The #1 thing to look for when hiring a bookkeeper

If you’re like most business owners, you’re not interested in recording all the details of every financial transaction yourself. When you need high-level business advice and official reports, then you need an accountant. Both professionals will be trusted with the details of your business finances so you can do what you do best — running your business. Bookkeepers help manage your day-to-day finances to ensure your finances are in order. They record income and outflow of money, property, and other financial assets.

• They save you time by handling all the daily financial work for you and allow you to concentrate on the running of your business.
• That will take time and may be difficult to do, because you’ll have forgotten which client to bill for a particular expense.
• Do your due diligence and ask for reference checks from accountants who have worked with your bookkeeping candidates.
• If you’re searching for a professional bookkeeper for your organization, hiring the right person for the role is crucial.
• QuickBooks is a longstanding name in the world of business accounting.
• Focus on your business and hire a virtual bookkeeper with QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping.
• You can usually ask for references of customers similar to you, so you can get an honest picture of what it’s like working with that firm.

You can keep your bookkeeping prices down by keeping track of your financial papers, collecting them by date, and making it easy for the bookkeeper. Detailed balance sheets and expense reports allow you to predict the outcome of your tax return more accurately. You’ll know the correct amount of tax deductions to report on your return and be able to quickly file your taxes. In the early stages of your business, a bookkeeper will set up your accounting and reporting systems so that you can easily track your spending. Our goal is to give 110% so they can rest easy knowing their financial status is taken care of which allows them more time to focus on the growth of their business.

Hire a Bookkeeper today

Robert Half recruiters look for bookkeeping candidates who are self-starters with solid communication, organizational and customer service skills. Technology expertise typically includes experience and proficiency with applications such as Microsoft Excel or QuickBooks. Since some bookkeeping firms also employ accountants, they may be able to handle your tax filing—and other accountant duties—in-house. This typically comes at the end of the financial year, when clients’ books need to be “closed” for tax season. Your bookkeeper may not be able to devote as much attention to your business during this time of year as they normally would. Ageras’ large-scale, comprehensive network lets us find help for businesses of every size, every industry, and every corner of the country.

A communication skills test will assess how competently and precisely your bookkeeper can communicate in a professional context and interpret non-verbal cues. Cultural fit is an important factor to consider when hiring any new employee, and hiring a bookkeeper is no different. So, we recommend that you use hard skills tests and soft skills tests to assess your candidates. You might be wondering how to choose the particular skills tests for your bookkeeper candidates to assess their skills.

Familiarity with Industry

They focus on maintaining accurate income and expenditure records that can be translated into statements of accounts, balance sheets, and other reports. What you might already know is that there is a range of places you can source bookkeeper candidates. But you’re going to want to source candidates from the relevant job boards that relate to the type of employment you’re offering. From full-time to freelance bookkeeper job boards, here are a few examples of places you can source bookkeeper candidates. The other reason your bookkeeper’s job description should be clear and accurate is that a lack of accuracy can make your job harder. You might, for instance, attract hundreds of applications that don’t know how to use the specific bookkeeping software that your organization uses.

Bookkeepers should be aware of all the tax law changes, creating a tax-efficient structure for your small business. Access all Xero features for 30 days, then decide which plan best suits your business. We can get you connected with an experienced bookkeeper through our Xero advisor directory. That’s important when you’re trying to differentiate your business from your competitors. Real-time information is also vital if you want to make sound business decisions.

It’s behavior

Bench assumes no liability for actions taken in reliance upon the information contained herein. Once you hire the right bookkeeper for your business, you’ve taken the first step to better understanding how your business works and plotting a course for future growth. Bookkeeping certifications are totally optional, unlike accounting, where a CPA designation is mandatory.

• More than 33% of small businesses fail within the 1st two years.
• Fortunately, small business bookkeeping services exist to help these companies cope with their financial paperwork.
• Bookkeepers do not usually give detailed tax advice, which falls under the scope of an accountant.
• You can choose to get help with all of your bookkeeping tasks or choose that the bookkeeper only handles parts of your bookkeeping.
• Fill out our quick form and let us know how we can help you and your business.
• The worst they can say is no, but eventually no’s will lead to yesses if you’re persistent.
• Assessing a candidate’s soft skills is no easy task, as many of those skills won’t present themselves until that candidate enters the workplace.

An excellent bookkeeper ensures that invoices are sent promptly, follows up on late payments, and manages all cash entering the business. This role can often be the difference between success how to hire a bookkeeper and failure. Maintain your accounts and have your invoicing handled by a professional. Unlike certified public accountants, bookkeepers do not need professional qualifications.

In-house staff bookkeeper

Marketing is all about making yourself different and better than the competition. This question gives potential bookkeepers the opportunity to present that message and expound upon it. This question is all about finding a good fit for your specific needs.

It is typically easier to maintain clean books throughout the year rather than trying to prepare for taxes when tax deadlines are already close. Some bookkeepers do provide tax preparation services, but usually, they’ll be doing it from their own experience, as not all bookkeepers are professional tax advisors. This may vary depending on if the prospective bookkeeper is working solo or with a bookkeeping firm.

How to Find a Good Bookkeeper: Outsourced Bookkeeping for Rural Firms

Once you have a bookkeeping lead, make sure you’re communicating effectively and are dependable by following up on any communication. Respond to their questions quickly, prepare for any meetings like they are an interview, and sell yourself to that lead to make them want to hire you. If you get a list of businesses that you would consider working for, then you can approach them, let them know you’re a bookkeeper, and share what value you can bring to their business. The worst they can say is no, but eventually no’s will lead to yesses if you’re persistent.

An accountant or a bookkeeper can help you manage your day-to-day finances. These experts monitor cash flow from different accounts, bills, and invoices, and they can organize your books to improve your business’s money management. However, before you hire a bookkeeper or an accountant, it’s important to understand the differences between the two, the pros and cons of hiring one, and what to look for in a bookkeeper. This question is important because not all bookkeeper candidates will know the bookkeeping software you use. A competent, experienced bookkeeper should understand accounting software or show signs that they can adapt to new software. But this doesn’t mean that they can’t learn or are not experienced enough for the position.

What if You don’t Hire a Bookkeeper?

In fact, there’s no requirement for any formal training, with many bookkeepers learning their craft on the job. Every business needs to maintain accurate financial records, ensure outgoing payments are processed correctly, and all monies owed are collected in a timely manner. If these critical processes are not handled with care, a company will soon find itself in financial hot water. The number of clients a bookkeeper retains varies significantly depending on the type of client and how much work the bookkeeper wishes to do each week.

Many local bookkeeping firms can provide references, helping you to hire the best bookkeeper in your locality. When it comes to referrals, ask for testimonials from past clients to know about the reputation of the bookkeeper you’re about to hire. When you understand the type of bookkeeping you need, seek referrals and start searching for trustworthy individuals. Governing associations such as AIPB, NBA, and NACPB might have job board listings and a list of certified bookkeepers available for hire. You must be familiar with these statistics if you’re a US small business owner reading this piece. The average income of a small business owner in the US is $63,560 per year (as of August 2022), while bookkeepers in the US charge between $500 and $2500.

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So both of them can both give you advice about where your business is right now – and where it’s heading. But, the books need to get done, and they need to be done each month if you want to have a successful business. Having a great workplace is crucial to finding the right talent – whatever the job title.