The Year-End Guide to Virtual Bookkeeping Services

Can you believe that 2015 is already over?  I say it every year at this time, but seriously, this year went by so fast.  As a business owner, you've got a lot on your plate right now as well as a few decisions that need to be made.  

If you're thinking of switching over to virtual bookkeeping services in your company, now is the perfect time to do it since it's the beginning of a new year. 

How to Switch to Virtual Bookkeeping Services on Jan 1

If you're going to make the switch, you need to get started right now.  Your virtual bookkeeper will need a little bit of time to onboard your account, get everything set up and make sure that you're ready to go come Jan 1.  If you wait until December 28th to call them, then you have a rocky first part of the year. 

At Ignite Spot, it takes us between 2 and 4 weeks to get your company fully onboarded.  Accounting teams have to be assigned, we'll need to do at least one training session with you and your team, and we'll need to get access to all of the major accounts so that we can get our work done.  Beyond that, if your books aren't perfectly current, it will take some time to get them up to speed as well. 

Very few people factor these items into their decision making process when they decide to hire virtual bookkeeping services like Ignite Spot.  

Given that it's the end of the year, you're also going to be preparing for taxes.  That means that you'll be spending more time than usual going through the books to try and reduce your tax liability.  Since you're going to spend that time in the books anyway, it makes sense to switch to your new online bookkeeper now so that they can go through things with you.  It kills two birds with one stone.  You'll be able to get training done as well as prepare for year-end taxes.  If the virtual bookkeeping services firm also has an in-house CPA department like Ignite Spot does, they can also do all of your taxes.  

A fair warning

Just know that a lot of people are thinking about making the switch this time of year.  It is by far our busiest time of the year as new clients come on.  That means that you'll want to choose your firm fairly quickly and make the switch so that you don't get stuck on some kind of waiting list while other businesses are getting set up. 

Further Reading

Virtual Bookkeeping Checklist

Virtual Bookkeeping Services - The Control to Financial Chaos