Trusted Saskatoon Accountants at Hounjet Tastad Harpham Explain the Key Roles an Accountants Provide

12. Jul 2023 Admin Saskatoon accountants, Trusted Tips

Hounjet Tastad Harpham has decades of accounting experience working with clients across Saskatchewan. Their expert accounting advice is valued by clients ranging from individuals to businesses small and large. Hounjet Tastad Harpham is a Trusted Saskatoon Accounting firm and in this accounting tip, they share the key roles and responsibilities of accountants.

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF ACCOUNTANTS

Bookkeepers and accountants play distinct roles in managing financial records and providing financial support to businesses. Here's a comparison between bookkeepers and accountants.

Financial Reporting: Accountants prepare and present financial statements in accordance with Canadian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). They ensure accurate and timely reporting of financial information, including balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements.

Tax Planning and Compliance: Accountants in Canada assist individuals, businesses, and organizations in understanding and complying with Canadian tax laws and regulations. They help develop tax planning strategies to minimize tax liabilities and prepare tax returns, ensuring compliance with federal, provincial, and territorial tax requirements.

Audit and Assurance: Accountants may perform external audits or provide assurance services to ensure the accuracy and reliability of financial statements. They evaluate internal controls, assess financial risks, and provide recommendations for improvement.

Management Accounting: Accountants provide financial analysis and reporting to support management decision-making. They assist in budgeting, forecasting, cost analysis, and performance measurement to help organizations achieve their financial goals.

Advisory and Consulting Services: Accountants offer advisory services to individuals and businesses. They provide guidance on financial management, investment decisions, mergers and acquisitions, and risk assessment. They may also assist in business valuations and due diligence processes.

Financial Planning: Accountants help individuals and businesses develop financial plans and strategies. They analyze income, expenses, assets, and liabilities to assist in setting financial goals, retirement planning, and wealth management.

Compliance and Regulatory Requirements: Accountants ensure compliance with Canadian accounting standards, tax laws, and regulatory requirements. They stay updated on changes in accounting principles and regulations, such as those issued by the Accounting Standards Board (AcSB) and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Professional Ethics and Standards: Accountants in Canada adhere to ethical standards established by professional accounting bodies such as the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada). They uphold integrity, confidentiality, objectivity, and professionalism in their work.

Technology and Systems: Accountants leverage accounting software and technology to streamline processes, enhance accuracy, and improve efficiency in financial reporting and analysis. They may recommend and implement appropriate accounting systems to meet the needs of their clients or organizations.
Continuing Professional Development: Accountants engage in ongoing professional development to stay current with changes in accounting standards, tax laws, and best practices. They participate in training programs, seminars, and workshops to enhance their skills and knowledge.

Accounting Services:

If you are looking for a Saskatoon chartered professional accountant for your personal taxes or business accounting needs, contact the team at Hounjet Tastad Harpham today.

Hounjet Tastad Harpham are Trusted Saskatoon Accountants

Trusted Saskatoon Accountants at Hounjet Tastad Harpham Explain the Differences Between Bookkeppers and Accountants

12. Jul 2023 Admin Saskatoon accountants, Trusted Tips

Hounjet Tastad Harpham has decades of accounting experience working with clients across Saskatchewan. Their expert accounting advice is valued by clients ranging from individuals to businesses small and large. Hounjet Tastad Harpham is a Trusted Saskatoon Accounting firm and in this accounting tip, they explain the differences between bookkeepers and accountants.

BOOKKEEPERS VS ACCOUNTANTS

Bookkeepers and accountants play distinct roles in managing financial records and providing financial support to businesses. Here's a comparison between bookkeepers and accountants.

Bookkeepers:

Recordkeeping: Bookkeepers focus primarily on recording financial transactions and maintaining accurate financial records. They track and categorize day-to-day financial transactions such as sales, purchases, receipts, and payments.
Data Entry: Bookkeepers enter financial data into accounting software or spreadsheets, ensuring that all transactions are properly documented and organized.
Reconciliation: Bookkeepers reconcile bank statements, credit card statements, and other financial documents to ensure accuracy and identify any discrepancies.
Financial Reporting: Bookkeepers generate basic financial reports such as income statements and balance sheets, providing a snapshot of the company's financial position.
Payroll Processing: Some bookkeepers handle payroll processing tasks, including calculating wages, deducting taxes, and preparing payroll reports.

Accountants:

Analysis and Interpretation: Accountants analyze financial data, identify trends, and interpret the information to provide insights and recommendations to management. They provide a deeper understanding of the financial health of a business.
Financial Planning and Budgeting: Accountants assist in developing financial plans and budgets, helping businesses set financial goals, allocate resources, and monitor performance against targets.
Tax Preparation and Planning: Accountants have a comprehensive understanding of tax laws and regulations. They prepare tax returns, advise on tax planning strategies, and help businesses optimize their tax positions.
Audit and Assurance: Accountants may conduct internal or external audits to ensure compliance with financial regulations, evaluate internal controls, and provide assurance on the accuracy and reliability of financial statements.
Financial Strategy and Consultation: Accountants offer strategic financial advice, such as analyzing investment opportunities, assessing business expansion plans, and evaluating financial risks.

While both bookkeepers and accountants handle financial data, bookkeepers focus on recording and organizing transactions, while accountants provide a broader range of financial services, including analysis, planning, tax expertise, and strategic advice. The roles and responsibilities can overlap to some extent, and the specific tasks performed by bookkeepers and accountants may vary depending on the size of the business and its specific needs.

In practice, many small businesses may hire bookkeepers to handle day-to-day financial tasks and rely on accountants for more complex financial analysis, tax planning, and strategic guidance. Larger businesses often have both bookkeepers and accountants as part of their financial team, with bookkeepers providing essential data entry and recording functions, while accountants handle higher-level financial analysis and decision-making.

Accounting Services:

If you are looking for a Saskatoon chartered professional accountant for your personal taxes or business accounting needs, contact the team at Hounjet Tastad Harpham today.

Hounjet Tastad Harpham are Trusted Saskatoon Accountants

10 Benefits of Cloud Accounting Software By Trusted Saskatoon

18. Feb 2023 Admin Saskatoon Bookkeepers, Trusted Tips

10 Benefits of Cloud Accounting Software for Business

More and more business owners are turning to cloud accounting software to manage their business’s finances. If you haven’t yet tried it, here are 10 ways online accounting software can help your business.

Save time with automation

Don’t waste time posting and chasing invoices. Cloud accounting software automatically generates invoices— as well as reminders — at regular intervals, meaning you don’t have to manually keep track of debtors. If you combine your accounting software with HR and Payroll applications you can also automatically generate payslips and other HMRC documents.

Work from anywhere with an internet connection

Cloud accounting software means you no longer need to worry about maintaining spreadsheets or installing a program on one machine. The cloud allows you to log in to your business’s account anywhere with an internet connection. Once you sign up, you can get started straight away.

Value for money

Instead of paying a huge one-off fee for accounting software, with the cloud, you can spread the cost by paying monthly — helping you to manage your business’s cash flow. If you do prefer to pay upfront, you’ll benefit from a discount.

Up-to-date data

Automated bank feeds allow you to keep track of your business’s balance sheet in real-time. You can also view a variety of reports that give an up-to-date snapshot of your business finances. Online accounting software makes it easier to get closer to your business and gives you a clearer picture of your finances as a whole.

Keeps your information secure

As your data is saved on a secure cloud server and is constantly backed up, you don’t need to worry about your data being hacked or compromised. Even if your computer crashes, everything is still saved in the cloud.

Intuitive and easy to use

Cloud accounting software makes accounting easy for people who may not have much experience in managing financial accounts. The software is built with non-accountants in mind and help guides are available every step of the way.

Community of fellow business owners

A side benefit of joining the cloud accounting software revolution is joining an instant network of fellow business owners whom you can meet and chat with via community forums and business events.

Give access to multiple users and set permissions

If different people manage different elements of your business, it’s easy to add multiple users to your account and tailor permissions so that people with specific job roles only see what they need to.

Software is consistently updated and improved without you having to do anything

Rather than having to wait for a new integration of a program, cloud accounting software is constantly updated by in-house developers. This means that if things change, cloud software is agile enough to keep up-to-date in real-time. In addition, unlike desktop accounting software programs, these updates are free and included as part of your monthly subscription fee.

Collaborate easily with your accountant

In the past, it was common for business owners to chat with their accountant once a year at year-end — leading to one huge pile of work. Cloud accounting software lets you share your accounts with your accountant throughout the year and work together regularly.

Trusted Saskatoon Bookkeeping & Tax Tips If You Have Missing Tax Slips

18. Feb 2023 Admin Saskatoon Bookkeepers, Trusted Tips

Missing a Tax Slip? Here's How to Find it and What Happens if You Don't

Walk into a Canadian household in April and you’ll likely find a kitchen table littered with receipts and pairs of reading glasses. Yet with all the receipts and tax slips you’re supposed to keep, it’s likely some are going to go missing – and a missing slip can mean a big swing in your tax bill. Before you go ahead and file your return, you’ll want to do your due diligence to avoid any penalties for missing or inaccurate information.

Check your account online

My Account for Individuals is a great place to start to check your info. Logging into your account, you should be able to find online versions of your T4 slips. You’ll also be able to check carry-forward balances like tuition credits or capital losses, as well as your RRSP contribution limits. While you’re there, you can also sign up for a direct deposit to get your refund faster and deposited directly to your bank account.

Call the CRA

Only some of your tax slips will show up in My Account, namely the slips that begin with T4. To verify all your tax slips that the CRA has on file, particularly ones that relate to investments, you can call the Individual Enquiries line at 1-800-959-8281. Before you call, make sure you’ve got your SIN and last year’s tax return handy (which you can view online). After answering a few security questions, you can ask to confirm the slips they have on file for you and compare their records to yours to see if you’ve missed anything.

How do you know if the CRA has all your slips?

The majority of T3s, T4s, and T5s will all be processed through the CRA’s system. As the processing of these slips requires a SIN, the income on the slip is then attributed to you which you can then verify when you call the CRA.

‍However, not all slips go through the CRA’s system.

‍Certain slips such as T2202As for tuition deductions, T5008s for capital gains and losses, and RRSP contributions are not always processed by the CRA. While the rules differ across the various types of tax forms, some slips can be generated independently and don’t have to go through the CRA’s system first. For these slips, you’re going to want to track them down from the source provider since the CRA won’t have them on file.

For example, if you know you’re meant to receive a tuition credit, call the school to grab your form. If you’ve made some stock trades in the year, call your bank to grab a gains and losses report. Unfortunately, there’s no fool-proof way to know that you’ve got all these types of slips – you’ll just need to remember!

What happens if you still miss a slip?

If you file your taxes with a missing slip, don't expect a collections officer at your place. If the missing slip contained only a small amount of income, you may get lucky and the CRA may just ignore it. On the other hand, if it’s a significant amount of income, you may be automatically reassessed.

When this happens, as long as you’re in a refund position, you likely won’t have the interest to pay. Unfortunately, if the swing is big enough to generate a balance owing, you may have some interest to cover. If you missed a significant slip that the CRA does not have on file such as a tuition slip, not to worry, you can file an adjustment to your return down the road if you’re able to track it down. Before you file your return, double-checking that you’ve got all your slips covered will mean a faster refund, no interest, and less stress!

Your Ultimate Tax Checklist From Trusted Saskatoon

17. Feb 2023 Admin Saskatoon Bookkeepers, Website

Your Ultimate Tax Checklist

It is that time of year again… tax season! If you are like most people, doing taxes is something you view as a dreaded task or you procrastinate doing. Do not fear, we have a helpful Tax Season Checklist to make doing your taxes easier to organize. This list will outline all the things we could need from you in order to prepare your income tax return.

Tax Slips

T4 slips (Employment income)
T4e Employment Insurance benefits
T4A (other pensions, annuities, and certain scholarships)
T4AP (CPP benefits)
T4 RSP (RRSP income)
T4 RIF (RRIF income)
T4 A-OAS (old age security)
T3 (Mutual Funds, REITs, ETFs)
T5 (investment income – interest, dividends, certain capital gains)
RC62 (Universal Child Care benefits)
T5007 (Social assistance payments/Worker’s compensation benefits)
T2202A (Tuition/education receipts)
T5031 (partnership income)
T2200 (Condition of employment/allowable employment expenses)
All other information slips

Receipts

RRSP contribution slips
Medical expenses
Support for a child, spouse, or common-law partner
Transit pass receipts
Charitable donations
Office-in-home expenses
Moving expenses (including realtor’s commissions)
Exams for professional certification
Carrying charges and interest expenses
Other interest expenses
Political contributions
Childcare expenses
Adoption expenses
Children’s arts and sports expenses
Tool expenses (tradesperson)
Interest paid on your student loans
Professional or union dues
Attendant Expenses for the disabled person
Other Documentation
Notice of Assessment/Reassessment
CRA Correspondence
Amounts you have paid in tax installments
Rental income and expenses
The sale or deemed sale of stocks, bonds, real estate, etc.
Disability tax credit certificate
Business, farm, or fishing income or expenses
Northern resident’s deduction receipts
Commission employee expenses
Automobile/Travel logbook and expenses (self-employed and commissioned employees)
Volunteer firefighter’s certification
Graduate Retention Certificate
Search and rescue volunteer certificate
Legal expenses to collect alimony, pension, or retirement allowances

Trusted Tips & Resources

Trusted Saskatoon Accountants at Hounjet Tastad Harpham Explain the Key Roles an Accountants Provide

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF ACCOUNTANTS

Hounjet Tastad Harpham are Trusted Saskatoon Accountants

Trusted Saskatoon Accountants at Hounjet Tastad Harpham Explain the Differences Between Bookkeppers and Accountants