As an accountant, your work significantly impacts the business you work for. Businesses with their eyes set on success can only perform to the best of their ability with the awareness of national and global economies. However, on a more immediate level, navigating the potential pitfalls and possible peaks of the UK tax system is a must-have for all companies, whether they’re a small set-up, an SME, or multi-national corporation. As the pace of business continues to accelerate, having the right accounting supplies can help to ensure that you remain accurate and efficient in every aspect of your work. Ensure you’ve got all the accountant office supplies you need to stay organised and keep up with the formidable volume of facts and figures you deal with daily.
Check the tech
First on the list of your accounting supplies should be a reputable and reliable computer brand. The silent workhorse in your business, a computer can help minimise the potential for human error and ensure that all the information that needs inputting, calculating, and presenting is accurate. Plenty of accounting software and a broad range of apps can be used alongside a computer, helping to make the process as streamlined as possible.
The importance of privacy
However, an essential part of the accounting process is protecting your clients’ information at every level. Under the new General Data Protection Act (GDPR), any information identifying a living individual must be protected from exposure to the public and those with nefarious designs. Owning and using a computer inevitably means calling up clients’ details and displaying them on your monitor, where employees and other customers can see them. Screens, such as the Fellowes PrivaScreen Blackout Privacy Filter ensure that any sensitive information is kept from prying eyes, keeping your clients’ data protected and adding an extra level to your compliance with GDPR.
Privacy screens are polarising sheets that prevent anyone from seeing the information displayed on a monitor when viewed from an angle of up to 30°. Products such as the Exascreen Protective Desk Screen use specialist filters that absorb specific frequencies of light, making all the data displayed appear dark to anyone not sitting directly in front of the relevant screen. While this might sound like a touch of ‘belt and braces,’ a report by the Ponemon Institute found that using privacy screens can prevent what they term ‘visual hacking.’ Essentially, this is sneaking a peek at private or sensitive data. According to the Institute’s research, 91% of visual hacks are successful in purloining important information, and because of the nature of the hack, almost 70% of the practice goes unnoticed. On top of that, their investigation revealed that over 50% of computer monitors are accessible to visual hacking due to remaining unprotected.
Privacy screens are a cost-effective and easy-to-use solution to the problem of having to call up the data of those you work for without compromising it.
Safe and secure storage
Keeping your clients’ information stored safely is another important aspect of accounting. A good filing system offers easy access to data while keeping it stowed away until required. While there is the potential to store details digitally, the virtual world still needs to overcome the basic problems that come hand in hand with using electronic storage facilities. These include power outages and the vulnerability to the ever-evolving tactics used by hackers to acquire important information. In addition, a digital filing system requires anyone who uses it to remember passwords and cybersecurity protocols.
By comparison, physical files aren’t subject to the whims and fancies of electricity shortages and require no training to access them. On top of that, these versatile accountant office supplies won’t add to the cost of your fuel bills.
Keeping things in suspension
Our selection of storage files functions for larger offices and those with limited space. For smaller workplaces, files such as the Esselte Classic Suspension Files allow you to convert desk drawers into organised filing systems. The plastic hooks suspend the card envelope from the runners in your drawer, providing easy access to the necessary paperwork. In addition, files such as these come with printed filing tabs, so you can adapt the folders to suit your needs.
For accountants that work from home, items such as the Jalema Variobox A4 Suspension File Box, and the Cathedral Metal Suspension File Box are ideal choices. These offer a sensible and secure alternative if your desk is without drawers. Working on the same principle as standard suspension files, they house your documents and data in waterproof and lockable boxes to be stored neatly away and, if space demands it, stacked on top of one another. Index tabs can be an excellent investment to make retrieving the correct file at the right time much easier. Tabs, such as the Film Index Tabs in Neon Colours, allow you to keep tabs on groups of documents within your filing system. Customisable and ideal for use with colour-coded filing systems, these essential accounting office supplies are an excellent way to make your filing more efficient and productive.
Storage modules
For larger accountancy companies, file storage modules, such as the Fellowes System File Store Module are suitable for your long-term and short-term storage needs. As happy on a desk as they are on a set of shelves, they’ll act as home to several lever arch files, making them easy to retrieve and with all the file spines displayed, you’ll always be able to access the information you need when you need it.
However, if your accountancy firm deals with large numbers of clients, lever arch files are a superb addition to your storage arsenal. We offer an extensive range of lever arch files, from those made with durable PVC covers, such as the Avansas A4 Lever Arch File, to those made from sturdy card, such as the Avansas Colours A4 Lever Arch File. If a commitment to the environment is important to you or your clients, we can offer environmentally-friendly versions, such as the Avansas Eco A4 Lever Arch File. With no compromise on quality, files such as these allow you to communicate your green credentials in even the smallest details.
While storage, privacy, and security are more important than ever, so is accountant stationery. Having the right equipment to hand can only help to make your job that much easier and, in some cases, help you uphold your high standards of organisation and efficiency.
So without further ado, here’s our guide to accountant stationery you can’t do without:
Top 10 essential accountant office supplies
- Postage labels. Despite modern technology giving us the ability to sign documents digitally, some still require a ‘wet’ or physical signature to be legally binding. Divorce papers, adoption certificates, Wills, and those pertaining to certain financial issues must be signed in pen by at least one person and a witness. In such situations, electronic mail takes the back seat to its old-school counterpart. Many of the address labels in our collection are compatible with inkjet and laser printers, so the delivery information is clear, clean, and easy to read.
- Staplers. When you need to ensure that certain pieces of paperwork are safe and secure, whether part of a document to be signed, or something that needs to be safely stowed away, the humble stapler proves itself as one of the most essential pieces of accountant stationery in any office.
- If you work as an in-house accountant, you’ll know just how important managing invoices can be. Whether you’re signing off for petty cash or issuing invoices, duplicate books are something no self-respecting figure juggler should be without. Our range includes carbonless versions, in a layout which gives you a quick and easy reference to your transactions.
- Hole punches. Like staplers, hole punches are one of the few items of accountant stationery that still hold their own in the 21st Century. Ideal for use in conjunction with lever arch files, these allow you to prepare, collate, and organise documents for storage as part of your filing system. Our range includes heavy-duty hole punches, such as the Avansas 2024 Hole Punch 30-Sheet Capacity, which can punch holes in greater quantities of A4 sheets, to those that are lightweight and portable, such as the Avansas 2021 Hole Punch 8-Sheet Capacity, which deal with a smaller number of sheets in a single sitting.
- We all understand that numbers are part and parcel of working as an accountant. So that the margin for human error is minimised, and you can speed up your calculations, we offer an extensive range of calculators. From those that are for basic number-crunching to those that have the capacity for complex scientific equations, they’re an essential addition to any accountant’s checklist. While you might have a calculator built into your computer, you won’t have to worry about power outages or passwords because these are battery-powered. In addition, these are perfectly portable, enabling you to get some number-crunching done while you’re on the go.
- When choosing your accountancy office supplies, the focus can fall on gadgets and gizmos. While they might have the capacity to make your working day that much easier, there’s nothing to beat the analogue abilities offered by writing instruments. Whether you need a high-end fountain pen, highlighters, markers, or pencils, our range has everything you need. From working out figures and marking up documents to signing contracts, they play a vital part in offices nationwide.
- If you use a printer in your office, keeping your supplies of inkjet cartridges and toner cartridges topped up is always a good idea. We offer genuine and compatible products, so you can keep the printing presses turning according to your budgetary needs.
- Desk calendars can be a vital addition to any accountancy firm. While we offer standard desk diaries, we also offer those that help you keep an eye on the financial year. Whether you want to keep an eye on your appointments, or you want spreadsheets and pages that allow you to enter deadlines for dates, summaries of accounting periods, or the facility to remain aware of credit card closing dates, a financial desk calendar can help you stay on top of things. With no need to get to grips with specialist software, they’re proof that the best school is sometimes old-school.
- With regard to GDPR, the Information Commissioner’s Office states that “authorities can get rid of information by destroying it.” With so much sensitive information in hardcopy, a shredder has never been more important, whether you run your accountancy business from home or as part of a busy workplace. In addition to crosscut, micro-cut, and mini-cut shredders, we offer all the accessories needed to keep your shredder working at its best.
- While you feel that you might have completed your checklist for accounting supplies, there’s one that most people tend to forget about. Keeping on top of the numbers game can be literally and figuratively taxing. Ensuring that your kitchen doesn’t run dry of those essentials, such as tea, coffee, and even the occasional biscuit, can be a great way to keep your staff refreshed and morale high. In addition, when you welcome clients into your domain, offering them a cup of their favourite beverage is an excellent way to keep the wheels of the industry nicely lubricated.
Whether you’re a one-person band or you work for an international firm, we offer all the essential accounting supplies you could need. As someone with a head for numbers, check out our range, and you’ll find the best products from the best brands and, more importantly, at the best prices.
