Annual Accounts Summary Pack

Who this is for

Your trading year on two pages. Balances, income, expenses, capital items and drawings in one place, ready for your return or your accountant.

Sole traders and freelancers who keep their own books through the year and need to pull them together at the end, whether they file themselves or use an accountant.

What this helps you track

• Income for each month of the trading year
• Expenses totalled by category
• Capital purchases kept apart from running costs
• Drawings taken and capital introduced
• Bank, cash, money owed to and by the business at the start and end of the year

How to use it

1. Write the business, the dates the year starts and ends, and the basis you keep your books on, cash or accruals.
2. Copy the monthly income totals from your sales records or cashbook, one row per month.
3. Total each expense category from your expenses spreadsheet and enter it, keeping capital purchases out of the expenses table.
4. List capital purchases, drawings and any money you put into the business in their own table, and fill the balances table from your bank statements, cash tin and lists of who owes what.
5. Totals, the surplus and the balance changes are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, add each table and subtract.
6. Check the result against your bank movement for the year before using it for your return.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Cash basis or accruals — which should I use?

The one you keep your books on, and which is allowed for your business under the rules where you are. Write it at the top so anyone reading the pack knows whether income means money received or money invoiced.

Why are capital purchases kept separate?

Equipment and vehicles are usually treated differently from running costs, and the treatment depends on the rules where you are. Keeping them in their own column means the surplus is not distorted and the list is ready for whoever deals with it.

Is the surplus the same as taxable profit?

Not necessarily. It is income less expenses as you have entered them. Adjustments for private use, capital items and the rules where you are can change the figure, so treat it as the starting point.

How do I check the pack adds up?

Start with the bank balance at the beginning of the year, add income and capital introduced, take off expenses paid, capital purchases and drawings, and compare the result with the closing balance. A gap points to something missing.