Financial statements are a very essential part of running a business. They give business owners an idea of ​​the business’s assets and liabilities. And detailed accounts of cash inflows and outflows. At the same time, a large business may need a dedicated team to prepare various financial reporting statements. That ensures the reports are delivered on time. But on the other hand, a small business may not need an accountant to prepare the financial statements.

Small businesses must also prepare and submit certain documents. But to a different extent than large businesses. For this reason, the small business operations team can prepare the financial reporting statements independently. However, many people need help preparing accounts and financial statements.

For this reason, any small business can opt for any outsourced Accounting Finance management services. They can even hire an accountant for bookkeeping and other financial reporting tasks. However, while a small business can prepare its financial statements on its own or outsource them to a company secretarial service in the UK, a small business needs three main financial statements.

Accounting Balance Sheet

One of the types of financial statements a small business needs is the balance sheet. The balance sheet shows a business’s financial position or assets on a particular date. This is calculated by adding the small business’s liabilities to the equity.

A basic overview of any balance sheet is the assets listed on the left and the things that are owned by the small business that can or have been converted to cash. On the right are liabilities and equity. Liabilities are also known as accounts payable and are the amount of money the small business owes to others. Equity is what is left if a company sells all its assets and pays off all its debts.

While a balance sheet is a simple financial reporting statement, small business owners can use a company secretarial service to ensure that their balance sheet is accurately prepared on time. However, if the small business has an accountant or someone with a certain background in accounting. The balance sheet can be easily prepared without the involvement of a third party.

An Income Statement

An income statement is a type of financial reporting statement that shows the revenue a business earns over time, known as the business’s net income. When preparing an income statement, an accountant in Ilford will add income and profits. Next, they will add costs and losses separately. Then costs and losses are subtracted from income and profits.

An income statement can also be known as a profit and loss account, and corporate secretarial services can prepare an income statement for a small business. 

Cash Flow

Businesses need to record their cash inflows and outflows, and this report is known as the cash flow statement. A small business should prepare this financial reporting statement, and outsourced financial management services include preparing cash flow statements for various businesses.

The cash flow statement will give a small business an idea of ​​whether it has generated or lost cash over some time. Business secretarial services in the UK will look at different components for compiling a cash flow statement.  

Business activities include cash inflows, such as selling goods, and cash outflows, such as paying employees. These are normal and essential operations of the company. Investing activities are cash changes from the purchase or sale of real estate. Finally, financing activities are changes in cash levels from purchases and payments.

Cash Flow Statements

These activities are considered when preparing cash flow statements, and small businesses must submit these financial statements. However, you are a small business owner and need more capacity to prepare your cash flow statements. In that case, you can opt for company secretarial services that will handle your financial reporting.

Balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements are the three main financial statements any small business needs to prepare. Outsourced financial management services can cost-effectively prepare these financial statements for a small business.

Financial Reporting Framework for Small Businesses

Examples of how the new framework reduces the complexity and cost of financial reporting for small businesses include the following:

• The use of historical cost rather than the demanding fair value measurement basis.
• No requirement for complicated accounting for derivatives, hedging, or stock compensation.
• Targeted disclosure requirements, providing users of financial statements with the relevant information they need while recognizing that those users can obtain additional information from management if they desire.

Definition Of Sme

So what is the definition of an SME? Unfortunately, a standard definition doesn’t exist in the United States. However, according to the AICPA, “the term is intuitive, widely recognized, and effectively descriptive of the scope of entities for which the FRF for SMEs accounting framework is intended.”

Frf For SMES Accounting Framework

The task force and staff deliberately did not develop quantified size criteria for determining a small-and-medium-sized entity. They decided that it was not possible to develop quantifiable size tests. There are more efficient ways to describe the types of entities the framework is for. Instead, AICPA has developed a list of SME characteristics to guide companies in deciding whether to adopt the new framework.

Excerpt From Frf Report For SMES

Here is a list taken from the FRF report for small and medium businesses:

• The entity does not have regulatory disclosure requirements that substantially require the entity to use GAAP-based financial statements.
• Most owners and management of the entity intended to refrain from issuing shares to the public. 
• The unit operates for profit.
• Owners can manage entities; owner-managed is a private company in which the owners of control over the entity are essentially the same group of people who run the company.
• Management and entity owners rely on a single set of financial statements to evaluate performance, cash flows, and what they own and owe. vii FRF-SME
• An entity does not operate in an industry where it engages in transactions that require specialized accounting instruction, such as financial institutions and government agencies.
• The entity does not engage in overly complex activities. 
• Primary users of the entity’s financial statements have direct access to the entity’s management.
• The legal entity has no significant foreign activities.
• Users of an entity’s financial statements may be more interested in cash flow, liquidity, the strength of the certain statement of financial position, and the ability to pay interest.
• Entity financial statements support bank funding requirements where banks rely not only on financial statements to make lending decisions but also on available collateral or other mechanisms and other assessments that are not directly related to the financial statements.