{"id":15596,"date":"2023-07-21T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-21T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=15596"},"modified":"2025-07-14T16:51:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T15:51:34","slug":"spend-less-time-accounting-payroll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/spend-less-time-accounting-payroll\/","title":{"rendered":"How to spend less time on accounting and payroll"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/money-matters\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Money Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to spend less time on accounting and payroll\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2023-07-21T10:00:00+01:00\">21 July, 2023<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"How to spend less time on accounting and payroll\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/spend-less-time-accounting-payroll\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/ryangrundy\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/06\/Ryan-Grundy.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Ryan Grundy\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Ryan Grundy<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the most compelling reasons to start a business include wanting to have more control and flexibility, the desire to use your skills and knowledge to make money, and having an idea that can solve a problem for a certain customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe you picture working on your craft, guiding your own team, or striking a healthier work-life balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there\u2019s one aspect of running a business that\u2019s easy to leave out of that vision\u2014and that\u2019s looking after the finances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s face it, not everyone is a numbers person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The good news is you don\u2019t have to become an accountant yourself to manage money effectively. You simply need quality software, and some knowledge of basic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/accounting\/features\/accounting-payroll\/\">accounting and payroll<\/a> concepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, we\u2019ve created an actionable guide that brings you up to speed on both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It covers all the essential topics, helps you decide on software, and gives you 10 tips on how to get the best start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we pull out some of the highlights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#about\">About the guide<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#keep\">Level 1: Keep clean records<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#perfect\">Level 2: Perfect payroll<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#go\">Level 3: Go further with reporting<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#power\">Level 4: Power up with software<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#final\">Final thoughts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-ccc72a6f-3535-41b5-aaeb-67ac2c56bebc\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-ccc72a6f-3535-41b5-aaeb-67ac2c56bebc\"\n\t>Download your free copy of Where to start with small business accounting and payroll<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"about\">About the guide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The guide, Where to start with small business <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/accounting\/features\/accounting-payroll\/\">accounting and payroll<\/a>, will serve as your go-to for mastering the fundamentals of managing finances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you\u2019re yet to start your business or it\u2019s already established, the guide provides everything you need to know to keep your business on the right track, pay your people correctly, make insight-driven decisions, and save time with software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To make this as simple as possible, we\u2019ve split it into four levels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This helps you get an idea of priority, and what you should be focusing on first. Each level covers not just what to do, but why you need to do certain things. Then we include actionable advice on what to do next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick overview of each level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"keep\">Level 1: Keep clean records<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The first level is all about bookkeeping. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This means accurately recording all the money that enters and leaves your business. We cover why this is vital from a legal perspective and the five most common tasks you\u2019ll need to complete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol style=\"list-style-type:1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Record all transactions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Backup files and records<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/integrated-payment-solutions\/bank-reconciliation-software\/\">Bank reconciliation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/sage-accounting\/features\/tax\/\">Tax returns<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Invoicing.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"perfect\">Level 2: Perfect payroll<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Making sure your people are paid accurately and on time is absolutely essential and can be easily accomplished with the right <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/payroll-software\/\">payroll software<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, we explore the true impact payroll can have on your business and define fundamental concepts like Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and deductions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also provide five tips on how to perfect the pay run:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol style=\"list-style-type:1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Start the pay run early<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep employee details up to date<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make sure you always have enough cash<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Help your people understand payslips<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/payroll\/\">payroll software<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-ccc72a6f-3535-41b5-aaeb-67ac2c56bebc\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-ccc72a6f-3535-41b5-aaeb-67ac2c56bebc\"\n\t>Download your free copy of Where to start with small business accounting and payroll<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"go\">Level 3: Go further with reporting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019re keeping clean records and paying your people properly, you can start to surface insights from your financial data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In level three, we run through the key financial reports that give you a new level of understanding about your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This, in turn, helps you make more confident, informed decisions, and boosts your chances of keeping your business profitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though there are dozens of types available, we break down the four most essential reports and reveal how they support your business:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/profit-and-loss-account-financial-statement\/\">Profit and loss<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/balance-sheet-use-financial-statement\/\">Balance sheet<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nominal activity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Trial balance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"power\">Level 4: Power up with software<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As a business owner, your time is extremely valuable. You should be spending as much of it as possible doing what you do best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The final level is all about how to significantly cut down the hours you spend on accounting and payroll, which you can do with dedicated software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To help you make an informed decision about potential new software, we break down the top benefits that today\u2019s most advanced solutions provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Real-time insights<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Efficient automation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Simpler compliance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Manageable digital records<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Real-time clarity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Accounting and payroll sync<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Simplified pay run<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Payslip creation and reporting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"final\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This article has given you a taster of how to manage accounting and payroll as a small business owner. In the full guide, we dive into everything in much more detail and bring you 10 extra tips that\u2019ll help you get off to the best start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apply the lessons in the guide and you\u2019ll take control of the financial health of your business, meet compliance demands, and start making confident decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll also spend less time, energy and headspace on financial tasks, and more on focusing on what you care about most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Where to start with small business accounting and payroll<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Brush up on the basics of managing your accounting and payroll, and learn how software can save you time on your business admin.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-ccc72a6f-3535-41b5-aaeb-67ac2c56bebc\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download your free guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-734165167-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-734165167-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover how you can make your life much easier when it comes to dealing with the accounting and payroll for your business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1398,"featured_media":11437,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[23,37,125],"business_type":[4],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[73,75],"imagine_tag":[289,77,200,103,109],"coauthors":[370],"class_list":["post-15596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money-matters","tag-bookkeeping","tag-payroll","tag-workplace-technology","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Ryan Grundy","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1159610631.jpg","imagine_tags":{"289":"Accounting and Payroll","77":"Accounting software","200":"Payroll","103":"Payroll software","109":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1398"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15596"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15596\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/11437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15596"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15596"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15596"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15596"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15596"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15596"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15596"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}