Newage Accounting offers bookkeeping and accounting training as part of its business support services in Toorak, Melbourne. Discuss your existing records and processes with the team to identify the support you need.
Start with your current process
Let the team know how you record sales and expenses, where supporting documents are kept and which accounting tools you currently use. Explain what is difficult, whether that is staying organised, understanding reports or preparing information for your accountant.
Discuss the scope of support
Your enquiry may concern an immediate records issue or an ongoing bookkeeping process. Describe the period covered, the volume of records and who currently maintains them. Ask the team to confirm the work, responsibilities and timing before proceeding.
Accounting training
Tell the team who needs training and what they need to be able to do. Discuss your current workflow and the accounting tasks you want to understand. Confirm whether support is available for the software and process you use.
Connect bookkeeping with your wider accounting needs
If your enquiry also involves accounting or taxation, mention those needs together so the work can be discussed in context.
Questions before you begin
Do I need to change accounting software?
Describe the software and workflow you already use. Discuss the available support with the team before deciding whether any change is needed.
What should I prepare for a bookkeeping enquiry?
Prepare a short description of your business, the records involved, the period you need help with and the difficulties you want to resolve.
Enquiry preparation at a glance
A bookkeeping enquiry is easier to scope when you can describe the records you keep, the last period checked and the task that is causing difficulty. Newage Accounting lists bookkeeping and accounting training among its services. Discuss whether you need help with a backlog, a recurring process or a specific training task.
Separate catching up from keeping up
For a backlog, list the months or periods involved, where the source documents are stored and which account balances were last checked. Mention missing bank statements, receipts or access issues. This gives the discussion a starting point without implying that the work or timing has already been accepted.
For ongoing support, describe who raises invoices, records purchases, checks accounts and follows up missing information. For training, choose a concrete task you want to carry out reliably, then confirm the software, format and support available.
Prepare records that another person can follow
A practical handover explains the period, source documents, reports used and open questions. Keep a simple list of items that need an owner's explanation rather than silently choosing a category. Government record-keeping guidance includes both bank records and the underlying sales and expense records.
If a BAS deadline is approaching, identify the actual date shown on the statement and the last period checked. Use the BAS preparation guide to organise the handover, then confirm who will review and lodge any statement.
- BAS preparation: records, reconciliation and a clear handover
- Changing accountants: a business-record handover checklist
- Contact Newage Accounting
More preparation questions
What should I say if my bookkeeping is several months behind?
List the periods affected, the last period you believe was reconciled, the accounts involved and the records that are missing. Mention any reporting date or adviser already involved. Ask for catch-up work and ongoing bookkeeping to be scoped clearly, so responsibility for each period is understood.
Sources: Record keeping · Finding and using a tax practitioner
Are bank feeds enough to support my business records?
Treat a bank feed as one part of the records, alongside sales and purchase documents and explanations of unfamiliar transactions. A payment description may not establish its business purpose or tax treatment. Government guidance lists bank records separately from income, expense and relevant GST records.
Sources: Record keeping
How should I handle personal and business purchases in the same account?
Identify the transactions and explain their purpose, who paid and which supporting documents exist. Flag mixed or uncertain items for review instead of assuming the whole amount is a business expense. Ask how to organise future records so the people maintaining and reviewing the accounts can follow the distinction.
Sources: Record keeping
Is a BAS report from accounting software enough to show the BAS is ready?
An exported report is a starting point for checking the period, source records, account reconciliation and unresolved items. Confirm who reviews the figures and who is responsible for lodgment. Use the BAS preparation checklist to organise the evidence and questions before treating the work as complete.
Sources: Business activity statements (BAS) · Record keeping · Finding and using a tax practitioner