Everybody seems to be going green these days, and with good reason. As a business, it is important to do what we can to operate “greener”. There are things a business can do with their accounting and payroll systems that will make a large impact on the environment. As an added benefit to your company, while you are going green you will be streamlining your processes, saving processing time, and saving money too.

1. Send invoices and statements via e-mail instead of via snail mail.

   These days nearly every business has an e-mail address. Set up customers with e-mail addresses to have their invoices and statements sent via e-mail. The environment will benefit in many ways, including the savings of gas to deliver the mail, the trees saved from the paper, and the gas emissions cut out. There are added benefits your company. You will save on the cost of stamps, invoice paper, envelopes, printer ink, and the cost of the time to print, mail and stuff the envelopes. What’s more, customers will have their invoices and statements instantly, promoting faster payment! If your business sends 300 invoices per month, that adds up to 3,600 sheets of invoice paper and 3,600 envelopes per year!

2. Use direct deposit instead of printing paychecks.

   Imagine the amount of paper saved if you print checks every week for 100 employees. By paying employees with direct deposit, a company would save 5,200 envelopes and 5,200 checks per year. Save even more by skipping the printing of the pay stubs, and have your employees receive e-mail notifications about their pay, and the ability to log on and view pay data online.

3. File tax forms electronically instead of printing and sending forms via mail.

   Do you order tax forms every year? Think of the time you spend ordering them, the cost, and the impact of all that paper. This year, file your tax forms electronically, and you can save the paper from the forms, the envelopes, and the stamps.

4. Send and store reports electronically rather than printing.

   You likely run financial reports every month, whether it’s an income statement, balance sheet, or a long list of other reports you run for your business. You likely send the reports around to people who view them once, and then shred or throw them in the trash. Send the reports via e-mail, and you will save a significant amount of paper each month. Those who wish to keep the reports for later viewing can either store them in an e-mail storage file, or they can save the documents in a password protected file.

5. Keep track of handwritten information in a computer spreadsheet.

   Sometimes it seems easier to just track things on paper instead of using a spreadsheet on your computer. Some of the things people still track on paper include serial and lot numbers, customer orders, customer pricing, and much more. Most people are shocked to learn how much time is saved by entering this information into a computer system instead of on paper! Most accounting software and/or payroll software can handle the storage of this information. By backing up the information on a regular basis, you can ensure this data does not get lost. Not only does this save on paper, it keeps information more accurate and easily accessible from one location.