What work can be outsourced?
A typical recurring scope covers transaction entry or categorisation, bank and card reconciliations, posting approved supplier and customer transactions, and preparing bookkeeping reports for review. Some businesses also request aged receivables, payables schedules, or routine exception reports.
The work should be tied to specific systems, accounts, transaction volumes and reporting dates. A provider cannot sensibly promise accurate monthly figures when source documents or bank feeds are incomplete.
What stays with the business?
Management remains responsible for giving accurate information, authorising payments and decisions, safeguarding accounts and reviewing outputs. Bookkeeping support should not be confused with an external audit or an independent assurance engagement.
Where a local accountant prepares tax returns or statutory financial statements, agree how reconciled ledgers and supporting schedules will be handed over. Do not assume that bookkeeping includes tax advice, payroll, tax returns or regulated work.
How does a normal month run?
At onboarding, identify the accounting platform, bank and payment feeds, chart of accounts, access permissions, outstanding opening balances and agreed cut-off dates. Throughout the month, the bookkeeper processes available records and raises queries for unsupported or unusual items.
At month end, reconcile agreed accounts, resolve or disclose outstanding items, prepare a close summary and submit it to the designated reviewer. A useful handover identifies which accounts are reconciled, what remains open and what decisions are required.
What drives the fee?
Monthly pricing commonly depends on transaction volume and complexity, number of bank and credit-card accounts, sales channels, currencies, backlog, reporting needs and the quality of the source documents. A simple recurring ledger is different from catch-up work involving multiple unreviewed years.
Compare quotations on comparable deliverables and exclusions, not the headline fee alone. Ask specifically who reviews the work, how corrections are handled and whether the accounting software subscription is included.
Questions to ask before signing
Ask how access is secured, which tasks require approval, how unreconciled items are handled, who your contact is and how data is returned if the relationship ends. Request a sample monthly handover format without exposing another client’s confidential information.
Start with a clearly defined month or pilot where appropriate. Establish responsibility for any opening-balance corrections separately from the regular monthly fee.