Getting a business loan is not as simple as just filling out the loan form. A lender will usually look at your business's financial records, how you manage money, and other aspects that show your business's stability to see if you can make good debt payments. Here is where professional business bookkeeping and accountancy come in handy as having clear, well-maintained financial records gives lenders peace of mind that you are able to run and finance your business responsibly.
To name a few, if you're looking to get financing for your business' development, buying capital assets or improving cash flow, being transparent and consistent with the recording of your business activities will help you get the financing faster and avoid the kind of delays that could leave you wondering which end is up.
Paying for professional small business bookkeeping services can not only save time but also be more cost-efficient soon if your business grows or if you have a complicated financial structure. For example, a business owner running a sole proprietorship may find a self-service accounting service or even manual tracking sufficient enough. They are unlikely to run into complex financial situations or have to do tax work at the year-end that can not be done easily without the help.
What Lenders Look for in Small Business' Financial Records
Before granting a loan, a credit institution examines your financial statements in detail to assess the state of your company. Good bookkeeping shows that the business keeps good books and upholds regular accounting procedures.
- Stable revenue
- sales figures
- Sample cash flow
- Enterprise profitableness
- Debt expenses = Operating costs - Assets accessible to your objects.
- Adherence to tax obligations
Correctness of Financial Records Missing mismatched documentation can be a red flag for the financial health of a business.Low-cost small business bookkeeping services will guarantee that the documents you submit are correct and include all the required information and will also minimize the number of questions asked during the review.
Financial Statements Lenders Typically Request
It's one of the first steps to assemble all your financial statements for preparing a business loan. Sometimes your financial statements would look different given who your banker is or the type of loan.Yet, in general, banks will probably ask for about the same kinds of reports.
You may include:
- Profit and Loss Statement (Income Statement)
- Balance Sheet
- Cash Flow Statement
- Business Tax Returns
- Bank Statements
- Accounts Receivable Aging Report
- Accounts Payable Aging Report Loans
Those sponsored by the SBA might require more or less documentation. Though, in the absence of special rules for a particular loan, the U.S. Small Business Administration outlines the typical set of documents needed and financial information that applicants would have to come up with. It would still be a very good idea to contact the SBA to get current documentation requirements before you actually submit your loan application.
When the books are properly kept, you know the reports reflect the facts of the company at the time of issuing them. This internal consistency will not only save you the effort and costs of having to change things at the last minute but also give the lender enough time to verify your business.
How Small Business Bookkeeping Services Get Your Books Loan-Ready
Getting your books ready to support an application for business financing involves much more than the mechanical task of producing a few sets of financial statements. Qualified small business bookkeeping services will, at the initial stage, carefully scrutinize your financial records, identify and correct errors and prepare documentation that will enable you to go through the final stage of preparing your business for the loan application submission.
Preparation steps include:
Checking Financial Transactions
Income and expense items are checked for their correctness. Entries which have been duplicated, omitted or classified incorrectly are altered so that financial reports are as precise as possible.
Settling Bank Records
Bookkeepers compare accounting records to business bank reconciliation statements and credit card settlements through the process called reconciliation. The purpose of the reconciliation is to ensure that the balances as stated by a company are the real balances as per the activity.
Keeping Track of Invoices and Creditors / Debtors
The business accountant verifies outstanding bills to be paid and customer invoices so that balances between business and customers are in order.
Giving Ready-to-submit Financial Statements to your Lenders
The best thing that happens when you entrust your bookkeeping services with your financial matters is your accountant regularly prepares your
- Profit and loss statements
- Balance sheets
- Operating cash flow statements (OCFs)
This set of reports is the core of any lending process for the financial institution.
Organizing Supporting Documents
In addition to financial reports, lenders may ask for a collection of different documents to back up the loan requirements. Being fully ready is a huge time saver and it can help avoid multiple requests later on.
Potential Problems Discovery
The loan getting ready stage also involves looking at the company documents to identify anything that is not aligned with the lenders' requirements.Solving them before you send out your loan request can give you a better chance of being approved.
Bookkeeping that is fit for a loan will be the outcome of this work, in other words your financial records will already be well documented, sorted, and lender-friendly.
Common Red Flags That Delay Loan Approval
An otherwise profitable venture can be turned down by lenders just because of small errors found in the financial statements. Both profitability and accuracy are equally important for lenders
Here are some typical mistakes in accounting services that could be a problem for lenders to understand the true condition of your company:
Poor quality of financial documentation
Lack of financial records or missing transactions make lender assessments difficult. Books that are outdated can also result in this problem.
Bizzy Cash Transactions
Frequent unexplained deposits or withdrawals at the bank may invite lender inquiries during the underwriting stage.
Differencing Revenue Reports
Lending decisions will be slow until business profit figures match tax returns and bank deposits
Weak Cash Flow Control
A firm that has negative cash flow on its balance sheet for a long time is a risk from the lender's point of view.
Retail and Business Expenses Mixed
Merging personal and business transactions results in a very confusing bookkeeping situation and also lowers the reliability of financial reporting.
Bank Accounts Not Matched with Accounting Books
Lack of matching bank balances and accounting records is normally indicative of errors in bookkeeping which should be addressed before the approval of a loan.
Inability to Pay Taxes
Loans from certain programs can not be offered when the company has unfiled returns or outstanding taxes.
Professional small business bookkeeping services help identify and resolve these issues before they become obstacles during the loan process.
What to Prepare Before You Apply
Being organized before submitting your loan application can speed up the lender review and increase the chance of getting approved.
Below is a list of the documents you need to gather:
- Profit and Loss Statement for the current period
- Balance Sheet of the company for the most recent time period
- Cash Flow Statement
- Business Tax Returns
- Bank Statements of the Business Account(s)
- Payroll Records (only if the company employs people)
- Accounts Receivable Report
- Accounts Payable Report
- Existing Debt Information
- Business Licenses (only if the business needs licenses)
- Financial Projections (only when lenders request them)
Your accounting books should also be current to the latest period. If you leave organizing the ledger until after your application, it might cause unnecessary holdups.
You can make sure your company financial documents are precise, keep the company accounting always ready for the loan, and supply accurately the various financial accounts to the financiers without any problems if, while preparing the loan documents, you work with experienced small business bookkeeping
Saving time on your financing applications. When you have thorough and detailed record keeping, submitting for finance becomes much less of a burden. Good record keeping will assist lenders in analyzing your business and portfolio.
Hiring an experienced small business bookkeeping services allows you to reconcile your account, develop financial statements, arrange your documentation, and detect problems early on so they don't negatively impact your application.
Getting your books prepared before you lend out can make the process go smoothly and you can concentrate on building your business instead of rushing around.
