An HOA Accounting Guide For HOA Board Members HOAM

Understanding the laws special to your state will save you a lot of time and trouble. It can also protect your association and board from potential legal issues. The new Accounting Software from FreshBooks empowers HOA managers like you to spend less time on bookkeeping and more time doing what you love. Condo Manager is specifically designed to cater to HOAs and COAs, although property managers can still use their suite of features.

• The Cash Basis doesn’t conform with GAAP, which means it’s an unacceptable method when preparing your official financial statements.
• This report has a receivable counterpart, usually known as the account delinquency report, which shows all of the money owed to the association.
• Further, the Balance Sheet will include Assessments Receivable, Prepaid Assessments and Accounts Payable, and totals for each will agree to their respective detailed reports.
• Also many physicians, law firms, other professional firms, and small service-type businesses rely on a modified cash basis of accounting.
• They may also divide their time between managing the HOA and other responsibilities.
• Most importantly, having detailed financial statements readily available to all HOA members can promote transparency between the board and the community.

For example, when tracking sources or revenue, don’t group it all into one account. While this seems like more work, this documentation strategy will pay off in the long run. Owners appreciate this, and future board members who will need to review old financial records will be thankful as well. The current board will also be able to make better sense of expense and revenue streams. A financial audit is an in-depth study of an association’s financial reports. The goal of an audit is to give an HOA an independent and objective evaluation of the financial reporting process used, and give the association assurance that its financial statements are accurate and complete.

Accounts payable and receivable

The financial statements resulting from accrual accounting are less precise than cash flow statements but are at the same time more complex and more useful. The accrual basis of accounting is essentially a process of recording cash inflows and outflows of all four types. Whether your HOA’s governing documents require it or not, it is often recommend that associations with a large cash flow get an annual audit. Some board members choose to get a yearly audit, while others choose to simply get their financials reviewed. Your HOA management company may have someone on staff that can do this for you, or may even be able to recommend a reputable Certified Public Accountant (CPA) for the job.

• HOA demand fees are the unpaid debts that must be paid to the association before a homeowner can sell their property.
• These documents will be available to everyone in the community, most of which do not have advanced accounting degrees.
• To attract a new generation of homeowners, associations are revisioning communities beyond the usual tennis courts, business centers, and holiday parties.
• Professional HOA accounting services often help HOAs keep on top of finances.
• That way, if you run into an emergency and need to track your time for a client later that evening, you don’t have to worry about not having the app with you.
• It also gives community members peace of mind when there is accurate and efficient management of finances.
• Setting up a streamlined process for your homeowners association company accounting can make it much more efficient to handle and safeguard against costly errors.

This means making sure that any questions or concerns from residents are handled efficiently and professionally. It means that the HOA ensures that residents are paying their fees on time. And it means that any events or amenities are being taken care of without overspending. So, an HOA board can’t meet every day of the week or make sure that everyone’s paid their fees on time.

Timely and Accurate Financial Reports Provide Control

If so, it is relatively inexpensive to hire an accountant as needed to prepare balance sheets. Doing this ensures that all the information will be completed in a timely manner. It also removes the need to take time out of community volunteers’ busy schedules. This alone relieves some of that stress from the board members as well. HOA accounting is probably one of the most complex, and most important, responsibilities of the association board. Preparing financial reports on a regular basis is important for many reasons.

For example, budgets are pivotal in establishing levels of dues, taxes, and fees to be imposed. For example, while some CIRAs contract with property management companies, others hire employees to work directly https://www.bookstime.com/ for the board of directors and carry out its management responsibilities. Still other CIRAs rely almost exclusively on volunteer management and occasional contractors and consultants, as needed.

Statement of Income and Expense

The most common mistake that people make when preparing HOA financial statements is not adding enough detail. Add every detail, no matter how small, so you have a more thorough insight and better decision-making. If you only need help with accounting, though, it might be better to seek help from an accounting firm, CPA, or a financial management company. If you have an HOA management company, they may offer audits as part of their HOA accounting services. FreshBooks time-tracker can be used in the mobile app and synced with your accounting software.

• An audit identifies any inaccuracies in your records in an effort to remedy them.
• Of course, not all information needs to be publicly accessible, but you should include everything that can be included.
• Because of financial transactions that have not been received by the bank such as checks issued or deposits not yet recorded by the bank (in Transit) the bank will show a different balance than the association.
• The primary function of the finance department is to achieve an accurate and consistent record of information on financial transactions of the organization.
• Auditors should review minutes and consider matters that may affect the CIRA’s financial statements.
• If your chosen accounting software provider has security systems in place – such as OKTA – this may make them a safe candidate.

This article was a simple introduction to help you understand the HOA accounting factors that will determine which accounting basis you will likely use for your homeowner’s association. Your accountant will help you understand and choose the right approach for your HOA. An HOA Financial Statement is an official record that details all the HOA or condo association’s financial activities. HOA demand fees are the unpaid debts that must be paid to the association before a homeowner can sell their property. Community Financials offers our clients a simple and inexpensive way to avoid paying attorneys for delinquent fees and their costs which they may or may not recover for the association. Furthermore, the board can use this report to compare actual expenses incurred versus the budget allocated.

Administrative Mailings to Owners are Approved Prior to Sending

A reserve study is performed to analyze the reserve account’s present status and create a plan to grow it. Capital expenditure is the disbursement of funds to improve or acquire capital components like machinery or buildings. Our online bill approval system requires two Board members (with their unique login) to review all invoices and approve them prior to payment. Basically, it shows you whether or not you made money in the past month. HOA fees can cover the cost of everything from basic recycling, landscaping and snow removal, to luxury dog parks, spas, valets and gyms, to uber-luxury on-site concierge, barista, fitness trainer, bellhop, and masseur services.

Large homeowner’s associations have more complex budgets and will usually have a management company, such as CSM, that handles all financial data. Some community associations even opt to put their financial information on their website to allow homeowners to view it at hoa accounting any time. Of course, not all information needs to be publicly accessible, but you should include everything that can be included. Transparent financial processes help to promote teamwork and positive community relations between homeowners and association board members.