Cloud accounting software is a tool that helps accountants, bookkeepers, or business owners manage and automate a business’s accounting transactions and accounts. In a nutshell, accounting software helps you automate tasks in the accounting process. For example, you can automate the process of creating a journal entry each time a payment is made through your company’s bank account. Or you can even create an account with one click. Something that can take hours if you have to use a spreadsheet. Although there are many advantages of using accounting software, Some of them are explained below.
Less Administration
With cloud accounting software, business owners no longer have to struggle with software installation, backup, and other time-consuming administrative tasks because they can access the software through the Internet. You don’t need to buy or maintain servers or other IT infrastructure to run your accounting software. You don’t need to save important financial data regularly, because your accountant does it for you automatically. Spending less time on administration allows staff to spend more time on the productive activities that drive your business.
Anytime, Anywhere Access to Accounting Data
The most obvious advantage of cloud accounting software over any traditional accounting system is that computerized accounting software allows you to access your data whenever you want and from any device. You can use the online accounting software from your PC, laptop, tablet and mobile phone. All you need is an internet-connected device and a browser (or mobile app).
This has many advantages for businesses of all sizes. For example, you can create and send invoices on the go directly from your mobile. Or you can generate, view and download accounts and reports with just a few clicks. You don’t need to ask your accountant three days in advance to prepare it. Simply log in to the platform, navigate to your Financial Reports section and download the financial statements you need.
The Software is Always Up-to-Date
Since the software is in the cloud, you always have the latest version. The cloud provider automatically updates the accounting software with changes in tax rates and accounting rules and adds new features. You don’t have to worry about updating your software to stay current; every time you log in, you get instant access to the latest version.
Simplified Collaboration
Cloud accounting software makes collaboration as easy as 1-2-3. Remember the days when you had to make changes to a spreadsheet, save it to a USB drive, and then hand it out to your co-workers so they could have the most up-to-date version of the financial statements?
Well, those days are behind us. With cloud accounting software, one of the biggest benefits is that everyone has access to real-time accounting and financial data. So your employees just have to log in to the platform and do what they need to do.
Save Time
As with any new software system, you will initially have to invest time in setting up your accounting software, but once you do, you will save hours of work every week by automating manual accounting processes and time-consuming bookkeeping. For example, you don’t need to download CSV files from your credit card or bank account and manually enter the data into your spreadsheet to verify your transactions – all data is automatically pulled from the accounting software by software.
Automation
Cloud-based accounting platforms automate many banking and accounting tasks and reduce manual labor. For example, the software can automatically import bank and credit card transactions, create recurring invoices, schedule reports, pay for subscriptions, and post transactions to the appropriate ledger. You can automatically calculate discounts and surcharges and mark exceptions when invoices do not match orders. Some cloud accounting software is especially useful for international sales because it automatically performs tax calculations for many different countries.
Reduce Costs and Save Money
You may be wondering how paid software can help your business save money.
The answer is simple. Using online accounting software will save your business an average of 300 hours per year. This takes into account the time wasted on things like performing repetitive tasks, correcting accounting errors, preparing financial reports, and so on. And since online accounting software typically only costs between £9 and £50 each. month per user, it pays in principle 10 times as much. Compared to ERP software, which can cost as much as £10,000 per month, using online accounting software is without a doubt the best and cheapest way to do small business accounting.
Easy Compliance
Cloud accounting platforms help private and public companies with tax compliance by producing accurate financial statements, quarterly tax returns, and annual tax returns. This helps entrepreneurs to underestimate tax liabilities that could result in audits or fines, or underestimate and overpay. By automating national and international tax calculations, cloud platforms also help ensure compliance with all applicable tax rules. Some leading cloud accounting solutions even automate revenue recognition to meet accepted accounting standards.
Sync all Your Financial Data
Once your data is stored on multiple platforms (bank accounts, credit card accounts, and payroll), it can take hours to go back and forth between platforms to collect the data you need. The accounting software syncs data from all your online accounting tools through the API so you don’t have to download financial information from every source and spend time entering data to create a complete financial statement.
Promotes Data Accuracy
With accounting software, you don’t have to manually update multiple cells on multiple sheets when you change your administration. Instead, your finances and reports are automatically updated to reflect any changes you make to keep your data error-free.
Data Security
You may be worried about storing sensitive information in the cloud. But cloud accounting services improve security for most businesses in several ways. First, cloud providers use multiple layers of security, including advanced encryption and access control, to ensure only authorized users can access your data. They also back up your data automatically, so you don’t risk losing important financial data. If an employee loses a laptop or an office is damaged by fire or flood, your data is still safe because it’s stored online.
Scalability
Scalability is one of the most attractive features of the cloud. Managing finances with spreadsheets quickly becomes unmanageable as a business grows, and computerized accounting systems typically offer limited functionality that can hinder business growth. For example, if you are a start-up company with plans to expand, you don’t want to be stuck with a system that you will be leaving in a year. Full cloud-based accounting software can be scalable and flexible to meet your business needs; You can start with basic accounting functionality and add users as your business grows.
Customization
Every business is different, so it makes sense to choose cloud accounting software that can be tailored to the unique needs of your business. Some cloud accounting solutions allow you to customize processes and workflows to fit the way your business works. You can create personal dashboards that give each user an overview of their most important statistics and other information. You can also add company branding and company-specific terminology.
Availability
Unlike old-school desktop accounting, cloud-based systems free you from the confines of your office. The online accounting software allows authorized users to log in 24/7 from anywhere via a web browser or mobile app. They can approve payments or send invoices without having to wait until they get back to the office. Accounting team members are always connected to the latest financial information and real-time analytics. Because all data is stored in the same cloud-based system, it’s easier to share electronic documents with employees who work from home or on the road.