Top 5 Bookkeeping Mistakes Small Businesses Make — and How to Avoid Them

Rockwood Accounting
12 minutes ago
3 min read

Let’s be real: bookkeeping probably isn’t the reason most entrepreneurs start their business. But here’s the truth… bad bookkeeping = lost money. These five common mistakes show up again and again in small business books — and most of them lead to missed tax deductions or lost profits.

The good news? Every single one is fixable.

Here are the top five bookkeeping mistakes small businesses tend to make — and how to avoid them:

1. Misclassifying Payments to the Business Owner

If a business is incorporated and the owner takes money out, it’s not a business expense. That’s called a shareholder distribution — and it needs to be categorized correctly so it doesn’t reduce business profit on paper. This matters for both tax planning and financial accuracy.

The same goes for putting personal money into the business — that’s a contribution, not income.

✅ Fix it: Set up an equity account for Owner Contributions and Shareholder Distributions. In platforms like QuickBooks Online, these transactions should never appear on the profit and loss statement.

2. Recording Transfers as Income

For businesses that receive payments via PayPal, Stripe, or Wise and then transfer the funds to a bank account, there’s a common trap: the accounting software might record that transfer as additional income.

This leads to double-counting and potentially overpaying taxes. It’s even more problematic when internal transfers between business accounts are mistakenly marked as income.

✅ Fix it: Always categorize transfers correctly — not as income. Regularly review and reclassify transactions, especially when using multiple accounts or payment platforms.

3. Ignoring Sales Tax Responsibilities

Sales tax isn't optional. Even businesses that don’t charge it may still have filing obligations depending on location and revenue. Many owners face steep penalties simply because they weren’t aware of the rules.

✅ Fix it: Get clarity on:

• Whether sales tax needs to be collected

• How much to charge

• Where and when to remit it

An accountant can help make sense of it — and it's much easier to address proactively than fix a year's worth of mistakes later.

4. Mixing Personal and Business Finances

Using the same account or credit card for both personal and business expenses is a recipe for messy books. It’s one of the most common pitfalls — and it leads to lost deductions and more time spent untangling transactions later.

✅ Fix it: Open a separate business checking account and use it exclusively for business-related transactions. Pay personal wages or income from that account — but avoid personal purchases like groceries or household bills. This simple step makes bookkeeping cleaner and tax time easier.

5. Not reconciling accounts properly

Payment processors like Stripe, PayPal, and Square often deduct fees before depositing funds. If these statements aren’t reconciled with the books, businesses may underreport income and miss legitimate expense deductions.

✅ Fix it: Reconcile the books every month against bank and payment processor statements. Regular reconciliation helps ensure accuracy and can save hundreds or even thousands in tax savings.