Looking for the best bookkeeping services for your business in Brisbane?
With so many bookkeeping services around these days, it can be tough deciding which one you can trust and which is right for you.
Keep reading for tips on what to look for when hiring a bookkeeper, and you’ll be one step closer to making your business a success!
What Will a Good Bookkeeper Do for You?
As you likely already know, bookkeepers take control of managing your business’s finances and provide accurate and up-to-date financial records.
Hiring a professional to do your bookkeeping rather than doing it yourself can be highly beneficial for growing your business and being successful.
A qualified bookkeeping service will make sure that your business is compliant with the Australian Taxation Office and other necessary government responsibilities.
As experts in the financial industry, they can also guide business owners in making important financial decisions.
What to Look for When Hiring a Bookkeeper
What Are Their Qualifications and Registrations?
If you’re hiring a bookkeeper to assist with lodging your BAS in Australia, they should, as a minimum requirement, be registered as a BAS agent and the Tax Practitioners Board.
You will know that most bookkeepers have either a diploma, an accounting degree or even qualify as chartered accountants or CPAs. It could also be the case that a bookkeeper has a CA-qualified accountant overseeing their work.
Before looking at bookkeeping services, you need to determine your business’s specific needs so that you can find the right person to handle the workload required.
If you are just starting out, you may only need general bookkeeping services, while companies with more challenges will benefit more from a more specialised bookkeeper.
What is Their Expertise?
No matter what your business is, it’s fair to say that you need a bookkeeper that handles your financial accounts accurately, punctually and effectively.
There’s nothing worse than getting to the end of the financial year and realising you need to make use of accounting services to clean up a bookkeeping mess.
So, how do you check the level of expertise of the bookkeeper you would potentially hire?
All bookkeepers can process transactions, but only great, experienced bookkeepers can backtrack and review their past work to recognise errors and amend them.
A good way to gauge whether a bookkeeping business is proficient is to reach out to the clients or accountants that they are working with to find out more about their strengths and weaknesses.
Again, your specific business needs and style will be the determining factor when finding a bookkeeper. Many business owners go for people who are very detail-oriented while others prefer bookkeepers who are more strategic.
What are Their Communication Methods?
In the beginning stages, it’s more than likely that you’ll be communicating with your bookkeeper every day, at least for the first few months.
You’ll definitely know that as a business owner, time is money – so it won’t be ideal to have a bookkeeper who communicates poorly or takes up hours and hours of your day.
Working together with a bookkeeper is intended to speed up your business growth – not slow it down, so it’s important to consider this aspect when looking for a bookkeeping service.
You may want to ask the following questions:
- What is their communication style? Clear and to-the-point?
- How do they normally communicate with clients? Over the phone or via email?
- Do you have the option to choose your communication preferences?
Are they Trained in Using Xero or other Cloud Accounting Software?
Finding a bookkeeper that has experience using the latest cloud computing technology, like Xero, is a big advantage in today’s modern world.
This will allow your bookkeeping to be secure and highly accessible from any location – plus, you won’t be accumulating stacks of books.
Some other advantages of hiring a bookkeeper that is familiar with cloud software are:
- All your business transactions and financial data can be kept in one place
- It takes seconds to back up or restore your financial records
- You can easily perform functions like invoicing and payroll
- The software can be connected to a live business bank feed
The Bottom Line
In a nutshell, the right bookkeeper for your small business will be the one that aligns with your objectives and goals, fits in with the culture of your company, and offers the knowledge and experience to help your business succeed.
The bookkeeper’s expertise and passion for what they do will reflect in their work.