Hiring a bookkeeper to help keep your small business in order has a range of benefits. Not only does it help keep you compliant with the country’s tax laws, but it can also help you grow your business faster and assist you in making informed financial decisions. In order to get the most out of the service they provide you, it helps to know what questions you should be asking them. Here are a few that you can start off with to ensure that your bookkeeper will add value to your organisation.
1. What are the Bookkeepers qualifications?
Your bookkeeper should be registered as a BAS Agent with the Tax Practitioners Board. If your bookkeeper is a registered BAS Agent, you’ll immediately know that they have the appropriate Board-approved qualifications in accountancy, are a voting member of a nationally recognised tax agent association, and that they’ve completed a minimum of 1400 working hours over the past four years.
2. What are their skills?
You can expect your bookkeeper to have the standard skillset required to complete the job, but this is only a part of it. If you want to save yourself time and effort, it helps to ensure that they’re familiar with up-to-date practices, such as the latest bookkeeping and accounting software.
3. Have they worked in this industry before?
If you are working in an industry that will have different needs in terms of its invoicing, banking and bookkeeping needs, you might want to check if your potential bookkeeper has the relevant experience. This could apply if you work in the public sector or in a business that has environmental, social, or governance responsibilities.
4. What are their references?
Perhaps the best way to find out what kind of service you can expect from a bookkeeper is to speak to people they’ve assisted before. If any of their clients have been using their services for a long time, you can expect to build a long-term relationship with them, where both parties benefit.
If you’re still searching for a bookkeeper that can answer all these questions without hesitation, then Stones Sharp Certified Practising Accountants can assist. Contact us today for bookkeeping assistance in Melbourne.
FCPA & CA
Shane is a Fellow of the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants and a Chartered Accountant.
Shane’s passion is to consider the clients, the client’s business and taxation affairs with a holistic approach whilst providing business mentoring, business strategies, systems development, taxation advice and taxation planning in order to assist his clients and their business achieve their goals.
