Best accounting books for small business

Financial accounting is not only an essential part of running a small business but also crucial to understanding your financial performance. But if you’re new to accounting, it may seem challenging to grasp. 

Luckily, there are plenty of books that can demystify the concept of accounting so you can more easily manage your business. We can help narrow it down to the best picks. 

This guide lists the best accounting books for small businesses, including:

• Accounting for Non-Accountants by David Horner
• Bookkeeping and Accounting for Dummies by Jane Kelly
• Oxford Dictionary of Accounting by Jonathan Law
• Accounting for the Numberphobic by Dawn Fotopulos 
• The Accounting Game by Darrell Mullis and Judith Orloff
• Accounting for Small Business Owners by Tycho Press
• Understand Tax for Small Business by Sarah Deeks

Accounting books are a great way to sharpen your knowledge so you can track and understand your finances like a pro. 

If you’re not a trained accountant, accounting for your small business may seem intimidating. Still, it’s an integral part of running any small business. 

The right books offer foundational tools, best practices, and essential financial management knowledge. They’re also great to refer back to as you hit snags along the way. Plus, they’re cheaper than taking a course or hiring a professional. 

See also: Best bookkeeping courses for beginners.

With so many books to choose from, you may not know where to start. So, let’s go over the best accounting books for small businesses. 

Accounting for Non-Accountants by David Horner focuses on basic accounting principles and practices for people who are new to it. Horner goes into both financial and managerial accounting for a range of circumstances.

This is an excellent read for people without any accounting knowledge as it explains complex topics in easy to understand terms. 

Looking for an ultimate guide that you can reference time and time again? Then grab a copy of Bookkeeping and Accounting for Dummies by Jane Kelly. This book, or six books in one, offers comprehensive information for both accounting and bookkeeping. 

Kelly simplifies the concepts and helps you set up standard practices for your business. It’s also filled with templates, forms, and spreadsheets you can use for your own business. 

As you try to break down financial accounting, you may encounter some complex new terms. But with the Oxford Dictionary of Accounting by Jonathan Law, you can identify and understand the essential accounting vocabulary. 

The topics in this book have also been updated to match developments within the industry. This guide is a great way to break down complicated words and learn the language of accounting.   

See also: 12 must-know business accounting terms.

Accounting for the Numberphobic by Dawn Fotopulos is another of the best accounting books for small businesses. This one focuses on accounting specifically for small business owners. Plus, it’s written for people who may not feel comfortable around numbers. 

With this book, Fotopulous can help you easily read and understand your financial statements and spreadsheets. You’ll walk away with the skills to stress less about accounting.   

Why not make reading about accounting a little fun? Try The Accounting Game by Darrell Mullis and Judith Orloff, which explains the concepts in straightforward terms using an interesting story format. 

This book covers the fundamentals of accounting for a variety of readers. You’ll walk away with a clear understanding of how to account for your business and hands-on experience from practice examples. 

It’s also useful to have a book written just for you like Accounting for Small Business Owners by Tycho Press. Focusing on your particular experience as a small business owner, this book remains relevant and focused.

Plus, the book offers valuable advice for setting up your accounting system wisely. It covers everything from financial statements to cash management to prepare you for organised finances. 

Preparing for your taxes is a large part of financial accounting for small businesses. So, you might want to learn a bit about the tax process and regulations with the UK. 

Understand Tax for Small Business by Sarah Deeks can help. This book covers the essential information small businesses need to know about taxes. As a result, you can ensure you stay compliant and legal to seamlessly prepare for taxes. 

With this guide, you stock up on books that can prepare you for strong small business financial accounting. 

As a result, you can set up bookkeeping and accounting systems that are efficient and easy to manage. Plus, you’ll know the key terms and better understand your financial performance overall.  

From there, you might want to learn more about your small business’s financial management. Next, check out our article on the best bookkeeping books for small business.

As these books help you grow your financial accounting knowledge, look for tools that simplify the financial management process. These tools take tedious accounting tasks off your hands and help you better understand your finances. 

Countingup is the business current account and accounting software in one app. It automates time-consuming bookkeeping admin for thousands of self-employed people across the UK. 

This app can streamline your accounting tasks with features like: 

• Automatic expense categorisation and receipt capture 
• Year-round tax estimates
• Invoicing on the go 
• Ongoing cash flow insights

Save yourself hours of accounting admin so you can focus on growing your business. 

Start your three-month free trial today.