Sage Accounting Software has been in existence for more than four decades. Surprisingly, the brand’s primary focus continues to be on supporting the accounting needs of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
But, as we all know, no two businesses are the same in terms of size, scale, or industry. Not to worry, Sage provides a wide choice of accounting solutions that are customised to individual objectives and requirements. The good news is that the products are evolving in tandem with the changing technology world.
In this blog post, we’ll look at some of Sage’s most popular accounting systems.In addition, for your convenience, we have detailed some key features and benefits. Let’s get started!
What is Sage Accounting Software?
Sage Accounting is a piece of software that helps small business owners to track their income and expenses in several currencies, as well as inventory and invoicing. This accounting software is appropriate for microbusinesses and freelancers looking for a place to organise their accounts.
Some accounting software customers are simply interested in the fundamentals. These users are frequently freelancers, sole proprietors, or owners of tiny enterprises who don’t have the time or money for frills. Instead, they want accounting software that provides fundamental services at reasonable costs, such as bank reconciliations, invoicing, expensing, quotations, estimations, and financial reporting. Sage Accounting is appropriate for any user because it checks all of these boxes at some of the most affordable prices accessible.
Usability of Sage Accounting Software
Sage Accounting is extremely usable due to its concentration on the fundamentals. The platform’s tools for finance fundamentals such as reconciliation, expense and financial reporting, invoicing, quotations, and estimates are simple. Finding those features in the first place is also important.
Sage Accounting, in particular, lacks the dashboard customization features that are popular among vendors. As a result, you shouldn’t need to alter your dashboard to get the most out of the platform; everything you need is already there.
Sage Accounting has hundreds of connectors to help you get the most out of the platform. Although Sage does not provide guided training from a Sage employee, the vendor’s help centre contains guidance to almost every process. There are how-to tutorials for each of the primary user concern areas, such as reporting and data importing.
Although written tutorials are standard with accounting software, Sage Accounting’s guides are more granular than those of competitors.
Sage Accounting Features
The accounting capabilities accessible in Sage Accounting are listed below.
#1. Invoice Management
You can use Sage accounting to make invoices, deliver them to customers, and track payments. Customers can select their preferred payment method by integrating the accounting software with Stripe. These payments connect with your bank accounts, allowing you to accept card payments from anywhere while keeping all of your financial information in one place.
You’ll see sent invoices and outstanding payments, including delinquent payments. Sage allows users to examine specific invoicing periods and automate payment alerts, allowing them to get paid faster while also gaining insight into cost and profit margins. There are other editable invoice templates accessible.
#2. Bill Payments
Accounts receivable (A/R) and accounts payable (A/P) functionalities in Sage Accounting show you how much you owe suppliers and how much consumers owe you. To keep your financial flow organised, the automatic A/R software generates and distributes invoices as well as tracks payments. You’ll get auto-generated reports that show which customers owe you money, how much they owe you, how long they’ve owed you, and when sales invoices are due.
The automated A/P feature of the accounting software maintains track of what you owe, who you owe it to, and when your payments are due. You may control each supplier’s credit conditions and restrictions, as well as categorise pending payments, so you don’t miss anything.
#3. Inventory Tracking
Sage Accounting includes an inventory tracking feature that allows you to see your stock levels in real time. It allows you to upload your products and categorise them, which is beneficial for faster inventory management, especially if you run a product-based firm.
You’ll be able to manage product numbers, establish minimum reorder levels, and receive out-of-stock notifications so you know which of your products sell the best and what you need to refill.
#4. Financial Reporting
Sage Accounting generates all financial reports in real-time, including cash flow statements, balance sheet data, profit analysis, sales tax reports, and 1099 vendor reports. The knowledge into historical and current trends in your business performance will assist you in making better business decisions that will allow you to grow your company.
Reports can be shared with your team or interested investors and used for tax purposes. In addition, the accounting software enables firms to categorise reports and export them to comma-separated values (CSV), PDF files, and Excel spreadsheets without modifying the original document formats.
#5. Multicurrency Support
Sage accounting makes it simple to expand your business, especially if you serve customers from other countries. Its multicurrency capability enables you to produce invoices and manage payments between banks and currencies in a single system.
You’ll get a complete picture of all transactions in the countries where you do business, understand how currency exchange affects your cash flow, and have access to accurate exchange rates to assist you modify your rates and reconcile all foreign currency transactions.
#6. Bank Relationship
Configure your Sage account to link to your bank feeds, and the programme will match data on your bank account to your invoices and payments, reconciling your transactions to save you time and enhance data accuracy. Sage accounting integrates with hundreds of banks to provide real-time balances.
#7. Mobile Application
Every Sage Accounting subscription includes a free mobile app for iOS and Android that allows you to manage your accounts on the move. To keep your finances balanced while you relocate, you may produce and distribute invoices, track payments, track inventory, follow up with clients, and record all expenses.
#8. Integration of Software
Sage accounting enables for seamless interaction with third-party apps, allowing for more efficient business operations. For more extensive integrations, you can integrate with applications.
Costs of Sage Accounting
Given the software’s basic functionality, the inexpensive cost of Sage Accounting is not surprising, but you will be pleased. Sage Start, the less expensive of Sage Accounting’s two subscription categories, costs £10 per month. It enables a single user to make and send invoices, reconcile transactions, and track unpaid customer bills.
Sage Accounting, which costs £25 per month, unlocks all other services. However, at the time of writing, Sage was giving a deal in which you only paid £7.50 a month for the first six months.
You can sign up for a 30-day free trial of Sage Accounting before committing. You will not be required to provide a credit card or other payment method. If you decide to commit to Sage Accounting, there are no additional fees or implementation costs, and there is no limit on the number of users.
Sage Accounting Setup
Sage Accounting offers an easy setup and delivers on that promise. Although Sage does not provide specific setup support, its help centre’s “getting started” segment is extremely comprehensive. This module gets quite specific about what the setup requires, providing you almost everything you need. As you get started, you can also access modules for data migration and invoice customization.
Sage Accounting’s numerous connectors are very simple to set up. These connectors address e-commerce, sales tax, and document management requirements. Contact import is one area where you don’t need an integration; the Sage Accounting mobile app can import your phone contacts automatically.
Sage Accounting Customer Service
Sage Accounting’s customer support phone number may be found on the Contact Us page in the website’s footer. You’ll appreciate the fact that support is available even before you create an account. However, companies like Xero place assistance links at the top of their pages, improving their visibility. We were dismayed to find Sage’s contact page was a little harder to find.
When you do gain access to Sage’s support options, you’ll discover that its resource area is brimming with how-to instructions and video lessons. The Sage blog is also simple to use because you may filter it by category. Once you’ve logged in to your Sage account, you may access live chat and email assistance. These products were competitive; they were not excessive, but they did the job.
Sage Accounting Drawbacks
The emphasis on the fundamentals in Sage Accounting excludes tax computation, reporting, and filing capabilities. If you hire an accountant, they can still manage your taxes using the financial data from your Sage dashboard.
Sage also connects with a small number of well-known payroll and point-of-sale (POS) solutions. While Sage does provide connectors for a few systems in each area, just one or two of them are among the finest.
Is Sage Accounting Right for You or Your Business?
Sage accounting software is an excellent alternative for small firms that require basic accounting capabilities such as invoicing and bill monitoring at a low cost. You’ll also like its multicurrency capability if your consumers come from other countries. If you have extensive billing requirements, such as tracking billable hours, you should look into different software accounting choices.
Does Sage Have a Desktop Version?
Yes. Sage 50cloud Accounting is desktop-based software with a cloud connection, in addition to Sage Accounting, which is cloud-based. This platform may be more appropriate for companies with dozens or hundreds of employees who require extensive budgeting, reporting, and inventory management solutions.
How Much Does Sage Accounting Software Cost?
Sage has two pricing levels. The free tier allows users to create and send invoices, reconcile transactions, and track outstanding customer payments. The second pricing tier is £25 per month and includes features such as cash flow forecasting, quotations and estimations, and invoice management capabilities.
Is Sage a Payroll System?
Sage Accounting is not a payroll system and does not include payroll functions; however, Sage does provide separate payroll software. This service is fully integrated with Sage Accounting.
How Do I Access Sage Accounting?
Sage accounting software is available for Android and iOS mobile devices. You can also access it through your web browser, such as Chrome, Safari, or Edge.
Can I Customize Invoices on Sage Accounting Software?
Yes, you can adapt available invoice templates to your specific needs. Invoices might include document headings, corporate logos, contact information, pricing, discounts, preferred payment methods, and even terms and conditions.
Does Sage Accounting Allow Data Import?
Yes, you can import data from Excel or another data system into the software, such as customer and supplier information, opening balances, bank statements, charts, and invoices. You can get help from the support team or view any of Sage accounting’s video guides to learn how to achieve this.
Is Accounting Software Secure?
Leading accounting solutions today include common security features such as data encryption, secure credential tokenization, and more. While human error will always play a role in security breaches, you can have confidence in your accounting software to keep your data safe.
Conclusion
This study will show you how to use this low-cost platform’s basic bank reconciliation, invoicing, spending management, and financial reporting tools. It’s a simple yet powerful tool for covering your accounting fundamentals that won’t break the bank.
To be safe, you can try their free plan first before using their services. Best wishes!
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