Accounting and tax software have made it possible for small businesses to get along without having an in-house accountant. Depending on the business’s complexity and the owner’s appetite for accounting tasks, small businesses can thrive for years with just an occasional phone call with an accounting software’s customer support line.
However, as businesses grow, accounting issues get more complex, and tax filings become too cumbersome for owners to handle. That’s when you hire an accountant — either a firm or an employee — to take on the financial tasks that eat up your spare time.
Accountants can alleviate the administrative burden of running a business, leaving owners with more time to focus on doing what they love. But with so many options available for accounting services, how do you know what to look for in an accountant and what’s best for your business needs?
Follow these tips and get your small business accounting in order with the right accountant!
Overview: What Does a Small Business Accountant Do?
With all the help accountants can provide, it’s no wonder why accountants are a business owner’s best friend. A small business accountant can maintain the books, analyze financial results, file business taxes, and consult with owners to expand the business’s bottom line.
Small business accountants are best known for carrying out day-to-day bookkeeping. They track sales and expenses, and keep an eye on cash flow. Some small business accountants also run payroll.
At the end of the accounting period, accountants produce financial statements — balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements — to give you an overall picture of your company’s financial health. Experienced accountants use the financial data to prepare your business taxes, a task most business owners would be happy to get off their plate.
Aside from rote bookkeeping and tax filing, the most significant value-add from a small business accountant is financial analysis and teaching basic accounting concepts. Through financial ratio analysis, accountants pinpoint the areas where your business could improve efficiency, boosting your bottom line. Business owners lean on their accountants to suggest changes to the business model that can yield profits.
Budgeting also falls within a small business accountant’s wheelhouse. Integral to creating a realistic growth plan is a financial forecast to reel in your unwieldy dream sequence. A small business accountant tends to be a jack-of-all-trades able to answer most financial questions you have. However, you can find accountants who specialize in the areas that meet your business needs. For example, if you need someone to maintain your accounting software, you’ll want to hire an experienced bookkeeper. If you’ve decided you’re never filling out another tax document, find yourself a small business tax accountant.
4 Things to Consider When Looking for a Small Business Accountant
Ask yourself the following questions before starting your search.
1. What Accounting Services Are You Looking For?
Make a priority list for the tasks you’d like the accountant to take on. Searching for an accountant is easier when you have a job description for the role.
A small business accountant’s task list could include:
- Audit preparation
- Day-to-day bookkeeping
- Accounts payable
- Accounts receivable
- Tax preparation
- Payroll
- Financial statement drafting
- Financial planning and analysis
- Budgeting
Consider not only your company’s current needs but also those in the near future. For example, don’t search for a bookkeeper when you think you’d eventually like to turn over payroll duties to someone else. You can likely combine these two tasks into an accounting clerk position.
2. Hiring a Firm or an Employee
You’ll want to determine whether you want an in-house accountant or a firm to manage your business’s accounting workload. Each has benefits and drawbacks, and it comes down to how much accounting help you need.
For example, hiring an in-house accountant, either part-time or full-time, ensures a certain dedication of your accountant’s time. However, small businesses that don’t have a constant need for accounting work might find that a firm can bring 360-degree service at a fraction of the cost. Hiring an employee can be costly when you add wages, employer payroll taxes, and other benefits.
If you’re unsure which route to take, put your feelers out to firms first. You can test-drive a firm by giving them just a portion of your total accounting workload before deciding whether to continue. Hiring an employee requires commitment.
3. Determining Your Budget
Knowing your budget might also help to answer my previous question. As you search for an accountant, consider how much you’d like to spend on accounting services.
Your budget should reflect the services and expertise your business requires, considering the complexity of its accounting issues. Where your business is located also influence the going rate for accounting services.
Research is the best way to build a budget for accounting help. If you’re looking to hire a firm, get some quotes. When looking for an in-house accountant, check out websites such as Glassdoor.com to see what accountants in similar companies earn. Another way of gaining information is asking a peer or other small business owners and gaining insight through them.
4. How Software Can Lighten Your Accounting Workload
If your business doesn’t already have accounting, payroll, and tax software, now might be a great time to introduce it. Software can take on most of the automated aspects of accounting.
It’s not a perfect solution: There will still be many aspects of your accounting you will have to manage yourself. It might be worth paying extra to have a professional handle your financial statements and taxes to ensure accuracy and save you the hassle.
How to Find an Accountant For Your Small Business
Like in all professions, reputation is paramount. Ask your trusted family, friends, and colleagues for accounting firm recommendations.
Make sure you’re talking to people who have hired these accountants to do similar work. For example, a great personal tax accountant might not have the specialty or interest in running your S corporation’s payroll.
Use the local society of CPAs directory.
If you’re looking for the expertise of a CPA, check out the website of your local society of CPAs. They commonly have directories of local individuals and firms with filters to help you find professionals with a specialization in your industry who can meet your accounting needs.
Search online.
Perhaps nobody you know has a recommendation. You can still find a great accountant for your business with an online search.
If you’re looking to hire an employee, create a recruitment plan and post your job description on a few online job boards.
When searching for an accounting firm, make sure to checkout clients’ online reviews before you call for a quote. But take online reviews with a grain of salt: People usually only find time to share glowing and hateful reviews, with little to nothing in between. But if you find a firm with nothing but bad reviews, consider striking it from your list.
3 Best Practices When Hiring a Small Business Accountant
Keep these tips in mind when hiring your accountant.
1. Look For Experience That Fits Your Needs Now and In The Future
Say you need a bookkeeper today, but you know that tax season is coming up. Hire an employee or accounting firm with the skill set to do both.
You want an accountant who can grow with you and help you tackle any accounting needs that may come your way. When you’re interviewing potential accountants, ask them about the type of accounting software they’re comfortable using and what they do to stay up to date with the latest accounting and tax laws.
Business owners who’ve aced Accounting 101 can ask targeted questions during an interview to assess whether the candidate is ready to take on all they’re looking for.
2. Shop Around
Interview at least three firms before choosing one. Accounting firms can differ greatly on price, and you don’t want to get into a situation where you realize only years later that you’ve been overpaying for services.
Likewise, interview multiple candidates before hiring an in-house accountant. Make sure you’re making the job posting widely available so people from different backgrounds can apply. A diverse pool of applicants is essential in any hiring process.
3. Conduct Background Checks and Check References
Accountants have access to your business’s most private information, from employee records to bank account information. You’ll want to run a background check and ask for references before turning your books over to someone new.
Get Back to Business By Hiring an Accountant
Not everyone is like us at Vyde and loves talking about and practicing accounting. That’s probably for the best. By hiring an accountant, or using accounting services, you’ll be able to get back to doing what you love and have more time to focus on growing your business. If you’re still unsure of where to start, here’s an easy option: try Vyde free for 30 days and see why hundreds of businesses choose our services everyday!
