How to Hire a Bookkeeper: Considerations + Free Job Template

hiring a bookkeeper

These experts monitor cash flow from different accounts, bills and invoices and can organize your books to improve money management. We’ll share the pros and cons of https://www.quick-bookkeeping.net/ and explain how these financial professionals operate. Juvy is a highly experienced HR and payroll software writer with over 12 years of dedicated expertise. She has a deep passion for technology and a keen understanding of the HR and payroll industry.

  1. This knowledge allows you to budget more accurately and make informed decisions during the hiring process.
  2. You can access your account through a mobile app for on-the-go tracking.
  3. Read our review of Xero for more information on features and pricing.
  4. For example, a bookkeeper may be required to learn a specific accounting software system or participate in certain meetings.
  5. A local freelance bookkeeper should be able to visit your business in person in order to collect and organize your paperwork.

They can take away the day-to-day recording of receipts, invoices and other transactions. If you opt to hire a bookkeeping employee and want more in-depth tips, check out our guide to hiring employees. Make sure your job ad includes a few brief sentences about your company.

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If you find the person’s background screen results disqualify them from employment, consider the legal implications. When you make a hiring decision based on the background check results, it’s considered an adverse employment decision subject to anti-discrimination employment laws. To be lawful, you must base your decision on a non-discriminatory reason.

hiring a bookkeeper

She is a former Google Tech Entrepreneur and holds an MSc in international marketing from Edinburgh Napier University. Magazine and the founder of ProsperBull, a financial literacy program taught in U.S. high schools. Below is a sample bookkeeper job description https://www.kelleysbookkeeping.com/ that you can customize to meet the needs of your business. However, you want to at least include education, experience and licensing requirements in your job description. It’s best if you can find someone who uses the same accounting software as your accountant.

This is vital information that directly relates to the core duties of the role. Ask the candidate to explain anything you are concerned about in the background report. Your bookkeeper will have access to highly sensitive information about both your company and employees. You must protect your existing employees’ confidential data by ensuring you hire a trustworthy employee. When interviewing applicants, you need to know that candidates have the right skills for the job. Open-ended questions and icebreakers are great ways to start a conversation with an applicant.

Bookkeeper Qualifications

A bookkeeper who has worked only with fashion retailers, for instance, may not have the knowledge and experience to do an equally good job for an air-conditioning company. In other words, the relevance of a candidate’s experience is often more important than the duration of experience. Make sure to validate any certifications claimed by candidates through the issuing organization to ensure credibility. Bookkeepers create important data for your company, but who “owns” this data if the relationship expires? If the bookkeeper has ownership it could make ending the relationship contentious and disruptive.

But you have to determine the applicant’s skill level and proficiency with bookkeeping tasks. You should consider hiring an accountant when you require expertise in complex financial matters, tax compliance, or strategic financial guidance. With a reliable bookkeeper, you can focus on your business instead of constantly worrying about cash flow and expenses.

Financial accountants calculate assets and liabilities and show outside investors how a firm is doing. Cost accountants analyze financial processes within an organization and makes recommendations for improved cost control management. Bookkeepers are expected to do the day-to-day recording of receipts, invoices and other transactions. Hiring an accountant will provide business insights based on bookkeeping information.

hiring a bookkeeper

Here’s a step-by-step guide to make sure you hire the right bookkeeper. A bookkeeper is a financial professional who can handle your business’s money management and save you time, money and headaches. However, allowing someone else to manage your finances can pose risks for your business.

Do you need a bookkeeper if you use account software?

FreshBooks is a popular accounting solution with many bookkeeping tools for small businesses. It can generate invoices and handle billing reminders and financial reports. The software has an easy-to-use interface and integrates https://www.online-accounting.net/ with PayPal, Google Workspace, Stripe and other platforms. It also has a mobile app that lets you update and track your books on the go. Read our detailed FreshBooks review to learn more about features and pricing.

You can find more information on our article on behavioral interview topics and questions. The CPB is certified by the National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers (NACPB) and is the more accessible of the two certs. As you continue working with them, a flat rate may become feasible, and offer the benefit of a predictable bookkeeping expense in your monthly budget.

A bookkeeper is responsible for recording and maintaining a company’s daily financial transactions. They also prepare reports for the managers and trial balances to assist the accountants. A bookkeeper may also help you run payroll, collect debts, generate invoices and make payments.

But it’s important to acknowledge that not all bookkeepers are created equal. Some commit to exacting standards for quality and consistency, and some, quite frankly, do not. The challenge is identifying which bookkeepers you can trust with your finances before you actually formalize your relationship.

Throughout her career, she has diligently stayed up-to-date with the latest advancements in HR and payroll software, constantly exploring new features, trends, and emerging technologies. Many companies have a background check policy to run a criminal background check on all new hires. You should consider hiring a bookkeeper when you need ongoing support in these areas to ensure that your financial records are up-to-date and accurate. We offer a full guide on how to write a job description, but there are a few points we want to call out here specifically for bookkeeping. As stated, it’s dependent on your company’s needs and how you plan to grow your business. If a remote bookkeeping service is worth hiring, they ought to be able to guarantee a certain level of quality.

Legal Implications of Rejecting Based on Background Results

Bookkeeping is a valuable service, but it must still be fairly priced. Learn what pricing structure is in place, and don’t hesitate to bring up hidden costs and punitive fees. Once you have a clear understanding of costs, compare those to the cost of in-house accounting and to the fees of other prospective bookkeepers. Remember that lowering your current costs may be possible, but the overarching goal is to improve accounting. Anyone with access to sensitive employee and financial data must guard it aggressively.

With fewer geographic constraints, we have a larger talent pool than ever to draw from. We can find remote bookkeepers who are the right match for your specific needs. And we can help you with the hiring process from beginning to end. Accountants are often asked to interpret complex data and analyses, with duties such as producing profit-and-loss statements and filing taxes.

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