Introduction to Crypto Bookkeeping: A Comprehensive Guide for Small and Medium scale Businesses

Why is Crypto Bookkeeping Important?

Crypto bookkeeping is essential for SMBs that transact in cryptocurrencies for several reasons:

1. Tax Compliance: One of the significant reasons SMBs must keep track of their cryptocurrency transactions is for tax compliance purposes. The tax authorities in most countries require individuals and businesses to report their crypto transactions and pay taxes on any gains made. Failure to comply with these requirements can lead to penalties, fines, or legal action. Therefore, maintaining accurate crypto bookkeeping records can help SMBs ensure that they meet their tax obligations.
2. Financial Reporting: SMBs must provide accurate and timely financial statements to stakeholders such as investors, lenders, and regulators. Accurate bookkeeping enables SMBs to generate comprehensive financial reports that show the company’s financial health and performance over time. Investors and lenders can use this information to make informed investment decisions, while regulators can use it to ensure compliance with financial regulations.
3. Risk Management: Cryptocurrencies are known for their volatility and can experience significant price fluctuations within a short period. Therefore, it is essential for SMBs to manage their risk exposure when transacting in cryptocurrencies. Keeping accurate bookkeeping records can help SMBs monitor their crypto holdings, track their gains and losses, and identify potential risks in their portfolio.
4. Operational Efficiency: Crypto transactions can be complex and time-consuming, involving multiple wallets, exchanges, and blockchains. With proper bookkeeping practices and software in place, SMBs can streamline their accounting processes, automate data entry, and reconcile transactions more efficiently, reducing the time and effort required for manual accounting processes.

Basics of Crypto Bookkeeping

Tracking Transactions

The first step in crypto bookkeeping is to track all crypto activities. This includes purchases, sales, transfers, and any other transactions involving cryptocurrencies. It is important to record the date, amount, and value of each transaction, as well as any fees associated with the transaction.

‍

Calculating Gains and Losses

Once all transactions have been recorded, the next step is to calculate gains and losses. This involves determining the cost basis of the cryptocurrencies at the time of purchase and the sale price at the time of the transaction. The difference between the two is the gain or loss.

For example, if you purchased 1 Bitcoin for $10,000 and sold it for $12,000, your gain would be $2,000.

Preparing crystal clear P/L reports

The final step in crypto bookkeeping is to report all gains and losses to tax authorities. It is important to note that gains from cryptocurrency transactions are subject to short-term or long-term capital gains tax rates, depending on how long the asset was held before the sale.

‍

Common challenges faced by small and medium-sized businesses

1. Lack of knowledge: One of the main challenges faced by SMBs is a lack of knowledge about how to properly manage their cryptocurrency transactions. Many business owners may not even know where to begin with crypto bookkeeping, making it difficult for them to accurately report their gains and losses.
2. Complexity: Another challenge is that crypto bookkeeping is a complex process that requires a lot of time and attention to detail. Small and medium-sized businesses may not have the resources to devote to this task, especially if they are already overwhelmed with other responsibilities.
3. Security concerns: The security of cryptocurrency transactions is a major concern for SMBs. They may not have the necessary expertise or tools to keep their transactions secure, which could put their business at risk.
4. Tax regulations: Tax regulations surrounding cryptocurrency transactions are complex and constantly changing. SMBs may struggle to keep up with these changes and ensure that they are reporting their gains and losses accurately.
5. Lack of software: Finally, many SMBs may struggle to find suitable software that can meet their crypto bookkeeping needs. There are a variety of different crypto bookkeeping software options available, but not all of them may be suitable for every business.

Bookkeeping for SMBs: A five point checklist

1. Choose a reputable bookkeeping software that is designed to handle digital assets and cryptocurrencies, and make sure to ensure that it fetches transaction data directly from the blockchain. Fetching data directly from the blockchain ensures that the data is accurate and up-to-date. This is because the blockchain is a tamper-proof ledger that records all transactions in real-time. An example would be Consola.finance, which integrates with various APIs and nodes to directly import data from the blockchain without a single intermediary.
2. Set up a bookkeeping system to ensure accuracy and completeness of financial transactions. This involves creating a chart of accounts that categorizes all financial transactions. Your chart of accounts can be easily set up using consola.finance’s “Account Types” feature.
3. Assign roles and responsibilities to different members of your finance and accounts team to ensure that financial transactions are properly recorded and reconciled. This includes appointing a bookkeeper who is responsible for managing the company’s financial accounts. Consola.finance makes this possible through its “Collaboration” features that allows corporate accountants to effectively collaborate with their peers. The quick video below explains it all.
4. Create a transparent financial reporting system that makes all financial transactions publicly available on the blockchain. This includes maintaining detailed records of all financial transactions and providing regular financial reports to the DAO’s members. Consola.finance’s “Export” feature makes report creation and sharing a breeze. Choose from multiple options such as counterparty transaction reports, P/L reports, transaction history reports and more.
5. Conduct periodic audits to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and identify any potential financial discrepancies. This involves hiring a reputable third-party auditor who can review the DAO’s financial records and provide an independent assessment of its financial health. To make auditing a notch easier, consola.finance offers a comprehensive audit trail that accurately records every action taken by users. Even something as small as a change in wallet name is recorded.
6. ‍

Conclusion

In conclusion, crypto bookkeeping is essential for small and medium scale businesses that deal with cryptocurrencies. It involves tracking transactions, calculating gains and losses, and reporting to tax authorities to ensure compliance with regulations.

Although crypto bookkeeping can be complex, there are tools such as consola.finance available to help businesses manage their cryptocurrency transactions effectively. By investing in proper crypto bookkeeping software, businesses can stay compliant, manage their cash flow, and make informed financial decisions.