accounting software *free & open source*

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

On 7/7/2013 1:20 AM, Micha Feigin wrote:

> On the other hand as memory serves, you can run your books using an open
> source software and then submit the printouts to a certified accounted
> to make a legal report. You may need to work with generic receipts in
> parallel though.


As it was explained to me by my accountant, the tax authorities don't 
care how you keep YOUR books, they only care that the submissions to 
them are done properly.

Properly means that an accepted (certified?) program is used and that 
the data was entered by a level 3 (starts at 1) certified bookkeeper or 
a certified public accountant (CPA).

In real terms this means for small business the data is sent to your 
accountant and they (or their certified bookkeeper) enters it into their 
program on their computer and submits that to the tax authorities.

At that point the responsibility for the data being entered properly and 
the program being a legal one is borne by your accountant and not you.

IMHO this is preferable because my experience in being an independent 
consultant, the owner of a small consulting firm, and involved with 
startups over various times, is that any money spent paying a 
professional to keep your books and prepare your tax returns is well 
worth it. YMMV.

Most accountants will accept data in XLS (Excel spreadsheet format), so 
you can enter the data in an Excel spreadsheet and send them the file.

I assume that an Excel spreadsheet created and maintained by OpenOffice 
would be acceptable to them.

Geoff.


-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson,  N3OWJ/4X1GM/KBUH7245/KBUW5379