Our free accounting software is brilliant (if we say so ourselves), but our accredited accountants and tax experts are the bread and butter behind Crunch. They go the extra mile to make sure our customers can go beyond box-ticking compliance and actually make their accounts work for them. 

They shared the practical accounting tips and tricks they wish every small business owner knew to make accounting simpler, smarter, and genuinely useful for running your business.

Top accounting tips from actual accountants

Eloise, Accountancy Service Manager (MAAT & ATT & CTA)

1. Keep up with bank reconciliations - little and often.

A valuable tip is to adopt a “little and often” approach to bank reconciliation. Rather than leaving it all to the end of the month (or later), take a few minutes regularly to reconcile your transactions.

This approach makes the process far more manageable and makes sure your financial records stay accurate and up to date. That’s exactly why our team worked to build automatic bank feeds using Open Banking and smart Auto-Match into Crunch. Bank reconciliation has never been quicker.

Up-to-date reconciliations mean you’ll always have a clear and reliable picture of your business’s financial position, helping you make decisions with confidence and saving time when it matters most, like during Year End preparation.

‍2. Plan ahead before your Year End

One of the best pieces of advice I can offer is to get in touch with your accountant one to two months before the end of your company’s financial year. If you’re with Crunch, you can do this by taking advantage of your free Tax Optimiser call. This gives us the opportunity to review your accounts and provide tailored advice on tax efficiencies and potential additional expenses that could be recognised within the current accounting period.

This early review can make a real difference. By identifying legitimate business expenses that can still be processed before Year End, you may be able to reduce your tax liability and improve your financial position. On average, our Tax Optimiser service finds over £3,000 in suggested savings per client. Those optimisations really can add up.

Once the financial year has closed, the flexibility to optimise your tax position becomes much more limited, as expenses must have been both incurred and paid within that accounting period to qualify.

By reaching out a month or so before Year End, we’ll have a good understanding of your business’s performance and can help you make informed decisions on how best to utilise any remaining profits in a tax-efficient manner.

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Eleri, Semi Senior Accountant (BA Hons, FMAAT, AAT)

3. Don't forget to vouch for those all important dividends!

A director's cash withdrawal can be classified as one of four things :

• a director's salary payment to match the monthly payslip,
• a reimbursement of business expenses originally paid personally,
• a genuine director's loan you intend to repay in the near future
• a dividend payment to top up your overall earnings from your limited company.

Occasionally misunderstood and overlooked is the concept that once a director's cash withdrawal has been paid out of the business bank account, that dividends have been accounted for correctly in both the company accounts and the director's Self Assessment tax return - wrong!

It’s important to go a step further and make sure dividend vouchers are created and dated on (or as close as possible to) the date of the actual cash withdrawal. This confirms the dividend was valid and supported by distributable profits at that time. 

Remember, the money in your bank account rarely matches the distributable profits in your accounts. So once you’ve checked the maximum you can withdraw as dividends, you need to raise those vouchers.

The good news? We automatically create dividend vouchers for our Limited Pro and Limited Premium clients. These can either be downloaded as PDFs or emailed to all shareholders at once per dividend. Meaning you can skip the hassle and keep everything compliant the easy way.

This not only keeps you legally compliant, but also:

• Helps you track the total dividends issued, which will be included in your Self Assessment tax return and subject to dividend tax.
  
• Prevents your director’s loan account from becoming significantly overdrawn, which could trigger additional taxes.

Izabela, Semi Senior Accountant (MAAT)

4. Make the most of your personal tax planning tools

Planning ahead for taxes can save you stress and surprises. I recommend using our Personal Tax Estimator to get a clear picture of what you might owe on income from a Sole Trader business, salary, dividends, or other sources. 

By estimating your tax liability in advance, you can set aside the right amounts, explore potential deductions, and avoid last-minute scrambles when payments are due. It’s a simple step that gives you control and peace of mind.

Alison, Senior Accountant (FCCA)

5. Always build an emergency fund

Every accountant stresses the importance of having a financial safety net. Aim to save three to six months’ worth of essential operating expenses so you can handle slow seasons, client delays, or unexpected costs without resorting to credit cards or loans. 

A healthy reserve gives you stability and confidence, allowing you to make smart, long-term decisions instead of reacting to short-term cash flow pressures.

6. Track every expense, no matter how small

Accurate expense tracking is essential for understanding where your money goes and identifying opportunities for tax deductions. Even small purchases, like coffee with a client or software subscriptions, can add up over time. 

Use accounting software (like Crunch!) with features that let you photograph receipts, categorise expenses, and link directly to your bank.

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Shaun, Accountancy Service Manager (ACCA)

7. Monitor cash flow, not just profit

Many businesses show a profit on paper but still struggle to pay bills, that’s why cash flow management is so important. Track when money is coming in and going out, and anticipate gaps before they happen. 

Late customer payments or seasonal sales fluctuations can leave you short on cash even if you’re profitable overall. Regular cash flow forecasts give you a clearer view of your financial health, helping you make smarter decisions about spending, borrowing, or reinvestment.

Love these tips? You can thank our accountants.

These are just a few of the insights that our Crunch accountants share every day with our customers. With 32 qualified experts across accountancy, payroll and bookkeeping, there’s always someone on hand to provide expert advice when you need it.

Their qualifications range from accounting and tax certifications to chartered and specialist designations. Our team can support your business and help you get the most from Crunch.

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