Tuesday 26 May 2009

Good Accounts Packages Don't Have to Be Expensive

By Alan Butler

You've seen the accounts packages for sale, and can you believe the prices of them. Anything from £60.00 to £350.00 but is there anything cheaper on the market?

Yes, there is, you can get good accounts packages for less than £50.00. Search the Internet using search terms such as "cheap accountancy programs" or "download accounts software" and carefully sift though the results.

The best packages are the ones that have all the features you need for your business. Too many packages are expensive, and they don't give you anything more for your money.

You need a package which is simple to use. It should also give you good reports which will save you a lot of money. Why will it save you a lot of money, because with the quality of the records produced, your accountant will have very little work to do?

As the majority of accountants work on a time budget, and they charge you by the hour, the less work they do, the smaller your fees should be.

You don't have to spend more money on services for your businesses anymore. Cheap accounts packages, which do exactly what you need, mean lower accountants' fees. That gives you more money to spend on your family.

Search the Internet for accounts software at a reasonable price that you can download. Test it out, use it for 30 days and see what the results are. You will be amazed at how good reasonably priced software can be, and the way it helps you in the day to day running of your business.

Alan Butler is a director of A Butler and Company, chartered certified accountants, based in Derby, providing a personalised service to local business owners and individuals.

Four Software Limited, 5A Darley Abbey Mills, Darley Abbey, Derby, DE22 1DZ, Tel 01332 200 604, Fax 01332 344329

Article Source

Foursoftware Accounting Package

Commercial Accounts Software

You can file the following tax returns online using software from commercial suppliers (some of this software is free and some you have to pay for):
  • SA100 - Individual Tax Return (also completed if you're self-employed)
  • SA800 - The Partnership Tax Return
  • SA900 - The Trust and Estate Tax Return (see ‘Filing trust and estate returns online’ below)

The commercial software products also allow you to file some or all of the following supplementary pages online:

  • Employment
  • Self-employment
  • Individual partnership
  • Additional information
  • Trust income
  • Capital Gains
  • Non-residence
  • Minister of religion
  • Lloyd's underwriters

We don't recommend any one particular product or service over another, so you'll have to choose for yourself. When you compare suppliers, you could look at things such as their extra features, ease of use and quality of support.

More help from HM Revenue and Customs

Wednesday 13 May 2009

Essential For Any Business - Accounting Software


By Alan Butler


Gone are the days when you could store all your receipts, bank statements and other accounting documents in a box, and then pass them to your accountant at the end of the year. With the financial crisis affecting the majority of the world, you'll need to know exactly the state of your business finances are, and you need to know each and every day. Every day is important, because you need to react instantly to any financial problems you might be about to face.

How do you do this, what is the best way around the problems you are facing?

The easy answer is accounting software. Now you might be thinking, "I don't need any more software, I have a spreadsheet program on my computer, which will do the job." The spreadsheet programs you get with your word processor are good, but they are limited. Unless you know how to put formulae in then you will have no way of reading the data. However, with good accounting software, you will be able to read the data and know instantly the exact position of your company.

Imagine you sit at your computer, key in the data and then press a couple of buttons. Immediately the program does what it has been programmed to do, all the calculations you need. No longer do you need to wait for results; no longer do you need to be running your business blindly. If you want to stay ahead of the recession, then it is essential for your business to have accounting software.

Alan Butler is a director of A Butler and Company, chartered certified accountants, based in Derby, providing a personalised service to local business owners and individuals.

Four Software Limited, 5A Darley Abbey Mills, Darley Abbey, Derby, DE22 1DZ, Tel 01332 200 604, Fax 01332 344329, www.foursoftware.co.uk

Article Source

Cash is King Accounting Software

Tuesday 5 May 2009

Can I Try Accounting Software For Free Before I Buy It?

By Alan Butler

Now that is a great question, because how many times in the past have you gone into a computer store and found accounting software, and there it is - shrink wrapped. You have no option but to buy it having read the list of features and benefits, but you have no idea how easy it is to use until you get it home.

But that is something that no longer has to be a problem for you. Imagine finding accounting software, you read the features and benefits, and you think it is a perfect fit for your business. Can you imagine finding great accounting software, and then find you can download it and test it for 30 days. Yes, download and give it a good test drive, check it out for a whole 30 days.

No buying blindly anymore, because you will know exactly what you are getting. You will be able to see how easy it is to use, before you spend any money. Search the Internet for accounting software that you can download and test before you buy it. Often you will be able to create a few accounts as you try the program, then, when you decide the buy the software you can simply carry on. Usually, when you have bought the software, you will be sent an activation code that when keyed in converts the program from a trial version into the full version - no need to download it again.

And finally, some accounts software packages offers free upgrades as the program is further developed, so you are always using the latest version - at no extra cost!

Alan Butler is a director of A Butler and Company, chartered certified accountants, based in Derby, providing a personalised service to local business owners and individuals.

Four Software Limited, 5A Darley Abbey Mills, Darley Abbey, Derby, DE22 1DZ, Tel 01332 200 604, Fax 01332 344329, www.foursoftware.co.uk/features.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?Can-I-Try-Accounting-Software-For-Free-Before-I-Buy-It?&id=2164793