Often, a common question I receive from clients who are starting their own business for the first time is whether or not financial statements are needed and what exactly do they do. For an accountant like myself, this is a self-evident answer (yes, you need them!), but I think it’s important to clarify the objectives of financial statements and what purpose they serve.

I’ve gone into detail in the past about identifying financial issues within your business, such as cash flow or reducing the amount of tax paid; however, none of this is possible without financial statements. Additionally, business owners often make false assumptions about whether their business is profitable without actually knowing for sure that this is the case. These are just some examples of what purpose they serve.

What are the Financial Statements?

Firstly, it’s essential to understand what the three financial statements small businesses use in Australia. These are:

1. Profit & Loss Report: displays the profitability of a business over a period of time
2. Statement of Financial Position: summarises all business assets and liabilities, at a particular moment in time, to show how much money remains if the business were to sell all assets and paid off all debts. This is otherwise known as ‘owner’s equity.’
3. Cash Flow Statement: displays how much cash is moving in and out of business over a certain period

Each report serves several different purposes and can be used alone or in combination with one another for various business objectives. These objectives include…

1. Identifying Business Profitability With Financial Statements

The profit and loss report helps to determine whether your business is truly profitable. Rather than looking at your bank account and taking a wild stab in the dark, income statements generally include your gross revenue minus your total expenses (or direct costs) to ultimately identify the net income (or loss) of your business. Basing an assumption off of your bank account balance will almost certainly be wrong due to future outgoing costs and incoming revenue that not accounted for. Therefore, you must be considering all income and overheads before making this conclusion.

2. Evaluate Tax Liability With Financial Statements

When your business is growing, and revenue is increasing, inevitably taxes are also following suit. Business owners I’ve dealt with are often shocked at the amount of tax they need to pay and how little they have left after they’ve paid them. It’s obvious then that all businesses should be looking to reduce their tax burden; however, how can you do this if you don’t know your financial numbers accurately? Once you know what your tax liability is, you can look into methods to reduce the amount of tax paid and on your business activity statements.

3. Improve Debt Management Using Financial Statements

Small business owners are notoriously poor at managing the money they owe and money owed to the business. This is predominantly due to two factors – a lack of understanding of how to manage this and being time-poor. Keeping accurate account receivable and account payable reporting ensures that these correct figures can give you an accurate idea of whether or not your business can continue to operate.

Poor management can cripple a business, often due to delays in receiving income while needing to meet their outgoing payment deadlines. When you have an adequate period of data, businesses can usually use this as a reference point to accurately predict future cash flow as well.

You might also like: 7 Tips to Improve your Business Cash-Flow

4. Identify & Mitigate Errors Using Financial Statements

Having accurate financial statements are crucial in being able to catch costly mistakes, wrongdoing in a business process or even illegal practices. Detection of discrepancies when reconciling numbers in financial numbers will be able to address this.

5. Improved Decision Making With Financial Statements

If you’re looking to grow and invest back into the business, financial statements such as your statement of financial position, or otherwise known as a balance sheet, can provide a clear visual representation to identify where investment opportunities may lie. Identify such aspects such as the assets the business currently has and whether or it can afford to purchase more is something only a financial statement can tell you. Additionally, using these financial statements for forecasting and planning for the future is essential to ensure your business is ready for any changes (or lack of) within the business environment.

6. Proof of Business Success Using Financial Statements

Financial statements act as historical records for the overall success of a business. In cases where a business owner wishes to sell the business or obtain investment, these financial statements help new stakeholders in deciding whether or not they want to conduct business. Having a good accountant is vital in such cases to ensure records are accurate. If you are in the position as an investor, it is equally important to have an accountant who can perform due diligence on financial reports to avoid you making a poor investment choice.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many reasons why financial statements can benefit your business. By keeping accurate financial statements, it can take the guessing out of business decisions while monitoring the progress of your business. When used in combination with suitable accounting software such as Xero or QuickBooks, business owners can benefit significantly in sustaining their business’ success and even expedite their business growth. Box Advisory Services’ team of accountants can assist with preparing these financial statements and provide ongoing business advice to help you improve your business. Book your free 45-minute initial consultation with us today.

Sign up to our monthly newsletter with the form below where we share exclusive small business and contractor advice!

Disclaimer:

Please note that every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided in this guide is accurate. You should note, however, that the information is intended as a guide only, providing an overview of general information available to contractors and small businesses. This guide is not intended to be an exhaustive source of information and should not be seen to constitute legal or tax advice. You should, where necessary, seek professional advice for any legal or tax issues raised in your business affairs.