Guide to relocating important financial records to another state

Relocating a business to another state is a complicated task. Not only that you need to think about your business plans and how to get everything going but you also need to organize the relocation process itself. One of the most difficult parts of this process, however, will be relocating important financial records to another state. But don’t worry, the best movers in California will teach you how to do it in a proper manner.

The most important financial documents that you need to pay special attention to

There are many documents that you need to handle and keep when running a business. Still, not all papers are that important. So what are considered the most important financial records one business has? Here are some of the most important documents that your business owns:

• Profit and loss (P&L) statements
• Cash flow statements
• Balance sheet (Statement of financial position)
• Statements of shareholders’ equity
• Tax returns
• Aging reports (Accounts receivable/accounts payable)

When relocating important financial records to another state, you need to make sure that these particular documents are handled with utmost care. So, let’s take a look at how to do it.

Get rid of old paperwork

Relocating important documents to another state can be easy and it can be complicated. It can be complicated if you also need to deal with thousands of other documents that are not that important. That is why your first task is to go through your documentation and sort it all out. You will certainly find dozens of documents that are old enough to be removed. This will help you a lot with moving the papers that are important. But be careful when doing this. You don’t want to accidentally remove important documents. So, check each paper twice and be sure to consult with your financial advisor before actually removing papers that you think are not important.

Sort your documents by date and type

Once you removed excess paperwork, you can start preparing important documents for your interstate move. First, you need to sort them all out. Sort them by years, months, and categories. Now, how much time this will take depends on the age of your company. If you are on the market for only a year or two, this won’t take more than 15 minutes. On the other hand, if your business is operating for years, you might want to include some of your workers in the process to speed things up a little bit. Just make sure that you trust this only to your most reliable employees.

Make digital copies

Before you start packing your important financial records for the move, you need to make copies. You want digital copies at this point. So scan every document and make a digital copy that you can later print if something happens to the originals. Then, upload your copies to some cloud storage and copy them to a USB stick. This will ensure that you have all important documents even if something happens to physical copies. Once you are done, you can start preparing them for the move.

Packing supplies you will need when relocating important financial records to another state

Packing is the most important part when moving financial records to another state. To be able to do it properly, you will need to prepare proper packing supplies. For this, you will need:

• Plastic containers or cardboard boxes
• Plastic cover sheets for documents
• File organizer box
• Bubble wrap
• Plastic sheeting
• Packing tape
• Labels and markers

Wondering where to find proper packing materials? The best moving companies in Carmel CA, for example, have most of the packing materials that you need. They will be able to supply you with everything except plastic cover sheets and file organizers.

Packing important documents for the move

Keeping your financial records properly is the key to their longevity. Hopefully, you were keeping them properly stored in plastic casings and folders in your office. If not, now it’s time to do it. Find plastic sheet covers and place one document in one plastic sheet. Then, place them in a file organizer in an orderly fashion. Close the organizer and put it in a cardboard or plastic box depending on what you have. Seal the box with a lid or packing tape and wrap it with bubble wrap or plastic sheeting. Label the box properly and you are done.

Hiring movers vs. transporting documents on your own

Moving important financial records is easy if you are hiring some professional commercial movers California has to offer. Still, even if you are hiring movers and their packing services, you need to pack your documents on your own. So make sure that your documents are properly packed before your movers arrive. Their task will be only to load, transport, and unload them at your desired destination.

If you are not hiring a moving company, you need to handle the transport on your own. If that is the case, there are a few key points that you need to watch out for.

• The boxes with important documents need to be properly packed and visibly labeled
• Do not overweigh the boxes. Documentation can be heavy
• A box with documents needs to be wrapped in plastic to protect the paperwork from precipitation
• Be careful where you put down your boxes. Put them only on dry grounds

Think about keeping your documents in storage

As you can see, relocating important financial records to another state is a delicate matter that requires certain preparation. Unfortunately, transporting documents across the country is just the first part. Then, you also need to find a good place to store them. You can, of course, find an appropriate place in your new office. But you can also ask your cross country movers California whether they provide storage. Keeping your extensive paperwork outside of your office can be a good thing for your business. Think about it.