Since the majority of taxi drivers, but definitely not all, have little accounting or bookkeeping knowledge the low the amount of expertise required the more desirable this accounts package will be. Data entry basically includes just 3 records, being an excel spreadsheet for taxi receipts; another for taxi expenses plus a further worksheet where assets such as a vehicle can be recorded.
Taxi receipts are entered on some excel worksheets within the taxi income work book preset with every day of the financial year. Taxi dunfermline and monthly totals are added and transferred through the linking system from the taxi bookkeeping sheets to the taxi financial accounts sheet.
Taxi expenses are listed on some twelve monthly spreadsheets which have preset columns with appropriate headings for taxi drivers to record office and rental costs, fuel bills, other vehicle costs and licence fees. The total of each expense is entered on each row and an individual letter used to then analyse the taxi expense to the column required. Much like the taxi income sheet the columns are then automatically added which includes a check up on data entry accuracy before being used in the taxi driver accounts sheet.
Cash and bank spreadsheets aren’t provided as not necessary by taxi drivers as taxi drivers need not produce a balance sheet.
Along with entering purchases on the taxi expense sheet the only other entries required from the taxi driver to make a group of taxi driver accounts would be to also enter vehicle and any other assets purchased on the fixed asset spreadsheet. The fixed asset spreadsheet having recently been preset with both depreciation rates and the administrative centre allowances that taxi drivers can claim. The taxi accounts software is then complete.
The financial accounts file contains formulae to make a monthly profit and loss account which includes the taxi capital allowances from the fixed asset schedule.
A distinctive feature is that both mileages covered and vehicle running costs could be entered. The tax rules in the UK state that drivers cannot claim both mileage allowances and vehicle running costs. It has to be one or the other and only at the end of the financial year when it becomes clear that is the most tax efficient.
This taxi accounts package compares both the mileage cost and the automobile running cost and automatically selects probably the most expensive. This ensures the highest costs are selected in to the calculation of the net taxable profits and highest cost equals lowest goverment tax bill.
Also in the taxi accounts file is an excel spreadsheet made with exactly the same layout, colour codes and box numbers as the inland revenue self assessment tax return. The taxi self assessment tax return is completed automatically by the cabsmart taxi accounts software. No entries are required leaving the taxi driver and then click print to create the self assessment tax return.
Finally having calculated the net taxable profit for the entire year the accounting package also has a tax calculator that calculates the number of income tax and national insurance to be paid.
The taxi driver accounts package has been tested often and the annual receipts and expenses for a full year take approximately 2 to 3 3 hours to enter, and have been completed in under 2 hours. The finish product is really a full set of taxi driver accounts like the self assessment tax return.
Both couriers and van drivers have similar businesses to taxi drivers in that they move items from one place to another in a similar way where taxi drivers move people from one location to another. And due to the similarity in business activity then this taxi accounting package would be equally ideal for couriers and van drivers.