Forrest Yingling asked:




Confusion Runs Rampant
Many folks in the e-commerce industry have found themselves scratching their heads in confusion over the new PCI PA-DSS (Payment Card Industry, Payment Application – Data Security Standard) rules and guidelines. PCI Compliance has never been an easy topic to wrap one’s head around and the new DSS is starting to cause panic among some involved in businesses that operate online. The July 1, 2010 compliance deadline is looming and many payment applications are still not DSS certified.

This is not good news for anyone involved in the e-commerce sector. There is no set punishment established for non-compliance with the new PA-DSS. If an online storeowner is found to be non-compliant then they will likely be charged increased merchant fees and penalties, face hefty fines and in some cases have their merchant account or even their entire website terminated.

Most of the confusion and controversy revolves around who exactly needs to comply with the new DSS. The answer to this is somewhat complex but the primary rule of thumb is that if your store processes credit cards online then you need to use a shopping cart that is PA-DSS certified in order to be PCI Compliant.

As an e-commerce merchant, vendor or retailer (those operating a business online), it is your duty to ensure you are utilizing fully PCI Compliant Hosting and that your shopping cart application is PA-DSS certified. If either your host or cart is not compliant with the PCI than your site is in trouble. Many carts and other merchant service providers are still shuffling to get scanned and added to the list of compliant applications before the July deadline.

If you are in the market for new shopping cart software than you do not want to use a program that is non-compliant with the PCI or PA-DSS. It is not worth losing money or possibly your business over something so simple to remedy. The responsibility falls on you – the storeowner – to find a host and cart that are compliant with the PCI and to fulfill the required network scans and questionnaires.

PCI Compliance vs PA-DSS – what’s the difference?
The PA-DSS (Payment Application – Data Security Standard) applies to products that are distributed as applications that people can purchase and then do whatever they wish. For example, this applies to shopping cart programs and e-commerce solutions. The DSS started as the PABP (Payment Application Best Practices) by Visa before becoming affiliated with the PCI Security Council, which represents all five major credit card companies. In order to be PCI Compliant you must be on a DSS certified application. In other words, your cart must be compliant.

PCI Compliance is a broader set of rules and guidelines. The PCI Compliance rules are the standards for the way in which credit card transactions and other confidential information is processed online.

As of July 2010, both PCI and PA-DSS Compliance are necessary for a site that accepts credit card payments. The PCI applies to all e-commerce businesses, web hosts, shopping carts, payment gateways and merchant account providers. When a company becomes DSS certified they are then added to Visa’s list of compliant companies. The PCI Compliance rules are the standards for the way in which credit card transactions and other confidential information is processed online.

In order to be fully PCI compliant with the new PA-DSS, level 4 merchants must be running compliant applications on their site (such as their shopping cart). Their web hosts must also be PCI compliant by using properly encrypted networks, regularly updating their anti-virus software and performing regular system scans.

There are a number of PCI scanning companies approved by Visa and MasterCard that will help small merchants pass PCI audits and complete the PCI questionnaire in order to show PCI compliance. Being fully PCI and DSS compliant is like having an insurance policy in the event of a security breech.

For the list of requirements that QSAs will be checking for in your scan check out:
https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/security_standards/pci_pa_dss.shtml

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Luminada Jenkins asked:




Bookkeeping and accounting play a vital role in any form of business. If you are running a business, then it is important for you to apply the best bookkeeping and accounting system into it. This will allow you to determine the status of your business in terms of profitability. This will also allow you to formulate good judgments when it comes to the financial aspect of your business. This will also give you an opportunity to manage your business the most effective way. Because of the proven effectiveness of using the best bookkeeping system in your business, it is important for you to start looking for the most suitable bookkeeping and accounting software for it. However, you cannot just choose one without studying its advantages and disadvantages. It is advisable for you to read bookkeeping software reviews in order for you to pick the best choice.

Bookkeeping software reviews are the things that you really need to find if you wish to obtain the best services in bookkeeping. Remember that you should never be impulsive in choosing bookkeeping software. You should take your time in selecting the best software in order for you to never regret your choice. A lot of bookkeeping software reviews can be found from various sources. You can find them online or from magazines. You need to read them to ensure that you get the most reliable information about the different bookkeeping software available today.

One of the most popular bookkeeping software at present is MYOB. It is considered to have a great appeal to most small businesses and numerous bookkeepers. It is because the procedures done by this software is known to be straightforward and works strictly with the accounting principles and practices. This allows a certain business to work more efficiently and productively.

Peachtree Accounting software is also widely used by many business owners and bookkeepers at present. Its most recent version has good features like bill paying, invoicing, basic inventory and access to powerful financial reporting and analysis. The software also has the ability to alert you automatically if there is any duplicate reference number which is used in an invoice, credit memo, purchase order or quote. This will allow you to immediately determine any discrepancy in all business transactions.

QuickBooks is also something that you can effectively use in bookkeeping. Generally intended for small businesses, this software is considered to be very powerful especially in easily tracking expenses and in preparing and sending invoices. The software is also considered to be greatly useful in preparing financial statements and in tracing the level of inventory.

These are just few of the software used by most business owners in bookkeeping at present. If you wish to learn more about bookkeeping software, feel free to research about them online. It is important for you to obtain a lot of information about them through bookkeeping software reviews as this will be useful for you in choosing the best software for your business. Once you choose the best software for your business, it will be easier for you to keep track of all your transactions and monitor them. This will allow your business to operate in a very smooth manner.

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John Dixon asked:




What is the difference between bookkeeping, accounting, and accountancy? When someone says they are an accountant, are they really a bookkeeper? Does it really matter?

Bookkeeping

Bookkeeping is the process of systematically recording the financial transactions of a business, so as to show how the transactions relate to each other. Bookkeeping is largely a mechanical process and does not involve any analysis of the financial transactions, but rather the recording of them.

Traditionally, the records were kept in a book, hence the name bookkeeping. These days, bookkeeping is normally performed using a bookkeeping software package, but the names of the books (daybook, cashbook, journal, and ledger) are still used.

A bookkeeper’s function is primarily one of recording transactions in the journal and posting to the ledger, and is sometimes referred to as an accounts clerk.

There are two types of bookkeeping: single entry and double-entry. In single entry bookkeeping, the record of each transaction is carried to either the debit or credit column of a single account. In double-entry bookkeeping, two entries of each transaction are carried to the ledger: one to the debit side, and one to the credit side, of the corresponding account. This is so the two entries can be used to check each other.

Accounting

Accounting is the systematic recording, reporting, and analysis of financial transactions of a business. As bookkeeping involves making a financial record of business transactions, it is true to say that the role of bookkeeping is encompassed within the scope of accounting, and the bookkeeping system used by a business would form part of the accounting system.

Accounting also includes the preparation of statements concerning assets, liabilities and the operating results of a business.

Accountancy is the occupation related to accounting, and an accountant is the person who does, or at least is responsible for, the work. Accountants often specialize in a particular area of accounting such as taxes, auditing, or management.

In a small company, all of the bookkeeping and accounting tasks may well be performed by a single person. In this situation, that person would normally be referred to as an accountant.

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Adam Alpers asked:




Standard Fracture Care

When a patient suffers from a fracture, the initial treatment of the injury is usually performed in the emergency room. If your patient comes to your office for their fracture follow-up care instead of seeing an orthopedic specialist, you can bill for the follow-up care as long as you use the appropriate procedure codes and the ICD-9 code that correlates with the site of the fracture. CPT code 28510 covers the follow-up care for all closed fracture sites except for a fracture that is located in the big toe. Because of this, you will not need to perform any site manipulations to bill for the follow-up care you provide to your patients. Using CPT code 28510, you can expect to receive more than $100.00 for each follow-up visit related to the fracture.

Identifying the Correct Modifier

When treating a patient for follow-up fracture care, it is not uncommon to spend significant amounts of time addressing the injury. It is also common for patients to address other ailments during the course of their follow-up visits to your office. Fortunately, you can bill for the time spent addressing these ailments separately from the follow-up fracture care. Because you are addressing issues that are separate from the fracture itself, by documenting the visit accurately, you can bill for the separate consultation in addition to the fracture follow-up.

Fracture care has a specified global period in regards to medical billing. In order to bill correctly, your diagnosis codes must match each procedure performed. You should also take care to use the appropriate modifier for the office visit code when treating your patients. This will help you in your billing procedures.

It is important to remember that there will be times when a patient suffers from multiple fractures at different sites. For example, a patient who has suffered a serious accident may face broken ribs in addition to broken bones in the arm or leg. In cases such as this, you should bill for each site separately and use the appropriate modifier to separate the treatment of each fracture site. Also make sure that you document how much time is spent addressing each fracture site when treating your patient. In some cases, you may only be able to treat one fracture at a time when dealing with patients who are suffering from multiple injuries.

Understanding Worker’s Compensation & PIP Guidelines

Many of the injured patients you treat will be billed through primary insurance providers, however, other patients may suffer injuries due to work-related activities or car accidents. Because of this, you need to ensure that you thoroughly understand the guidelines and regulations pertaining to Worker’s Compensation and Personal Injury Protection policies in your state.

Depending on the area of your practice, the insurance carriers you bill may not accept modifiers or they may require that you use modifiers that are different from the ones you would normally use. The goal is to be paid for your time regardless of the type of insurance you are submitting claims to. If the insurance provider does deny a claim for the initial fracture care, you will need to call and explain to the provider that you did not provide the initial fracture care to the patient.

Obtaining the Compensation You Deserve

You can expect to treat at least ten patients a year for follow-up care related to a fracture. If these patients come to your office for treatment of a single-site fracture, each patient you treat will generate over $500.00 in billable revenue in addition to the revenue received for the standard office visit. It is not uncommon for practices to receive thousands of dollars in extra revenue each year for the treatment of fracture follow-up care, even if there are only a few patients in their care receiving this treatment. Because of this, you should do everything you can to take advantage of this particular source of revenue whenever possible.

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Sukant Senapaty asked:




Outsourcing of business processes has acquired a strategic importance in every company’s menu, particularly in this scenario of economic slowdown and escalating cost. But more than the decision itself, what matters most in outsource of critical functions like accounting is “How to get started”?

The following “best practices” should be taken into consideration to ensure a better launch for the company in outsourced bookkeeping process:

1) Deciding on what to outsource: The key precursor to enter into an outsourcing arrangement is to know which aspect of the bookkeeping process needs to be outsourced. Bookkeeping is a complex job and involves much aspect. Companies can outsource process like account receivable, account payable, reconciliation or the entire of bookkeeping process. Chief factors those should facilitate decisions are size and stability of the process, availability of resources and skill and the savings company expect to garner.

2) Finding a reliable service provider: The most important aspect of the entire process is to locate the service provider. The simplest way to find offshore service providers is to go for search engine or relative online directories. Once a prospective vendor is located, time and efforts should be spent in checking their credentials. The process involves speaking to the vendors, finding out about their management, checking on the references provided by the vendor etc. It is very important to establish that both the service provider and the company share the same corporate culture. Companies that are culturally compatible viz. share the same ideals and goal is like to be more successful in eking out a long term outsourcing relationship.

3) Contract Finalization: At the heart of every outsourcing deal is a contractual agreement that defines how the client and the supplier will work together Since the documentation of contract lays the foundation of an outsourcing process, optimum care should be taken while drafting it. An outsourced bookkeeping contract should cover the following areas:

> Minimum service levels.

> Security of data

>Roles and Responsibility of both the parties.

>Pricing.

>Staff to be deputed, skill levels, hours of work etc.

>Exit Strategy.

4) Smooth Transition: A smooth transition process is the key to a successful outsourcing process. A detailed project plan by both the vendor and the customer should be prepared outlining a list of known issues, assumptions, constraints, risk factors, identification of personnel, assigning of responsibility etc. Proper and secure method of data transfer and clear service delivery models should be developed. Companies need to open a two way communication process to minimize mistakes that are bound to occur in the beginning stages. In the initial stages, the outsourcing relationship needs time and attention. It is essential for the sake of advantage of both the parties to manage the relationship as a partnership, not as a company-vendor contract.

5) Evaluation of results: On the completion of a project, a careful evaluation should be done for assessing whether outsourcing the bookkeeping project is proving feasible for the company. A proper evaluation will also dig out possible pitfalls in the outsourcing process. And steps can be taken to improve it.

Off shoring of bookkeeping has it own advantage but a company should always practice caution and patience from selection of partner till the execution of an assignment to make the entire process suit to its need . By following the afore mentioned guidelines a company can get better start into the process and definitely experience better outsourcing results.

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Jack Burton asked:




Social Security pays disability benefits to an eligible son or daughter from a parent’s record if the child was disabled before the age of 19. If you are not eligible for disability benefits on your own record and at least one of your parents receives Social Security benefits, you could qualify for disability benefits and Medicare as a Disabled Adult Child (DAC). Here is all you need to know about this category of Social Security disability benefits.

Disabled Adult Child (DAC) is a special category of Social Security designed to help individuals that were disabled prior to entering the workforce. This classification does not mean that you are considered an adult child, simply that you were disabled as a child.

To qualify for DAC benefits you must be able to show that you were disabled prior to the age of 19. Your State will evaluate your disability to determine if you meet the disability requirements for payment. It should be noted that one of your parents must be currently receiving Social Security Disability or Retirement benefits; it may be necessary for you to wait until your parents become eligible to apply. If your one or more of your parents are deceased, you may be eligible on their record. There is an additional requirement that you must be unmarried when applying for DAC benefits.

Once you are qualified for benefits you will receive a payment based on the amount your parent receives. If both your parents are receiving Social Security benefits you will be paid from the parent’s record that is receiving a higher amount; you will typically receive 50% of this parent’s amount. If your parents are deceased the amount is increased to 75% of their amount. To learn more about qualifying for disability benefits from Social Security, visit the website Social Security Laid Bare using the links below.

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Jo Alelsto asked:




Running the financial structure and dynamics of a company is not an easy responsibility especially if you are the manager or the owner. This is because the prime task of manning and supervising everything is on your shoulders. Basically you need someone who can do the task for you and not just anybody but a staff with a comprehensive background and reliable performance.

The benefit of having a bookkeeper is unquestionable and virtually all businesses, small or big, have an assistant or staff who does the tedious task. Going to the details of preparing financial reports and daily financial transactions within the company is not supposed to be done by business owners themselves because such task would take much of your time that is supposedly expended on your core function as the head of their game.

Bookkeepers do the job of putting into record daily financial transactions. This data is crucial when making regular decisions. Key decisions like what to spend on and how much resources a company can spend may depend upon what accounting record a bookkeeper presents.

In addition to preparing and presenting reports, another important task is to keep and maintain such records. With the tough schedules of owners, there might be no time left for such a routine duty. In this case, an assistant can help you with this need.

Small and large business have recognized the utmost significance of accounting and bookkeeping, which are two of the very vital functions within the company that must be strictly supervised and monitored. All business owners would want to see accurate information as much as possible because the path of their decisions depends upon what figures come out of the accounting reports. What bookkeepers show gives a hint as to how the company is using up its resources and what the company is spending for.

Data accomplished by a bookkeeper may be turned over to a company accountant who does thorough financial reports, balance sheets and income statements. Thus it is quite necessary for a bookkeeper to perform precise recordings beforehand. This is critical because such financial data give a clue on whether the company is earning or not. Making records and evaluating them are tedious tasks that require expertise.

While you wait for an accounting clerk to step into your office, why not look for accounting firms that offer bookkeeping services? Lots of these firms have online pages you may view. Get acquainted with their services and decide whether you are hiring an in-person assistant or an online/remote assistant. Many businesses have been opting for the latter because of convenience, no less.

With a competent assistant from a reliable accounting firm, you can ensure that your financial records are at good hands and you can simply go back to your prolific duty as the head of the business. With appropriate keeping of records, you actually save time and monetary resources.

A bookkeeper follows up incoming cash and checks, integrates the business checkbook, and takes note of bills. He also looks over payroll taxes and records account receivables.

If you are looking for the right bookkeeper, go over his or her scholastic background. Trained accountants make the most dependable assistants for this purpose. Nevertheless, somebody who keeps track of financial transactions need not have finished accounting in college. Then again it pays off to hire somebody with formal education in the respected field. The professional experience cannot be ignored, too, since you want somebody with a considerable experience in the field. Personality and good communication skills are two other qualities to check. For instance, you do not want to hire a record-keeper who does not make good rapport with you or who does not know how to explain his or her data.

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Frank W Ellis asked:




In October of 2002, a 3-year partnership agreement between a group of tax software companies including Turbo Tax and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was formed. This partnership was formed to provide a free Federal tax filing program for at least 60 percent of American taxpayers. This program is known as the Free File Alliance.

In October of 2005, the IRS and the same group of tax software companies reached a new four year partnership agreement for free filing of taxes online. The new Free File Alliance agreement continues to provide free Federal tax filing to those who have an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $52.000 or less. This amount will vary among the tax software partners.

Why is the Internal Revenue doing this?

The IRS has a goal of 80% of all Federal tax returns to be filed online by the year 2007. Currently over 70 million people are filing their taxes online. The Federal Government believes that electronic tax preparation provides a more accurate way of preparing and filing taxes. The Federal Government also believes that a partnership with existing tax software companies will provide the the best service to taxpayers. The Free File Alliance provides free federal tax filing and preparation at no cost to those who qualify.

If your adjusted gross income is less than $52.000 or, You qualify for the earned income credit (EIC) for tax year 2006, then you qualify for the free Federal tax filing program or, You are an active Military, Reservist, or National Guard member whose gross income (AGI) for 2006 is less than $52.000.

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Henrik Poulsen asked:




Invoices are legal documents that are given to a client to indicate that the provider has sold the customer goods or services. The invoice can be sent together with the goods, on job completion or it can be sent later after the goods or services have been delivered.

There are some requirements that are mandatory in an invoice, they include:

The letter head of the company; this entails the name of the company, the address, telephone and email address. The invoice should also be indicated as “Invoice” or “Bill” at the top. An invoice number should also be clearly indicated. The invoices should have one number each. This number has to be sequential in an unbroken sequence. The date Terms of payment Clients name and address

The body of the invoice should contain a clear description of the items or services rendered. For the goods, it must contain the quantity, measure per unit, price per unit as well as the total amount fir the individual item. At the bottom of the invoice, the provider should indicate the total amount of all the items a swell as the tax accrued if applicable. Others may indicate the payment instructions or avail other comments such as delivery instructions and others.

Small Business owners can invest in a number of invoicing software to carry out these procedures. With invoicing software business owners can enjoy a number of benefits, among witch the largest benefit is that using this software will save you time, and thereby money. Your business paperwork will be a lot more organized and streamlined ensuring less frustration, and less errors being made. The other advantage is that the software will allow the multiple users to carry out the invoicing process on different systems. With this software, the use can easily integrate their already existing databases, which means that they will save the time taken to retype them from scratch.

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Joshua Feinberg asked:




IT audits need to be absolutely thorough. The following checklist will help you get through every area you need to check during your IT audits:

1. You need to check PHYSICAL SECURITY during your IT audits and make sure controls are in place physically that keep servers, networking and telecommunications hardware safe and prevent unauthorized access.

2. A LOGICAL SECURITY investigation will check software security to make sure viruses and unauthorized access to important data is prevented.

3. Your IT audit should involve looking at LOGISTICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS to ensure that all the hardware is kept in facilities that will offer the best environmental conditions. The temperature, dust level, furniture, racks and physical structures used to support this equipment should be the best it can be.

4. During an audit you should check CONFIGURATION. Systems should be installed and configured in a way that aligns with all the necessary requirements and standards.

5. A check of SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATION PROCEDURES will help guarantee that security and systems administrative procedures are clearly outlined for staff and assigned to specific individuals.

6. You should look into HARDWARE INVENTORY MANAGEMENT of the client’s company. Hardware should all be inventoried, and all appropriate documentation including warranties and maintenance records should be organized and available.

7. SOFTWARE LICENSING should be in place for the company. During the IT audit you should make sure the client is in compliance will all agreements and has access to them.

8. DATA BACKUP AND DISASTER RECOVERY procedures should be in place for the company under optimal conditions. The client should be maintaining and testing data backup systems on a regular basis to ensure nothing is lost in an emergency.

9. Part of your IT audit should be devoted to checking DOCUMENTATION to ensure that all systems, procedures and policies are being regularly documented and updated. Logs of these systems should be kept by the client.

10. PERFORMANCE AND CAPACITY PLANNING will make sure that all systems are performing at their optimal and required levels in regards specifically to the following factors: uptime; systems availability; data storage availability; bandwidth; and archives of older data files.

11. Part of your job during an IT audit is to check how the client CHANGES MANAGEMENT. All changes to systems hardware or software should be logged, tested and verified before they are implemented and plans should be in place in case they have to be reversed.

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