The accounting and taxation of a business, whether small or large, requires knowledge of tax obligations and social charges. If certain structures can do without it due to simple calculations and reduced obligations, this is not the case for companies which have significant cash inflows and/or a status requiring them to issue a balance sheet in particular. Outsourcing your accounting then becomes essential. Moreover, with digital solutions available to everyone today, outsourced accounting becomes child’s play!
Contrary to what one might believe, the law does not require companies (independents as well as large groups) to call on an accountant for their tax declarations and their accounting management in general. But if so many of them do it, it is for a good and simple reason: managing your accounting is a complex task and to err is human. And each accounting error can lead to problems with contribution organizations and the tax administration. Generally speaking, self-employed people make their lives easier by entrusting their accounting to an accountant.
The advantages of outsourcing your accounting for a freelancer
Certainly, a self-employed person who must manage income and declare it to URSSAF by only paying contributions on his turnover does not necessarily need an accountant or an accounting firm. an accountant. But as soon as you exceed the thresholds or enter a category of business requiring numerous calculations, balance sheets, and a tax return, calling on professionals may prove inevitable. Thus, given the complexity of the task, the vast majority of companies call on an accountant, hired within the company or externally.
For a self-employed person, accounting tasks represent long hours of work every month. A self-employed person who exceeds the VAT exemption threshold must therefore make his calculations and balance his cash flow to be able to repay it if he does not choose to pay it in actual terms each month. And, as a freelance billing business takes off, account lines pile up and the risk of errors increases just as much. Likewise, for those who choose a different legal status, the obligations (journal book, annual balance sheet, etc.) require the expertise of an accountant.
Free yourself from accounting worries
Even without being administrative phobic, paperwork is one of the main stress factors for small entrepreneurs and liberal professions. Outsourcing your accounting to an accounting firm, to whom you will send your invoices, expense reports and other expenses, is enough to free your mind to be 100% involved in your work!
How does accounting outsourcing work for a freelancer or self-employed person?
Outsourcing your accounting means subcontracting the entry and analysis of your accounting to an accounting firm or to an accountant. The accountant is the only one authorized to certify the annual accounts and has advanced skills in tax optimization, financial strategy and collective procedures if you are in this case.
Be careful not to confuse an accounting firm with an accounting data entry firm. This will only record the monitoring of your accounting and carry out administrative management.
Note that accountants and chartered accountants can monitor your accounting (recording transactions in the general ledger and journal), but only the chartered accountant is authorized to certify the annual accounts.
This certificate, called Visa Fiscal, a guarantee of sincerity and fidelity of your accounting, reflects your desire for transparency with your financial partners and the tax administration. It is therefore strongly recommended for the proper management of your business. In addition, and this is very important, in the case of the Sole Proprietorship (EI) you will avoid the 25% increase for the calculation of your income tax. You will thus avoid registering with an approved management center or association resulting in additional expense.
What is the price for outsourcing accounting to an accountant?
The number of accounting missions you entrust to them and their volume. You can in fact delegate all or part of the accounting monitoring, payroll preparation and employee monitoring if you hire…
Your status: as a freelancer, independent consultant or individual entrepreneur in general, you can benefit from a very affordable monthly price for the complete establishment of your accounting and declarations.
As a self-employed person, it is in your best interest to opt for an online accounting service registered with the Order of Chartered Accountants, to which you will have to send your invoices, which will allow your accounting data to be established, every month. At L’Expert-Comptable.Com for example, the package is €99 excluding tax/month. Freelancers who need real support to keep their accounts can completely outsource their accounting and declarations and benefit from real support to manage their cash flow. If the price is so low, it is mainly due to the absence of practices. However, you benefit from a global accounting mission and great responsiveness. Dematerialization is also a definite advantage, with the edition of your quotes and invoices on a linked application. Company life is thus more serene!
Which solution to choose: go through an accounting firm or an online accountant?
VSEs and SMEs which have employees and important procedures to carry out are undoubtedly more comfortable dealing with an accounting firm where they can make an appointment. This approach saves them from hiring an accountant or adding this additional work to a secretary.
For the self-employed, on the other hand, it is above all important to keep your accounts perfectly up to date, but also to limit unnecessary expenses. Whether when you create a business, or when your turnover changes, calling on an online accountant, who is a human-sized company carrying out analytical accounting with its tools, promotes balance financial aspects, in balance with the time saved.
Would you like to know more about outsourcing your accounting as a freelancer? Contact us to discover all of our online accounting services! We will also explain to you how we can create your legal status for free.