Why do you need an accountant for your small business? Your business does not have a lot of cash flow or many employees making filing taxes easy, right?
As a small business owner you might think filing your own taxes on top of all the other tasks you juggle will be easy, but filing your own taxes is a huge responsibility for small business owners.
Take it from us, though: after a certain amount of progress as a company, doing your own business accounting isn’t likely worth your time, especially if your background isn’t in finance. The truth is that small mistakes in your finances can add up and may cost you a lot in the long run. Here’s why you need an accountant for your small business and when you’ll know it’s time to find one.
Should I Hire an Accountant for My Small Business?
If you’re asking this question and your small business is already doing well, the answer might be “Yes.” Accounts do much more than just your taxes every year, although that is arguably one of the most valuable services any accountant has to offer your organization.
The world of business finance can be complicated, even if your scope of operations isn’t exactly titanic. Running into trouble with the IRS will usually end up being an absolute nightmare, even for very small infractions—hiring a business accountant early is one way to prevent trouble before your books have a chance to get ahead of you. However, this won’t always be an affordable option for some.
The power of an accountant on your team is undeniable, which then begs the question: when do I need an accountant for my small business? At what point does the payoff outweigh the costs associated with a professional accountant?
When Is the Right Time to Hire an Accountant for My Small Business?
After your business begins to flourish, your finances may become significantly more complicated. This is especially the case as you begin to make more new hires and earn more income—and, of course, spend more money, too.
Your job as a leader is just as important as any job you can delegate to somebody else. Small business owners will usually be excellent multitaskers by nature. Eventually, your stack of hats will become so tall and unwieldy that it’s likely to fall over.
As soon as your finances begin to overwhelm you daily or weekly—losing track of receipts and invoices, for example, or simply not having time to document every transaction required for a complete account of your company’s activity—the time to hire a dedicated company accountant or bookkeeper has probably come to pass.
You may have an external bookkeeper preparing your finances early on for tax season. However, the investment in a certified accountant may eventually end up paying for itself. An internal accountant will be more familiar with tax codes and regulations and will be worth having if an audit comes along.
Why Do I Need an Accountant for My Small Business?
Are you running your finances for your business on your own? It may seem like a practical role to take on at the beginning of your venture, which is why so many small business owners end up giving it the ol’ college try.
After a certain point, however, a lack of expertise and even simple naïveté may cost you dearly. An innocent mistake may compound into something much more expensive in the long run—why waste your time trying to wade through something an accountant will have no trouble doing perfectly for you?
A business accountant can save you more than money in the event of an audit; they’ll also save you a lot of time as they take the minutiae of your finances off of your plate as a small business owner.
What exactly does a small business accountant do? Their duties may cover any and all of the following essentials:
- Bookkeeping: Documenting every fiduciary transaction passing through your small business is an enormous responsibility. All purchases, sales, payments, and paper trails must be maintained and kept up to scratch.
- Payroll: This may include helping you oversee and carry out payments, filing your employees’ and contractors’ tax documents correctly, and, as mentioned, documenting all of the above.
- Tax preparation: Unless you would rather outsource the professional responsible for closing out your books at the end of the year, you’ll need a small business accountant to create your reports and prepare your affairs to file. A great accountant will also be a lifesaver in an IRS audit—if you’re following the rules, they’ll be able to find the mistake and rectify it, incurring as few penalties as possible.
- Insight, analysis, and interpretation: Unless you’re a financial expert, it always pays to have somebody who knows what they’re talking about behind the wheel. They may be able to help you navigate problems like overspending, helping you spot issues in your financial statements throughout the year. You might also find that they have a lot of helpful advice on where you could be investing more generously for the sake of growth and your future.
No matter what line of work you’re in, these generalized responsibilities will apply to any small business, whatever stage of development it’s in. You may know the trade better than anybody on your staff, but without the right partner to guide your hand as you make essential investments in your enterprise, your business might end up not seeing its full potential—or simply fall flat.
The need for a business accountant after finding your place in your industry is more than obvious—what about for brand-new businesses, though? Should start-ups hire a business accountant if they can afford it? To us, it’s simply another way to win.
Do I Need an Accountant for My Small Business Start-Up?
Depending on how established your small business is, your accountant might become a vital part of your organization as you scale. Defining your business goals is one thing—making it all happen realistically and practically is another matter entirely.
A great accountant can offer guidance at these pivotal intersections—helping you choose the right business structure, for example, and ensuring that everything you plan on accomplishing is feasible and compliant with every relevant body of authority (including the IRS!). They’ll also be extraordinary resources to lean on when applying for business loans, working with angel investors and other investments, and perhaps even when applying for small business grants.
A sudden windfall will do nothing for you if you have no idea what to do with it. Business accountants act as trusted confidants and will be able to help you manage your money wisely. Investing in yourself is another critical skill to master. An objective set of professional eyes will lead you to smart financial moves you might not have considered on your own.
What Can the Right Small Business Accountant Do for You?
Why do I need an accountant for my small business? For the same reason, you hire a professional to manage your IT systems. Are your business’s tax problems perplexing you? A small business accountant is almost certainly the solution. The time to delegate has arrived.
If you’re unsure where to begin, contact us for advice on all things financial. The earlier you get our team involved, the more we’ll be able to do for you once tax season finally rolls back around.
