You can also look at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants to find CPAs with skills in certain areas, such as employee benefits or personal finance.
On the other hand, if you hire an accountant without a bookkeeper, then it is possible that the accountant might not have accurate information regarding the ongoing activities within your company. Often, bookkeepers work with popular online small business accounting software like QuickBooks or others that https://www.bookstime.com/articles/prepaid-rent-accounting-definition-and-meaning generate a company’s financial statements. In other words, bookkeeping generally provides the inputs into an accounting system that allows accountants to take things to the next level. All small-business owners should consider hiring a professional accountant to handle their tax returns, at the least.
Key Differences
The bookkeeper can be found working in small, medium, or large business organizations. Bookkeeper’s responsibilities are keeping track of the company’s financial records and documenting them in appropriate journals or ledgers. If you are solo or your business is very small, you might use an outside accounting firm to do both bookkeeping services your bookkeeping and accounting tasks. Depending on the nature of your business, the firm may ask for your business bank statements and use that info to update your bookkeeping software, like QuickBooks. A bookkeeper keeps track of day-to-day business finances, like recording transactions and managing general ledgers.
Should I get a bookkeeper or an accountant?
An accountant performs a wider range of tasks and focuses on the bigger financial picture, analysing the information provided by bookkeepers to carry out audits, generate financial statements and forecast future business needs.
The general ledger is a sheet that houses all accounting data and financial records within a business. As discussed above, the main objectives of accounting and bookkeeping are similar but still different in many ways. Both disciplines work hand in hand to determine the financial health of a business. Knowing the difference between bookkeeping and accounting can be tricky, especially with the interchangeability of the terms and how the duties can overlap. While accounting is similar to bookkeeping in that it involves documenting business financial transactions, the former process is more in-depth.
QuickBooks
Other programs charge annual or monthly fees and offer advanced features such as recurring invoices or purchase orders. While these services come at a cost, they can maximize the accuracy and efficiency of vital financial management processes. Your business’s accounting needs might not require the in-depth expertise of a hired professional. You might also be watching your company’s list of expenses and wondering where to reduce spending. In either case, consider handling the accounting yourself or delegating this responsibility to one or a few of your current employees.