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Introduction to new Team Members

We welcomed three new people to our team in the first few weeks of 2017; Steff McNamara is our new 'Face of the Company' and sits proudly in the receptionist position at our front desk. Steff has a very bubbly friendly personality and has fitted into our team like a glove. Amanda James joined our Support Services Team as a Client Services Assistant and will also assist Steff on reception. Amanda comes to us from Te Awamutu Medical Centre and we are delighted to have her in our team. Ben Cal...

Claim back your School Donations

Hundreds of thousands, potentially even millions of dollars worth of unclaimed tax rebates from school donations are going unclaimed each year. Many parents are unaware they can claim a rebate from the Inland Revenue Department of up to one third of what they donated to the school their children attended. And many schools don't tell parents they can claim a rebate on school donations. Many parents still think they're paying a fee, rather than a donation. The number of parents claiming back mo...

Turning Complaints into Opportunities!

Dealing with customer complaints can be both gruelling and rewarding. But being able to turn the situation around so your customer is happy with the outcome can strengthen their loyalty to your brand and inspire some gold standard word of mouth marketing. Communication and attitude are as vital as expert product knowledge. Listen and empathise Let the customer tell their story. Ask questions to clarify. Let them know you want to understand. Let your custom...

Building Your Dream Team

In order for your business to be a success, you need to be surrounded by like-minded people with good core skills and values, aiming for the same end goal. In essence, this is your dream team. But how do you ensure you're recruiting the right team players? Be clear What are the qualities you require from employees? Think, plan and be specific so that the right applicants come forward from the beginning. Provide clear instruction during the initial screening ...

Merry Christmas and Thank You for a great year from the A4 Team!

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Ho Ho Ho! Knowing what's deductible

Do your plans for the festive season include functions to celebrate with clients and the team? What about gifts? If they do, here are some tips on the tax implications. When you're entertaining clients or colleagues, some entertainment expenses are tax deductible while others aren't. It can be tricky working out what's deductible as a business expense and what isn't. The basic idea is that an expense is business-related if you spend the money to help your business earn income. Most business-...

In the Office

Unfortunately we say farewell to Paula Kilgour, our receptionist, who is relocating to Taupo, and Sonia Treblico, a member of our Accounting Team. We wish you both all the best. ...

Featured Client

Dr Katherine Tozer is a senior scientist for AgResearch in Hamilton and Dr Peter Tribe a GP in Te Awamutu. They are grateful clients of Accounted4. Katherine has met many wonderful farming people in the 11 years she has lived in New Zealand. She has written 3 books Tales from the Back Country. They tell wonderful stories both recent and old, about life in NZ's rural areas. With their permission she has written these stories down for all to enjoy and accompanied them with amazing relevant scenery...

Featured Partner

Cloudland is a leading cloud services provider and stands apart due to its customer service, technology capability and commitment to delivery. Cloudland customers have seen the removal of significant amounts of IT hassle, savings in cashflow and the freedom to return to their core business. Cloudland has unique solutions for customers seeking to buy their ICT services using a utility model of delivery. Like power and water, Cloudland can provide your company with ICT on a pay-as-you-use basis, a...

In the Industry

In the race to have everything done before the Christmas closedown, make sure you take some time to look at your cashflow and plan for the new year. January is a month with some key tax dates, with a lot of things falling due on 15 January in particular. As well as the usual PAYE return dates, GST returns for both November and December are due in January. And for many, January and February can be big months for provisional tax. Plan ahead to make sure you're covered. Contact us if you think c...

Payroll Team Update

We often hear our clients say they are 'doing the wages' or 'paying the wages'. Anyone involved in payrolls know there is a heck of a lot more to it than that! You are the Payroll Manager of your business and keeping informed and aware of your obligations is a big responsibility. Good staff are one of your biggest assets, so before the festive season kicks in, put your Payroll Manager hat on and let's have a refresh on your obligations in regards to Holiday Pay and Entitlements. Holiday pay ...

Accounts Team Update

If you are giving gifts to your team you may also be liable for fringe benefits tax. There's a $300 exemption from paying FBT per employee per quarter so if the value of the gift is less than $300 you may be exempt. However, if the value of total benefits for an employee goes over $300 for the quarter year (and provided the total value of all benefits doesn't exceed $22,500 for the year), the full value of the benefits is subject to FBT. As for entertainment events, if you invite your team to ...

Business Advisory Update

Inland Revenue's business transformation is an end-to-end business change to bring New Zealand's tax administration into the modern world. Transformation is far more than updating a computer system - it will re-shape the way Inland Revenue works with customers, including improvements to policy and legislative settings. The transformation has three primary aims: •Grow voluntary compliance by making it easier for people to get it right •Reduce compliance costs •Make Government policy ...

In the Community

Accounted4 sponsored several prizes for students first in their classes at the 2016 Senior Prizegiving. Congratulations to those students who won the following: First in Class, Year 11 Accounting – Cale Budd First in Class, Year 11 Economics – Joel Bartrum First in Class, Year 11 Mathematics – Joel Bartrum First in Class, Year 12 Mathematics – Keren Tao First in Class, Year 12 Accounting – Clarissa van den Berg First in Class, Year 13 Accounting – Austin Wong ...

Payroll - Special Rules at Christmas

With Christmas fast approaching we thought it was timely to share some important payroll information from the NZ Government's website regarding "Special Rules at Christmas" You can read it here: https://www.govt.nz/browse/work/public-holidays-and-work-2/special-rules-at-christmas/ ...

Find Us On Facebook

'LIKE' us on Facebook! We have joined the world of Facebook! 'Like' our page Accounted4 Ltd to keep up to date with what's going on in the office and in the Accounting Profession. Click HERE to see our page! ...

Team Vacancy - Receptionist - Fulltime

An outstanding opportunity has come up to join our successful 30 strong team in this very important 'Face of the Company' position. Based centrally in the beautiful charming town of Cambridge we consider this opportunity to be very unique. To be considered for this role you need to have customer service and administration skills that are second to none. You will be our front line ambassador who is professional, well presented, friendly and enjoys meeting and relating to people of all ages. ...

Accounted4 Seminar - XERO Tips and Tricks

Back by popular demand Accounted4 presents an interactive seminar: XERO TIPS & TRICKS When: Tuesday 29th November, 5:30pm – 7:00pm Venue: Accounted4 office, 30 Duke Street, Cambridge Facilitators: David Faville, Jamie Fisher, Geoff Hurst Cost: Complimentary Do you struggle with completing and finalising GST returns? Do you know how the file upload and email functions work? How do you match up invoices and code correctly? What are batch payments? Benefit: This seminar will ...

How Do You Know What To Insure?

It's a bit of a Murphy's Law principle that businesses often don't really come to grips with their risk management plan (or the lack of one) till some random accident takes out a key manager or lead hand and it hits everyone what it will mean for the business. No one can plan for everything but every business should have a sound grasp of the kinds of risks that might hit them hard. And every business should put strategies in place to minimize risk and deal with it, if the ...

Leading The Charge

There is a saying that your biggest market is the one you currently have - most of your sales are likely to be repeat business from existing clients. The reason these clients keep coming back may be partly about what you sell, but chances are that customer service plays a big part. The people you employ can greatly affect the business you do. You can guide your team to greatness. Here are a few simple steps: Teach adaptability Every client is different and ...

Featured Client

Do you have a gluten-free household? You don't have to compromise on taste or convenience anymore! Skye Blue Kitchens, established by Irene Fitz-John, is a new local business that has made life so much easier for those with Coeliac disease, by creating convenient and delicious gluten free baking mixes which are so easy to use! I am originally from Scotland but our family have lived in Cambridge for the last 21 years. My father had Coeliac disease, then about three years ago our son was d...

Featured Partner

Figured is an online farm accounting tool that is providing farmers with a better way to financially manage their farming operation. Its production planning and farm budgeting tools work seamlessly with online accounting software, Xero, enabling you to plan ahead with confidence and easily re-forecast when conditions change. Figured uses the power of the cloud to provide one set of real-time financial information, so your whole farming team - the farmer, accountant, banker and farm consulta...

Business Advisory Update

Accounted4, in association with Phil Wicks of Thexton Armstrong Wicks 'business success programme' Are pleased to host a business workshop: 'Good to Great' - Taking your business to the next level This interactive, no-nonsense workshop for SMEs will cover those key fundamentals that make businesses more successful, more profitable and more valuable The important strategic elements of a business that create a solid foundation for business success in any industry •Building a B...

Get to Know: Katie Jones

Katie started working for Accounted4 ten years ago when it was formally Shannon Wrigley and Co. She is part of Martyn Steffert's team and is in the final semester of completing the Bachelor of Applied Management degree at Wintec. The final task in this degree involves a research project and Katie has chosen to research Work Life Balance and any changes that have occurred over the years, especially in relation to technology. She is also an enthusiastic equestrian rider and has got the eventing...

In the Office

Christine joined our team on the 29th August and she comes to us with 20 years experience in Chartered Accountancy firms. She is passionate about the dairy farming industry and it is great to have her in our A4 team. ...