10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Bookkeeper

Price and a friendly call are not enough to judge a bookkeeper. The answers to a few specific questions tell you much more, and a good provider will be glad you asked.

1. Which accounting software do you work in?

A good answer is that they work in your file. If the books live in the provider's own system, ask how you can export them. At Mispar, work is done inside the client's own QuickBooks Online or Xero file, so you always hold the books.

2. What exactly is included each month?

Ask for the list: reconciliation of every account, categorization, financial statements, and a review of open questions. Our monthly guide shows a typical scope. Anything left out should be priced or named.

3. Who will actually do my books?

Ask whether you get a named person, and whether anyone reviews their work.

4. When do I get my reports?

Ask for a typical delivery day after month-end, and what happens if bank statements arrive late.

5. How do you handle questions about my transactions?

A good bookkeeper asks you about unclear items instead of guessing. Ask how those questions reach you and how quickly you are expected to answer.

6. What do you need from me?

Expect bank and card access or statements, receipts for large items, and answers to questions. A provider who needs nothing from you may be guessing.

7. How do you secure access to my accounts?

Ask whether they use view-only bank access, separate logins and a password manager, rather than shared passwords.

8. Do you do taxes or payroll?

Many bookkeepers do not prepare taxes, and that is fine as long as they coordinate with your CPA. Mispar is a bookkeeping service and not a CPA firm.

9. What does it cost, and what changes the price?

Look for a published scope and a clear list of what raises the fee, such as transaction volume or extra entities. Mispar lists its monthly plans on the pricing page.

What a good answer sounds like

Good answers are specific. They name the software, the day reports arrive, the person who reviews the work and the way questions reach you. Vague answers such as we handle everything or it depends on the month are worth a follow-up. Write the answers down and compare two or three providers on the same questions, because differences in scope are easier to spot on paper than in memory.

Ask for a sample deliverable

Request an example of the monthly package with the client details removed. You are looking for a reconciled profit and loss statement and balance sheet with clear category names, not only a raw export from the software.

10. How do I leave if it is not working?

Ask about notice periods and getting your records. If you are replacing a provider now, read how to switch bookkeeping providers.

Frequently asked questions

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