Today, there are many ways to do your accounting, some more expensive than others.
In this article, we'll take a look at the different services available on the market, from chartered accountants to accounting software.
The cost of a traditional chartered accountant varies according to the volume of work you give them and their level of expertise.
When you call on the services of an expert, you will be asked to draw up an engagement letter detailing the tasks to be entrusted to him/her. You'll also be asked to state the amount of the fees he or she will charge you.
The price of an accountant's fees is negotiated freely with the client, and may be re-evaluated each year. The amount will be established according to :
- due diligence (work carried out by the chartered accountant and his staff)
- the volume of invoices to be processed
- the difficulty of the case
- the reputation or seniority of the chartered accountant
The price of an expert will then be determined by an annual fee and the actual time spent on the case.
If you're looking for an accountant, you can choose to hire one, work with an expert close to your place of work, or work with an online accountant.
Bookkeeping: cost of a chartered accountant between €60 and €90 ex VAT per hour
Bookkeeping is one of the main tasks entrusted to accountants. They are invoiced by the hour or by the entry line. As a result, the price will vary according to the complexity of the file. You should expect to pay between 60 and 90 euros (excl. VAT) per hour spent on bookkeeping.
Balance sheet: cost of a chartered accountant between €1,200 and €2,500 excluding VAT
The second most popular service is bookkeeping. This service includes all year-end accounting work, and represents your business at the closing of accounts. Its price will vary according to the size of your business: for a small company, a balance sheet generally costs between 1,200 and 2,500 euros, excluding tax.
Dashboards between 40 and 80 € HT
Dashboards are not mandatory with regard to the tax authorities. But they do enable you to measure your company's performance and make decisions accordingly. Expect to pay between €30 and €45 ex VAT per month for this service.
Employee management: cost of a chartered accountant between €30 and €45 ex VAT per month
If you have employees, you'll need your chartered accountant to keep track of pay slips and other day-to-day formalities. On average, you should expect to pay between 15 and 30 euros per employee per month. What's more, invoices vary from month to month, depending on vacations, sick leave, etc.
Pay slips are not the only cost.
You'll need to send your monthly, quarterly and annual social security declarations to all social security bodies.
In most cases, therefore, you will have to pay the following costs per employee:
- Monthly payroll taxes,
- Annual DSN (billed at a minimum of 70 euros per year),
- apprenticeship tax, continuing education ...
In conclusion, a pay slip will cost you between €15 and €40 per month for a single employee.
General meetings: cost of a chartered accountant around 450 euros
At the end of each financial year, you will be required to send a number of legal documents to the Commercial Court. In general, the cost of a general meeting to approve the accounts averages 450 euros. Prices vary between 300 and 700 euros excluding VAT.
Alternative 1: Hire an accountant
If you're an SME with a number of employees, hiring your own accountant could be the solution. Expect to pay at least €25,000 a year for a beginner, and up to twice that for an accountant with significant experience.
Alternative No. 2: Use an online chartered accountant
An online accounting firm will cost you around €70/month, excluding VAT. The cost is low, as the firm will have suitable software. Data entry will be more automated, so they'll spend less time on your file. This is reflected in your invoice. The advice you'll receive will be as tailored as that of a local chartered accountant.
Nevertheless, check the accountant's seriousness, ask about the clientele he or she usually deals with, and take a look at his or her online reputation.
You can choose between two types of software: the Software as a Service and On Premise solutions .
SaaS architecture, an acronym for Software as a Service is a software solution that can be used online (also known as in the Cloud or on demand). The software is delocalized and accessible remotely via a network, in return for a subscription to the publisher/host, on any browser.
On the other hand, on-premise solutions are software whose architecture is physically present within the company (i.e. installed on the company's servers), and which has paid a license fee to the publisher.
Standard online accounting management software
Standard online accounting software enables you to manage your business, but not your accounts.
With this type of software, you can :
- Entry of routine accounting entries (purchases, sales, banks, etc.)
- Customize your account plans
- View your accounts and the lettering of your transactions
Advanced online accounting management software
Generally speaking, online accounting management software offers additional, complementary functions. One example is invoicing management. This kind of module generally offers the possibility of tracking invoicing status: quotations, invoices to pay, late payments, automatic integration of entries into accounting...
You'll also find features such as customer, purchasing and product management.
Prices range from €20 to €50 per month.
On Premise accounting management software
When a company buys a license for on-premise software, it is purchasing for an unlimited period. When purchasing on-premise software, hosting is optional, and the company can choose to take charge of hosting or leave it to the publisher.
However, one of the advantages of having your software on site is that you can store your data on your own servers and access it without an Internet connection. It should be noted that hosting software requires technical and human resources to maintain it.
As with the prices of online accounting management software, prices range from €20 to €50 per month. In addition, you'll need to factor in extra costs if you wish to update the software.
Sinao is a Saas management software package for small businesses(1-20 employees). The software offers an invoicing service: creation, follow-up and follow-up of quotes and invoices. It also helps you track your expenses by managing payments, expense reports, etc. Finally, it offers bank data justification to help you monitor your cash flow.
Sinao has 3 offers to meet the different needs of companies:
- Invoicing (€7.5 ex. VAT per month) : The first offer is for customers who only wish to create quotations and invoices.
- Gestion (€19.5 ex-VAT per month billed on a yearly basis, or €23.40 ex-VAT per month) : The second option is for those who wish to manage their business to obtain statistics, but do not need to generate accounting entries.
- Pre-accounting (€36 excl. tax per month billed by the year, or €43.20 excl. tax per month): If you need to be able to draw up a balance sheet at the end of the year, the third option is the most suitable.
In conclusion, you can choose from a wide range of accounting solutions: real or virtual chartered accountants, SaaS and On-Premise software.
You can choose between several more or less costly solutions, and you'll need to select the one that's best suited to your project and your company's specific needs and ethics.
Indeed, to make the right choice, it's important to take into account internal policy on confidentiality and data protection, as well as the financial aspect.
