Bookkeeping - manage your bookkeeping

Several digital programs and tools can help you with bookkeeping so you can instead focus on looking after and developing the business. Some digital bookkeeping providers care for everything; others give you the digital tools to do it yourself.

Things to consider

• The need. How much help does your business get today for bookkeeping and accounting – and is it sufficient for your needs?

  Integration. Should your accounting program be able to interact with, for example, a payroll system or ERP system?

  Support. To what extent do you need help and advice from professionals?

Binders and calculators have increasingly been replaced by online bookkeeping using digital accounting programs. They provide more overview, security and often give more time for the funnier and more meaningful tasks in the business.

Whether your business gets help from a bookkeeper or accountant, the easy-to-use programs can help keep your income and expenses in order. For most companies, the monthly or annual subscription is not something that the company can feel on the bottom line.

An accounting program can typically post supporting documents, prepare invoices, register VAT, provide an overview of the company's finances, and record employee salaries. But most programs can do way more than that.

It's about finding the right partner that suits your needs today and tomorrow, and there are many to choose from.

The choice depends on, among other things, the size of your company, which industry you operate in, and how much the setup needs to be personalized. And then it is primarily a matter of temperament, whether you prefer – and can figure out – the more old-school programs or something more graphic and simple such as Billy, Dinero, and e-conomic.

Who can help you?

You do not need a program to keep track of income and expenses, and some do just fine – and maybe even enjoy themselves – doing it in Excel. However, it can significantly facilitate administration to take advantage of digital opportunities, help comply with the Bookkeeping Act, and ensure correct VAT accounting.

There are many options when choosing an accounting program, and the choice is mainly about the size of the company and what needs and ambitions you have - including whether you already have a bookkeeper or accountant attached. The most important thing is that you land on a safe solution that can do little and does not drain the energy and creativity out of you and your employees.

Thousands of small and start-up businesses are doing well with free and user-friendly accounting programs such as Dinero and Billy. In both cases, you can purchase access to premium editions with extra features such as phone support and integration for a few hundred kroner a month - just as you can pay for an 'accountant package'.

Newer companies such as Meneto also offer, via a subscription model, to take care of all your bookkeeping, including the actual bookkeeping of attachments and reporting to Tax. You will have a dedicated and experienced bookkeeper/auditor assigned, meaning that you will hardly do any work yourself apart from emailing or uploading your attachments. Some providers of such all-in-one solutions also give you access to a digital platform, while others send you a monthly overview.

Among larger and more established companies, slightly heavier and more reputable accounting programs, such as e-conomic, are popular. Here, for example, there is a better opportunity for integration with the company's ERP system if you have one. You don't have to be a large company to use e-conomic, as they also offers a basic version, where features and price are adapted to smaller companies.

Most programs allow you to test them for free for a shorter period. If you are considering leaving part of the bookkeeping to an accounting program or replacing the current one, it is a good idea to select a few and try them out before you make a definitive decision. Get help choosing the candidates via one of the websites that compare prices and services on the different programs. You get an idea quite quickly of whether a platform has the functionalities you need and a design and level of detail that suits your needs.

Read more

• Compare financial statements with Regnskabsguiden (Danish article)

• Themes comparison of accounting programs (Danish article)