Accounting

Every business owner and director should understand key accounting concepts - even if you outsource to the professionals. Our guide to the basics.

Forecasting sales is an essential part of business planning. It's also vital to keep an eye on costs and make cuts where necessary. Our overview.

A good bookkeeping system gives you accurate information to help manage your business. We explain your basic options and what the law requires.

Management accounts give you the information you need to run your business effectively and make informed decisions. Where to start.

If your business runs out of cash to keep trading you could be in big trouble, even if your sales pipeline looks good. Read our overview.

Limited companies need to file statutory annual accounts and provide other information to Companies House by law. Our guide to the basics.

Not every business owner has the skills to do their own accounts - a professional could be worth their weight in gold. How to choose an accountant.

Accounting software makes your accounts quicker and easier to process - and you don't need to be a trained accountant. Our guide to choosing software.

Understanding the basics of financial management gives you an informed view about the company’s performance, and allows you to play a strategic role.

Avoid cash flow problems and encourage your customers to pay on time by charging interest on late payments. Our guide to your rights.

Being on good terms and having clear policies is vital for working with your suppliers and other creditors. Here's how to manage the relationship.

Every company needs to prepare annual accounts for the tax man. Our guide to the records you need to keep and how to stay organised.

Good accounting software puts you in control of your business, letting you automate regular tasks, prepare forecasts and monitor business performance.

Key performance indicators can help you measure how your business is performing in particular areas, so that you can track and improve this over time.

Read our list of tips for controlling your cash flow, including chasing debts and avoiding the dangers of overtrading.

To avoid the risk of late payment - or no payment at all - it's essential to vet the people you offer credit to, and make your terms clear.

Almost every business will experience late payment at some point. This practical checklist will help you recover the money you are owed.

A helpful checklist on drawing up your business budget, including what to put in it and who to involve in the process.

While you may not be able to influence how much customers spend, you can do is to control your costs and look at variable and fixed costs.

The old saying 'turnover is vanity, profit sanity and cash reality' remains true. Cash flow really is the blood supply of any business.

When your business is ticking over nicely, you can keep spending focused on the right areas. Limiting expenditure could keep you in the black.