Signs You Need to Hire a Bookkeeper

Bookkeeping takes up more time than you can afford!

​If your business is growing, you can only get away with Do-It-Yourself bookkeeping for so long.
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Maybe you have a really great spreadsheet template you found online. Maybe you even shelled out for some accounting software. But as your business expands and your financials get more complex—you’re going to get up one day, look at yourself in the mirror, and say, “I need to hire a bookkeeper.”
While there’s no hard-and-fast rule to when you should bring on hired bookkeeping help, there are some common, telltale signs that entrepreneurs experience just before they reach the tipping point.

If you’re suffering from any of the following symptoms, it’s probably time to hire a bookkeeper.

According to a Gallup poll, 39% of small business owners work more than 60 hours a week.
Don’t take your own time for granted. Not only does overworking lead to burnout, but every minute you spend on a task has a dollar equivalent.
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.
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Compare your “salary” as your own bookkeeper against the price of professional bookkeeping. Once you treat the time you spend bookkeeping as an actual expense in cash, you’ll have a better idea of whether you should keep doing it.

Your books are never up to date

When you fall behind on bookkeeping, your books stop reflecting the actual state of your finances. That makes it harder (sometimes impossible) to understand cash flow and accurately gauge the health of your business.
For instance, if your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) hasn’t been updated in six months, you can’t subtract if from your revenue in order to determine how much profit you’ve earned in that time.
Which means you’re blind to how much money you’re actually making—and the steps you can take to increase your income.

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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.

With a qualified bookkeeping solution, you can expect to receive monthly financial statements, so you’ll know where your money is going to and coming from.

You missed out on tax write-offs

Suppose you just found out that, since your home is more than 50 miles from your place of work, you’re allowed to deduct some of the cost of commuting.

That’s great news. Only, now you’re thinking about all the years you spent without filing this deduction, the extra money you could have saved, and how you could have spent it. Images of an in-ground pool dance in your head.

The sooner you know about small business tax deductions, and the sooner you take advantage of them, the sooner you’ll benefit.

Part of a bookkeeper’s job is to take every business expense you incur and categorize it properly. In the process of doing so, they’re able to spot obvious deductible expenses such as mileage.

Ultimately, an accountant with experience in your industry is most qualified to give you comprehensive guidance regarding tax write-offs. But many business owners only talk to their accountants during tax season. A good bookkeeper who understands your business’s needs can help you out during the rest of the year.

Mike McVay, QuickBooks Accountant (Certified) with his CFO services covers all your bookkeeping, accounting, payroll and tax filing obligations with reasonable rates for small business.
Call Mike @ 850-725-5696
Mike@MikeMcVay.com