The Papertools blog
Practical articles on running the money side of a small business. Looking for what’s new in the product? That’s updates — company announcements live on news.
GST/HST Return Explained: What Goes on Lines 101, 105, 108 and 109
Canada's GST/HST return, line by line. What goes on 101 to 109, which rate you charge, a real quarter worked through to the dollar, and when it's due.
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VAT3 Return Explained: What Goes in T1, T2, T3 and T4
Ireland's VAT3 return, box by box. What goes in T1, T2, T3 and T4, a real two-month period worked through to the euro, and when it's due on ROS.
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Making Tax Digital for VAT: How Your Figures Actually Reach HMRC
Under Making Tax Digital, you can't type your VAT Return into HMRC. Which boxes you fill, a worked quarter, and the routes that keep your figures compliant.
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Simpler BAS Explained: What Goes in G1, 1A and 1B
Under $10 million GST turnover, your BAS asks for three GST figures: G1, 1A and 1B. What each means, a worked quarter, and the choice that changes them.
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What a Free Accounting Plan Should Include (and When It's a Dead End)
Free accounting software is easy to find. A free plan you can grow out of without migrating is not. How to tell a real limit from a dead end — and what a complete free foundation actually looks like.
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How to Read an Aging Report
The total outstanding is the least useful number on the page. What the buckets mean, why they count from the due date, and the three things worth checking every week.
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What to Do When a Client Won't Pay an Invoice
Work through the escalation ladder first. Then decide whether the invoice should be voided, credited, or written off — because they are not the same thing.
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Estimate, Invoice, or Receipt? Which Document to Send and When
Three documents, three different jobs — and sending the wrong one either leaves money uncounted or counts it twice. When to send each, and the deposit case that catches everyone.
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How to Number Invoices (Sequences, Restarting, and Gaps)
Invoice numbers only need to be sequential and unique. Here's how to pick a scheme, whether you can restart at 1 each year, and what to do when a voided invoice leaves a gap.
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How to Write an Invoice (What to Include and What to Leave Off)
Most invoices that get paid late aren't disputed — they're unclear. The eight things every invoice needs, what to add when it applies, and what to leave off entirely.
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Invoice Payment Terms: Should You Use Net 7, 15, or 30?
Net 30 is the default most small businesses inherit, and it's usually the wrong one. How to pick payment terms that match your customers and your cash cycle, and where to write them so they hold.
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How to Write a Late Payment Reminder Email (4 Templates)
Four reminder emails covering the full sequence, from a friendly heads-up three days before the due date to a final notice at fourteen days overdue. Copy, adjust, send.
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How to Get Clients to Pay Invoices on Time
Late invoices are usually a process problem, not a client problem. Here's the payment terms, invoice setup, and reminder schedule that get small business invoices paid on time.
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Proper Books Without Becoming a Bookkeeper
Small business software makes you pick: an invoice app that keeps no books, or an accounting suite built for accountants. Papertools runs on real double-entry accounting with none of the vocabulary.
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