What Are Bookkeeping Services, Exactly? Let Us Explain.

 In the months or years since you first became a business owner, how many times have you been told you need bookkeeping services? How many times have you quietly wondered to yourself if there isn't a better, easier, or more efficient way to manage your accounting?

If you’re like most business owners, the answer is probably, “A lot.” From the time you first opened your doors and collected your very first dollar, advisors, partners, and other well-meaning associates have undoubtedly weighed in and suggested business bookkeeping services to help keep your company’s books and finances on track.

If you have ignored that advice this far, it might be a good time to start doing your research before you dig the hole any deeper. A bookkeeping service does more than just record payables and receivables, or manage payroll services, they guarantee the security, scalability, and success of your business.

What Bookkeeping Services Do

A bookkeeping service offers a three-tiered approach to developing and maintaining your company’s overall financial processes and management. The first prong is created by the accounting software specialist.

He or she creates your accounting data file so that it’s tailored to the specific needs of you and your business. He or she will ensure that you have access to the software and reports you need.

Next is the full-charge bookkeeper. We all know the basic duties of a bookkeeper: to track payables and receivables and keep all your business’s financial transactions documented. Sounds simple enough, but there’s a lot more to this job than meets the eye.

A full-charge bookkeeper can also manage payroll, handle deposits, create and maintain financial reports, manage the ever-changing world of sales taxes as well as quarterly taxes and withholding. Bookkeepers also reconcile bank statements to internal accounts and even help out during an internal or IRS audit.

Whether you want to get a business loan, answer an auditor, or simply design next year’s budget and business plan, you need the assistance of a full-charge bookkeeper.

They can help ensure that each of these tasks are completed correctly, in a timely manner, and that they are accurate enough to be truly useful.

Between the accounting software specialist and the full-charge bookkeeper, you will have begun to create a set of checks and balances within your business. Individual department spending will be recorded and analyzed by the bookkeeper, accounts receivables and payables reviewed and fulfilled by him or her, and the company’s spending is contrasted with its budget for review and analysis that can help identify inefficiencies and create more accurate future budgets.

In bookkeeping, there are 5 different types of accounts. These are assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses, and equity. Assets are all the resources and cash owned by the company, such as inventory. Liabilities are the debts and obligations owed by the company. Revenue is the money the business takes in. Expenses are cash from the company to pay for items, such as salaries and utilities. Equity is the remaining value after liabilities.

And this is where we bring in the third prong of the bookkeeping service, the controller. The controller increases the company’s overall financial accountability and checks and balances. A controller reviews the bookkeeper’s ledger for accuracy while also maintaining the integrity of the accounting data file in the future so that adjustments can’t be made without approval. Lastly, a controller issues monthly financial reports highlighting any critical issues that you need to understand and possibly address.

The Role of Bookkeepers

Plenty of people believe bookkeepers’ work is primarily centered on data entry and some even mistakenly believe bookkeeping is tied to tax roles.  However, true quality bookkeeping is a forward-looking accounting services-focused position, not an archival position. And for those who correlate bookkeepers with tax functions, bookkeepers are rarely even properly certified to prepare taxes or file them.

Rather, professional bookkeepers focus on maintaining comprehensive and accurate financial information.  The bookkeeper’s role is to provide information that can be understood by those who are empowered to make decisions at the business.  This professional manages and records the financial details of the company, tracking financial transactions and ensuring records, as well as accounts, are fully complete and accurate--but the best go a step further and connect the data to tell a story--not just of where your business has been, but of where it is going.

The best bookkeeping services ensure you receive an accurate monthly snapshot of your company’s financial picture.  The information provided by bookkeepers is a strong indicator of your business’s underlying financial health and gives great insight into opportunities for your business. 

This is the accurate and comprehensive financial information you and your team need to make sound financial decisions and formulate an overarching financial strategy that helps your business reach its true potential.

Bookkeepers reconcile bank accounts for all of a company’s transactions, ensuring there is agreement and balance.  These professionals also keep a watchful eye on the money moving into and out of your business, ensuring balances in bank accounts match up with those in accounting software. 

Bookkeepers also collect information regarding transactions stemming from payroll, payment processing companies, expenses, and so on.  Each transaction is identified and properly categorized.  The duties of a bookkeeper extend all the way to generating important financial statements for presentation to groups ranging from the IRS to prospective investors and potential business partners.