Billing. Accounting. Taxes… Has it given you a syncope? We have to recognize that they are terms that usually put our nerves on edge and unless you have a competent professional or a easy billing program, sometimes it can get you out of your boxes.
Since we don't want that to happen to you, we thought of giving you a series of billing tips that can come in handy and, above all, that will make the process easier when carrying it out. What do we advise you? The next.
log daily
Both income and expenses are something that can occur daily in many companies. This is common, and the problem is that if you leave it all to the end, then doing the billing can mean losing more hours (and not five minutes, which is what it would take you, 10 if there are many).
Therefore, when it comes to delivering an invoice, or paying an expense, try to keep a record every day. It will take a few minutes, but In exchange, you will have everything much more organized without forgetting to enter any invoice or any expense that lowers taxes.
Set a day for statements
This is important because many times we leave, leave and in the end we end up delivering the invoices when the term ends. That is, at night. And obviously, this is not the best.
Therefore, we recommend that you put a specific day that, no matter what happens, you will make the declarations. That day is free of other tasks and you will only dedicate yourself to accounting, invoicing, reviewing errors, invoices, etc. to deliver the taxes in time.
For example, imagine that the deadline is until April 20. Well, you would have to put on a day before that, maybe the 11th, to do it, without ever delaying it (except for force majeure, of course).
Control unpaid bills
As you know, sometimes we deliver invoices but they are not paid at the same time. Not even a few days later. These, despite the fact that we have taken them out and sent them to customers, if they have not been collected, they are not income, so we do not have to include them when declaring until they are paid.
What does this mean? well what keeping track of those that are paid and those that are not will allow you not to have to add those for which you have not yet received payment. Of course, once you do, you will introduce them in the following quarter or year. And if they don't pay you, you can claim them.
Technology is on your side
Exact. Carrying billing and accounting by hand is already something unthinkable because with technology you can automate many processes and do everything faster.
If you have not touched a computer before, it may be difficult for you to adapt, but once you do, the most normal thing is that you do not want to change again.
An easy billing program
Sometimes we insist on thinking that for a program to be good it has to have many features, customizations, submenus... and in reality it is not. In some cases, such as billing, x activities are carried out, much less common. And what you need is a program that is easy to use, that answers you when you need it and that helps you manage billing issues, expenses, income...
It doesn't have to be huge, or feature-rich; only those that you are going to use.
Billing and accounting, two different things
Be careful, sometimes we think that everything is the same, and although it may be so in the case of small companies or freelancers, when they are large companies this is different.
If you do not know how to carry it all out, the best thing is not to try to do it yourself, but to have the help of an advisor. Yes, it involves an outlay, but you forget about these tedious problems.
Look for one that gives you confidence, that is within your budget, and that is more of a help than a problem. The rest should be taken care of by him.
Be careful with the numbering of the invoices
El number of the invoices must always be correlative. In other words, if you have 20 clients throughout the year, you will have to have 20 invoices each month, one per client. But it does not mean that each client starts a number, no. The first customer you bill is 1. The second, even if it's different, will be 2, and so on.
Another important point is that you have to reset every year. For example, imagine that in December you made the invoice 429. In January, when you go to present the invoice to another client, it will not be 430. It will be 1. Why? Because the year changes, and then we return to the square where we started and from there we continue throughout the year.
Do not hoard knowledge in one person
In a company, or a freelancer, you have to take into account that it can get bad at some point. Days. Weeks. Months. Are you going to be without anyone to do the bills or receive them?
Therefore, it is best that you always there are at least two people who are how the billing program works and how everything is done. In this way, in the face of any unforeseen event, you will have that job covered and you will continue to function well.
Automate
If you have a client and they have been with you for years, chances are they will stay that way. But you, month by month, have to make the invoice manually. So why not automate it? That is, each month, the invoice is automatically generated since it will carry the same amount. Even without wearing it, you can do that the entire invoice is duplicated and then change the total and change the VAT, personal income tax... only. Wouldn't that save you time?
Well, you can do the same with technology and billing programs. So it will only be to review and send.
Check data and invoices
It is always important to check that you have the well-updated data of your clients and that the invoices have been correct (both more and less). The same with the bills that you have to pay. He checks that everything is correct and, if not, notifies them to change it.
It won't take you long and that way you make sure that everything turns out as it should be. Otherwise, you will waste time having to change it or request changes from others.
Although these topics may seem complicated, they really are not. You just have to have the clear knowledge to do it easily. Need help?