It’s kind of like a crystal ball that shows you the future of your bank account. What’s more, if your books aren’t up to date, you’ll have a ton of catch up bookkeeping to do during tax season, making a typically stressful time of year even more difficult. First, start tracking how much time you spend per week on bookkeeping. Then, using an online calculator, determine how much your time is worth, and figure out how many “dollars” you spend on bookkeeping per month. They save you time by handling all the daily financial work for you and allow you to concentrate on the running of your business. The real-time information they collect can help them offer you new insight into your business.

This blog will walk you through why every small business needs one. You’ll learn how to find one, what they do, and everything else you need to know. All your hard work bringing in new business and keeping customers happy counts for nothing if you’re not making more money. Your hard work bringing in new business counts for nothing if you’re not making more money.

Hire an In-House Accountant or Bookkeeper

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Using your job board of choice, you can scan for bookkeepers in your area with the experience you seek. Most bookkeepers should have at least some experience hire a bookkeeper with Microsoft Excel. Some aspiring professionals may pursue internships or practicums while pursuing postsecondary degrees or certificate programs.

Bookkeeper salary and hourly cost by state

You can opt to hire a full-time bookkeeper, but many small businesses start by using a contractor until they grow into needing an employee on staff. These days, most local options use the same bookkeeping software as virtual bookkeepers. By syncing up with your bank accounts and credit cards, the software allows bookkeepers to automatically record transactions, categorize them, and create financial reports. A virtual bookkeeper handles your bookkeeping remotely—they may not be in your town or even your time zone. All communication and financial document storage is handled within bookkeeping software. Your virtual bookkeeper categorizes your transactions and prepares financial statements for your business.

While bookkeeping is more than just copying numbers into a spreadsheet, it is a basic finance position, so you don’t need to look for someone with decades of experience. While bookkeepers have no licensing requirements like a CPA, voluntary organizations can certify applicants. You want a bookkeeper who is up-to- date on relevant laws and maintains a certain skill level.

At tax time, you send way too many emails to your accountant

And, out of all virtual bookkeeping services, Bench is the highest rated by users. You may be better off with a virtual bookkeeper who is already familiar with businesses like your own. They’ll categorize transactions for you and be more familiar with tax deductions and credits relevant to your business. In fact, you may find you rarely need to meet with your local bookkeeper in person.