Managing Receipts: 4 apps to make filing receipts quick and easy
They say only two things are certain in life: death and taxes. For a lot of people, there’s also a third certainty in life: the pain of keeping track of every receipt when it’s time to do the taxes.
How many times has your bookkeeper or finance manager asked you for a receipt (that you swore you stuffed somewhere in the wad of receipts in your wallet) that you’ve then had to scramble and search everywhere to find?
You think to yourself: “I’ve got better things to do than this,” and you’re right. It’s a waste of your precious time that you could otherwise be investing in the growth of your business or maybe even going on a shopping spree and filling your wallet with a fresh wad of receipts!
Thankfully there are now some pretty cool apps out there that can take the pain out of tracking your receipts. Read on to see a list of the top four apps below.
Traditional bookkeeping is dead. Live bank feeds killed it.
Keeping on top of the books is hard. But what’s even harder is making good business decisions without real-time and accurate financials. If you want real-time financials, you need a real-time (cloud-based) accounting package like Xero, Quickbooks Online or MYOB Online.
The hallmark of cloud accounting is the live ‘bank feed’ functionality, where your bank transactions are automatically imported daily, which eliminates the majority of the tedious data entry associated with traditional bookkeeping.
This not only saves time and labour cost, it also allows you to have accurate numbers on your business – especially when you get into the habit of matching your bank transactions to your bills and invoices on a regular basis and asking your accountant for support when you need it.
Automatic vs Automagic
We need to be realistic about the efficiency gains of using the cloud. Although your bank transactions are automatically imported into Xero, for example, your financial data can still be inaccurate because of two reasons:
- Not matched: Errors in matching your bank transactions correctly to bills, invoices etc. The other thing to make sure of is the applicability of tax. Making a systematic error with your account and/or tax coding can quickly throw your financials out of whack. Not sure if money you’ve invested should be revenue or a loan? What about tax, is that an expense or a liability? Learning the basics goes a long way. Take the time to watch self-help videos online or ask your accountant for help if you’re unsure.
- Not documented: Not having the supporting documentation for your expenses – by law you are required to keep proper written evidence for business expenses that are deducted from your taxable profit. This will save you from getting pushed around by the tax man if you’re ever randomly selected for an audit.
Ideally, you want your scanned receipts to ‘live’ in your accounting software so all your information is in one place. But isn’t it incredibly time-consuming to scan each individual receipt and then attach it to the respective transaction?
Thankfully not.
Receipt-keeping add-on apps such as Receipt Bank or Shoeboxed can help by ‘automagically’ pushing your receipts from their software into Xero.
Bookkeeping on cruise control
If you’ve ever been on a long road trip, you know how helpful it is to switch on cruise control so you can worry less about maintaining the right speed and focus more on steering. Using a receipt-keeping app is the cruise control of your accounting toolbox!
The core benefit of using a receipt-keeping app (there will be slight differences in your workflow depending on which add-on you choose) is that you’re able to ditch the scanner and forget about manually dragging and dropping your receipts in your accounting software.
The top two reasons for using a receipt-keeping add-on are:
- Your receipts are read by an intelligent machine (and often double-checked by a human) and the information is recognised via optical character recognition (OCR). This means you have to enter a lot less of the data in your receipts (i.e. date, amount, tax etc.)
- The receipt-keeping add-on is able to learn ‘rules of thumb’ for allocating your expenses to their corresponding expenses categories. For example, you can teach the app to allocate every digital receipt for Google to your computer expenses account category.
Here a four popular apps for you to consider integrating with your accounting software:
- Shoeboxed: Their name is inspired by the good ‘ol days when you would cram your mountain of receipts in a shoe box and hand it over to your accountant to worry about (and probably delegate the data entry to the junior). Instead, you send your receipts via Shoeboxed’s ‘magic envelope’ and they process and verify all your receipts and get them ready for you to push to your accounting software. You also have the added option of using the smartphone app to take a snap of your paper receipts or email your receipts to your Shoeboxed digital inbox.
- Receipt Bank: This is a user-friendly alternative that has the same functionality as Shoeboxed (except there is an extra charge if you decide to use the postal option). Another handy option is using the Dropbox integration that automatically synchronises with Receipt Bank which means you retain ownership of your data if you ever decide to stop using the service.
- Entryless: A ‘no-frills’ low cost alternative to Receipt Bank and Shoeboxed that allows you to email your receipts to your digital receipts inbox.
- Expensify: This app will help you keep track of your receipts, but it’s geared towards viewing and approving your employees’ submitted expense claims. Expensify also allows you to track billable time.
If you’re falling asleep behind the bookkeeping wheel because of boring manual data entry, it’s time we had a chat about how paperless receipt-keeping solution can shift you into cruise control.
Get in touch with us on 08 6336 6200 so we can discuss your receipt handling systems.
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One of the most powerful decisions you can make with your superannuation is whether to run your own self-managed super fund (SMSF) and whether to invest in property through it. Most people know it's possible to use super to buy property. Far fewer know how to do it well. The following seven tips are designed to help you make the right decisions. 1. You Can Borrow Money to Purchase Property in Superannuation. Don't have enough in your SMSF to buy an investment property outright? Since 2008, superannuation held in a self-managed super fund can be used to borrow money for property purchase. This is done through a 'limited recourse loan' using a Bare Trust as the Custodian entity. You can't borrow the total value of the property—typically it's up to 80% for residential properties and 60% for commercial properties, with the required deposit held in the SMSF as security. The SMSF then makes the loan repayments, with rental income received by the fund and property expenses paid by the fund. Importantly, if there is a default on the loan, your other assets in the SMSF are generally protected from standard debt recovery and bankruptcy proceedings. The lender only has recourse to the property itself. Upon completion of the loan repayment, ownership of the property transfers legally to the SMSF. 2. Follow These 8 Steps to Set Up Your SMSF Setting up an SMSF properly can be a complex process. It’s best to set up an SMSF with the assistance of a qualified superannuation advisor, like us! We can assist with both the initial setup and the ongoing management of your fund. There are eight core steps to SMSF set up: Select the appropriate structure and name Sign the trust deed that covers how your SMSF is set up and run (it can have up to four members) Establish a trust for the SMSF by investing assets into the fund Register your SMSF with the ATO Set up a separate bank account for your fund Submit your tax file number (and those of any other trustees) Obtain an electronic service address to receive employer contributions into your fund (if applicable) Roll over funds from your existing superannuation account into your SMSF 3. Keep a Liquidity Buffer If you're buying property through superannuation, make sure you plan to keep a liquidity buffer of cash and/or shares in your fund. Lenders will check for this before lending to you—it should be at least 10% of the value you intend to borrow. But beyond satisfying the bank, it's simply good risk management. Property is an illiquid asset. Having accessible funds in the SMSF means you're not caught short if repairs are needed, the property sits vacant, or an unexpected expense arises. Because superannuation is central to most Australians' retirement security, the government has carefully regulated what can and can't be done with it. They don't want people gambling their retirement away on poor investments or incorrectly using their superannuation fund. 4. Use the Rental Income to Repay Your Loan You cannot live in the property you purchase through your SMSF until after retirement. Most people purchase an investment property and use the rental income generated to repay the loan—which makes excellent financial sense. The key is selecting a property that rents easily and delivers a strong rental return. Your purchasing criteria may look a little different to buying a home you'd live in yourself. For example, proximity to public transport, local amenities, and average rental rates in the area matter more than personal preference. 5. Get It Right and Enjoy Significant Tax Efficiencies One of the most compelling reasons to invest in property through superannuation is the tax efficiency on offer. These benefits can significantly improve the long-term return of a property investment compared to holding it in your own name. Key tax benefits include: No capital gains tax or tax no yearly investment earnings if under super caps. Salary sacrifice advantages if you're sacrificing salary payments into super, loan repayments are effectively tax deductible. Capped tax on investment income—the maximum rate of tax on income after expenses is 15%. Any capital gains on investments held for 12 months or more, is taxed at 10%. Standard investors outside super can pay up to 47%. 6. Follow the Same Due Diligence Rules as Any Property Purchase Buying through superannuation doesn't mean relaxing your standards. If anything, the rules governing SMSFs mean you need to be more rigorous, not less. Property is likely one of the most significant financial decisions of your life. Research, not emotion, should drive your choices. The same rules apply whether you're buying in or out of super: Visit and compare multiple properties Know the values of similar properties in the same area Get all property checks performed by the right professionals Shop around for the right loan structure and lender Don't abandon good investor habits just because the structure is different. 7. Always Get Quality Professional Advice Nothing comes without risk—but the right advice significantly mitigates it. The key is understanding what you're getting yourself into: making informed decisions based on accurate data; keeping a diversified superannuation portfolio that doesn't place all your eggs in one basket; and not underestimating how complex buying property in superannuation can be. Sound Simple? It’s all in the details. If the above tips have made it sound straightforward, know that the detail is where the complexity lives. Getting professional advice from the start helps ensure you make the best possible decisions for your future. When selected according to rigorous property-purchasing criteria, property can be an excellent way to grow your superannuation and increase your chances of building a retirement fund that supports the lifestyle you want. Ready to Explore Property in Your SMSF? Whether you'd like to discuss whether an SMSF is right for you or need help setting one up, reach out to Ascent Accountants . If you want assistance managing the property within your fund, contact the Ascent Property Co team .
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