Outsourced bookkeeping for CPA and accounting firms

Bank reconciliations and month-end journal entries for your bookkeeping clients, done in QuickBooks or Xero by an offshore accountant assigned to your firm.

Updated

Every month, your manager gets each client's bank reconciliations and month-end entries, plus a list of what wouldn't reconcile.

The work happens in each client's own ledger, so the reconciliations and journal entries sit where your reviewers already look. The same accountant stays on a client from one month-end close to the next.

Weeks to live work after the first call
3
Firm each accountant is assigned to
1
Shortlisted accountants you choose from
2–3

What each close delivers

01

Reconciled accounts in the client's own file

Bank accounts reconciled to their statements in QuickBooks or Xero, with the month-end journal entries from your close checklist posted.

02

A list of what wouldn't reconcile

Every item that won't reconcile is listed with its account and amount, so your manager can decide which ones need following up.

03

Questions only the client can answer

When a reconciliation is waiting on a missing statement, or on the reason behind a transfer, the question goes on the open-questions list. Your firm chooses whether to raise it with the client, and how.

Bank reconciliations for each client

Bank accounts are reconciled to their statements each month in the client's QuickBooks or Xero file, following the close checklist your staff use for that client.

Some items won't clear, such as a deposit that matches no invoice, or a transfer that shows in one bank feed and not the other. Those items stay open on the reconciliation and go on the list your manager gets with the close.

Running the month-end close

The rest of the close follows that same checklist, and the accountant posts the month-end journal entries it calls for.

When the same client's vendor bills come to us as outsourced accounts payable work, and your checklist includes the AP tie-out, the AP aging is agreed to the ledger in that same close. Tax returns, payroll and the rest of the work firms hand us are listed under outsourced accounting services, and our pricing page has the on-demand rates for that work.

Run a bookkeeping or EA firm? See outsourcing for accounting firms.

After your manager has reviewed the month, set the closing date in QuickBooks or the lock date in Xero, so nobody edits the closed period by accident.

What we need from your firm to start

The accountant needs four things from your firm before the first close.

  • A named user in each client's QuickBooks or Xero file for the accountant, with MFA and the permissions your firm sets.
  • The close checklist you use for each client, or your firm's workpaper standards if a client has no checklist.
  • One person at your firm for open questions, who can answer them while the close is still in progress.
  • The clients to start with, chosen by your firm.

Our security page covers the controls on each login, and our page on how onboarding works sets out each step from the first call to live work.

What bookkeeping costs

One dedicated accountant handles the books for [__] of your clients.

Dedicated
$1,800–$6,500
A month, for an accountant who works only on your firm
On-demand bookkeeping
White-label
Books you send as needed, returned under your firm's name. Price: [__], depending on the work and its complexity.
Two women go over reports at a desk
Start with one month of books for a few clients
2 weeks
Start a 2-week pilot
Start a 2-week pilot

Questions about outsourced bookkeeping

What does outsourced bookkeeping include?

Monthly bank reconciliations and the month-end journal entries your close checklist calls for, done in each client's QuickBooks or Xero file. Your manager gets the reconciled file and a list of the items that wouldn't tie, and anything that needs the client goes to your team as an open question.

Which accounting software do your bookkeepers work in?

The client files your firm already works in, such as QuickBooks or Xero. The accountant signs in to each one under their own named user with MFA, and your firm decides which files that user can open. If a client keeps its books in other software, send us the name before the pilot and we'll tell you whether we can work in it.

Who checks the books before our reviewers see them?

The accountant reconciles each bank account to its statement and lists what won't tie. A US-based manager on our side reviews that work every week, and the final review stays with your reviewers.

Do your bookkeepers contact our clients?

No. When a file is missing a statement, or a transaction needs an explanation only the client can give, it goes on the open-questions list for your team, and your firm decides how to ask.

How much does outsourced bookkeeping cost?

A dedicated accountant who works only on your firm costs $1,800 to $6,500 a month, depending on the work and its complexity. On-demand bookkeeping pricing is [__].

Can we hire a dedicated offshore bookkeeper?

Yes. You pick the accountant yourself, from two or three we shortlist, after watching their recorded intros and interviewing the ones you want. That accountant stays on your files. Counting from the first call, they spend days 11 to 17 learning your software and close checklists, and live work starts on days 18 to 21.

How do you protect our clients' bookkeeping data?

Client files stay on controlled virtual desktops with no local storage. Each accountant works in the client's ledger under a named user with MFA and signs an individual NDA, and your firm can switch that access off at any time.

How does the 2-week pilot work for bookkeeping?

You choose a few clients and one month of their books, and we agree the scope with you on a call before the pilot starts. The accountants who would work on your files reconcile and close that month in each client's books. You then decide whether to continue, based on whether the reviewed files came back on time and how many review notes your manager wrote.