INTRODUCTION TO ACCOUNTING 101 FOR BUSINESSES

1. WHAT DOES AN ACCOUNTING OFFICE DO?

The primary activities of accounting offices are to manage the accounting processes of businesses and to accurately measure their financial status. According to Article 2 of Law No. 3568, accounting offices keep the accounting books of businesses owned by real and legal persons, and prepare balance sheets and income statements.

2. WHAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BUSINESS?

• Send documents related to income, expenses, and bank transactions to the accounting office in printed form by the 10th of each month at the latest.
• At the beginning of each month, archive payrolls and payslips received from the accounting office by having employees sign them.
• Notify the accounting office in writing via email of employee onboarding and offboarding information. Notify the accounting office in writing via email of details such as job description, salary, İŞKUR registration, and retirement necessary for onboarding.
• Track employee leave periods. Notify the accounting office to prepare leave documents for employee leave days.
• Pay tax and SGK payments regularly each month before the due dates.
• Notify the accounting office at least 2 weeks in advance of any business needs such as capital increase, VAT refund, merger, division, transfer, liquidation, and activity change.
• Keep archives of accounting and SGK documents for 10 years.
• Inform the accounting office and seek advice on any financial transactions that are being performed for the first time or are uncertain about.

3. WHAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ACCOUNTING OFFICE?

• Generally, control the balance of income and expenses and manage payroll processes.
• Ensure that documents related to income, expenses, and bank transactions sent by businesses are recorded according to the uniform chart of accounts.
• Prepare tax returns for businesses and approve these returns electronically within the legal time frame.
• Send tax accrual slips to taxpayers on time each month before the last day of tax payment.
• Manage employee onboarding and offboarding processes (in terms of incentives and relevant laws) based on information received from the business. Prepare and electronically approve documents related to the Social Security Institution (SGK) such as monthly service reports.
• Share payrolls and payslips of employees with the business via email at the beginning of each month.
• Prepare and submit monthly service statements containing information such as monthly working days, earnings, and insurance premiums of employees working in the business.
• Prepare special purpose reports such as capital increase and VAT refund.
• Provide consultancy for business transactions such as establishment, merger, division, transfer, liquidation, and activity change.
• Identify inconsistencies that may arise related to funds, taxes, late fees, and penalties, and develop solutions for these issues. Inform the business about its financial situation before periods of temporary and corporate tax.
• Inform the business about current regulations related to their areas of activity.