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.
Greater Boston's Trusted Bookkeeping Partner
The Next Step:
A Short Conversation
We'll ask a few questions, figure out what you need, and give you a straightforward quote.
More Questions
What fractional CFO services are in the Boston area?
The Boston area has fractional CFO providers ranging from large accounting firms to boutique practices and independent consultants. What varies most is industry expertise, service scope, and pricing. Finding the right fit depends on your business size and the specific financial guidance you need.
Read answerWhat's the best payroll software for contractors?
QuickBooks Payroll is the most practical choice for small to mid-sized contractors already using QuickBooks. The software matters less than whether it integrates with your job costing and how it's configured for construction workflows.
Read answerCan someone clean up my QuickBooks for me?
Yes. A bookkeeper who knows QuickBooks can reconcile your accounts, fix miscategorizations, and get your books current. Most cleanups take a few weeks depending on how many months are behind.
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 I track subcontractor expenses by project?
Link every sub invoice to a specific job or project in your accounting system. Require subs to include the job name or number on their invoices, enter costs with the project code attached, and reconcile against your estimates regularly.
Read answerWhat bookkeeping do property management companies need?
Property management bookkeeping centers on trust accounting, property-level tracking, and owner reporting. You need to keep client funds separate, track income and expenses by property, and produce clear monthly statements for property owners.
Read answer