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Home > Amazing FBA > Accounting for Amazon Sellers UK with Allison Walker of Mint Accounting
Podcast: Amazing FBA
Episode:

Accounting for Amazon Sellers UK with Allison Walker of Mint Accounting

Category: Business
Duration: 00:37:40
Publish Date: 2020-04-22 00:00:44
Description: Learn Accounting for Amazon Sellers UK from Allison Walker as she discusses dividends and bookkeeping. Amazon UK Accounting Resources mentioned in today's episode: These links are primarily for Accounting for Amazon Sellers UK. But you'll find US version easily too: Xero - online accounting package preferred by Allison Quickbooks -alternative online accounting package LinkMyBooks - software to link Amazon to Xero or Quickbooks - for UK or USA based businesses Receipt Bank- software to let you upload photos of receipts etc to Xero or Quickbooks Setting up your Amazon acounting as a sole trader  Rule #1: don't use your personal bank account!  - It’s really painful for book-keeping HMRC VAT or inspection this means they would have to share own personal bank statements  If you’re running a business, run it like a business! Have an ltd co business bank accounts 1 Credit card for business and one for personal  Touch on Amazon issue of swapping sole trader for ltd co!  Limited company directors taking out money they shouldn’t! Owners see a healthy bank balance and take money out.  This is almost the opposite position to where you’ve tied all your cash up in stock (and not differentiating between profit and loss vs. Cashflow).  The cash in the bank is NOT the same as the profit in the company! Careful with Dividends as payment  You’re only allowed to take out dividends out of profit.  You need to know what is LEFT (reserved profits) after all costs including accrued tax liability.  You need to deduct costs including corporation tax (19% of the profit) before you know what the post-tax net profit is.  If you take out more, you end up with an overdrawn director’s loan account - meaning you now owe the business some of the money you took out.  Taking out dividends vs. Salaries in the UK The dividend tax rate in Feb 2020 is currently only 7%.  This is much lower than the tax on salary in the UK (20% basic rate, 40% higher rate, 45% top rate) Most directors take a salary up to their personal allowance threshold (£12.5K a year in the UK in 2020) in salary, and dividends after that.  HMRC don’t necessarily like it, but it’s legal!  Solutions for separating out tax to one side  Have at least 2 bank accounts - have a current account for income and suppliers, etc.  Have a separate bank account for VAT and corporate tax! And don’t touch that! Also, make some savings for the business MINDSET: VAT does not belong to you. You’re just collecting it on behalf of HMRC If you take out more than you should have, that has to be paid back Or you have to go into the following year and declare profits and it gets messy  What is the difference between accounting vs. Book-keeping? There is a big difference … Bookkeeping They are the ones running processes.  Allison’s preference is that book-keeping and reconciling bank accounts are done DAILY! You can use Xero or Quickbooks - and then you can instantly see how you’re doing.  And you can link Amazon to either with “Link My Books” LInkmybooks.com  Accountants’ jobs Above all,  they can educate and advise you on what the numbers actually mean in your business. They can help you set targets and goals; check your margins, and monitor trends.  Make sure you look for someone qualified!  Work that they do includes:  accruals Stock properly dealt with Pre-payment Personal or Corporation tax VAT  Statutory compliance They also submit tax returns etc. and interact with government bodies (in the UK, HMRC, or companies’ house), etc.  Stock  Stock levels - can It be verified An idea of corporate tax liability as you are going on Money How you can take money out of the company Whether the company director’s account is overdrawn Whether you can declare dividends How to get hold of Allison allison@mintaccounting.co.uk  Mintaccouting.co.uk 
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