How to Hire a Virtual Bookkeeping Assistant (Job Description + Trial Tasks)

Want accurate books without the cost of a full-time hire?

If you're spending too much time categorising expenses, chasing invoices, or stressing over reports, this guide is for you.

A bookkeeping virtual assistant (VA) gives you clean, up-to-date financials without the overhead. Whether you need help reconciling accounts, preparing monthly reports, or keeping your records audit-ready, a skilled VA can take over your back-office tasks so you can focus on growth, not spreadsheets.

This guide walks you through everything you need to know to confidently hire a virtual assistant for accounting, from job description templates to trial tasks that test their accuracy and attention to detail.

Hire a Full-Time Bookkeeping Assistant

From Just $900/month

• Keeps your books accurate and audit-ready
• Tracks expenses, reconciles, and reports
• Skilled in QuickBooks, Xero, and Excel
• Sets up clean books or fixes messy ones

Learn More

In This Guide, You’ll Learn

• What bookkeeping virtual assistants actually do
• The tools they work with (QuickBooks, Xero, Excel)
• How to write a job post that attracts qualified accounting VAs
• Trial tasks to test their skills before hiring
• Mistakes to avoid when outsourcing your books

What Can a Bookkeeping Virtual Assistant Help With?

If you’re falling behind on your financial tasks, a virtual assistant can take over the grunt work and give you confidence in your numbers.

Day-to-Day Bookkeeping

• Categorise transactions in QuickBooks, Xero, or Excel
• Reconcile bank and credit card accounts
• Track income and expenses by category or project

Month-End & Reporting

• Prepare profit & loss (P&L) and cash flow reports
• Track budget vs. actuals
• Clean up historical data and journal entries

Invoice & Payment Management

• Generate and send invoices
• Monitor payments and follow up on overdue accounts
• Set up recurring billing or payment reminders

Payroll & Tax Support

• Organise payroll data
• Track contractor payments and generate 1099 reports
• Maintain clean records for tax filing

Admin & File Organisation

• Organise receipts, statements, and supporting docs
• Label files and maintain folder structure
• Prep documents for your CPA or accountant

Why Hire a Virtual Assistant for Bookkeeping & Accounting?

Stay Organised and Compliant

• Get reports on time
• Track expenses properly for tax season

Save Time and Reduce Mistakes

• Eliminate manual entry errors
• Focus on strategy, not spreadsheets

Affordable, Scalable Help

• No full-time salaries (see how much a bookkeeping virtual assistant costs)
• Pay only for the hours you need

Step-by-Step: How to Hire a Bookkeeping Virtual Assistant

Step 1: List the Finance Tasks You Want to Delegate

Think through repetitive tasks that slow you down:

• “I need help reconciling monthly bank statements”
• “I want my P&L ready by the 5th of each month”
• “I’m behind on invoicing and need someone to manage it”

These are perfect for a bookkeeping VA.

Step 2: Choose a Hiring Path for Bookkeeping VA

Step 3: Write a Bookkeeping VA Job Post

What to Include:

• Core tasks (reconciling, invoicing, reporting)
• Time zone requirements
• Tools used (QuickBooks, Xero, Google Sheets)
• Communication expectations
• A small prompt to test attention to detail

Sample Job Description:

Title: Virtual Bookkeeping Assistant (QuickBooks & Xero)
Rate: $7–$12/hour
Time Zone: Must overlap at least 2 hours with Eastern Time

We’re hiring a detail-oriented VA to manage day-to-day bookkeeping and monthly financial reports. You’ll reconcile accounts, organise receipts, and keep our records clean and accurate.

Key Responsibilities:

• Categorise and reconcile transactions
• Generate P&L and cash flow reports
• Create and send invoices, monitor payments
• Organise files and prepare records for tax season

Tools: QuickBooks, Xero, Google Sheets, Google Drive, Slack

How to Apply:
Use the word “accuracy” in your application and include a 2-minute Loom showing a bookkeeping system you’ve helped manage.

Step 4: Interview Questions to Ask Your Bookkeeping VA

• How do you approach monthly reconciliation?
  • Tests workflow knowledge and sequencing.
• What do you do when books don’t balance?
  • Checks troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
• How do you organise receipts and expense documentation?
  • Tests file organisation and audit readiness.
• Can you share how you’ve cleaned up a client’s books?
  • Reveals experience with messy or legacy data.
• What accounting software are you most comfortable with?
  • Validates hands-on experience.
• Do you prepare reports for tax filing or CPAs?
  • Tests real-world report creation and prep.
• Can you walk us through your weekly bookkeeping routine?
  • Looks for structured, reliable systems.

Step 5: Trial Tasks to Test a Bookkeeping VA

Trial Task 1: Categorise 15 Sample Transactions

• Prompt: Use a sample bank statement to assign correct categories.
• What it Tests: Attention to detail, understanding of GL categories, consistency.
• Ideal Outcome: Accurate and logically grouped transactions.

Trial Task 2: Reconcile Sample Accounts

• Prompt: Match sample bank records to a general ledger.
• What it Tests: Accuracy in reconciliation, ability to spot discrepancies.
• Ideal Outcome: Balanced account with clear adjustments noted.

Trial Task 3: Generate a Monthly P&L Report

• Prompt: Use provided income/expense data to create a report.
• What it Tests: Reporting skills, formatting, formula use.
• Ideal Outcome: Clean report with correct totals and layout.

Trial Task 4: Invoice and Payment Tracker Setup

• Prompt: Build a basic tracker to monitor sent invoices and payment status.
• What it Tests: Spreadsheet setup, logic, organisation.
• Ideal Outcome: Tracker includes invoice date, due date, status, and totals.

Trial Task 5: Prepare 1099 Contractor Summary

• Prompt: Compile and summarise contractor payments from a dataset.
• What it Tests: Sorting, filtering, and compliance understanding.
• Ideal Outcome: Neatly summarised payment report ready for tax season.

Trial Task 6: Clean Up a Chart of Accounts

• Prompt: Review a messy COA and suggest improvements.
• What it Tests: Understanding of GL structure, simplification.
• Ideal Outcome: Clear and standardised account categories.

Trial Task 7: Create a Bookkeeping SOP

• Prompt: Write a step-by-step guide for weekly bookkeeping tasks.
• What it Tests: Process thinking, documentation skills, clarity.
• Ideal Outcome: SOP is easy to follow and reflects real workflows.

Tools Bookkeeping VAs Should Know

Example: How a VA Took the Stress Out of Small Business Finances

Case Study: Mark, Owner of a Local Home Services Company

Mark runs a small but growing HVAC business. Between managing technicians, booking jobs, and ordering parts, his bookkeeping was falling behind. Invoices went out late, accounts weren’t reconciled, and tax season was a nightmare.

After hiring a bookkeeping virtual assistant, he:

• Cut his bookkeeping time from 10+ hours/month to under 1
• Reduced overdue invoices by 60% through consistent follow-ups
• Got monthly P&L reports on time for the first time in 2 years
• Cleaned up 18 months of messy transactions in QuickBooks
• Entered tax season fully prepared, with zero last-minute scrambling

Now, Mark’s VA handles transaction categorisation, reconciliations, invoicing, and monthly reporting—freeing him to focus on growing the business instead of dreading the books.

Final Thoughts: Let a Bookkeeping VA Keep Your Finances Clean

You don’t need to hire a CPA or learn QuickBooks yourself.

A skilled virtual assistant can take the stress out of bookkeeping, giving you clean, current, and compliant financials without the overhead.

Start with one task. Then another. Within weeks, you’ll feel more in control of your numbers and less buried in admin.

Hire a Full-Time Bookkeeping Assistant

From Just $900/month

• Keeps your books accurate and audit-ready
• Tracks expenses, reconciles, and reports
• Skilled in QuickBooks, Xero, and Excel
• Sets up clean books or fixes messy ones

Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a bookkeeping virtual assistant cost?

Between $7 and $15/hour, depending on experience and tools used.

Do they need to be CPAs?

No. Most are not licensed accountants, but they are trained in everyday bookkeeping tasks.

Is it safe to give them access to financial data?

Yes. Use shared access tools like LastPass and control permissions within QuickBooks or GDrive.

Can they do taxes?

No, but they can organise everything your CPA needs.

How do I review their work?

Ask for weekly reports, SOPs, and Loom walkthroughs. Spot-check reconciliations and reports early on.

Why Trust This Guide?

We’ve hired and tested dozens of virtual assistants, but few have been as impactful as our bookkeeping VA. They helped us catch missed invoices, clean up transactions, and build a system we could scale with.

This guide is based on our real hiring process and hands-on experience. If you want help finding the right VA, we can match you with one trained in the exact tools your business uses.