Basic Bookkeeping Strategies: Part 3


Posting transactions. But I’m not an accountant
Don’t allow yourself to become intimidated by the bookkeeping process. It can be easier than you think. Understanding the basics of accounting will help you to feel more comfortable with processing your transactions. If you remember in part 1, I gave you the basic categories of classifying your bookkeeping data; assets, liabilities, expenses and income. Go through each of your entries and determine which category to post your transaction to. The majority of your items will be posted as expenses. Simply put, all items paid for with cash, which you do not have ownership of, will be classified as an expense. Items purchased that represent ownership will be classified as an asset. Items purchased on credit, will have an offsetting entry to a liability account. Money received for payment of goods and services will be posted to an income account. These entries are generally posted into some sort of register, such as the check register or bank account register. From there, all the entries will be placed in their proper statements. Still confused? If you’re using software, refer to the tutorial section. It will give you more details on how to post the transaction. Although most software will claim that you don’t’ need to know accounting in order to use it, I prefer to know a little bookkeeping theory, to help make sense of what you’re doing. As an alternative, you might want to consider signing up for a basic bookkeeping training or software course. Even if you decide to outsource your bookkeeping, it’s still best to have a basic understating in order to discuss the status of your books with others.

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