What is Outsourced Accounting and How Could It Help You? Bench Accounting

outsourcing accounting for small business

Making sense of your numbers can be time-consuming and frustrating, to say the what are the different types of accountants least. It’s no wonder so many small business owners have turned to outsourced accounting services for relief. Virtual and outsourced bookkeeping and accounting services are a happy medium between do-it-yourself software and pricey in-house bookkeeping.

Six benefits of outsourcing accounting for small businesses in 2024

As the CFO of Expensify, I am a big proponent of outsourced accounting. We used outsourced accountants for the first TWELVE years of Expensify’s life (from $0 in revenue to over $100mm). It was only when we started to prepare for our IPO that we brought our accounting in-house, as it becomes exceedingly difficult to IPO without an internal team. Outsourced controllers also bring a tried and tested approach to helping manage your business’s finances. As a result of their experience, they know what works and what doesn’t. That know-how gives them the ability to build your business a financial infrastructure that’s resilient to all kinds of challenges.

So if you’re considering outsourcing the bookkeeping or accounting services of your small business, take a look below at what you need to know before making a decision. The global business process outsourcing market worth is projected to reach an all-time high of $405.6 billion by 2027. That’s an unfathomable amount of money directed towards outsourcing services. It’s also a good indication that many businesses choose to outsource one or more of their business processes to an outside entity of their own. We give you a team of bookkeepers, and simple software to track your finances.

Establish a service-level agreement

In administrative terms It involves calculating wages, withholding taxes and other deductions, and issuing payslips. If you’re a small business that manages its own books, you could be spending your time and resources elsewhere. If you’re hiring across borders, you’ll have to recruit in-house accountants in all the countries you’re onboarding in.

Financial planning and analysis

outsourcing accounting for small business

However, before you make that next move you want to know if it’ll work for your business. Leave the administrative load with us and get more time to focus on revenue-generating activities. In this guide, we’ll show you the areas you can outsource and help you how to calculate accrued vacation pay pick the best experts for the job, so you can get back to doing what you love. Outsourcing your accounting and financial admin can unload some of that burden. Some of the links on our site are from our partners who compensate us.

Maintaining accurate, timely financial information is vital in enabling you to make better decisions for your business. But for many businesses, the process of arriving at that point of financial clarity is lined with challenges. If you do decide to pay a third party to handle your accounting, be aware of the potential for scope creep. You’ll want to set clear expectations from the start about the scope of work, not to mention how to handle any tasks outside of that scope, especially if you’re paying hourly.

This can make accounting balance sheet it feel like you have less control over your accounting. However, provided your outsourced bookkeeping partner embraces cloud-based accounting software, you’ll have access to your books 24/7. Let’s take a look at some common outsourced accounting myths and explore how outsourced accounting service providers like our team at LBMC are addressing them to build a better client experience. Accounts receivable (AR) and accounts payable (AP) are essential accounting functions for any business.

  1. As mentioned, it’s crucial to take relevant precautions when sharing sensitive data with your provider.
  2. If you’re big enough that you’re considering a controller but not big enough to need one full-time, an outsourced controller might be the right move.
  3. In this comprehensive guide, we’re exploring every element of outsourced accounting.
  4. To make the best possible financial decisions, it’s important to fully understand your company’s financial position and analyze potential outcomes.

We provide a wide range of outsourced accounting services to clients in a range of industries. To learn more about outsourcing your accounting needs to LBMC, contact us today. Virtual, outsourced, and online are often used interchangeably when referring to bookkeeping and accounting. However, a virtual bookkeeper or virtual accountant can sometimes refer to accountants or CPAs who work out of their homes and contract out their services individually.

They ensure the timely collection of payments from your customers for products or services sold (AR), and management of the money you owe to vendors (AP). If you think you can get by without any accounting function, you’re in for a whirlwind of a surprise (and not in a good way). When taking a look at your team members’ responsibilities, you probably know that a majority of their job involves spending copious amount of time on low-impact tasks. And although those tasks are necessary (like closing the books), they also take away the focus from furthering the growth of your company. In fact, research shows that the more disengaged an employee is, the less productive they become.

These are all expenses that go into hiring an employee, and if you want to run accounting entirely in-house, it’s likely you’ll need more than one team member. They bring a healthy skepticism that encourages business owners to take a more intelligent, nuanced approach toward decision-making. From humble beginnings, the global outsourcing market has grown at a rapid rate as governments realize the economic benefits of providing services for other nations. This is particularly so in the accounting and bookkeeping sector, with several countries particularly invested in nurturing such talent.

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