What Is A Bookkeeper?

As a small business owner, we know that you like to do everything that you can on your own so that you can save as much money as possible. When you first start your business, you think that it will be pretty easy for you to do your own bookkeeping. After a while, you will probably discover that it is taking too much of your time and you are falling behind. Maybe you will bring in your spouse or family member to do the bookkeeping for you. But they don’t have any experience in payroll so you just fall even more behind. Outsourcing your bookkeeping duties is the perfect solution for you. But what is a bookeeper?

A bookkeeper handles the day-to-day tasks such as new hire paperwork, submitting invoices, paying the bills, etc. They are also in charge of tracking company expenses. They must make sure that every penny is accounted for so that when it is time to file taxes, all of the information is recorded correctly and is not questioned by the IRS.

If you are able to hire a local tax professional to do your bookkeeping, that is ideal. However, for most business owners, this is not possible. Either the person is not as qualified as you would like them to be, or they want more money than you can afford. If you do hire someone that is not a professional to start, it is important that you offer continuing training for them because the tax laws change frequently. Having a new hire bookkeeper isn’t a good excuse when the IRS comes knocking.

Having just a bookkeeper on staff isn’t everything either. They have to know your systems or be able to implement them, and depending on their role, can have a massive role in your business, and be a big failure point. Bookkeepers are often in charge of payroll, receipt filing, and play a role in taxes. Any one of those things failing could have large ramifications for your business. Thus, it’s important to take time with your hire, and even understanding the role a bit yourself so that you can ask the right questions has zero downside. Reputation means a lot. References, work history, and certifications/training/experience should all be individually weighed.

We mentioned a middle ground above. If you are not wanting to hire someone specifically for bookkeeping, tax professional or rookie, but don’t want to do it yourself, call RQB. We can do all of your bookkeeping services including payroll and accounting. And taxes aren’t something we’re shy with either. We can help your own tax professional by leaps and bounds.