Marriage Allowance

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby 

I was actually tootling around the HMRC site (as one does) looking for any scraps of information on whether the £2000 Employers Allowance was going to be extended to 2015-2016... but came across this piece of fun...

"If your income is less than £10,600 in the 2015 to 2016 tax year, you may be able to reduce your husband, wife or civil partner’s tax by up to £212.

The new Marriage Allowance will let you transfer some of your Personal Allowance to your partner. This is the amount of income people can get before paying tax.

Marriage Allowance will be available later this year. You can register now to get an email telling you when you can claim. It’ll take around 3 minutes."

There are a few conditions that may apply... so to read more - click here to go to the Gov.UK site

BKD

Ringing in the Changes

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby


As 2014 draws to a close the team at  BKD Ltd have begun to consider our corporate objectives for 2015. 

Planning for the future is essential for any business - have you started your Objective setting yet?

BKD

Evolving Xero

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby

Xero, as one would expect, is a dynmic accounting icloud  package.. and the latest and welcome update means for the end user - a slight tidy up in the 'All' tab...

"Deleted and voided invoices and bills are no longer shown by default on the 'All' tab. To find them, go to the 'All' tab and check the new option 'Include Deleted & Voided'. Search invoices, bills, credit notes and purchase orders. "

BKD 

BKD Ltd is Xero Certified!!

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby


Here at  BKD Ltd we take training and development very seriously.  The Xero Partner Cerfication Programme is exacting and a pass mark of at least 80% is required.

Mega congratulations John- you looked drained! 

My turn soon




BKD

Opportunity

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby

BKD

UK tax inspectors collect record £23.9bn from large businesses, criminals and tax avoidance schemes

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby

Investigations carried out by UK tax inspectors have collected a record £23.9 billion over the last year, according to official figures.

The figure is £3.2bn more than the year before and almost £1bn over the target set by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, in his 2013 autumn statement, according to HM Revenue and Customs.

More than £8bn was secured from large businesses, more than £1bn from criminals and £2.7bn from tackling tax avoidance schemes in the courts, it said.

BKD 


Source:  The Lincolnshire Echo 

Getting to grips with Xero

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby

Over time changes and indeed advances to the way we operate become an essential part of any business - not least within the bookkeeping fraternity.  For those of us who have already started on the journey of being self employed you will know exactly what I am alluding to. 

Those first tentative steps of trying to keep tabs on daily expenses - usually in a notebook or for the very brave an excel spreadsheet - then branching out into something a little more formal - The Little Yellow Book of Accounting for the Terrified is highly recommended.... then a couple of month/years pass and we find the need for an online solution and can't quite commit to a monthly fee so for those there is the natural progression into Solar Accounts. 

Then the day arrives - usually after a few months of agony and drowning under a sea of paper and very very late nights and early mornings then the driving need is to move to something a little more robust.

You are then faced with a question of landlocked or satellite? 

Well, as a sole operator - QuickBooks performed admirably - although there was a time when an update corrupted on of my clients data.  Horrible.  Wouldn't have been so bad - but I was a few days away from submitting their VAT return.  The pain lives with me still.

But as the team grows we needed to apply one of the most rudiment of all data entry principles - ONE DATA SOURCE.

I'd looked at Xero in its early stages and wasn't so impressed - however time has improved this accounting package.  So last August we took the plunge and began migrating client data over to Xero.  It was an ambitious plan - but we, as a team have grown and learned and as we face our first set of Year Ends - one of Xero's major advantageous is that we can have several people working on the same account at the same time.

Having said that - Xero isn't QuickBooks and I really miss a lot of the reporting functionality that is available.  I suspect though that it is only a matter of time before the Xero team begin to realise that the putting the raw data in is only a fraction of what is required of any accounting system... at the end of the day - unless you can run interactive reports - any system is worse than useless.

BKD

Solar Accounts and Reconciling

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby

Solar Accounts is one of those very, very sweet, simple to use accounting software systems with some cracking features that make you go oohhhhhhhh ...

However, the boat is still out on reconciling the bank accounts....  I seem to have spent the morning squinting at the screen trying to perform keyhole surgery and repeatedly scrolling back and forth - but I DO so like the way that you can move transactions up and down to match the bank statement.... 

So I guess the next question you are going to ask me is........

why is it so important to do this check?  well... check out Wiki  or ... if in doubt....




BKD

www.firstblog-freakingout.com

from the desk of the trainee Bookkeeper in Derby....

.... Panicking!!! This is my first blog for the company, and for the life of me.... I do not know what to write

 

 

 

But not to worry, I will put on my thinking cap and........... Oh no! I have got writer's block! Doh!!

 

 

 

BKD - T2 (In training..not long now, baby steps)

Updating a website

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby


.... so of late I am quite pre-occupied with revamping the website... but you know I rather like the pregnant balloon...


hummm..... yes perhaps I am wrong - now is the time to deliver a new image....


BKD

Beating those Monday morning blues....

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby

well nearly...

I came up with a cunning plan yesterday.  I wore my Friday dress down clothes and not 'the suit'.... it worked really well.... I felt ......

...............    positively buoyant ...............   just like one feels on a Friday as one leaves for home....


Except now its Tuesday and I'm wearing 'the suit'  and I feel likes its Monday...

..........  bother

BKD

Derby Business & Employer Advice Event

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby

We will be attending the Derby Business & Employer Advice Event Day being organised by HMR Revenue & Customs tomorrow 25th March 2013 at the Cricket Ground in Derby.

It's a full day of mini courses covering a whole range of topics:

• Self-employment and HMRC
• VAT - now you are registered
• First Steps as an employer
• Real Time Information - what it means for employers

It's not too late to book your slot and registration is an on-line process.... just go to www.business-events.org.uk and search for 'Derby'.  Hope to see you there.

BKD

Calculating SSP ... the hard way or the Payroll Manager way

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby

Sometimes when faced with having to calculate SSP for the first time, it is quite understandable if one's face pales with anxiety.

Then fortified with hot chocolate one braces oneself for a visit to Gov.uk 'To Calculate Your Employee's Statutory Sick Pay' and pages of questions to answer before an answer is arrived at..... 


Alternatively.... tap into Payroll Manager - add the little white ambulances to the calendar - making sure that if weekends are worked they are checked first - and hey presto......  the correct calculation is put into the sheet on your behalf....

Puff... how easy was that?!

BKD

The Three Rules of Work.....by Albert Einstein

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby

"Out of clutter, find Simplicity. From discord, find Harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies Opportunity." Albert Einstein
 

Okay - so just WHEN did my own accounts get into such a mess?  How comes doing my own set of books is so boring - yet when I do other peoples there is always that little frisson of joy-joy?

 

BKD

Employer Liability Insurance

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby

I've been trying to get Employer Liability insurance - tut and surprise, suprise I can't get just Employer Liability there's a whole raft of insurances that I am not obliged to have legally but the insurance people insist I need.  For goodness sakes - how on earth do they place a value on a plastic bags containing years worth of reciepts - which if the building burnt down they are just not replaceable.

Then he told me how much the EL PLUS extras are going to cost me.  

HOW MUCH to insure a broom cupboard... they jest - looks like I'm going be googling checkthemeerkatmarketothersiteout out this morning....! My poor accountant fainted when I told him how much the business rates were... well I think he fainted ... there was a definite thud and the phone went momentarily quiet - then he came back with a def squeak....

lol - the man who's now tasked with getting me EL that's in two figures (seems he is up for a challenge) wanted to know how I can fit a 6'4 trainee into a broom cupboard,... seriously the council business task is MUCH bigger than the room.
 

doh ... that's easy, I say .... the trainee will be shoe horned in vertically and not horizontally (see who says women have no spatial awareness) ... indeed I might get him one of those very niffty and very tall breakfast bar seats... obviously I am very H&S conscious - cause if he sits down in a normal chair he will bang his knees on the wall opposite.... he could then sue me for millions for knee damage (ruining his cricket/poker/football career)... shudders delicately - football - yuk

 

BKD

Useful Tool to Calculate Leave Entitlement

Trying to calculate the holiday leave of employees especially if they work in hours per week rather than the full five days per week can be a bit of  marathon calculation especially if have to factor in a mid-year start date.

Gov.uk is probably one of the most valuable resources around and is full of excellent and no-nonsense information covering a very wide range of topics.  Including I am pleased to add a very simple question and answer page that will when you have put in all the data - actually calculate the hours right up to the very minutes of allowable entitlement leave time for each individual employee.

This is definately going on favourites list.

Visit Calculate Holiday Entitlement at www.gov.uk to check out just how easy it is.

It's that time of year ....... for Budgeting

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby

Filling in Budgeting Forecast Spreadsheets:  A pain in the butt or one of the most important management decision making tools you can have at your finger tips?


When I get five minutes I am going to link in a 'Budget Forecast Spreadsheet'.  It's one of the best ones for monitoring performance actuals against planned activities that I have come across to date.  It's really simple to fill in and gives one a sense of direction and something to refer back to at various stages in the fiscal year.

I will confess that I do get a teensy bit of resistance from my new-to-me clients who have never had an opportunity to complete one before - and sometimes its only when we've reviewed a couple quarters that suddenly it becomes one of their most important management tools that helps them actually SEE what sort of health regards cash flow is within their business.

For instance, a Budget Sheet can be used to help decide whether there's enough money in the kitty to move into new premises, or buy new stock or machinery, or provide staff training or worse case - whether your incoming cash is a mere trickle or flowing nicely - thank you.

If you don't have one already have a look at the one that I will be posting - it really is very easy.  However, if you get stuck - send me an email and I'll do my best to help.

Have fun!


BKD

Yes it is totally official ... I am a Trekki nerd

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby
Well I guess the cat is well and truly out of the bag..... yes it is totally official ...  I am a Trekki nerd.  I immediately spotted a com badge that was on the wrong side of the uniform on a member of our party and I knew what a Klingon drinking vessel on sight.  On the (rather excited) side I DID catch a glimpse of the MAN HIMSELF* knees' - the rest of him was obscured by a lucky fan getting an autograph. 

In case you are wondering we've just come back from two days at Star Trek London and had a fabulous time.  We went with very few expectations - to see and be seen.  Especially since for my last wedding anniversary I rather ecstatically received a Major Kira ear ring complete with fake nose piece.  I do believe I was the only one sporting such a fabulous ear ring.  Was slightly disappointed that my nose kept falling off and ended up in the bottom of my bag.

We took no credit cards, no bank cards and with everything paid up in front including train fees, oyster card, hotel room and took a mere £200 cash with us which included £60 back up funds and divided between us for safety's sake.  Thought the women behind the desk at the hotel reception was going to faint when she demanded a swipe at our card on arrival.  Not carrying a credit card with you - how very provincial!

Megatrain did us proud - with two tickets to London all for the princely sum of £10.00 FOR TWO people plus a £0.50pence setting up fee.  Didn't think it would work and we'd be kicked off or made to pay more but no... the conductor just looked at our email print off, smiled and thank us.  There was a notice on the return that Megatrain customers needed to check in 15 minutes prior to departure.  But for the return leg we treated ourselves to two First Class tickets all for the princely sum of £31 each.  Brilliant deal from East Midlands Trains. 

The Oyster Card was awesome and saved HEAPS of money on tube/DLR fees.  For example on Saturday afternoon the group ventured out from Excel London to visit Greenwich the home of the Meridian Line.  It cost just £1.20 using the Oyster Card but for fellow ticket buyers the same journey was £3.60.  It was a bit scary at first but those of us using the little cards soon got the hang of pressing the cute little card onto the big yellow buttons that seem to be springing up all over London.  The group even managed a trip back to Excel on the water ferry and the cable car both with very pleasing discounts using the Card.  Have to say the cable car was the second highlight of my weekend - it was just like being launched into space to join the Enterprise in the night sky.  My very own little shuttle ride.

The first highlight, was of course, getting my photo taken with a Klingon for free.  So thank you to unknown Irish Klingon for making my whole weekend!  Not that either of these two magnificent specimens were my photo partner... it's just to show you what a Klingon looks like - just in case you were not familiar with the term.





SO then HOT MONEY SAVING TIPS for visiting the Big Smoke.... 

Search Megatrain or Megabus for cheap fares alternatively use the compare markets to search for the cheapest of train fares.

Get yourself a pre-paid Oyster Card - easy to top up at any news agents or stations - saves both money a time.

And finally - accost unsuspecting members of the public who dress up in wickedly awesome costumes and ask them very sweetly for their photograph..... 

Hope your weekend has been as great as mine!

And yes this post just wouldn't be the same with my total hero of all time.... the delicious Mr Spock....

 

BKD







* Obviously I refer to Kirk aka William Shatner.

Selling Quickbooks SimpleStart 2013 on Ebay? A Brilliant Idea - possibly not.....

From the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby

Selling Quickbooks SimpleStart 2013 on Ebay?  A Brilliant Idea  - possibly not.....

I guess it's my own fault really - I should have listened to my inner dragons.  But no - in a fit of bravado I decided to put my spare Brand New Never Opened Intuit QuickBooks SimpleStart 2013 Edition up for sale at a wonderful knock down price on EBay....

I don't like EBay and I dislike PayPal even less, click here to see why.  Yet despite myself - I have just spent a couple of  fruitless hours adding my item and releasing it into the www domain.... then I thought to go back and check...

Tsk - can you believe I've somehow messed up the TITLE!  Spot the mega red face here amongst us! 

Sadly - the stupid system won't let me change the title - so now my teddy is well and  truly out of the pram, along with blanket, dolls and rattle...

Ok well I do have a back up plan - but it will have to wait until Sunday now when Technical Support will be available.  That is unless the F1 is on. 

So to Action Plan C..... now then - WHO amongst YOU needs a brilliant, unopened genuine copy of Quickbooks SimpleStart 2013... then please put me out of my misery and click on the buy it now... 

Visit my embarrassing mistake here

Did I mention it was going at a real knock down price?????





.... please ........              anyone???


BKD

Derby CAS: Free Seminar's for Derby Charities

from the Desk of the Bookkeeper in Derby
Derby Community Accountancy Service (CAS) provide a valuable service to Charities in and around Derby. 

I am guessing you have never heard of them?  Indeed they do have a very low profile which includes not having a web site.  Yet they have been serving charities for over 20 years.

I stumbled across them purely by chance - oddly enough at a seminar being run by Companies House held at Pride Park in Derby.

This month they are running a series of  FREE seminars designed for Charities with the aims of understanding a wide range of issues from the roles of the committee members, understanding how to promote your charity, fund raising and the dreaded 'keeping of the books'.

The first course was held last week, Charity Law and How it Effects Your Group with Nick Mcakin, and provided some interesting and valuable insights into the daily running of committee and the vital importance that proper communication plays for a successful outcome and health of the charity concerned.

The next seminar is being held tomorrow 26 September 2012 covering:  Financial Management for Voluntary Groups with speaker Margaret Mowles. 

It is not too late to book your place!  oh and did I mention it was FREE?

If you are interested in attending tomorrows or any of the other forthcoming seminars contact casbitcderby@hotmail.com to reserve your place.



BKD

Thought for Today

A wise soul opens the window to the future by closing the doors to the past.