Countess Inc-Bookkeeper Whangarei

With costs going up across the board - fuel, materials, insurance, software - the rate you set two years ago might not be covering what it needs to cover today.

This one's worth a swipe. 👉 Save it and share it with mate who needs to hear it.

And if you want someone to help you actually look at your numbers and figure out where you stand, that's what we're here for!

If you're expecting to pay more than $5,000 in income tax this year, the 28 August provisional tax instalment is one you really don't want to miss.

Provisional tax is one of those things that catches a lot of small business owners off guard. Not because they're not paying attention, but because it falls at a point in the year when it's easy to assume there's nothing due. There is.

Miss it without making arrangements and IRD will start adding interest from the due date. It compounds. It adds up. And it's entirely avoidable.

Here's what to do right now:

✅ Check whether provisional tax applies to you and/or your business
✅ Make sure funds are set aside and ready
✅ Talk to your bookkeeper if you're not sure where you stand

That last one is where we come in. We keep an eye on exactly this kind of thing for our clients - liaising with IRD and your accountant where needed, so nothing lands as a surprise.

And if your revenue has grown significantly this year, August and December are also the right time to run a tax estimate to check whether your current provisional instalments are going to cover what you owe ,or whether they need to change.

Every business is different, so we work closely with your end of year accountant to make sure any adjustments are right for your situation.

Tax is complex. That's why we're here. 💚

We've got a little update to share. 👋

From September, we're shifting to a remote-first schedule and it feels like the right move for us.

We started Countess Inc. because we understood the juggle. Running a business, managing the family, staying on top of life admin - it's a lot, and we knew there had to be a better way to do things.

That doesn't just apply to our clients, it applies to us too. Here's what's changing and what isn't:

🏢 Mondays
We're in the office and available for in-person client meetings as usual.

💻 Tuesday to Friday
We'll be working remotely, and fully contactable as always.

And if you need us to come to you, we can make that work too.

The service you're used to isn't going anywhere. Your books will still be done, your deadlines will still be met, and we'll still pick up when you need us. We're just doing it with a little more flexibility built in.

If you'd like to book a meeting or have any questions about what this means for you, get in touch. 💚

📩 DM us or head to countessinc.co.nz

Spring is around the corner - is your business ready for it? 🌱

After a quieter winter, spring and summer in Northland are typically when the phones start ringing, the jobs stack up, and the pace of the business picks right back up. Which is great news! But it also means more invoicing, more subcontractors, more receipts, more complexity.

The businesses that come out of winter set up properly are the ones who can take on that work with confidence instead of scrambling to keep up with the admin, while trying to deliver the job at the same time.

If your books have slipped over winter, now's the perfect time to get things tidy before the busy season hits.

We work with tradies and small businesses across Whangarei and Northland who want to grow without the financial admin getting in the way. First chat is always free. 💚

You might already know these apps. But do you know what they're actually doing inside your Xero? 👀

Most tradies we talk to have heard of Fergus, or Buildxact, or Hubdoc. But few know exactly how these tools connect to their accounts - and what that Xero integration is actually saving them in time, double entry, and end-of-month headaches.

Swipe through 👉 and save this one, it's worth sharing with anyone running a trade business.

And if you want help setting any of these up so they're actually talking to your Xero correctly, that's exactly what we do!

Thank you Liam - feedback like this means a lot to us!

Good communication isn't a nice to have when it comes to your business finances, it's everything. You should always know what's going on, where things are at, and be able to get hold of us when you need to.

If that sounds like the kind of bookkeeper you've been looking for, come and have a chat. 💚

July 📸 💥

Here's what life's looked like behind the scenes at Countess Inc. this month!

One of us swapped Northland winter for palm trees and sunshine for a few days 🌴. Meanwhile back in Whangarei it was full school holiday mode - looots of coffee (thank you Hello Pickle), very tired kids, and Jordan's newest "kid" settling in. 🐐🐾

Grateful for this community and every client who trusts us with their books while they get on with the juggle of their own.

Hassle free bookkeeping, that's what we're here for. 🙌

Thank you Mikayla! Kind words like this mean a lot to us and remind us exactly why we do what we do.

If you've been on the fence about getting some help with your books, come and have a zero-pressure chat.