Accounting for individuals and small business entrepreneurs is not just about that dreaded tax deadline.  It’s important to think of it as an ongoing process for the entire year. This way, it becomes less overwhelming when you’re in that tax crunch in April.  Here are some tips that will help you in the long run:

• Save Your Documents – Basically, whether you spent money on it or monies were remitted to you, save the financial record of it, e.g., receipts, cancelled checks, invoices, all need to be easily accessible. Make this a habit.  It’ll be far less stressful for you to set aside a regular time to go over the records you have.
• Categorize Your Expenses – Keep your business and personal expenditures separate.
• Understand Your Tax Bracket – Tax brackets show you the tax rate you will pay on each portion of your income.
• Ask for Help – Hire an accountant or Tax Professional to assist you. It may be long term, but it may also be on a consultancy basis; someone to reach out to and ask specific questions or touch base with as your financial picture changes. 

These things will help you build an effective and realistic budget for the foreseeable future.