance is prepared to ensure that the total of the debit balances still equals the total of the credit balances after the adjusting entries have been made.
  6. Preparing Financial Statements: A balance sheet and an income statement are usually prepared from the financial data indicated in the adjusted trial balance.
  7. Closing the Books: The books are closed for the accounting period, which involves zeroing out the temporary accounts, such as revenue and expense accounts, so they are ready to start the next period.
  8. Beginning the Next Period: The next period starts by recording new transactions and repeating the steps of the accounting cycle.

Accounting Methods

There are also two methods to record financial transactions that business owners have to decide to use at the start of their business operations. 

The first one is the cash accounting method. This is an accounting method where transactions are recorded when cash is received or paid out. In this method, income is only recognized when cash is received, and expenses are only recognized when cash is paid out.

The second is the accrual accounting method. This method records transactions when they occur, regardless of when the cash is received or paid out. Income is recognized when earned, and expenses are recognized when incurred.

Which Is Better for My Business?

The cash accounting method is easier to understand. Still, it might not provide an accurate picture of a business's financial health because it leaves out transactions involving accounts receivable and payable. On the other hand, the accrual accounting method provides a more accurate picture of a company's financial health, but it is more complex and requires more detailed recordkeeping.

Filing Tax Returns and Other Obligations

Now that you’ve got a good grasp of what basic accounting for small businesses really is, it’s essential to build on that knowledge by learning about the other tasks that are related to accounting. Tax and accounting are a good example as they both deal with a business's financial information. 

Accounting involves recording, processing, and reporting a business's financial transactions. In contrast, tax involves the payment of things like income taxes to the government based on the information reported by the business.

The data generated by the accounting process is used to calculate a business's taxable income and tax liability. After which, the data is used to prepare tax returns. 

In preparing tax returns, accounting, and tax professionals may also provide services to businesses. This can involve advising on tax-efficient strategies to minimize a business's tax liability, such as taking advantage of tax deductions and credits.

Utilizing Accounting Software

Nowadays, small businesses have embraced the use of accounting software because of its convenience and efficiency. You see, accounting software automates many of the manual tasks involved in the accounting process, such as record-keeping, generating basic financial statements, and calculating taxes. 

Accounting software can cut long hours of complicated work for small businesses. Many accounting software programs also integrate with other business tools, such as payroll and invoicing software, which helps streamline financial management.

Many accounting software programs are available in the market at incredibly affordable prices, making them accessible to any kind of small business out there. 

Partnering With Professionals

Of course, it’s always a wise choice for small business owners to consult a professional like a certified public accountant when setting up and understanding accounting systems. 

Accounting firms like Unloop provide services to help small businesses manage their finances and meet their regulatory obligations. If you need financial statements prepared, we can even do that for you with relative ease.

What’s important is that you look for an agency with a proven track record of expertise in accounting, offers a wide range of affordable services, and provides good advisory services that can impact your business in the long run.

Book a call with us now to get started on accounting for your business.

The Beginner’s Guide on How To Do Accounting for a Small Business
Watch Now

Every great business starts small, and every great business owner knows that the key to success is a little grit. 

That’s right! It takes someone with a keen eye and an open mind willing to consume a good amount of knowledge to expand a business that’s just starting out. After all, nothing remarkable ever comes easy.

If you’re reading an article like this, you’ve already got that part checked out, which means you’re up for something a little bit more challenging: learning how to do accounting for a small business. 

A basic understanding of accounting can help small business owners manage their finances more efficiently, comply with tax code requirements, make a realistic business plan, and even invite more investments with the proper presentation of financial data. 

Of course, if you’re still starting out, it might be a good idea to read up on online business accounting to catch up on how new businesses are doing things in the modern world, because you know what they say? “A strong foundation turns students into masters.”

Luckily for you, we’ve prepared a quick guide you can breeze through.

Setting Up a Business Bank Account

Every business needs its own business bank account. It helps establish your small business and separate your personal and business finances, making it a lot easier to track business expenses and income. 

Before you get a separate bank account for your small business, do your research and compare different banks and their offerings, such as fees, interest rates, and account features. 

The convenience and accessibility of the bank's branches and ATMs, as well as the level of customer service they offer, are also things you might want to take a look at, especially since you’re probably going to be transacting with the bank in the long run.

Besides having separate bank accounts, you might also want to get a business credit card. Having a good credit score helps small businesses gain access to business assets and capital that they wouldn’t have had otherwise, allowing them to make large purchases and take advantage of supplier discounts without having to pay upfront in cash.

Recording Financial Transactions

When you run a business, you must keep track of the money going in and out of your operations. This is what “bookkeeping" is for. 

You’ve probably heard of that word, and perhaps, you’ve seen it being used interchangeably with “accounting,” but understand that these two services are entirely different

Bookkeeping vs. Accounting

Bookkeeping involves recording and tracking business transactions. This includes recording sales, purchases, receipts, and payments systematically. Basic bookkeeping aims to provide accurate and up-to-date financial reports of a business's financial activities.

Accounting is analyzing and interpreting financial information generated from those financial reports to produce business financial statements, such as income statements and balance sheets, which provide a snapshot of a business's financial position at a given time.

What’s the Basic Small Business Accounting Process?

Basic business accounting cycle

This question might have popped up in your head as you read that previous paragraph. Yes, there is a process, and it’s referred to as “the accounting cycle.”

The accounting cycle is the series of steps that a business follows to ensure that its transactions are recorded, processed, and reported accurately. It follows eight significant steps:

  1. Journalizing: Transactions are recorded systematically in the business's books of account, such as a general ledger. 
  2. Posting to Ledger Accounts: After all the journal entries have been completed, they are posted to the appropriate ledger accounts, which are accounts payable, accounts receivable, and cash.
  3. Preparing an Unadjusted Trial Balance: An unadjusted trial balance is prepared to ensure that the total of the debit balances equals the total of the credit balances.
  4. Adjusting Entries: Adjusting entries are made to correct any errors or omissions in the recorded transactions, such as depreciation or accruals.
  5. Preparing an Adjusted Trial Balance: An adjusted trial balance is prepared to ensure that the total of the debit balances still equals the total of the credit balances after the adjusting entries have been made.
  6. Preparing Financial Statements: A balance sheet and an income statement are usually prepared from the financial data indicated in the adjusted trial balance.
  7. Closing the Books: The books are closed for the accounting period, which involves zeroing out the temporary accounts, such as revenue and expense accounts, so they are ready to start the next period.
  8. Beginning the Next Period: The next period starts by recording new transactions and repeating the steps of the accounting cycle.

Accounting Methods

There are also two methods to record financial transactions that business owners have to decide to use at the start of their business operations. 

The first one is the cash accounting method. This is an accounting method where transactions are recorded when cash is received or paid out. In this method, income is only recognized when cash is received, and expenses are only recognized when cash is paid out.

The second is the accrual accounting method. This method records transactions when they occur, regardless of when the cash is received or paid out. Income is recognized when earned, and expenses are recognized when incurred.

Which Is Better for My Business?

The cash accounting method is easier to understand. Still, it might not provide an accurate picture of a business's financial health because it leaves out transactions involving accounts receivable and payable. On the other hand, the accrual accounting method provides a more accurate picture of a company's financial health, but it is more complex and requires more detailed recordkeeping.

Filing Tax Returns and Other Obligations

Now that you’ve got a good grasp of what basic accounting for small businesses really is, it’s essential to build on that knowledge by learning about the other tasks that are related to accounting. Tax and accounting are a good example as they both deal with a business's financial information. 

Accounting involves recording, processing, and reporting a business's financial transactions. In contrast, tax involves the payment of things like income taxes to the government based on the information reported by the business.

The data generated by the accounting process is used to calculate a business's taxable income and tax liability. After which, the data is used to prepare tax returns. 

In preparing tax returns, accounting, and tax professionals may also provide services to businesses. This can involve advising on tax-efficient strategies to minimize a business's tax liability, such as taking advantage of tax deductions and credits.

Utilizing Accounting Software

Nowadays, small businesses have embraced the use of accounting software because of its convenience and efficiency. You see, accounting software automates many of the manual tasks involved in the accounting process, such as record-keeping, generating basic financial statements, and calculating taxes. 

Accounting software can cut long hours of complicated work for small businesses. Many accounting software programs also integrate with other business tools, such as payroll and invoicing software, which helps streamline financial management.

Many accounting software programs are available in the market at incredibly affordable prices, making them accessible to any kind of small business out there. 

Partnering With Professionals

Of course, it’s always a wise choice for small business owners to consult a professional like a certified public accountant when setting up and understanding accounting systems. 

Accounting firms like Unloop provide services to help small businesses manage their finances and meet their regulatory obligations. If you need financial statements prepared, we can even do that for you with relative ease.

What’s important is that you look for an agency with a proven track record of expertise in accounting, offers a wide range of affordable services, and provides good advisory services that can impact your business in the long run.

Book a call with us now to get started on accounting for your business.

Read more

Every business owner, at some point in time, will have to deal with taxes. They are, after all, their legal obligation to fulfill. So they file tax returns yearly to get their tax bill, try to deduct as much as possible from the account through tax exemptions and refunds, and eventually pay them to keep their business permit.

One of the most common taxes is the sales tax, which is not the same for every country. Here's a little information about the sales tax in Canada and three easy ways to pay it.

What Is Sales Tax?

A sales tax is a value-added tax that customers pay when they purchase certain goods and services. Unless certain conditions state otherwise, most goods are taxable by law, and the end consumer should shoulder the sales tax of a product, not the business.

However, if businesses like resale were buying goods from a different company, they would have to collect the sales tax; they can then charge their customers the selling price, including taxes, and remit after being paid. Again, it is the responsibility of a product's end consumer to shoulder the sales tax of a purchase.

In Canada, three main taxes make up the sales tax.

Federal Goods and Services Tax (GST)

The Canadian government mandates a federal tax called the GST which it levies upon all states. The GST comes at 5% of the sale price.

Provincial Sales Tax (PST)

The provincial sales tax, on the other hand, is a local sales tax. It works in combination with the GST. For example, if the GST is 5% and the PST is 7%, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) charges businesses a 12% sales tax.

However, not all provinces have a PST. Some provinces charge only GST, while others apply the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST).

Quebec Sales Tax (QST)

Quebec's PST is called the QST. Among all provinces that use PST, Quebec is the only province to differ. The Quebec sales tax rate comes to 9.975%.

Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)

In place of the GST and PST, certain provinces opt for a harmonized sales tax. Participating provinces, aside from Ontario, follow the same HST rate, which is a standard 15%, while Ontario uses 13%. Since the sales tax is similar among all HST provinces, businesses can file a single tax return for sales in all relevant provinces.

HST applies to five provinces out of Canada's thirteen. Namely:

  • Newfoundland and Labrador
  • New Brunswick
  • Nova Scotia
  • Ontario (13%)
  • Prince Edward Island
Sales tax in canada - Spare change, a calculator, a pen, glasses, and a form for Income Tax for the Canada Revenue Agency.

Who Pays Canadian Sales Tax?

Since businesses collect the sales tax through purchasing taxable goods, customers pay the sales tax, and businesses remit them. However, since Canadian sales tax rates differ among provinces, the sales taxes charged to customers can differ.

Small Businesses

Canadian businesses follow what they call the “small supplier rule.” The small supplier rule is if you qualify as a small business—a business that makes less than $30,000 in annual revenue on taxable supplies—you're not required to open a GST/HST account, so collecting and remitting sales taxes is unnecessary.

However, most provinces under PST don't cover provincial sales taxes for small suppliers, so while you don't have to pay GST or HST, you might still have to pay the provincial portion regardless of your sales volume.

Foreign Businesses

Previously, the federal government did not require businesses not physically based in Canada to collect and remit Canadian sales taxes. However, new tax policies put Canadian businesses at a disadvantage since their prices would be higher.

Now foreign businesses are now required to pay the GST/HST rate and the PST if their total revenue surpasses $30,000.

Foreign businesses or non-residents are not required to have a physical presence in Canada; they must voluntarily register with the CRA and provide personal solutions to determining where their customers live and what taxes apply to their purchases.

How Do You Pay the Sales Tax (Canada)?

Tax time can be stressful for business owners since calculating and filing taxes can get very complicated. Fortunately, the Canada Revenue Agency has provided three easy ways to pay your sales taxes.

Electronic Payment

Nowadays, it's becoming less popular to physically go to the bank for all your transactions. Different financial institutions are normalizing electronic payment methods, and it's also become a reliable payment method for the Canada Revenue Agency.

Simply access your financial institution's website or app and make the transaction to pay your sales taxes.

MyPayment

Since electronic payments are becoming more popular, the Canada Revenue Agency devised an online payment system called MyPayment. Check the CRA's website to see the specific guidelines for MyPayment.

Payment Through Financial Institutions

Despite the rising popularity of electronic payments, bank runs aren't going out of style just yet; you can still pay your sales taxes through your bank. To pay through financial institutions, simply fill up a form called “Form RC158 - Remittance Voucher”, which you can only get from the bank since there are no soft copies available online.

Should you need to make other tax-related payments, financial institutions also provide the following forms:

  • Form RC159, Remittance Voucher - Interim Payments
  • Form RC160, Remittance Voucher - Amount Owing
  • Form RC177, Remittance Voucher - Balance Due

If you're planning on paying with foreign currency, you'll have to apply the current exchange rate to your remittance and pay that.

Payment by Mail

If the other two payment options don't work for you, you can always go old school and remit your sales taxes through snail mail. The Canada Revenue Agency can accept payments via mail or courier, but you'll have to keep the amount below $50,000. Otherwise, you'll have to pay either electronically or through a bank.

Dice revealing and interchangeable HST and GST, symbolizing how they have the same functions in Canadian tax policy.

Taxes: A Legal Obligation

Taxes are every business's responsibility; staying in business means properly paying your taxes without error. Not filing your taxes or even filing them improperly—like miscalculating or failing to declare some expenses—could lead to serious repercussions for your business, like legal battles and, in serious cases, jail time.

Here are a few examples of tax crimes all businesses should be wary of.

Tax Evasion

Generally speaking, tax evasion is failure to pay taxes. The worst businesses commit tax evasion on purpose by undervaluing their taxable assets or not reporting taxes at all. You can get more jail time from tax evasion than tax fraud.

Tax Fraud

Tax fraud, on the other hand, is simply misreporting your taxable assets. Sometimes, people confuse which assets are taxable and allow themselves to be willfully blind to avoid reporting such assets. Assisting people in committing these acts is also considered tax fraud.

It's important to have a team of experts looking at your tax returns so you won't make any mistakes regarding your taxes.

File Your Canada Sales Tax With Unloop

Any successful business, especially ecommerce businesses, will have a tough time dealing with taxes. Not only are there a ton of transactions to consider, but there are even more policies to be mindful of.If you're feeling wary about taxes, why not call Unloop? Start worrying less about your taxes by booking a call with us! Our finance professionals are experts in Canadian tax policy, making us the best option for your business's tax needs.

3 Easy Ways To Pay Sales Tax in Canada
Watch Now

Every business owner, at some point in time, will have to deal with taxes. They are, after all, their legal obligation to fulfill. So they file tax returns yearly to get their tax bill, try to deduct as much as possible from the account through tax exemptions and refunds, and eventually pay them to keep their business permit.

One of the most common taxes is the sales tax, which is not the same for every country. Here's a little information about the sales tax in Canada and three easy ways to pay it.

What Is Sales Tax?

A sales tax is a value-added tax that customers pay when they purchase certain goods and services. Unless certain conditions state otherwise, most goods are taxable by law, and the end consumer should shoulder the sales tax of a product, not the business.

However, if businesses like resale were buying goods from a different company, they would have to collect the sales tax; they can then charge their customers the selling price, including taxes, and remit after being paid. Again, it is the responsibility of a product's end consumer to shoulder the sales tax of a purchase.

In Canada, three main taxes make up the sales tax.

Federal Goods and Services Tax (GST)

The Canadian government mandates a federal tax called the GST which it levies upon all states. The GST comes at 5% of the sale price.

Provincial Sales Tax (PST)

The provincial sales tax, on the other hand, is a local sales tax. It works in combination with the GST. For example, if the GST is 5% and the PST is 7%, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) charges businesses a 12% sales tax.

However, not all provinces have a PST. Some provinces charge only GST, while others apply the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST).

Quebec Sales Tax (QST)

Quebec's PST is called the QST. Among all provinces that use PST, Quebec is the only province to differ. The Quebec sales tax rate comes to 9.975%.

Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)

In place of the GST and PST, certain provinces opt for a harmonized sales tax. Participating provinces, aside from Ontario, follow the same HST rate, which is a standard 15%, while Ontario uses 13%. Since the sales tax is similar among all HST provinces, businesses can file a single tax return for sales in all relevant provinces.

HST applies to five provinces out of Canada's thirteen. Namely:

  • Newfoundland and Labrador
  • New Brunswick
  • Nova Scotia
  • Ontario (13%)
  • Prince Edward Island
Sales tax in canada - Spare change, a calculator, a pen, glasses, and a form for Income Tax for the Canada Revenue Agency.

Who Pays Canadian Sales Tax?

Since businesses collect the sales tax through purchasing taxable goods, customers pay the sales tax, and businesses remit them. However, since Canadian sales tax rates differ among provinces, the sales taxes charged to customers can differ.

Small Businesses

Canadian businesses follow what they call the “small supplier rule.” The small supplier rule is if you qualify as a small business—a business that makes less than $30,000 in annual revenue on taxable supplies—you're not required to open a GST/HST account, so collecting and remitting sales taxes is unnecessary.

However, most provinces under PST don't cover provincial sales taxes for small suppliers, so while you don't have to pay GST or HST, you might still have to pay the provincial portion regardless of your sales volume.

Foreign Businesses

Previously, the federal government did not require businesses not physically based in Canada to collect and remit Canadian sales taxes. However, new tax policies put Canadian businesses at a disadvantage since their prices would be higher.

Now foreign businesses are now required to pay the GST/HST rate and the PST if their total revenue surpasses $30,000.

Foreign businesses or non-residents are not required to have a physical presence in Canada; they must voluntarily register with the CRA and provide personal solutions to determining where their customers live and what taxes apply to their purchases.

How Do You Pay the Sales Tax (Canada)?

Tax time can be stressful for business owners since calculating and filing taxes can get very complicated. Fortunately, the Canada Revenue Agency has provided three easy ways to pay your sales taxes.

Electronic Payment

Nowadays, it's becoming less popular to physically go to the bank for all your transactions. Different financial institutions are normalizing electronic payment methods, and it's also become a reliable payment method for the Canada Revenue Agency.

Simply access your financial institution's website or app and make the transaction to pay your sales taxes.

MyPayment

Since electronic payments are becoming more popular, the Canada Revenue Agency devised an online payment system called MyPayment. Check the CRA's website to see the specific guidelines for MyPayment.

Payment Through Financial Institutions

Despite the rising popularity of electronic payments, bank runs aren't going out of style just yet; you can still pay your sales taxes through your bank. To pay through financial institutions, simply fill up a form called “Form RC158 - Remittance Voucher”, which you can only get from the bank since there are no soft copies available online.

Should you need to make other tax-related payments, financial institutions also provide the following forms:

  • Form RC159, Remittance Voucher - Interim Payments
  • Form RC160, Remittance Voucher - Amount Owing
  • Form RC177, Remittance Voucher - Balance Due

If you're planning on paying with foreign currency, you'll have to apply the current exchange rate to your remittance and pay that.

Payment by Mail

If the other two payment options don't work for you, you can always go old school and remit your sales taxes through snail mail. The Canada Revenue Agency can accept payments via mail or courier, but you'll have to keep the amount below $50,000. Otherwise, you'll have to pay either electronically or through a bank.

Dice revealing and interchangeable HST and GST, symbolizing how they have the same functions in Canadian tax policy.

Taxes: A Legal Obligation

Taxes are every business's responsibility; staying in business means properly paying your taxes without error. Not filing your taxes or even filing them improperly—like miscalculating or failing to declare some expenses—could lead to serious repercussions for your business, like legal battles and, in serious cases, jail time.

Here are a few examples of tax crimes all businesses should be wary of.

Tax Evasion

Generally speaking, tax evasion is failure to pay taxes. The worst businesses commit tax evasion on purpose by undervaluing their taxable assets or not reporting taxes at all. You can get more jail time from tax evasion than tax fraud.

Tax Fraud

Tax fraud, on the other hand, is simply misreporting your taxable assets. Sometimes, people confuse which assets are taxable and allow themselves to be willfully blind to avoid reporting such assets. Assisting people in committing these acts is also considered tax fraud.

It's important to have a team of experts looking at your tax returns so you won't make any mistakes regarding your taxes.

File Your Canada Sales Tax With Unloop

Any successful business, especially ecommerce businesses, will have a tough time dealing with taxes. Not only are there a ton of transactions to consider, but there are even more policies to be mindful of.If you're feeling wary about taxes, why not call Unloop? Start worrying less about your taxes by booking a call with us! Our finance professionals are experts in Canadian tax policy, making us the best option for your business's tax needs.

Read more

Accounting software can be intimidating for small businesses. That's why some owners choose to stick to the traditional way of manual recording because switching to online accounting can disrupt their process.

Small businesses just starting also need help deciding whether to go online or proceed manually. But in most cases, if you own an online store, you know the way to go is to get accounting software to match your ecommerce platforms, which inevitably leads you to learn how to set them up.

If you choose QuickBooks as your accounting software, Unloop can help you find the important components to set up. Read below to learn how to use QuickBooks for ecommerce businesses and find one way to make setup and operations much more effortless.

How To Set Up QuickBooks Online for Ecommerce

QuickBooks Online requires plenty of setup and configuration which makes getting started challenging. For an already existing business, this can mean going through the whole QuickBooks menu to ensure they capture every financial detail.

But whether you've been in business for a while or have only just started, you only need to set up a few things before hitting the ground running. The rest you can choose to leave to experts. Here's what you should pay attention to when you set up QuickBooks for ecommerce businesses.

Configuring Your Account and Settings

Click the gear icon on the top right portion of your QuickBooks. Under the "Your Company" column, click "Account and Settings."

This is where you set up all the essential information about your business such as the type of business entity, invoice terms, accounting method, tax forms, and more. All of these will affect income and sales tax reporting as you move forward.

Creating a Chart of Accounts

The chart of accounts is mandatory information before you start recording transactions in QuickBooks because this is where you input initial business balances. To set up accounts, go to the gear icon on the top right portion of your screen. Under the "Your Company" column, click "Chart of Accounts."

When setting up a chart of accounts, you can use the default option from QuickBooks, which is what new businesses usually do. Existing businesses with established accounts can click on the "New/Import" button on the top right submenu.

Connecting a Bank Account to QuickBooks

Another vital setup any ecommerce small business owner must do is to connect their bank account to QuickBooks. Doing so lets them sync existing transactions from their bank and into QuickBooks. This allows for easier bank reconciliation and ensures that QuickBooks’s balances match the ones in the designated business accounts.

To sync bank accounts, go to "Banking" on the sidebar menu and click the "Connect" button at the center of the screen.

Setting Up Balances and Identifying Transactions (for an Existing Business)

After syncing your bank accounts, setting up balances and identifying transactions follow. This is required because it affects the transactions that you record in the future.

Setting up balances is mainly about putting all the numbers from your books into QuickBooks. You enter the opening or current amounts of balance sheet accounts (i.e., real accounts) and identify unclassified transactions from the bank account synced to the accounting software.

This cleans up your journal and ledger entries in QuickBooks and gives you accurate financial reporting.

Adding Customers and Vendors

Both traditional and ecommerce business owners using QuickBooks need to add buyers and vendors. This is the only way for them to record and track incoming revenues and supplier payments identified as short-term debt or credit.

To get started, click "Sales" on the left side of the QuickBooks dashboard, then click "Customers" (or the label you chose to rename them). You can then fill out the empty sections from there.

From the same sidebar menu, click "Expenses," then click "Vendors" on the submenu at the top. Then record the details of your suppliers to track payments sent to them.

Adding Products and Services

Finally, adding products and services is the way to record revenue coming from physical or online sales. To set up your products or services, click the gear button on the top right section of the QuickBooks screen. Under "List," click "Products and Services."

You can fill out the product or service name and enter the product's SKU number if you do inventory management. Finally, you can enter the sales price/rate of your product or service.

how to set up quickbooks for small business in ecommerce can be better

Outsourcing: Accounting for Ecommerce Businesses Made Simple

Getting your QuickBooks fully configured and ready for accounting can be time-consuming. So if it's something that you only want to learn but want other people to do, you have the option to outsource it to accounting experts.

Unloop is a team of accountants and bookkeepers well-versed in ecommerce businesses and accounting software such as QuickBooks. We can render the following service to make account setup and management simple.

Sync Your QuickBooks Online to Your Ecommerce Business

Apart from knowing how to do a full QuickBooks setup and bank syncing, our experts can also integrate your business’s ecommerce platform to your QuickBooks account either by using API or by manually doing it ourselves.

We can also integrate other third-party apps to add more features or augment existing ones in your QuickBooks software.

Includes QuickBooks Online Subscription

Getting the bookkeeping services from Unloop includes a QuickBooks subscription. You won't need to pay it on top of the bookkeeping service you subscribe to.

This saves you money and gives you more value than subscribing to QuickBooks and doing your account setup and bookkeeping on your own.

Bookkeeping Services

You get a team of experts handling recordkeeping. Unloop's bookkeepers have years of experience using QuickBooks and know the ropes of ecommerce businesses such as Amazon and other marketplaces.

You will get up-to-date and accurate entries on your QuickBooks account, and we can also assist in configuring your account.

Financial Statement Reporting

As a result of frequent recordkeeping and monitoring, Unloop's bookkeepers can generate accurate financial statements every month. You will have a detailed report that can help steer your business's direction.

Tax Assistance

Unloop's experts can also coordinate with accountants to assist with what they need when filing taxes. If you need to get your own CPA to file taxes for you, we can connect you to our network of accountants and accounting firms for your tax filing.

Inventory and Cost of Goods Sold (CoGS) Calculations

Inventory is one thing that takes work to manage when the business grows. But our experts can monitor the inflow and outflow of inventory and its cost to ensure you get the correct amount of revenue and CoGS. This is crucial when determining your bottom-line profits, managing your stock levels, and improving your cash flow.

Unlimited Support

Setting up your QuickBooks account and bookkeeping is complicated, especially if you're the only one doing it. But when you outsource your accounting to experts, you can breathe easy. Plus, you get to ask questions and get support if there's something you want to get done.

Why DIY When You Can Go on Autopilot?

You can skip the time-consuming process of learning how to set up QuickBooks for small businesses in ecommerce when you outsource to experts. But why stop there when you can have your accounting system on autopilot?

Unloop's experts can help set up QuickBooks for your ecommerce business and run it as if it's on autopilot. All you need to do is check-in, make decisions, and focus on running your business.

If you need help setting up your QuickBooks or want the whole autopilot experience, book a call, and let's talk about it. You can also check out our bookkeeping services for more.

How To Set Up QuickBooks for Small Businesses in Ecommerce
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Accounting software can be intimidating for small businesses. That's why some owners choose to stick to the traditional way of manual recording because switching to online accounting can disrupt their process.

Small businesses just starting also need help deciding whether to go online or proceed manually. But in most cases, if you own an online store, you know the way to go is to get accounting software to match your ecommerce platforms, which inevitably leads you to learn how to set them up.

If you choose QuickBooks as your accounting software, Unloop can help you find the important components to set up. Read below to learn how to use QuickBooks for ecommerce businesses and find one way to make setup and operations much more effortless.

How To Set Up QuickBooks Online for Ecommerce

QuickBooks Online requires plenty of setup and configuration which makes getting started challenging. For an already existing business, this can mean going through the whole QuickBooks menu to ensure they capture every financial detail.

But whether you've been in business for a while or have only just started, you only need to set up a few things before hitting the ground running. The rest you can choose to leave to experts. Here's what you should pay attention to when you set up QuickBooks for ecommerce businesses.

Configuring Your Account and Settings

Click the gear icon on the top right portion of your QuickBooks. Under the "Your Company" column, click "Account and Settings."

This is where you set up all the essential information about your business such as the type of business entity, invoice terms, accounting method, tax forms, and more. All of these will affect income and sales tax reporting as you move forward.

Creating a Chart of Accounts

The chart of accounts is mandatory information before you start recording transactions in QuickBooks because this is where you input initial business balances. To set up accounts, go to the gear icon on the top right portion of your screen. Under the "Your Company" column, click "Chart of Accounts."

When setting up a chart of accounts, you can use the default option from QuickBooks, which is what new businesses usually do. Existing businesses with established accounts can click on the "New/Import" button on the top right submenu.

Connecting a Bank Account to QuickBooks

Another vital setup any ecommerce small business owner must do is to connect their bank account to QuickBooks. Doing so lets them sync existing transactions from their bank and into QuickBooks. This allows for easier bank reconciliation and ensures that QuickBooks’s balances match the ones in the designated business accounts.

To sync bank accounts, go to "Banking" on the sidebar menu and click the "Connect" button at the center of the screen.

Setting Up Balances and Identifying Transactions (for an Existing Business)

After syncing your bank accounts, setting up balances and identifying transactions follow. This is required because it affects the transactions that you record in the future.

Setting up balances is mainly about putting all the numbers from your books into QuickBooks. You enter the opening or current amounts of balance sheet accounts (i.e., real accounts) and identify unclassified transactions from the bank account synced to the accounting software.

This cleans up your journal and ledger entries in QuickBooks and gives you accurate financial reporting.

Adding Customers and Vendors

Both traditional and ecommerce business owners using QuickBooks need to add buyers and vendors. This is the only way for them to record and track incoming revenues and supplier payments identified as short-term debt or credit.

To get started, click "Sales" on the left side of the QuickBooks dashboard, then click "Customers" (or the label you chose to rename them). You can then fill out the empty sections from there.

From the same sidebar menu, click "Expenses," then click "Vendors" on the submenu at the top. Then record the details of your suppliers to track payments sent to them.

Adding Products and Services

Finally, adding products and services is the way to record revenue coming from physical or online sales. To set up your products or services, click the gear button on the top right section of the QuickBooks screen. Under "List," click "Products and Services."

You can fill out the product or service name and enter the product's SKU number if you do inventory management. Finally, you can enter the sales price/rate of your product or service.

how to set up quickbooks for small business in ecommerce can be better

Outsourcing: Accounting for Ecommerce Businesses Made Simple

Getting your QuickBooks fully configured and ready for accounting can be time-consuming. So if it's something that you only want to learn but want other people to do, you have the option to outsource it to accounting experts.

Unloop is a team of accountants and bookkeepers well-versed in ecommerce businesses and accounting software such as QuickBooks. We can render the following service to make account setup and management simple.

Sync Your QuickBooks Online to Your Ecommerce Business

Apart from knowing how to do a full QuickBooks setup and bank syncing, our experts can also integrate your business’s ecommerce platform to your QuickBooks account either by using API or by manually doing it ourselves.

We can also integrate other third-party apps to add more features or augment existing ones in your QuickBooks software.

Includes QuickBooks Online Subscription

Getting the bookkeeping services from Unloop includes a QuickBooks subscription. You won't need to pay it on top of the bookkeeping service you subscribe to.

This saves you money and gives you more value than subscribing to QuickBooks and doing your account setup and bookkeeping on your own.

Bookkeeping Services

You get a team of experts handling recordkeeping. Unloop's bookkeepers have years of experience using QuickBooks and know the ropes of ecommerce businesses such as Amazon and other marketplaces.

You will get up-to-date and accurate entries on your QuickBooks account, and we can also assist in configuring your account.

Financial Statement Reporting

As a result of frequent recordkeeping and monitoring, Unloop's bookkeepers can generate accurate financial statements every month. You will have a detailed report that can help steer your business's direction.

Tax Assistance

Unloop's experts can also coordinate with accountants to assist with what they need when filing taxes. If you need to get your own CPA to file taxes for you, we can connect you to our network of accountants and accounting firms for your tax filing.

Inventory and Cost of Goods Sold (CoGS) Calculations

Inventory is one thing that takes work to manage when the business grows. But our experts can monitor the inflow and outflow of inventory and its cost to ensure you get the correct amount of revenue and CoGS. This is crucial when determining your bottom-line profits, managing your stock levels, and improving your cash flow.

Unlimited Support

Setting up your QuickBooks account and bookkeeping is complicated, especially if you're the only one doing it. But when you outsource your accounting to experts, you can breathe easy. Plus, you get to ask questions and get support if there's something you want to get done.

Why DIY When You Can Go on Autopilot?

You can skip the time-consuming process of learning how to set up QuickBooks for small businesses in ecommerce when you outsource to experts. But why stop there when you can have your accounting system on autopilot?

Unloop's experts can help set up QuickBooks for your ecommerce business and run it as if it's on autopilot. All you need to do is check-in, make decisions, and focus on running your business.

If you need help setting up your QuickBooks or want the whole autopilot experience, book a call, and let's talk about it. You can also check out our bookkeeping services for more.

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+1 877 421 7270
228 Park Ave S #82849
New York, NY 10003
United States
7676 Woodbine Ave #2
Markham, ON L3R 2N2
Canada
228 Park Ave S #82849
New York, NY 10003
United States
7676 Woodbine Ave #2
Markham, ON L3R 2N2
Canada
About unloop

Unloop is the first and only accounting firm exclusively servicing ecommerce and inventory businesses in the US and Canada. With the power of people and technology, our team dives deep into COGS and inventory accounting.. You are paired with a dedicated bookkeeping team that prepares accurate financial statements, financial forecasts, and can also pay bills or run payroll for you. Come tax time, everything is organized and ready to go, so you don't need to worry. Book a call with an ecommerce accountant today to learn more.

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