A virtual bookkeeper is an independent contractor that keeps track of your books remotely via secure bookkeeping applications in the cloud. A virtual bookkeeper is not an employee of your business, however they work alongside your business to serve the bookkeeping needs of your operation. Communication is mainly via email or phone/video calls. If your virtual bookkeeper is local, then in-person meetings may take place.

Contrary to popular belief, accountants and bookkeepers perform distinctly different tasks for the businesses that they serve. Accountants are usually less hands on, and do things like advising, auditing and tax preparation. Bookkeepers are responsible for the on-going maintenance of their clients’ books, and provide financial reporting that assist business owners to run their business. A good bookkeeper will make life easier for you and your accountant. 

Small businesses no longer need to work with a local bookkeeper. The internet and cloud technology makes it easy for bookkeepers to securely access their clients books anytime, anywhere. Business owners can now select a bookkeeper who truly understands their industry and operations, instead of hiring the local, community bookkeeper by default.

Save Money and Space: Bringing on a full-time employee can be expensive and comes with costs beyond their salary – like benefits and the office space and equipment required to get the job done. Hiring a virtual bookkeeper means that you don’t have to find a physical space to house a new person, and since they’re a freelancer, you’re not responsible for providing things like health insurance that an employer would be required to furnish.

Add an Expert to Your Team: Virtual bookkeepers spend their entire day doing bookkeeping and competing for new business for a variety of companies. This means they’ll know all of the ins and outs of their business, and will be working to increase their own skills daily to remain competitive in their field. Not only that, but because they get a behind-the-scenes look at how all of their clients manage their respective businesses, they’re constantly gaining new knowledge and best practices that they can apply to the work they do for you.

The Latest and Greatest Tools: Any time you take on a new responsibility in-house at your company, there’s also the need to bring on the requisite tools and technology to get the job done. When you hire a freelance virtual bookkeeper, they’re responsible for providing the necessary software and for keeping everything up to date. This means one less set of systems and processes for you to worry about internally.

Actually, just the opposite! Instead of spending your time organizing and entering information into your books, you’ll be able to spend more time managing the operations and sales functions of your business. Having an outsourced bookkeeping service is like having a trusted advisor monitoring your books to make sure things run appropriately, while you focus on what you do best – running your business.