Bookkeeping is the monthly recording and reconciliation of every transaction a business makes, and accounting is turning those records into statements a tax officer, an auditor or a banker will accept. In Kolkata the job carries an extra layer most generic services miss. There is West Bengal profession tax in payroll, a GST file that may sit with a state officer, and trading habits, from Burrabazar cash counters to Dalhousie export advances, that standard templates do not handle. This page explains who needs it, how we run it here and what it costs.
Do you need accounting and bookkeeping in Kolkata?
Every registered business does, and the trigger is usually one of these:
- GST registration, which means monthly or quarterly returns that must reconcile to the books
- A private limited company or LLP, which must produce audited financials for ROC West Bengal every year
- Employees, which brings TDS, PF and West Bengal profession tax into payroll
- A bank loan or working capital limit, where the bank wants monthly stock and debtor statements
- Growth past the point where the owner can remember who owes what
A Burrabazar textile wholesaler crossing ₹40 lakh in turnover hits the GST threshold and the bookkeeping need in the same month. A Dalhousie tea exporter hits it the day the first overseas advance lands and needs to be tracked against shipments.
How does bookkeeping work for a Kolkata business?
Our monthly cycle runs in four moves:
- Capture: invoices, purchase bills, expense receipts and payroll are recorded weekly in Tally or Zoho Books, with GST input credit tagged on every eligible bill.
- Payroll posting: salaries, TDS, PF and West Bengal profession tax deductions are posted from one register, so the net pay on the payslip matches Form 24Q and the state return.
- Reconciliation: bank, cash, debtor and creditor balances are matched before month end, and every difference is resolved with you rather than parked in suspense.
- Reporting: by the 7th of the next month you get the profit and loss statement, cash position, ageing lists and the GST liability figure, followed by a short review call.
The chart of accounts is designed at onboarding to mirror your GST registration, which is why the monthly return and the books never disagree.
Who is your tax officer in Kolkata, and why does it matter for the books?
Your GST file sits with either a West Bengal state officer under the Directorate of Commercial Taxes, West Bengal, which runs wbcomtax.gov.in, or a central CGST officer in Kolkata. Either can ask for the books behind a return, and physical verification of the principal place of business is within their powers. Profession tax sits with the same state directorate. Income tax and TDS sit with the centre.
Good books answer all three without being rebuilt. A cash book reconciled weekly, input credit tagged bill by bill and a payroll ledger that carries the profession tax column are what make a Kolkata verification a short conversation instead of a long one.
What will bookkeeping cost you?
Our monthly fee starts at ₹1,499 and rises with transaction volume and the number of bank accounts, not with turnover. Here is what the monthly calendar looks like once the books are in order:
| Deadline | What | Why the books must be ready |
|---|---|---|
| 7th of the month | TDS deposit | Payroll and vendor ledgers closed for the previous month |
| 11th of the month | GSTR-1 | Sales register reconciled to invoices |
| 20th of the month | GSTR-3B | Purchase register reconciled for input credit |
| Monthly | West Bengal profession tax deposit | Payroll register with slab deductions posted |
| 7th of the month | Management reports | Bank and cash reconciled through month end |
GST return filing, TDS returns, the annual audit and ROC filings are separate services, and most Kolkata clients bundle them with bookkeeping at a combined rate so one team holds the whole calendar.
What does the file contain?
- GST registration certificate and login access for return reconciliation
- Bank statements or read only feeds for every business account
- Sales invoices and purchase bills, shared weekly through the folder
- Payroll register with salaries, joining dates and the West Bengal profession tax slab for each employee
- Opening balances or last year's audited financials if you are moving from another accountant
- Loan sanction letters and fixed asset invoices
For a trading house in Burrabazar, the daily cash register is the document that matters most, and we set up a simple format on day one.
What deadlines apply?
- Weekly: invoices and bills recorded, cash register updated
- Last week of the month: bank, cash, debtor and creditor reconciliation
- 7th of the following month: management reports delivered and TDS deposited
- 11th and 20th: GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B filed from reconciled ledgers
- Monthly: West Bengal profession tax deposited from the payroll register
- Year end: audit schedules ready by April so the auditor signs in time for the September AGM
How does West Bengal profession tax change the payroll ledger?
In most states a payroll ledger carries gross pay, TDS, PF and net pay. In West Bengal it carries a fifth column: profession tax, deducted under the state's 1979 Act and capped at ₹2,500 per person a year, with monthly deductions that top out at ₹200 for salaried staff. The deduction goes to the state directorate, not to the centre, on its own schedule.
When payroll is run by one firm and books by another, this column is where they drift apart, and the employee's payslip stops matching Form 16. We post profession tax from the same register that feeds TDS, so a Dalhousie exporter's 18 staff and a Burrabazar counter's 6 staff get payslips that reconcile to every return filed on their behalf.
Why choose LegalX India for bookkeeping in Kolkata?
LegalX India is a Kolkata firm at 58B, Bidhan Park, Taki Road, Barasat, Kolkata 700124, and our accountants keep books for businesses across the city, from Burrabazar trading houses to Salt Lake Sector V startups. You get a named accountant, ledgers built around your GST registration and West Bengal payroll, monthly reports by the 7th, and audit ready schedules without a year end rebuild. The fee starts at ₹1,499 a month and is quoted in writing before you commit.
The national guide covers software choices and reporting formats in our complete accounting and bookkeeping guide for India. For a Kolkata business, call +91 96356 85435 or request a callback and an accountant scopes your books and quotes a monthly fee within 30 minutes.