Geoff CuddThe smartest business owners are hiring virtual assistants to handle reconciliations, track expenses, generate reports, and clean up financial records, without the cost of a full-time accountant.
We hired a virtual assistant (VA) to stay on top of overdue invoices and reconcile accounts. Within weeks, they’d cleaned up 12 months of messy records and set up a system we could trust.
If you're looking to delegate your bookkeeping without hiring in-house, this guide outlines the most valuable tasks a virtual assistant can take over.
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
Table of Contents
- Hire a Full-Time Bookkeeping Assistant
- Quick List of Bookkeeping VA Tasks
- Top Bookkeeping Tasks to Delegate (By Category)
- Use Case Examples: What a Bookkeeping VA Can Handle by Business Type
- Why Not Use a Freelancer or In-House Bookkeeper?
- How to Choose the Right Bookkeeping Virtual Assistant
- Bookkeeping Tasks You Should Continue To Do (For Now…)
- Want Help Delegating These Bookkeeping Tasks?
- Hire a Full-Time Bookkeeping Assistant
- Frequently Asked Questions
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Quick List of Bookkeeping VA Tasks
Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Transaction Management | Categorising, reconciling, error checking |
| Invoicing & Payments | Creating invoices, tracking payments, follow-ups |
| Reporting & Summaries | P&L reports, cash flow summaries, budget vs. actuals |
| Payroll & Contractor Support | Payroll prep, 1099 tracking, timesheet organisation |
| File & Receipt Organisation | Uploads, naming, cloud storage, receipt matching |
| Admin Support | Account cleanups, SOP creation, monthly checklists |
| Communication Logs | Preparing summaries for CPAs or tax filing prep |
Top Bookkeeping Tasks to Delegate (By Category)
Transaction Management
Transaction Categorisation
- What They Do: Assign income and expenses to appropriate categories in QuickBooks or Xero.
- Why It Helps: Ensures accurate reporting and tax prep.
- Ideal Outcome: Books stay up-to-date with clean and logical entries.
Account Reconciliation
- What They Do: Match transactions against bank and credit card statements.
- Why It Helps: Catches errors, duplicates, and missed entries.
- Ideal Outcome: Balanced books and error-free records.
Invoicing & Payment Tracking
Invoice Creation and Monitoring
- What They Do: Send invoices, monitor due dates, and record payment status.
- Why It Helps: Improves cash flow and reduces overdue accounts.
- Ideal Outcome: Faster payments and fewer missed follow-ups.
Client Payment Follow-Ups
- What They Do: Send reminders for overdue invoices or payment plans.
- Why It Helps: Maintains professional follow-through without your involvement.
- Ideal Outcome: Fewer unpaid invoices and clearer collections process.
Financial Reporting & Dashboards
Monthly Reports (P&L, Cash Flow)
- What They Do: Compile summaries of income and expenses.
- Why It Helps: Gives insight into financial performance without manual number crunching.
- Ideal Outcome: Easy-to-read reports delivered consistently each month.
Budget vs. Actual Tracking
- What They Do: Compare actual spend vs. budget allocations.
- Why It Helps: Helps you adjust spending and stay on target.
- Ideal Outcome: Real-time insights into where your money’s going.
Payroll & Contractor Management
Timesheet and Payroll Prep
- What They Do: Organise payroll inputs, verify hours, and generate summaries.
- Why It Helps: Saves time before each pay run and reduces errors.
- Ideal Outcome: Clean, pre-verified payroll reports for Gusto, ADP, etc.
1099 Payment Tracking
- What They Do: Log and summarise contractor payments for end-of-year filing.
- Why It Helps: Makes tax prep easy and compliant.
- Ideal Outcome: Contractors are tracked and 1099-ready in January.
File & Receipt Organisation
Digital Filing & Cloud Organisation
- What They Do: Label and sort receipts, invoices, and bank statements.
- Why It Helps: Prevents lost records and keeps your audit trail clean.
- Ideal Outcome: All financial docs are organised and searchable.
Receipt Matching
- What They Do: Match submitted receipts to recorded transactions.
- Why It Helps: Validates purchases and prepares for audits.
- Ideal Outcome: All transactions backed by documentation.
Admin & Cleanup Tasks
Chart of Accounts Cleanup
- What They Do: Consolidate and organise account categories.
- Why It Helps: Makes reports easier to read and more consistent.
- Ideal Outcome: No more duplicate or unused categories.
Historical Cleanup Projects
- What They Do: Fix uncategorised transactions, errors, or backdated entries.
- Why It Helps: Gets your books up to date—fast.
- Ideal Outcome: Clean books that accountants actually appreciate.
Communication Logs & SOPs
Monthly Summary Emails
- What They Do: Compile key numbers and send a monthly digest.
- Why It Helps: Keeps you informed without logging into your tools.
- Ideal Outcome: One simple email with everything that matters.
SOP Documentation for Bookkeeping
- What They Do: Record steps for your recurring financial workflows.
- Why It Helps: Ensures consistency and smooth handoffs.
- Ideal Outcome: SOPs ready for future training or backups.
Use Case Examples: What a Bookkeeping VA Can Handle by Business Type
Business Type | What a Bookkeeping VA Can Handle |
|---|---|
| Local Service Business | Invoicing, expense tracking, weekly summaries |
| eCommerce Store | Order-level reconciliations, cost-of-goods tracking, inventory logs |
| Coaching/Online Courses | Payment summaries, Stripe/Teachable payouts, refund logs |
| Agencies | Client-specific reports, payroll tracking, retainer invoicing |
Why Not Use a Freelancer or In-House Bookkeeper?
Option | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeping VA | Affordable, consistent, scalable | Requires onboarding and oversight |
| Freelancer | Great for cleanup or tax season | May lack long-term availability |
| In-House Bookkeeper | Fully embedded, instant access | Expensive, not always needed full-time |
A bookkeeping VA gives you reliable, cost-effective financial help, especially for recurring tasks that don’t need a licensed accountant.
How to Choose the Right Bookkeeping Virtual Assistant
- Experience with tools like QuickBooks, Xero, Excel
- Understanding of reconciliation and reporting workflows
- Strong attention to detail and data integrity
- Ability to organise and document processes
- Responsiveness and clarity in communication
Bookkeeping Tasks You Should Continue To Do (For Now…)
Keep In-House | Why | Delegate Later With… |
|---|---|---|
| Tax Filing & Strategy | Requires CPA or tax specialist | VA-prepped records and summaries |
| Chart of Accounts Setup | You define the structure for your needs | VA can clean and maintain afterward |
| Financial Decision-Making | You interpret the data | VA can provide timely, accurate reporting |
Want Help Delegating These Bookkeeping Tasks?
We can match you with a pre-vetted bookkeeping virtual assistant who knows your tools, understands financial workflows, and keeps your books clean, all while saving you hours each week.
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
Frequently Asked Questions
What tools should a bookkeeping VA know?
QuickBooks, Xero, Excel or Google Sheets, Google Drive, Gusto, and Slack or email for status updates.
Can a VA prepare my taxes?
No, but they can make your CPA’s job much easier by keeping your records clean and up to date.
Is it safe to give a VA access to my financial tools?
Yes. Use secure login sharing tools (like LastPass), limit permissions, and only give access to the platforms they need.
How do I train a bookkeeping VA?
Start with a Loom video or written SOP. Show how you handle one or two financial tasks, and let them document and take over.
Can a VA clean up old books?
Yes. Many mid- to senior-level bookkeeping VAs are experienced with historical cleanup and can catch you up fast.
