Organization of accounting: basic principles, features and requirements

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Control is almost always the key to good luck. And if we talk about accounting for the activities of the organization, then there is no way to do without it. How to implement it? What are the nuances of the organization of accounting and reporting in practice? What to focus on in order not to make a mistake and not be guilty before the state?

General information

The Russian Federation has a state program for the transition to international practice. It provides for the transfer of the accounting system and statistics to the requirements of the international market economy. To this end, the Ministry of Finance has developed a number of regulations. They are aimed at regulating accounting for enterprises that operate on the territory of the Russian Federation. Conventionally, four groups of documents can be distinguished:

1. Law No. 129-FZ of November 21, 1996 "On Accounting", as well as other legal acts that regulate reporting and accounting issues. These are basic documents.
2. Regulations on the accounting of the organization, which reveals the principles that must be followed during work. Explanatory work is also being carried out regarding the interaction of legislative documents.
3. Methodological instructions (recommendations, instructions). Help to carry out accounting of different types of property, liabilities and funds.
4. Working documents of the organization. They define internal accounting rules for expenses, liabilities and assets. But they must be based on previous documents.

The legislation establishes that all accounting in the Russian Federation must be carried out in rubles. It is also necessary to distinguish between the property of the company and other legal entities that are owned. Organization of accounting must be carried out from the moment of registration of the organization. It is necessary to immediately set up working moments: separate display of capital investments and production, timely registration of business transactions, no exemptions or omissions.

About accounting management

All responsibility for its organization lies with the top manager (director). It is also entrusted with the responsibility of creating the necessary conditions. It is managed by the accounting department, which is a structural unit. And then it depends on the scale. If there is its own service, then it is headed by the chief accountant. If not, and everything is done by one specialist, then he is considered responsiblefor all data. There are also options when accounting is transferred to a specialized organization or one specialist on a contractual basis. What if there is a service? In such cases, the chief accountant is appointed and dismissed by the head of the enterprise. He also obeys him. What are his responsibilities? A short list is as follows:

1. Be guided by the current legislation, be responsible for compliance with all existing requirements, as well as work rules.
2. Ensure control over the reflection of business transactions, draw up reports, provide operational information, conduct economic analysis of activities in order to identify and mobilize reserves.
3. To sign together with the head of the organization the documents that are used for the issuance and receipt of funds, inventory items. The same applies to settlement, credit and monetary obligations. If they do not have an accountant's signature, then the documents are considered invalid and will not be accepted for execution.
4. The right to sign can be granted by written order of the head. But at the same time, it is forbidden to draw up and accept for execution documents on transactions that contradict the current legislation, as well as violate financial and contractual discipline.

The fact that the accounting of an organization's expenses begins with the identification of a responsible specialist is certainly true. But that's not all.

Building the structure

It is advisable to coordinate with the chief accountant the dismissal, appointment, as well as the movement of financially responsible persons such as cashiers, warehouse managers and others. At the same time, it is necessary to be concerned that the transfer of authority proceeds without critical problems. For example, if the chief accountant is relieved of his duties, then until a new specialist is selected, his duties are performed by a deputy. In addition, the organization of accounting in the modern world is almost unthinkable without the use of automation tools, because this can significantly simplify the conduct of business. It is believed that their presence allows one specialist to replace 5-6 colleagues who work exclusively with papers. This is possible due to the wide range of possibilities, customization of documentation transfer processes, display of the internal structure, quick search for the necessary document and other, albeit small, but very pleasant functions. Therefore, it is necessary to think about how to increase the efficiency of the work of accountants. Indeed, otherwise it will negatively affect the level of competitiveness. And the classical financial accounting of the organization also works rather slowly, which reduces the speed of the company's response to problems and critical situations, which in turn can lead to disastrous financial results. Therefore, the concept of "structure" should be understood not only as a hierarchy of employees, but also all kinds of additions that will increase the speed of work, efficiency and other important points.

About principles

This is very importantmoment. The basic principles of accounting organization should not be underestimated, otherwise this can lead to a number of problems. In accordance with the adopted position, it is necessary to focus on:

1. Principle of double entry. According to him, each business transaction leads to a change in at least two objects: a credit account and a debit account. That is, two accounts. For this, simple wiring is used. What if there are more accounts? Then you need to use complex wiring.
2. The principle of objectivity of the accounting unit. It stipulates that everything must be quantified and valued. After all, this is the only way to determine how much certain economic benefits and resources were received or lost.
3. Principle of periodicity. It says that in order to determine the results of activities and formulate data on the financial condition, it is necessary to distinguish between reporting and accounting periods. What is their difference? Reporting periods are quarter, six months, 9 and 12 months. Whereas the accounting period is used to calculate the cost of products created, work performed and services provided. For these purposes, the month is used. Although in some cases they may coincide in duration.
4. Principle of monetary value. What is its essence? This principle states that the common meter for all accounting objects is the monetary unit. It is also used to analyze and evaluate the financial and property condition of the company. If we talk about the Russian Federation, then in this case, the assessment of property should take place in the national currency. If recordsrelate to foreign currency accounts, as well as to operations in the monetary units of other countries, they must be converted into rubles. Moreover, for this, the exchange rate of the Central Bank is taken, which was on the date of receipt of foreign funds.

There are a lot of principles

If there is a desire to study and establish business at the highest level, then for this you should familiarize yourself with IFRS, but there are quite a lot of them. Therefore, attention will be paid only to the most important ones. The organization of accounting can be well implemented with the following components:

1. Principle of accrual. Also known as the concept of matching. The bottom line is to put forward the assumption that the facts of economic activity were committed in the reporting period. Therefore, in the accounting department, they are in their place, regardless of the tactical time of payment or receipt of funds.
2. The principle of rationality. What is its essence? It assumes that economical and rational accounting will be carried out, which will reflect all the necessary information about economic activities and the size of the enterprise. In this case, there will be only the data that will allow users to make decisions aimed at ensuring the operation of the company. In addition, the benefits and costs associated with obtaining this information are taken into account.
3. Principle of consistent accounting policy. It is based on the fact that various changes in the calculation and compilation of data will not occur. This is necessary in order to be able to compare data onthe financial position of the organization in different reporting periods. To do this, it is necessary to honestly and truthfully display all information and audit activities.

Here are the highlights of the basic organization of accounting. But they are not limited to everything. It is mandatory to study the Organization's Accounting Regulations, and it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Set tasks

What is the accounting policy of the organization? Accounting is impossible without defining the tasks to be solved. Otherwise there will be too much data to consider. In general terms, it is necessary to have an orderly system for collecting, summarizing and registering information about the obligations and property of the organization in monetary terms, as well as documenting all business transactions. More specifically, it is:

1. Formation of reliable and complete information about the activities of the organization, as well as its property status, which can be used by managers and owners, and in some cases creditors and investors.
2. Providing all the necessary data for internal and external users, monitoring compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, checking for expediency, fixing the use of financial, labor and material resources.
3. Forming a system of standards that can validate the usefulness of information.
4. Probability Preventionnegative financial result. Search for internal reserves that can provide financial stability.
5. Formation of the regulatory framework.
6. Supporting international cooperation.
7. Providing methodological assistance in management accounting.
8. Enforce national and international standards.

You can expand them and increase the number, but this should be done solely for the existing needs of each individual enterprise.

About Assumptions

We all can't know. And even more so to predict the future. Therefore, the accounting organization plan must contain certain assumptions. In total, there are four important points that you need to pay attention to. This is:

1. Assumption of property isolation. That is, it is necessary to separate the assets and liabilities of the organization and owners. If there is property that is controlled by the enterprise, although it does not belong to it, then the rules of simple accounting are used.
2. Assumption of going concern. In this case, it is assumed that the organization will operate in the near future, and it has no intention or need to reduce it or even liquidate it. In this case, all obligations will be fulfilled.
3. Assumption of the sequence of implementation of the selected priorities. In this case, it is assumed that the course of action will not change, and the selected standards will be consistently used in futurereporting periods. This is necessary to create a stable account.
4. Assumption of temporal certainty of factors influencing economic activity. With regard to income, it does not matter when they were received or paid. It is necessary to rely on the facts of economic activity.

What about the requirements?

We already know what accounting is. The policy of the organization may affect it. But how? The following requirements need to be put forward:

1. Completeness. All facts of economic activity should be displayed in accounting.
2. Timeliness. The facts of business activities must be displayed on time.
3. Caution. It is necessary to focus on expenses and liabilities, paying less attention to possible income and assets. It is necessary to ensure that there are no hidden reserves.
4. Consistency. Care must be taken to ensure that the data contained in the various locations is consistent.
5. Priority of content on forms. In this case, it is understood that the reflection in accounting should be built taking into account the legal form and economic essence of the facts, as well as the conditions for doing business.
6. Rationality. Accounting needs to be properly managed. To do this, one should proceed from the existing conditions, as well as the size of the enterprise.

Of course, if desired, this list can be easily expanded. But the information given here is the basic minimum that is needed tothe beginning of building the accounting subsystem of the organization. But throwing something out of the list is categorically not recommended. But at the same time, care must be taken not to overload the responsible specialists. Everything that is done should be useful.

Example

Let's look at how accounting is done in budgetary organizations. Conventionally, two stages are distinguished, although they are often called accounting actions:

1. The first stage. It organizes the current monitoring, counting, collection and registration of business transactions. Usually, the word "documentation" is used for this designation. Its procedure contains the order of the organization of accounting. It is not in vain that accountants carefully check the received primary documents. After all, the ability to prove the commission of facts of activity depends on the correctness of their registration. Additionally, classification of documents can be carried out.
2. Second stage. Here attention is paid to the systematization, grouping and generalization of the received accounting information. These procedures allow you to capture and organize all the information about the activity. This stage is called registration. It is presented in the form of accounting accounts, which are determined by internal regulatory documentation.

So, initially you need to create a plan-scheme according to which everything will work. You can prescribe the standards that determine the accounts in the accounting of the organization. But at the same time, one should not forget about the order of the top leader, who will create this subsystem inwithin a business or institution. For some reason, many people believe that if an organization receives money from the budget, then it does not need to pay anything. It's a delusion. Yes, it may seem ridiculous, illogical and bureaucratic to someone, but you have to pay. Therefore, the organization of tax accounting should also be carried out by budgetary organizations. It is desirable that all this be provided for in orders, and regulations, and work instructions.

Conclusion

How vast the subject is and how limited the scope for it. Accounting for the property of an organization, conducted business transactions is used for a reason. It allows you to avoid or quickly identify all losses, shortages, abuses. It's best when it's properly organized from the start. In this case, when problems arise, it will be very easy to understand the cause of their occurrence and quickly find solutions to eliminate them. When organizing accounting, it is necessary to take into account the human factor. That is, trust but verify. In addition, you need to monitor the load. If you put so many responsibilities on one person so that he constantly lingers at work, then you should not be surprised at the high turnover of personnel. When creating an internal structure, it will be useful to focus on international financial reporting standards. And if the Regulation is a mandatory document that everyone must follow, then IFRS is not. Nevertheless, these are extremely useful recommendations. Not in vain on their useRussian government insists.