Software or Spreadsheet

[Deleted User]

Does anyone know of any freeish software or spreadsheets for keeping your self employeed books?

I have managed to find some USA version, but UK version.


Thanks

martindow

Open Office which you can download from here
http://www.openoffice.org/
or you could try Google Docs
http://docs.google.com/
where everything is done via your internet connection.

Both are free and good.

[Deleted User]

martindow wrote: »

Open Office which you can download from here
http://www.openoffice.org/
or you could try Google Docs
http://docs.google.com/
where everything is done via your internet connection.

Both are free and good.

Sorry if i did not make it clear, i already have ms office, it was actually i want software or spreadsheet for self employeed book keeping.


Thanks

WHA

Please don't use a spreadsheet. Yet again, I've just spent all morning going through someone's spreadsheet to track down all their errors - and again, this person is fully computer literate and sincerely told me that the spreadsheet was right!! There is a tortuous trail to follow to get from the each initial entry right through to the end results, with loads of silly errors along the way. If they had used a proper package, it would have saved them a lot of time and would have saved a couple of hours time that they now have to pay me for! I have never yet seen a spreadsheet for book-keeping that was actually worth the time spent on it and that was actually correctly completed from start to finish - and that's after working for 25 years doing people's accounts! I hate clients who insist on using spreadsheets. Don't do it!!!

Try https://www.vtsoftware.co.uk - they have a completely free cash book program on their site which is perfectly adequate for a typical small firm for their simple book-keeping. Alternatively https://www.winweb.co.uk which is another completely free web-based system that has the basics plus sales and purchase ledgers for controlling customers and suppliers dues.

Spreadsheets are a hopeless way to do your books. There are no built-in checks and balances that you will find in a proper software package, so allowing you to make mistakes without knowing it. It is too easy to accidentally format a cell into a label rather than a number, meaning the figure won't be included in the totals. Too easy to add a row or column and not adjust the formulae to include it. I could go on - for hours.

Don't do it. There is no need. There are proper software packages out there, as I said, even completely free.

mkeeley

For basic level accounting then I'm happy enough using a spreadsheet solution. I'm using XLAC from http://www.xlac.co.uk This is my second year of using it and I've so far had no issues. It also generates my self assesment information and a tax/NI estimate. The down side is that it's currently for traders who are not VAT registered, which isn't a problem in my case.

The point made about incorrect formatting etc causing problems tend to be if you create your own solution, you have to be careful and test, test, test!

[Deleted User]

mkeeley wrote: »

For basic level accounting then I'm happy enough using a spreadsheet solution. I'm using XLAC from http://www.xlac.co.uk This is my second year of using it and I've so far had no issues. It also generates my self assesment information and a tax/NI estimate. The down side is that it's currently for traders who are not VAT registered, which isn't a problem in my case.

The point made about incorrect formatting etc causing problems tend to be if you create your own solution, you have to be careful and test, test, test!

I have just looked at that site and it look perfect, especially as it gives you all the information to fill in your forms. Did you actually use those figures and do your own tax return?


I have just asked them some questions and will probably end up getting, because i have looked at others and they do not come close. Shame Microsoft Accountanty Express has not come out, but i might end up using it for next year accounts.


Thanks

mkeeley

Yes I've used the figures for my tax return. The tax/NI estimate is also handy so you don't end up with a shock when the bills arrive!

[Deleted User]

mkeeley wrote: »

Yes I've used the figures for my tax return. The tax/NI estimate is also handy so you don't end up with a shock when the bills arrive!

Thanks for the information, i purchase it on Friday and have been using it over the weekend. It is really good, i cannot understand why more people have not done something like this, which is striaght to the point. Only down side there is no menu system for the different spreadsheets, but i created my own.


Thanks

mkeeley

Glad you're finding it good. There are some enhancements in the pipeline.

mkeeley

jc, there's now a navigation centre available so you can access all the XLAC functions from the single screen..

bargainhunt_3

You could try GNUCASH which is free, and relatively ok. I have just started using it and it seems to be ok and quite easily to use. https://www.gnucash.org. It allegedly imports Paypal and other files if they are exported in the right format so may be suitable for some of the online traders reading this forum.

best,

rod