Accounting. Accounting All about accounting

Accounting (hereinafter referred to as Accounting), like any other field, requires proper legal regulation by the state. And the leading role here is played by the Federal Accounting Law 402-FZ. It was adopted on December 6, 2011, but began to operate with some delay - from January 1, 2013. The main goals of this law are to establish uniform requirements for accounting and reporting, and to consolidate the legal mechanism for regulating accounting. The 2nd and 3rd chapters of the law are dedicated to them.

So, what does Federal Accounting Law 402 tell us?

First of all, he:

• reveals the very concept of accounting, defining it as the formation of documented, systematized information about objects provided for by the accounting law, in accordance with the requirements established by it, and the preparation of accounting (financial) statements (BFO) on its basis;
• outlines the circle of persons to whom its action extends.

Find out who is responsible for organizing accounting.

Among the objects of accounting, the law specifies:

• facts of economic life;
• assets and liabilities;
• financial sources;
• income and expenses.

The list of objects is open. And all economic entities in the Russian Federation are named as persons obliged to keep records. Only individual entrepreneurs and some divisions of foreign organizations are allowed not to maintain accounting records.

In addition, the accounting law stipulates:

• the procedure for organizing accounting by an economic entity;
• requirements for primary documents and accounting registers;

Due to the special importance of the primary, a separate section is devoted to it. heading our site.

• inventory rules;
• “reporting” issues;
• procedure for storing accounting documents.

What changed in Accounting Law 402 in 2015-2018?

Over the short period of its existence, the accounting law has been changed and supplemented more than once. The latest significant changes (began to take effect on November 16, 2014) affected simplified methods of maintaining accounting and financial reporting. In particular, the circle of entities that do not have the right to accounting simplification was determined. This:

• organizations engaged in certain areas of activity, for example, housing and credit consumer cooperatives, legal professions and notaries, legal consultations, etc.;
• organizations whose reporting is subject to mandatory audit, regardless of the area in which they operate;
• some non-profit organizations.

No changes were made to the law in 2015. And in 2016, the only innovation in this document (Law “On Amendments...” dated May 23, 2016 No. 149-FZ) was the exclusion of state academies of sciences from the concept of “public sector organizations” (clause 9 of Article 3 of the law dated December 6, 2011 No. 402-FZ). In 2017-2018, minor amendments were made to Law No. 402-FZ, mainly affecting credit institutions.

ATTENTION! The Ministry of Finance has prepared amendments to Law No. 402-FZ. See details.

Other acts of accounting legislation in the Russian Federation

The Federal Accounting Law is a fundamental act, but not the only one. Its provisions are developed and specified by numerous by-laws. According to the law itself, the hierarchy of such legal acts is as follows:

• federal standards;
• industry standards;
• recommendations in the field of accounting;
• standards of an economic entity.

The standards of the first - federal - group have not currently been approved and instead of them, the well-known PBUs are still used, which determine the procedure for accounting for individual accounting facilities. Industry standards establish rules for individual areas of activity. The recommendations are intended to ensure the correct application of standards, reduce the cost of organizing accounting, and introduce best accounting practices, research and development. Application of recommendations is purely voluntary. Internal standards are intended for organizing and maintaining accounting for a specific economic entity. He himself decides which standards to develop, how to approve them, change or cancel them.

Greetings, dear friends! Money loves counting, doesn't it? Do you know that if you keep a family budget, you can save a lot of money? Accounting is simply indispensable in order to keep everything under control, both within the family circle and and in the organization . If you were looking for an Accounting for Dummies tutorial to read in simple words about the complex concept of accounting, then welcome! This article is just that.

Meet: the oldest profession on earth – accountant!

Of course, with the most ancient profession there is a bit of an excess. However, did you know that back in the 15th century, Italians, namely monks, invented one of the main principles of accounting? Yes, yes, the hated double entry method was first described by the Italian monk Luca Pacioli. The principle of double entry has not changed at all over the past 500-odd years. Accounting is a synthesis of all available financial information, be it for a family or a whole huge enterprise. If we consider accounting specifically at an enterprise, then it is carried out either by the director himself or by the chief accountant. If the company is small and does not require a chief accountant, then they use the services of third-party companies, i.e. receive outsourcing services. By the way, do you know what this is? I advise you to find out more. Outsourcing is something that can also help you save a lot of money.

What is the subject of accounting? First of all, this is all the company’s property and even its liabilities. Thus, the company’s debts, as well as expected revenues from counterparties, will also be included in the balance sheet.

Why do you need to do accounting? Accounting is one of the most important departments in a company, and if you can do without a marketing department, then not a single self-respecting entrepreneur has gone far without an accountant. Even within the family circle it is customary to count money, what to say about the place that is your second home? Why haven't you moved to work yet? Urgently deprive you of your bonus!

The tasks of accounting can be called:

• drawing up a complete picture of the enterprise’s activities;
• minimizing exposure to negative indicators of economic activity;
• search for reserves;
• monitoring compliance with legal regulations;
• control over the use of resources in the organization.

What does accounting include?

Accounting at the enterprise is carried out using the well-known 1C: Accounting program. Moreover, the accountant must understand document management and also be able to use Internet banking. In general, all accounting problems can be solved as follows:

• Documentation. A document is confirmation that a business transaction took place. A properly executed document confirms that the company employs professionals.
• Grade. Valuation is the expression of a transaction in its monetary equivalent, i.e. any business transaction must have a value expression.
• Double entry. I suggest you become familiar with debit and credit if you haven't already been introduced to these two gentlemen. Each operation should be duplicated so that you have the opportunity to verify the accuracy of the data. You may know superficially what debit and credit are in accounting, unless, of course, you are an accountant.
• Calculations. Here you can do without unnecessary explanations. Accounting in its own words is a calculation made by an accountant.
• Balance- the main document in accounting. It may be requested by both the tax authorities and counterparties, and you should always be prepared.
• Reporting– certain indicators grouped using tables for a specific reporting period. By the way, it is now possible to submit reports to the tax office online, if only the enterprise had an electronic digital signature.

A special point in accounting is the chart of accounts. The chart of accounts is a whole system according to which transactions in accounting are recorded and grouped. In addition to the listed accounting components, it is worth noting that it is based on several principles. Thus, the main principle is considered to be the principle of periodicity, i.e. reporting for the month, quarter, half year and year. This allows you to compare indicators for different periods and see the development or, conversely, decline in the company’s activity over time.

Confidentiality is the second principle of accounting. The vast majority of companies adhere to the principle that the organization’s balance sheet data is strictly confidential and is prohibited from being disclosed. The exception is some non-profit organizations.

We have already touched on the third principle - this is the monetary dimension, i.e. Any business transaction in a company must have a value expression.

Separately, I would like to highlight a special nuance in accounting, namely documentation.

Documents are the basis for conducting business, and it is with the help of them that all transactions are recorded.

A document is evidence, and evidence loves order. Any accountant pays special attention to maintaining archives, both in printed and electronic form, and also knows which documents have legal force and which do not.

Only the documentation on which all the details are correctly placed has legal force. For example, if there is no signature on any primary documentation, then it will be impossible to accept it for accounting.

Organizational form and accounting

You don’t even need to look at the “Accounting from Scratch” textbooks to determine whether you need it or not. Thus, depending on the form of organization, a company can maintain full or simplified accounting. Of course, the choice of working as an individual entrepreneur, LLC or even JSC depends not only on the future form of accounting, however, it would be nice to become familiar with the difference, which is what we will do now. An individual entrepreneur is a form of organizing business activity in which a legal entity is not created. An individual entrepreneur is, first of all, an individual who operates to make a profit. An individual entrepreneur cannot have property separate from the individual and, therefore, if he becomes bankrupt, then everyone will have to pay, right down to the last thread.

LLC and JSC are organizations and they bear responsibility with their capital, and not with the property of the founders. The difference also lies in how many people can directly participate in management. Moreover, organizing a joint-stock company is somewhat more difficult.

Full accounting is carried out only in LLCs and JSCs, which implies the presence of a balance sheet, profit and loss indicators, as well as full archive maintenance. Individual entrepreneurs, in accordance with Federal Law No. 402-FZ, have the right not to maintain full accounting records. However, do not confuse accounting with its tax counterpart, since individual entrepreneurs still must submit reports to the Federal Tax Service.

The reporting deadlines are determined by the chosen taxation system. Most often, individual entrepreneurs choose a simplified taxation system, however, you can choose UTII, Unified Agricultural Tax and even a patent. As a rule, to maintain tax records for an individual entrepreneur, it is necessary to hire an accountant, unless, of course, he is capable of maintaining records on his own.

Let's look at accounting for individual entrepreneurs in more detail.

The first and foremost issue that requires immediate attention is the hiring of workers. Are you ready to become an employer and be responsible for your employees? Being responsible for officially employed people in your individual entrepreneur is very difficult.

The accounting of individual entrepreneurs changes completely after hiring employees. So, for this period of time, for 1 reporting year, you will have to submit as many as 7 reports, including to the Pension Fund, Social Insurance Fund and, of course, to the tax office. And believe me, submitting the average number of employees is the most harmless thing you will have to do.

Both individual entrepreneurs and LLCs must comply with reporting deadlines, otherwise there is a risk of fines (do you need this?). Penalties, arrears, blocking of the current account... What delights the generous tax office does not serve on our accounting table.
Whether you do the bookkeeping yourself or with the help of an accountant, I advise you to take this as seriously as possible. Use special software (1C, for example), and also save all the documents you had to work with.

I hope you enjoyed the article. Maybe you are already an experienced accountant and you have something to add to my humble review? Waiting for your comments. See you again!

P.S. Watch the video about accounting, they explain it well and clearly.

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The editors provide thematic information to higher educational institutions of Ukraine, technical schools and colleges where there is a specialty “Accounting”, as well as accounting courses. g. - the 700th issue of the newspaper was published, circulation - 90.6 thousand. The campaign “The Best Accountant in Ukraine” was held. The winners were 540 accountants from all regions of Ukraine. The editorial management was awarded the Gratitude of the President of Ukraine. g. - the first free consultation line on accounting and taxation issues was created. The newspaper began to provide subscribers with exclusive supplements: “Hotels of Ukraine”, “Handbook of Foreign Economic Activity”, “Examples of filling out primary documents”. The editorial management was awarded a Certificate of Honor from the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. g. - the newspaper celebrated its 10th anniversary. The newspaper website www.vobu.com.ua was created. The newspaper has thematic online forums at forum.vobu.com.ua. A competition “My leader is the best” was held. The 255 best business managers throughout Ukraine have been identified. The newspaper was awarded a Certificate of Honor from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. g. - the newspaper becomes the undisputed leader in the market of professional publications. The newspaper's circulation is 93,100 copies. The “Electronic Accountant Calendar” program has been created. During the year, 15,531 calls were recorded to the newspaper's hotline. - the beginning of the accounting information service (BIS). Free e-mail support for accountants, managers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, ordering regulatory documents, legislative news, reporting forms by e-mail. The campaign “Turnkey subscription” was carried out. Three winners received apartments in Kyiv. g. - the largest number of participants in the newspaper forum was recorded, at the same time - 252 persons. The event “Secrets of Egypt” was held. The winners were 230 accountants who received trips to Egypt. - the campaign “15 years together, or “Everything about accounting success” was held. As a result of the campaign, 15 accountants received cars as a gift. The concept of filling the newspaper with a completely updated design of the newspaper is changing. A consultation line with representatives of the State Treasury of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and science, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Culture and Sports. For the first time, an All-Ukrainian competition was held among employees of the State Treasury of Ukraine for the title of the best author of a publication on budget accounting. A competition was held among students of higher educational institutions of Ukraine “The best student article.” With the support of the State Treasury of Ukraine, an insert begins to appear "Treasurer" with the latest explanations on accounting issues in budgetary institutions. - subscribers receive free reporting forms on CDs. The "Generous Gifts" campaign was held. The winners were 1,625 accountants in Ukraine, each of whom received a monetary reward. A disk with regulatory documents for accountants of budgetary institutions is being released. Internet radio “Yaskrave Radio” began broadcasting on the website www.vobu.com.ua. Special issues of the newspaper are published in color covers. The Supertable, popular among accountants, is being released in a new format. g. - a special issue of the newspaper “125 questions about taxes” was published, a joint project of the newspaper and the State Tax Administration of Ukraine, in which answers were provided by tax specialists from all over Ukraine. To mark the 15th anniversary of the State Treasury, the competition “Best Author of a Publication on Budget Accounting” was held for the second time. Part I was published in 120,000 copies. A new project “Professional Support for Entrepreneurs” has been launched, within its framework a telephone consultation line and a “Private Entrepreneurship” section have been opened on the pages of each issue of the newspaper. The newspaper website has been improved: New insert sections have appeared: “NKU - standards” and “Studying the Budget Code of Ukraine”. A special issue for construction companies, “Construction in a New Way,” was published. The project of the newspaper and GlavKRU was launched. Every sixth issue contains the section “KRU Consults”. Every month the insert “Budget Standards” is published, which covers the text of regulatory documents relevant for public sector employees.

Accounting is a rather complex procedure, and therefore it is quite difficult for beginners to understand it, especially if they have not previously received the appropriate education.

In this regard, many are starting to study the basic elements of reporting in modern organizations in order to try to deal with all the documents on their own, without hiring outside specialists, in order to save money on additional specialists, and at the same time draw up all the necessary documents in full accordance with the rules .

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At the same time, legislation is constantly changing, so most people have to re-understand how to properly conduct accounting in 2019.

What it is

A balance sheet is a special document that is used to keep a company’s records of the work it has done over the past year. This document reflects the financial condition of this entity as of the specified date, and all the information it includes is for informational purposes only for all employees of the accounting department, management of the organization, as well as shareholders and other responsible persons.

Where to start

You should start understanding the correct preparation of financial statements with the basic concepts and rules that will help you avoid the most common mistakes that many make when filing documents.

How to select information

In order to find the information you need, you should do the following:

• gain a clear understanding of the main tasks of accounting and the subject area in which it is used;
• understand what constitutes a financial result and the taxation system;
• understand and remember what basic elements include accounting;
• understand exactly how each of the obtained features affects the financial result;
• learn how the collection and adjustment of information is recorded using accounting tools, as well as the features of information classification;
• learn to read reports correctly and analyze the data contained in them;
• conduct several end-to-end practical tasks to collect all the information and try to use it in practice.

Using this approach, one can learn practical accounting while gaining the necessary theory and future perspective.

Self-study

If a person decides to engage in private entrepreneurial activity, it is better for him to learn how to do accounting in advance, since often the start-up capital is not enough to hire a qualified specialist.

Thus, for self-study it is worth highlighting several useful steps:

• if you do not have any knowledge in the field of reporting, it is best to start reading the relevant literature while simultaneously performing training exercises;
• try to find the necessary basics of accounting on the Internet, receiving free lessons in a variety of areas of accounting, and also study online the text of any legal act that regulates accounting;
• study the textbooks that are provided during the training process at universities, finding relevant publications that provide a deeper understanding of maintaining and preparing reports;
• attend paid official courses, which are often taught by professionals at institutes and colleges;
• application of skills in real life (for example, changing the recording system).

Once accounting has been studied well enough to work professionally in this position, you can consider possible options on how to start your career in this direction. For example, you can get a job working under the wing of a more experienced specialist or try yourself as an assistant.

Documentation and experience

In order to learn the theory, it is worth studying several basic regulations:

• Federal Law No. 402-FZ;
• Tax code;
• provisions adopted on accounting;
• chart of accounts;
• Federal Law No. 212-FZ.

Of course, it makes no sense to study the Tax Code in full, but you need to at least find out how taxes on value added, profit and income of individuals are calculated. It is best to study all these regulations on specialized websites, since the wording of legislative acts is quite difficult for beginners to understand.

Step-by-step lesson on accounting for dummies

Step-by-step instructions for entrepreneurs include all the necessary information that allows you to understand all the features of reporting in the shortest possible time. Today, you can always get the necessary information about reporting, and in addition to this, you can also attend specialized courses.

By choosing this option, the entrepreneur significantly saves his own money, but at the same time he will need much more time to conduct this activity. Before you start understanding the reporting rules, it is best to study the basic concepts of the system, and in particular, this directly concerns the very definition of accounting and all the special modes used today.

Without understanding such elements, it is simply impossible to maintain the necessary registers, calculate expenses and income, pay salaries to your employees, and also prepare documentation for reporting. It is all these operations that make up the entire accounting department of any commercial organization.

To begin with, it is worth noting the general regime according to which an entrepreneur must take into account any business transactions in the Book of Expenses and Income. At the end of each year, a declaration is drawn up in form 3-NDFL, and a tax of 13% is paid, which is paid until April 30 of the following year. In this case, all incoming and outgoing invoices are taken into account, as well as all purchases and sales made, after which a quarterly declaration is generated and the amount of tax is calculated in accordance with the accepted rate of 18%.

With a simplified system, you need to fill out a book of information about income with a base of 6%, as well as all expenses and income, the tariff for which is set at 15%. The deadline for filing a declaration is similar to the general one, and the reporting and personnel contributions are exactly the same. The main feature is the absence of income and property taxes.

Another preferential regime is UTII, but here accounting is quite complicated, since the entrepreneur must clearly record all the physical characteristics of his activities, including the area of ​​the premises, the total number of units of property in the transport fleet and many other indicators.

All changes in such indicators for the entire year must be reported in the tax calculation process from the month in which they occurred, and the mandatory payment will be calculated based on the basic profitability for a particular type of activity established by local legislative authorities. Also, in the process of preparing such reporting, it will be useful to know deflator coefficients.

A standard course for beginners who are just beginning to understand the peculiarities of accounting, includes important information that any business operator will need, regardless of his field of activity.

There are a few key themes worth noting in particular:

• maintaining accounting records in public companies;
• history of development of budget reporting;
• a plan according to which accounting accounts should be prepared in public companies;
• reporting forms used by budget companies;
• features of cash accounting.

The most difficult moments in the process

After studying the basic elements of accounting, an entrepreneur will need to understand what difficulties can be encountered in the reporting process and what needs to be prepared for when interacting with the tax authorities.

Clarifications about VAT

At the end of the reporting period, any company registered with the tax authorities must submit a VAT return, and in Russia this reporting is submitted every quarter. Within 20 days following the last day of the reporting period, the declaration must be submitted to the relevant authorities, and in the same way it will be necessary to pay the corresponding deductions within 20 days.

In Russia, starting from January 1, 2019, a VAT return can, if desired, be submitted exclusively electronically using telecommunication channels. In order to select an electronic document management operator, you can use the information provided on the regional websites of the Federal Tax Service.

With this resource, you will need to draw up an appropriate agreement, obtain the appropriate cryptographic protection tools, including a specialized electronic signature, with which you will need to certify declarations and invoices.

Features for foreign economic activity

It is worth noting several features characteristic of foreign economic activity:

• keeping records of amounts expressed or received in foreign currency, simultaneously in rubles and foreign currency;
• constant analysis of the dates when ownership of exported or imported property is transferred in accordance with the terms of Incoterms specified in the contract;
• the need to indicate the value of property purchased outside of Russia, with the obligatory indication of customs duties;
• reflection of the costs required to provide foreign business trips in accordance with the rules of current legislation;
• inclusion in the financial result as of the reporting date of all the results of the revaluation of foreign currency balances of funds, as well as all kinds of settlements with counterparties that are expressed in foreign currency;
• the need to form a separate analysis on reporting accounts and other registers in order to ensure reporting of all types of information that relates to foreign economic activity;
• control over the full receipt of funds required for payment under foreign exchange contracts with foreign consumers;
• reflection of taxes that are charged additionally due to the introduction of foreign economic activity;
• compliance with certain rules and regulations that govern the deduction of VAT on various expenses directly related to imports and exports;
• correct completion of all reporting information on taxes paid.

Best books to download

It is worth noting several basic literary works that any aspiring entrepreneur or accountant should definitely read:

Some of these books are also used in the training of professional accountants in various higher educational institutions, so those people who are trying to study on their own, learning the basics of accounting without outside help, should definitely familiarize themselves with them.