There is a major change to accounting standards coming soon. The change should not be underestimated, could be a steep learning curve for accountants, and planning for it should start now. No, this is not a blog post on iXBRL from 2010, but the change that is coming is equally as significant.
In recent times, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) have been developed to provide a common accounting framework and ‘language’ for businesses across the world. Slowly but surely the IFRS framework is replacing many of the different national accounting standards around the world.
For practices in the UK, we are seeing a slight variation on this theme. From 2015, the current UK GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) accounting standards we all know and love are set to be replaced by a new framework developed by the FRC. The FRS 101 and 102 standards are based on IFRS, but with some changes to allow for Companies Act 2006 legislation and a few other localisation amendments.
As you no doubt know, IFRS has been mandatory for all publicly owned limited companies and subsidiaries since 2005. The good news is that FRS 101 will allow parent and subsidiary members of groups currently applying full IFRS to report using a reduced set of disclosures moving forward. So, this should mean less time spent on preparing such accounts.
All other medium to large sized companies (FRSSE companies are excluded but changes are planned here too) will need to comply with FRS 102 from January 2015. This is a significant change not to be underestimated and your planning and preparation should start now. The changes will have an impact on all accountants and consideration will be needed on how you can ensure that your clients meet the new requirements for company disclosure.
IRIS has an unbeatable track record of being prepared for new legislation and statutory requirements well ahead of the deadline. We delivered IFRS compliance for publicly listed companies ahead of time in the lead up to the initial transition in 2005, we made iXBRL a straightforward process and delivered a solution some 6 months ahead of schedule, and we are now focused on delivering FRS 101 and 102 updates to support accountants in practice and industry.
To help you prepare for FRS 101 and 102 we have put together a free guide: "5 key facts about FRS 101 and 102". This guide looks at the following topics:
• What are FRS 101 and 102?
• Why are these standards being introduced?
• Who will be affected?
• When does the changeover to FRS 101 and 102 take place?
• How will these changes affect the software that accountants use in preparing accounts and returns?
Download the free guide now (Link to whitepaper)
Cash flow can cause problems for businesses of all shapes and sizes, but can be especially troublesome for smaller and start-up practices. But did you know that moving away from traditional desktop software and opting for a cloud-based solution could actually help with your practice’s cash flow?
Setting up and growing a business can incur more costs than you first may have estimated, and these can change from month to month, affecting your cash flow. Proper cash flow management is crucial to the success of your business, and without it, your business is at risk of not being profitable.
There are lots of hints and tips for properly managing your practice’s cash flow, but one which is not often discussed as much is the idea of consuming your core software applications in the cloud.
Many cloud-based solutions, including IRIS OpenTax, offer a “pay as you go” style pricing plan, meaning that you don’t have to commit to buy annually. This means if your cash flow changes throughout the year and your practice suddenly has less disposable cash, you are not stuck paying more outgoings than you can afford.
The initial purchase of software often involves an upfront licence fee, which although a one off, can take a chunk out of your available cash for that month. Moving to the cloud removes this upfront fee, allowing you to spread the cost of the solution more evenly across the year, further helping your cash flow.
Finally, unlike desktop software, cloud solutions are easy to scale. This is especially useful for start-up practices as you can scale your solution up or down to meet the changing needs of your business. Therefore if you submit one personal tax return you only need to make one payment so you only pay for what you use.
If you’re interested in seeing how moving to the cloud could help your practice manage its cash flow, why not try IRIS OpenTax for free?
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