Welcome To Double Entry Accounting
Welcome to Double Entry Accounting a site providing small businesses and individuals wanting to learn the basics of bookkeeping and accounting. Notice I said basics. The site is designed for those that don't want or need time consuming drawn out accounting and bookkeeping courses or tutorials and just want or need to become familiar with bookkeeping and accounting. In other words, a working knowledge. Don't worry, I didn't forget those needing more than the basics. I've provided links to my sister bookkeeping sites that have more in depth free accounting courses, tutorials, and tests.
Is This Site for You ?
If this site's for you, Let's begin with a definition for accounting and bookkeeping.
Accounting is the art of analyzing, recording, summarizing, reporting, reviewing, and interpreting financial information. Bookkeeping is one of the components of accounting. Think of accounting as the mom and bookkeeping as one of her children.
Bookkeeping is the process of recording and classifying business financial transactions (activities). In simple language-maintaining the records of the financial activities of a business or an individual. Bookkeeping's objective is simply to record and summarize financial transactions into a usable form that provides financial information about a business or an individual. Accountants normally plan and set up the accounting and bookkeeping system for a business and turn over the day to day record keeping to the owner or one of his/her employees. In this age of computers, more and more of the daily bookkeeping is being done using bookkeeping software and computers although some businesses still maintain manual records. Due to the reasonable cost of computers and software, I recommend an automated (computer) bookkeeping system.
Why Learn Bookkeeping ?
Why would you want to learn bookkeeping and keep up to date financial records anyway ? Can't you hire an accountant to come after the end of the year and get your check book and shoe box and do your taxes ? Sure you can ! And yes you will have adequately fulfilled your taxpayer obligations. But in order to run a business and know what, where, and when to take corrective actions requires business information. How do you get and where do you find this information ? You don't if you don't keep accurate and current records about your business financial activities (bookkeeping).
Who Uses Financial Information ?
Who needs financial information about a business besides the owner(s) ? Users can be grouped into two broad categories namely internal users and external users. Internal users are the managers and the owners and employees who actually work for the business. External users include lenders and other creditors (suppliers), investors, customers, and governmental regulatory and taxing agencies. Why do they need financial information ? Users need this information to make knowledgeable decisions. Lenders and other creditors want to make sure that they will be paid back for the credit that they have extended to a business. By analyzing financial information, they at least have something to base their lending or credit decision on. The days of the "friendly" banker are gone. You need to provide them with financial information as a basis for their loan decisions. A "good ole boy" handshake won't cut it now. Similarly, customers want to make sure that the business they're buying products or services from is going to be around and not be in such a poor financial position as to have to close its doors. Other users have their own reasons for using this financial information. Since users require financial information to base their decisions on, let's determine what is required to fill this need.
What Makes Bookkeeping and Accounting Work ?
What Does a Bookkeeper Do ?
The bookkeeper position analyzes and posts financial information to accounting journals or accounting software from source documents such as invoices to customers, cash receipts, checks, and supplier invoices.
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