A small business should hire a bookkeeper when keeping the books starts costing more in time, stress, or mistakes than handing them off would cost in dollars. For most owners that point arrives sooner than expected, often within the first year or two.
What are the signs it is time to hire a bookkeeper?
The clearest signs are books more than a month behind, bank accounts that have not been reconciled, and not knowing your profit for last month. Others are mixing personal and business spending, dreading tax time, or having an accountant ask for records you cannot easily produce.
Any one of these is manageable. Two or three together usually means the books are slipping faster than you can catch them up in spare hours.
Is it better to hire early or wait?
Earlier is usually cheaper. Clean books from the first month are simple to maintain, while a backlog of six or twelve months means digging through statements and guessing at old charges.
Waiting also has a decision cost. Without current numbers you are setting prices, hiring, and buying equipment on a guess about what the business really earns.
Can I hire a bookkeeper if I am already behind?
Yes. Catching up is a normal first job for a bookkeeper, and it is the right place to start. The work is to reconcile each month back to the statements, fix the categories, and hand you a clean set of reports.
Once you are current, the monthly routine is small. Staying current is much easier than getting current, which is why the backlog is worth clearing first.
What does it cost to hire a bookkeeper with EVO Bookkeeping?
Ongoing bookkeeping with EVO Bookkeeping is $199/month flat: accounts reconciled, transactions categorized, and your P&L and Balance Sheet delivered by day 2 of the following month. There are no contracts and you can cancel anytime.
If you are behind, catch-up is $199 for each month behind, done within 2 days and guaranteed in writing. You can get an instant quote on our homepage.