How to Hire a Bookkeeper for Your Small Business: A Simple Guide
Hiring a bookkeeper can be one of the most important financial decisions you make for your small business. Whether you’re overwhelmed with receipts or just tired of guessing your cash flow, a reliable bookkeeper can keep you organized, compliant, and ready for growth.
Why Hiring a Bookkeeper Matters
Bookkeepers don’t just handle data entry-they give you financial clarity. With a professional managing your books, you’ll:
- Know your exact cash position
- Avoid costly tax errors
- Free up hours of admin time
- Have clean books for your CPA or tax preparer
- Be better prepared for scaling, funding, or audits
Options: In-House vs. Freelance vs. Outsourced
In-House:
You hire a bookkeeper as an employee. This works for larger businesses but adds payroll, training, and HR overhead.
Freelance:
Good for occasional needs, but can be inconsistent, and quality varies.
Outsourced Bookkeeping Services:
A dedicated bookkeeping team manages your finances remotely, often at a lower cost with more consistency.
What to Look For When Hiring
- Familiarity with QuickBooks or Xero
- Experience in your industry
- CPA review or support
- Weekly or monthly reporting
- Transparent pricing
- U.S.-based or global compliance coverage
Test Case: Hiring an Outsourced Bookkeeper vs. Freelance Help
Before:
Alex, a retail store owner, hired a part-time freelance bookkeeper who worked on spreadsheets. There were delays, and tax season was chaotic.
After:
Alex switched to RemoteBooksOnline. He got a dedicated team, full QuickBooks access, and CPA-reviewed reports. Tax filing took 30 minutes instead of 3 days.
Cost to Hire a Bookkeeper
- In-House: $45,000-$60,000/year
- Freelance: $30-$80/hour
- Outsourced: Starts at $150/month (CPA-reviewed, flat rate)
FAQs
How do I choose between freelance and outsourced bookkeeping?
Freelancers work solo. Outsourced services give you a team, with better reliability and usually lower cost.
Will outsourced bookkeepers work with QuickBooks?
Yes. RemoteBooksOnline works directly in your QuickBooks Online account.
Can I hire a bookkeeper temporarily?
Yes. Start with catch-up bookkeeping and scale to monthly service as needed.
Hiring a bookkeeper doesn’t have to be complicated. Let us show you how easy it can be.
Not sure if you need help every month? Try our Catch-Up Bookkeeping to clean things up first.
If you want consistent support without the hiring, our Monthly Bookkeeping Services are tailored for small businesses.
