Should I Hire a Bookkeeper or Just Use QuickBooks?
As a small business owner, you’ve probably asked yourself:
“Do I really need to hire a bookkeeper, or can I just use QuickBooks and do it myself?”
It’s a fair question – especially if you’re trying to cut costs or if you’ve just launched your business.
But here’s the truth: QuickBooks is a tool. Bookkeeping is a process. And when the stakes are your finances, tax reporting, and audit readiness, using the tool without the process can be risky.
Let’s look at what QuickBooks can do, what it can’t, and when hiring a bookkeeper is the smarter move.
What QuickBooks Does Well
QuickBooks is a powerful accounting software. It allows you to:
- Connect your bank and credit card accounts
- Generate basic profit and loss and balance sheet reports
- Send invoices and receive payments
- Reconcile bank transactions
- Manage simple payroll (with add-ons)
If you have a very simple business – such as a one-person consultancy or side hustle – QuickBooks can do the job for a while.
You can also use it for basic monthly bookkeeping tasks, as long as you stay organized and consistent.
Where QuickBooks Falls Short
QuickBooks is not a bookkeeper. It can’t:
- Review your transactions for categorization errors
- Catch missing entries
- Reconcile mismatched deposits and expenses
- Fix historical issues from past months
- Prepare your books for CPA or tax filing
- Communicate with your accountant when there are issues
And perhaps most importantly: it doesn’t do the work for you. You still have to enter, review, reconcile, and generate reports.
Download Our Free Brochure →This is where many business owners fall behind – and before they know it, their books are a mess.
If this sounds like you, we strongly recommend our catch-up bookkeeping services to bring everything current.
Signs It’s Time to Hire a Bookkeeper
You should consider hiring a bookkeeper if:
- You’re spending more than 3-5 hours a week trying to manage your books
- You’re behind by more than one month on reconciliations
- Your CPA is asking for reports you don’t know how to generate
- You have payroll, multiple bank accounts, or product inventory
- You’re running a growing business and don’t have time for details
And if your books are already messy? That’s okay. We offer QuickBooks cleanup services designed to fix historical errors fast and get you back on track.
Real Use Case: From DIY to Done-for-You
A small construction firm in Ohio used QuickBooks for three years without professional help. Over time, their chart of accounts got messy, reconciliations were skipped, and their CPA charged extra just to fix the year-end financials.
They reached out to Remote Books Online. In under 30 days:
- We cleaned up and reconciled their QuickBooks for 12 months
- Delivered clean financial reports for tax season
- Assigned a dedicated bookkeeper for monthly support
Now, they spend less than 15 minutes a month on bookkeeping, and their CPA loves them.
Bookkeeper vs. QuickBooks: What’s the Cost?
| Option | Monthly Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks only | $30-$100+ (software only) | Tool, but no one to use it |
| In-house bookkeeper | $3,000+/month | High cost, full-time employee |
| Remote Books Online | From $150/month | Tool + dedicated team |
Hiring a full-time bookkeeper can be expensive. Hiring a service like RBO gives you professional bookkeeping at a fraction of the cost – and we even include the QuickBooks subscription in your plan.
FAQs
Can I still log in to QuickBooks if I hire you?
Yes. You’ll have full access at all times. It’s your data, and you can view reports, invoices, or updates whenever you want.
What if I’ve never used QuickBooks before?
No problem. We set it up for you, or we take over your existing account and optimize it. Either way, we make the transition easy.
What’s the difference between QuickBooks cleanup and catch-up services?
Cleanup focuses on fixing messy or miscategorized transactions. Catch-up is for businesses who’ve missed multiple months and need to get up to date.
Do you work with my CPA?
Yes. We deliver monthly, CPA-ready reports and communicate directly with your accountant if needed.
Conclusion
QuickBooks is a great tool – but tools don’t do the job on their own. If you want accurate, audit-ready books without spending hours every week, hiring a bookkeeping service is the right move.
At Remote Books Online, we combine the best of both worlds:
The software + the professionals who know how to use it.
Whether you need monthly bookkeeping, cleanup, or catch-up help, we’ve got you covered.
Request your free quote today
and start with your first month free.
