Cactus Bookkeeping

🌱 From Seeds to Success! 🍅🌿

I’ve never been a gardener, but I couldn’t resist trying out a growing kit with tomato, basil, and cucamelon seeds. From tiny seeds to thriving plants—my basil is lush and my tomatoes and cucamelons are on their way! 🌿🍅

It’s a reminder that growth can happen in unexpected places. Whether in gardening or business, nurturing something from the start can lead to amazing results. 🌱✨

🧾 Why You Need an Invoice and Receipt 🧾

No matter your business structure (yes, even sole traders), keeping a record of all business purchases is essential. I often remind my clients to ensure we have a receipt for every purchase. Here’s why:

🌵 Financial Management and Budgeting 🌵

- Track spending
- Monitor cash flow
- Analyse expenditure for better budgeting

🌵 VAT Compliance and Deductions 🌵

- Ensure accurate VAT returns
- Avoid over or under-claiming
- Capture all deductible expenses to reduce tax liability

🌵 Efficiency 🌵

- Manage stock levels
- Monitor suppliers
- Improve financial forecasting

Don’t let missing receipts impact your business. If paperwork is overwhelming, book a discovery call to see how I can help! 📞

📋 Ensure Your Invoices are Perfect!

Common mistakes to avoid: forgetting the date and invoice number. Make sure to include these essentials:

1. Invoice Number
2. Invoice Date
3. Due Date
4. Itemised List of Services/Products
5. Total Amount Due
6. Payment Terms
7. Ways to pay

Get paid on time and keep your records straight!

🚴‍♀️ 1st August - Cycle to Work Day! 🚴‍♂️

Did you know you can claim 20p per mile if you bike to work? Just keep a log of all your journeys! 🌍 Good for the environment and helps reduce your tax bill.

I am starting a business, should I go down the sole trader or limited company route?

Here are the differences 👇🏼

Sole Traders, you are the sole owner of your business. After tax, you will keep all the profits and will be liable for any business debts and you will also need to complete self assessments every year.

Whereas a limited company, this is a separate legal entity from its Director (s) the business will also need to be registered with companies house and yearly accounts filed which will be a public record.

Note: Directors are not personally liable for business debts.

Have any further questions? Drop me a message! 📩

Tax reminder ‼️

Deadline for self-assessment payment on account by 31st July!

Login to your online portal on the HMRC website to pay, you can also pay by direct debit too!

Any questions, drop me a message!

Accounts Clean Up Service 🪄

As part of my bookkeeping services, I can help you get your paperwork and accounts on track:

My clean up service will help bring your accounts up to date. I will work through your suppliers, customers, and bank transactions to ensure all information is included and correct. Where any information requires correction or is missing, this will be checked and processed to bring your accounts up to date.

Book your free discovery call today to find out more about how I can help you and your business! Link in my bio! 📞📩

Review 💫

“I have been using Cactus Booking for some time. I would highly recommend Susan Haynes. Always there and ready to help. A very professional and excellent customer service is always provided to help you with your business needs.”

-Vonnie Rose

Need help managing your finances?

Book a free discovery call today!

Let’s discuss how I can assist you with bookkeeping, credit control, and more to ensure your business thrives. Link in my bio! 📩📞

New blog post now live ✨

‘Guide to record keeping for new businesses’

Head over to my website to check it out! Link is in my bio 🙌🏼

Accounting Software 📊

With the right accounting software, technology can really help manage your business.

Here at Cactus Bookkeeping, I make the most of digital technology to help you and me manage your business accounts effortlessly. 

Software has changed the accounts industry significantly. Now you no longer need to keep boxes of paperwork for seven years or empty every pocket and drawer looking for a missing receipt. With the right cloud accounting software, technology can really help manage your business.

Need my help to implement this? Get in touch today! 📩

Running your own payroll?

How confident are you in handling everything? Even with great software, a small mistake can drastically affect wages!

Key points to consider 👇🏼

- Tax code notifications
- Correct employee payments based on work and age
- Auto enrolment in pension schemes
- Apprentice wage calculations
- Starting/leaving pay, holiday entitlement
- When to use a P45 or P46

Your software is only as good as the information entered. Struggling with payroll? Consider outsourcing.

Benefits include 👇🏼

- Time savings
- Reduced stress
- Avoiding fines for compliance issues

A qualified payroll professional ensures accuracy and compliance, giving you peace of mind.

Interested in learning more? Get in touch! ✅

Payroll Service 📈

Let my expertise help to ensure your payroll is run accurately and on time…

I can take all your payroll tasks off your hands so you don’t need to think about it again.

One of the more complex things to deal with in business is having to keep track of ever-changing employment law and PAYE tax. I can help you and your business by offering a full payroll service.

Find out more about my Payroll service via my website, along with the other services I have to offer!

Struggling with credit control in your business?

Effective credit control is essential for maintaining a healthy cash flow and ensuring your business stays financially stable. Unpaid invoices and late payments can hinder your growth and create cash flow problems. As your bookkeeper, I can help by:

🌵 Monitoring Invoices - Ensuring all invoices are sent out promptly and accurately.

🌵Tracking Payments - Keeping a close eye on outstanding payments and following up with clients.

🌵 Implementing Credit Policies - Establishing clear credit terms and policies to manage customer credit effectively.

🌵 Negotiating Payment Plans - Working with clients to arrange manageable payment plans if needed.

🌵Regular Reporting - Providing you with regular reports on your accounts receivable to keep you informed about your cash flow status.

Let me handle the complexities of credit control, so you can focus on what you do best – running and growing your business! 🙌🏼

“How much do you charge for bookkeeping help?”

I offer bespoke packages tailored to your specific needs. To learn more, please book a discovery call. Let's find the perfect solution for your business! 📞✨

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Are you finding bookkeeping time consuming & worried about compliance? 🤯

I can help take the stress away to give you back the time to concentrate on running your business

Whether you require a weekly, monthly, or quarterly service, I can take care of your business accounts by helping you select the best software for your business, ensure you are compliant with current legislation, take all your paperwork and provide you with up-to-date accounts and reporting to give you an overview of how your business is doing.

Want to find out more? Book your free discovery call by clicking on the link in my bio! 📞

“Are accountants and bookkeepers the same?”

In general, a bookkeeper will deal with the day-to-day financial data, reconciliation, VAT returns and ensure all information is correct at year-end. An accountant will analyse the information provided by the bookkeeper, prepare tax returns and provide tax planning.
I work closely with my client’s accountants to provide a full financial service.

Want to find out more? Get in touch to book your free discovery call! 📞

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Spreadsheets vs. Accounting Software: What’s Best for Your Business?

While spreadsheets are great for basic tracking, accounting software offers so much more:

🌵 Automated calculations to reduce errors
🌵 Real-time financial reporting
🌵 Easy tax preparation
🌵 Seamless invoicing and payment tracking
🌵 Integration with bank accounts for up-to-date records

VAT-registered businesses should already be using software unless they have an exemption.

Also please be aware 👇🏼

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment is due for its first phase of introduction from 6 April 2026, meaning sole traders and landlords need to start thinking about getting started with software too.

Upgrade to accounting software and enjoy these benefits for smoother, more efficient bookkeeping! 💼✨

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Making Tax Digital 💰

Making Tax Digital for VAT is part of a major overhaul of the UK tax system.

All VAT-registered businesses, regardless of their turnover, should now be signed up for Making Tax Digital and using compatible software to keep digital records and file VAT returns.

HMRC will automatically signed up all new VAT registered business to MTD for VAT automatically unless they are already exempt or have applied for exemption.

Unsure of what MTD software is right for you, or how to sign up for MTD?

Book in now for your discovery call and we can chat through your options together!

Wondering if you need to tidy up your accounts before handing them over? 🤔

The answer is, no.

I offer a catch-up/clean-up service to get everything in order for you, charged separately, so you do not need to worry about getting them all organised beforehand! 📂

Get in touch today by booking a discovery call or drop me a message with any questions!

Have you set up automatic payment reminders in your accounting software? 📅

This simple step can help you stay on top of your invoices and ensure timely payments. Double-check that your bank details are accurate to avoid any hiccups. Use the 'Pay Now' button and connect with a trusted payment service to streamline your transactions.

Say goodbye to missed payments and hello to efficient bookkeeping! 💸

I can help take the stress away to give you back the time to concentrate on running your business 💫

Whether you require a weekly, monthly, or quarterly service, I can take care of your business accounts by helping you select the best software for your business, ensure you are compliant with current legislation, take all your paperwork and provide you with up-to-date accounts and reporting to give you an overview of how your business is doing.

Book your free discovery call today, link in my bio! 🙌🏼

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Interested to find out more about my bookkeeping service? 🙌🏼

I offer free discovery calls where you can ask me any questions you may have, along with discussing how I can best help you and your business!

Book your call today via my website, link in my bio! 💫

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📋 As a bookkeeper, I can't stress enough the importance of using the starter checklist when you hire a new employee if they do not provide a P45.

This helps you determine the correct tax code and starter declaration for your payroll software, ensuring your new hires are taxed correctly from day one. Incorrect tax codes can lead to overpayment of taxes, causing unnecessary stress for your employees and extra work for you.

Let's get it right the first time to keep your team happy and your payroll accurate! ✅

What services do I offer? 👇🏼

🌵 Bookkeeping

🌵 Payroll

🌵 VAT

🌵 Accounting Software

🌵 Account Cleanup

Not sure where to start with and what service works best for you? Book a free discovery call today! Link in my bio! 🙌🏼

Beware of HMRC scams! 🚨

With everything else on our plates, the last thing we need are cheeky con artists trying to steal our details and hard-earned cash.

Always double-check the details of anyone contacting you from HMRC, whether it’s by email, text, or letter. Make sure your business information is correct on all correspondence to avoid any mix-ups!

Stay vigilant and protect yourself! 🛡️

Share this post with a friend to make people aware!

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙑𝘼𝙏 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙃𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙢 𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 1𝙨𝙩 𝙊𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙧

From 1st October 2021 the 5% VAT rate will increase to 12.5% through to 31st March 2022.

Thereafter the VAT rate will revert to the standard rate of 20%.

If you're self-employed or a member of a partnership you can claim the fifth grant if you think that your business profit will be impacted by (COVID-19) between 1 May 2021 and 30 September 2021.

The fifth grant is different from previous grants. In most cases, when making your claim you will need to confirm details of your business turnover to work out your grant amount.

The deadline for applying is 30th September 2021.

💷 𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚, 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙝 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨

👉 Create a cash/petty cash bank account in your accounting software

👉 Record cash received for sales invoices

👉 Record cash purchases

To know your business position, record all your transactions.