How do I get organized before hiring a bookkeeper?
Start by gathering your bank and credit card statements. Pull at least six months of history, ideally twelve if you can. These are the raw material your bookkeeper will work from. If you have multiple accounts, pull statements for all of them. Don’t worry about organizing the transactions yourself. That’s what you’re hiring someone to do.
Collect whatever accounting records already exist. That might be a QuickBooks file, a spreadsheet, a shoebox of receipts, or nothing at all. Whatever you have is fine. Your bookkeeper needs to see the current state to understand what they’re working with and how much catch-up work might be needed.
Pull your most recent tax returns. If you file a Schedule C on your personal return, your bookkeeper needs to see that. If you have a separate business return, gather the last one or two years. This shows them how your business has been categorized for taxes and helps them set up your books to match.
Gather your business formation documents if you have them. Your EIN confirmation letter, LLC operating agreement, or incorporation papers. These aren’t always needed immediately but they help establish the legal structure of your business.
Separate business and personal finances if they’re currently mixed. Open a dedicated business checking account and credit card if you haven’t already. Mixing personal and business transactions makes bookkeeping harder and more expensive. If you can’t separate them before hiring a bookkeeper, at least flag which transactions are personal so they can be coded correctly.
Write down your login credentials for bank accounts, credit cards, and payment processors like Square or PayPal. Your bookkeeper will need access to connect bank feeds and reconcile transactions. Having these ready speeds up the onboarding process significantly.
Think about what you actually want to know from your books. Do you want to see profitability by job or project? Do you need to track expenses by category to find waste? Are you preparing for a loan application? Knowing your goals helps your bookkeeper set up your system to answer the questions that matter to you.
Be honest about the current state of your records. If your books are a mess, say so. If you haven’t reconciled anything in two years, that’s okay. Bookkeepers who work with small businesses have seen everything. They’d rather know upfront that there’s cleanup needed than discover it after quoting you a price.
Don’t feel like everything needs to be perfect before you reach out. Most bookkeeping services in MetroWest expect some level of disorganization from new clients. The goal of getting organized isn’t to do their job for them. It’s to give them what they need to get started without a bunch of back and forth asking for documents.
If you’re missing things, that’s fine too. A good bookkeeper will tell you exactly what they need and can often pull bank statements directly once they have access. The main thing is to not let the fear of being disorganized stop you from getting help. The longer you wait, the more catch-up work accumulates.
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More Questions
My books are a disaster—where do I start?
Start by gathering all bank and credit card statements, then reconcile accounts month by month before worrying about categorization. Focus on the most recent tax year first if you're behind multiple years.
Read answerWhat bookkeeping challenges do retail stores face?
Retail stores face unique challenges including high transaction volumes, inventory tracking, cash handling, multiple payment methods, and seasonal cash flow swings. Each creates opportunities for errors that compound quickly without proper systems in place.
Read answerHow do salons and spas handle bookkeeping?
Salons and spas track multiple revenue streams, manage tips for tax compliance, and handle payroll that varies by business model. The key is separating service revenue from product sales and integrating your POS system with your accounting software.
Read answerHow do I allocate overhead costs to construction jobs?
Pick an allocation base like labor hours, labor dollars, or total direct costs. Calculate your overhead rate by dividing annual overhead by your allocation base. Apply that rate consistently to each job to understand true profitability.
Read answerHow do I find a contractor bookkeeper in Massachusetts?
Look for referrals from other contractors, check the QuickBooks ProAdvisor directory, and ask specific questions about job costing experience. A bookkeeper without construction experience won't give you the job-level visibility you need.
Read answerWhat bookkeeping do restaurants need?
Restaurants need daily sales reconciliation, accurate tip tracking, food cost monitoring, and payroll that handles tipped employees correctly. The goal is producing reliable prime cost numbers so you can spot margin problems before they hurt.
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