Resources / Articles
Practical accounting guides for Indian businesses and the people who keep their books. Checklists, worked examples and a useful next step.
65 guides ยท Built around everyday work
Reports & planning
Build a weekly cash forecast from lists you already keep, plan on confirmed receipts only and spot a short week early. Blank template and fictional example.
8 min read
Read the guide: A 13-week cash flow forecast for a small businessRecords & controls
A vendor-neutral checklist for changing accounting software: clean books and masters, open-item lists, a cut-over date and a line-by-line opening balance check.
8 min read
Read the guide: Before you switch accounting software: a readiness checklistRecords & controls
When your accountant or accounts assistant leaves: set a cut-off, change access, list open items with amounts and walk through them together. Fictional example.
7 min read
Read the guide: Handing over the books when your accounts person leavesPurchases & expenses
One list of every yearly payment, from software to insurance and AMCs, with a review month and a keep, change or stop decision on each row. Fictional example.
6 min read
Read the guide: Tracking annual renewals: subscriptions, insurance and AMCsReports & planning
A monthly owner's check of four balance-sheet lines: does each agree with its own list, and is anything old, negative or unexplained? With a fictional example.
7 min read
Read the guide: Balance sheet: reading receivables, payables and advancesBanking & cash
A monthly list of every bank debit that isn't a customer or supplier payment: charges, rentals, mandates and unknown codes, each marked expected or to ask.
7 min read
Read the guide: Checking bank charges and unexpected deductions each monthBanking & cash
Match a bank statement to your books, separate timing differences from missing entries and finish with an explained closing balance, using a fictional example.
6 min read
Read the guide: Bank reconciliation workflow for small businessesBanking & cash
Before you pay the business card bill, give every statement line a bill, a purpose and the name of who used the card, and follow up the lines nobody recognises.
5 min read
Read the guide: Business credit card statement: match every line to a billBanking & cash
When your loan balance doesn't match the lender's loan statement: a loan list, a four-line monthly check per loan, and the usual reasons the two figures differ.
6 min read
Read the guide: Track business loans and EMIs against the lender's statementPurchases & expenses
One monthly row per business vehicle for fuel, tolls, servicing and repairs, from your own slips and statements, compared only with its own earlier months.
7 min read
Read the guide: A running-cost log for each business vehiclePurchases & expenses
A monthly check of your courier or aggregator bill with no software: match each line to your dispatch list, ask four questions, and log disputes until credited.
6 min read
Read the guide: Checking courier bills against what you actually shippedReceivables
Keep one agreed-rate sheet per customer with a valid-from date, check three things before each invoice to those customers goes out, and log every rate change.
5 min read
Read the guide: Agreed rates on invoices: a check before they go outRecords & controls
A spreadsheet routine for customer and supplier lists: the fields each record needs, a duplicate check, merging without losing history, and bank-detail changes.
7 min read
Read the guide: Clean customer and supplier records: IDs, terms, duplicatesReports & planning
Estimate client-wise profitability in a spreadsheet: fees minus job costs minus team hours at one internal hourly cost, reviewed quarterly. Fictional example.
7 min read
Read the guide: Client-wise profitability: which clients really make money?Records & controls
Closing one shop, counter or branch: the money and records to wrap up, from last stock count and deposits back to final bills, staff claims and the accountant.
14 min read
Read the guide: Closing one outlet: the money and records to wrap upRecords & controls
Wrong ledger, amount, date or a double entry? Correct it, don't erase it: one rule, a correction note, when to ask your accountant first and a corrections list.
6 min read
Read the guide: Correcting accounting entries without losing the trailRecords & controls
A one-line log for every discount given at the shop counter: list price, price given, reason and who approved it, with a weekly look by person and reason.
7 min read
Read the guide: Counter discounts: a weekly log by person and reasonReceivables
Disputed or short-paid invoices: log each customer query the day it is heard, mark it on your follow-up list, and close it only when the customer confirms.
7 min read
Read the guide: Invoice queries from customers: a log until each is settledMoney habits for owners
A one-page list your family can find if you're in hospital or away: bank branches, your CA, who owes the business, what's due in 30 days and where papers are.
6 min read
Read the guide: If you're away: a family money list for business ownersRecords & controls
Record each laptop, machine or piece of furniture the day you buy it, file its bill, check what you own on a walk-round and note what leaves. Template included.
6 min read
Read the guide: Fixed-asset register: what to record when you buy equipmentMoney habits for owners
When the shop or studio is in the family home: list the shared bills, write down a basis for each, and settle the business share with one monthly transfer.
7 min read
Read the guide: Home and business under one roof: splitting shared billsMoney habits for owners
A household budget on irregular income for a business family: log one month, set a base month, plan yearly and festival bills, keep a lean-month buffer.
12 min read
Read the guide: A household budget when the business pays you unevenlyRecords & controls
A claim file while an insurance claim is open: a contact log, a damaged-items list from your records, what the loss made you spend, and a listed-vs-paid sheet.
7 min read
Read the guide: Insurance claim file: what to record from loss to settlementPurchases & expenses
Review 12 months of bank and card payments one recurring cost at a time: who uses it, what happens if you stop it, and a written decision on every line.
5 min read
Read the guide: A line-by-line cost review: finding spend you no longer needReports & planning
Track marketing spend in a small shop: one row per spend from your bills, which promotions bring customers by their own account, and a month-end check.
8 min read
Read the guide: A marketing spend log: what each spend cost and brought inMoney habits for owners
Relatives ask the shop for help? Keep one record of money lent to family, set one limit from household money, and keep the shop's stock money out of it.
7 min read
Read the guide: Money lent to family from the shop: one record, one limitMonth-end
A month-end close checklist for owners and bookkeepers: what to check, what to reconcile, which questions to hand your accountant, and how to record the close.
7 min read
Read the guide: Month-end accounting checklist for Indian service businessesReports & planning
Build a first budget of six to eight lines from three months of history, compare it with actuals and turn each flagged line into one action. Fictional example.
7 min read
Read the guide: Monthly budget vs actual: a simple small-business reviewRecords & controls
Build a monthly records pack for your accountant: what to include, simple completeness checks, an exception note and a handover log, with a fictional example.
8 min read
Read the guide: What to send your accountant each month: a records checklistMonth-end
Monthly physical stock count for a small shop and godown: fix the record behind each difference, not the stock figure, and never net. With a fictional example.
7 min read
Read the guide: A monthly physical stock count for a small shop and godownReceivables
Keep one row for every customer order taken but not yet delivered, with the maker's date beside the customer's date, a Monday check and a month-end list.
8 min read
Read the guide: An open-orders book: orders taken but not yet deliveredPurchases & expenses
A spreadsheet routine for supplier bills and expense receipts: one intake point, a naming rule, a register linking bills to payments, and two month-end checks.
8 min read
Read the guide: Organise purchase bills so none are missed or counted twiceRecords & controls
Write down who prepares, checks and approves each part of the monthly books, what the owner decides and where questions go, with a query log and template.
7 min read
Read the guide: Owner and accountant: agreeing who does what each monthMoney habits for owners
Set a fixed monthly amount to take home from your shop: total what went home last year, test it against lean months, pay in a fixed order, and use family slips.
7 min read
Read the guide: Owner's pay from the shop: one amount, one date, one orderBanking & cash
Keep petty cash in order with a fixed float, one custodian, a voucher for every payout and a weekly count that keeps any difference visible. Fictional example.
7 min read
Read the guide: Running petty cash: a fixed float and a weekly countBanking & cash
Keep one register for post-dated cheques you hold and give, look four weeks ahead each week, check dates before banking, and count the envelope every month.
6 min read
Read the guide: A register for post-dated cheques, received and issuedReports & planning
Work out what a crew-day costs you from last year's books, charge overheads per crew-day, build each quote on one worksheet, then check it against actuals.
6 min read
Read the guide: Quoting service jobs: what a crew-day really costs youPurchases & expenses
When a simple purchase order is worth it, how to check deliveries at the door, and three questions before paying a supplier bill. With a fictional example.
6 min read
Read the guide: Match purchase orders, deliveries and bills before you payPurchases & expenses
Accounts payable for a small business with no AP team: six steps from supplier (vendor) bill to payment, the bills that skip them, and the guide for each.
12 min read
Read the guide: Purchases and payables: from bill to payment, step by stepReports & planning
Five plain questions to ask about your P&L each month, in order, before looking at net profit, with a service-business example and a note for your accountant.
6 min read
Read the guide: Your profit and loss statement: monthly questions for ownersPurchases & expenses
A supplier's statement shows a different balance? Match both to the same date, tick what agrees and sort the rest into four reasons. Fictional example.
8 min read
Read the guide: How to reconcile a supplier's statement with your booksPurchases & expenses
Before you change a reorder level, write down why the item ran out: a late order, a slower supplier or faster sales. Each reason points to a different fix.
6 min read
Read the guide: Reorder levels: a monthly check on what ran out and whyReceivables
One row for every retainer or fixed contract you bill, and a monthly tick that checks each one due this month against the invoices actually raised.
8 min read
Read the guide: Retainers and yearly contracts you bill: a monthly checkRecords & controls
Before you accept a draft voucher or suggested ledger from any bill-scanning tool, ask three questions, choose one of four outcomes and keep a review log.
6 min read
Read the guide: Review suggestions from bill-scanning and auto-entry toolsReceivables
Daily handover for salesmen and collection staff: count cash together, check UPI in the bank app, log cheques, check receipt numbers, read balances back weekly.
6 min read
Read the guide: Cash and cheques collected on the route: the daily handoverReports & planning
Off-season cash from last year's bank statement and takings: add up each off-season month's gap, plus the stock bought before the season, for one total.
6 min read
Read the guide: Off-season cash: the quiet-month gap plus the season stockPurchases & expenses
Keep a register of security deposits your business has paid, check its total against the deposits figure in your books, and use an exit checklist when you move.
5 min read
Read the guide: Tracking deposits you have paid: rent, electricity and moreBanking & cash
Mixing business and personal money in one account? Pick a clean start date, tag the last month once, and keep a simple log of anything that crosses over.
6 min read
Read the guide: Separating business and personal money: a proprietor's setupReceivables
One card per job, parts issued against parts used and returned, a daily close of every card, and a monthly match of closed cards to invoices. Fictional example.
6 min read
Read the guide: A simple service job card: time, parts and what to billBanking & cash
Day close and cash tally for a shop: split sales by payment method, count the drawer, check UPI and card against their own lists, and keep differences visible.
7 min read
Read the guide: Shop day close: matching cash, UPI and card takings to salesRecords & controls
Split four money duties so no one person handles a payment from start to finish: a duty map, maker-checker for a small office, and checks when you cannot split.
7 min read
Read the guide: Simple financial controls for a small team: splitting dutiesReports & planning
Read each outlet's own result first, give every shared cost a written basis, then re-split the month on two other bases to see whether the answer changes.
9 min read
Read the guide: Splitting shared costs across outlets: a branch-wise viewPurchases & expenses
List every electricity, water, phone and internet connection across your premises, compare each bill with its own recent months, and check estimated bills.
6 min read
Read the guide: Spotting unusual electricity, water and phone billsPurchases & expenses
Handle staff expense claims and reimbursements: one claim voucher, four checks before approval, advances settled first, a regular pay day. Fictional example.
6 min read
Read the guide: A simple process for staff expense claims and reimbursementsPurchases & expenses
Plan supplier payments with a simple weekly schedule: list what is due, run six checks before paying, and pay what the cash allows. With a fictional example.
7 min read
Read the guide: A weekly supplier payment schedule: six checks before payingPurchases & expenses
Replacement and warranty claims on faulty or defective goods sent back to suppliers: one register row per claim, a regular follow-up, and credits checked.
7 min read
Read the guide: Faulty goods sent back to suppliers: tracking each claimPurchases & expenses
Comparing quotes for a machine or big item? Put three on one sheet: what you pay in year one, advance, delivery time, warranty and validity, and write why.
7 min read
Read the guide: Three quotes before a big purchase: one comparison sheetRecords & controls
Number every tool, phone and laptop issued to staff, keep signed kit lists and a shared-tool board, check where each item is, including before someone leaves.
7 min read
Read the guide: Tools issued to staff: who has what, and getting it backReceivables
Keep one row per invoice, allocate part-payments before chasing, age only what is still unpaid and run a weekly follow-up, with a fictional worked example.
6 min read
Read the guide: How to track customer receivables and overdue invoicesMonth-end
A month-end count of every container you own, on paper or a spreadsheet: godown, vehicles, with customers and broken, checked against a delivery-slip register.
6 min read
Read the guide: Returnable crates, jars and cylinders: where are they all?Records & controls
A daily wastage log for a sweet shop, bakery or shop with a back kitchen: each item binned, its reason and cost, and a month-end top five for the accountant.
7 min read
Read the guide: Shop wastage: a daily log and a month-end top fiveMoney habits for owners
A weekly cash check for a small shop, done right after the week's last day close: six steps using the papers already on the counter, and one action.
7 min read
Read the guide: The weekly money look, right after the week's last day closeReports & planning
Working capital days in plain words: how many days of buying sit in stock, how many days of sales customers owe, and what it means in rupees. Fictional example.
7 min read
Read the guide: Working capital days for a small business, in plain numbersRecords & controls
How to write narrations that say what an entry was, for which period, which document backs it and where it is filed, with a monthly ten-entry spot check.
6 min read
Read the guide: Writing useful accounting narrations that point to paperworkReports & planning
Once a year, go through your price list item by item: cost when the price was set against cost now, margin then and now, and one written decision each.
5 min read
Read the guide: A yearly price-list review: when costs move, prices don'tPut your workflow into practice
Discuss your accounting workflow in a demonstration and confirm the capabilities available for your business.
