Short answer…yes. The hiring cost of a professional bookkeeper might seem extravagant but having someone on your team whose primary function is to properly define and categorize your financials can mean finding places where you’re currently leaking cash or where unnecessary overhead is squeezing profit margins.

As a business owner, you have better things to do than balance your books. If you’re putting off regularly reconciling the accounts, you may be paying late fees or extra interest, missing opportunities to maximize your tax deductions or clogging cash flow.

Local bookkeepers and accountants keep up with local regulations to ensure you’re always ready with clean, compliant financial records.

Outsourcing to a faceless online platform can mean massive time zone differences or slow communication when you need answers now.

You get cookie-cutter services from whoever happens to log into your account that day.

At Books In Balance, we pride ourselves on staying true to our Marin roots and bringing you personalized service from the same qualified team of financial professionals every single day.

Enjoy the convenience of being able to deliver or pick up documents and to enjoy the best North Bay main street amenities (plus easy parking) when you pop by.

We’re super keen on keeping the lines of communication wide open. Call, text, email, or fax…we’re there for you when you need us.

Hiring a bookkeeping and/or an accountant service is typically less expensive than hiring a CPA firm, but what makes Books In Balance unique is that since 1999 we’ve been providing San Rafael area business owners with the same top tier service offerings you get at the big firms but we do it at a small firm price.

We understand what it is like to be a small business owner…because we’re a small business too…so we work closely with you to personalize your services, protect your pocketbook, and to earn your trust and loyalty.

These days good bookkeepers and accountants have to be tech-savvy – that goes without saying – but knowing your bookkeeper is well-versed in every aspect of your accounting software is critical.

You want a bookkeeper with an understanding of both state and federal taxes and how they relate to your specific industry.

You also want a bookkeeper who is detail-oriented and passionate about what they do.

The right bookkeeper is analytical and considers what today’s transactions may mean to you tomorrow.

At Books In Balance, we are QuickBooks pros. We monitor changes in the tax codes so we understand how they affect our clients. Your books are managed with care and continuity by our passionate team. We review your books frequently to make sure you’ve got the most accurate and up-to-date information so you can make your best financial decisions.

The truth is, all businesses need bookkeeping services but there are still a lot of business owners who try to handle it alone. Having a bookkeeper handle the day-to-day management of your accounts means you free up mental bandwidth and precious time to do the things for your business that only you can do.

If you’re behind on collecting accounts receivable or dread the panicked feeling at year-end when you try to get your books in order for tax season, it’s time to hand off these tasks off to a professional bookkeeper.

If you’ve thought about expanding or launching a new product or service, the time you can get back by hiring a bookkeeper can now be used to grow your business’s bottom line.

If keeping the company’s books is keeping you from doing tasks in your zone of genius, it’s time to hand off your bookkeeping to someone who actually is passionate about keeping your books in balance.

You can reclaim the moments you currently spend making tedious entries in your chart of accounts into moments that will do the most good for you and your business.

A good bookkeeper and accountant is going to handle the day-to-day management of your accounts. All your transactions will be properly entered, reviewed, and categorized so you have the necessary information to make fully informed financial decisions about your business.

With your sales and expense data properly categorized and reconciled, you can see at a glance where you’re spending and making money and have a complete understanding of your assets and your liabilities.

Hiring a professional bookkeeping service also gives you back the time you can invest in your business or spend pursuing a personal passion.

Professional bookkeepers can handle accounts payable and receivable, prepare financial statements like profit & loss, operating expense reports, and monthly balance sheets, or process payroll.

Most businesses benefit from having a customized bookkeeping service. Our personalized financial services are tailored to your business meaning you’re getting exactly what you need and now you can confidently get back to the business of running your business knowing the books are in order.

Review these three key things to help you decide if you’re ready to bring on a bookkeeper:

• number of accounts and the volume of monthly transactions
• number of financially focused tasks you handle outside of daily transaction management
• number of reports to be generated and how often you need them

When you’re considering bookkeeping services you want to take a full accounting of your business’s financial data and other related transactional needs.

Do you want a bookkeeper to provide you with forecasting or analytics on your reports and balance sheets? We do that.

Are you bogged down with credit management, accounts payable or receivable, keeping up with tax situations, or processing payroll? We can help there too.

When it comes to keeping an eye on cash flow and other financial reports, do you need frequent reports to manage overhead or share critical information with other stakeholders? We can help you figure out the right reporting cadence for your business.

In our free and confidential consultation, we’ll discuss your business and your needs to design a robust plan delivered at a reasonable rate.

Properly maintained books are the key to a smooth and stress-free tax season. Your bookkeeper is going to hand off your perfectly polished paperwork to your accountant to get your business taxes filed fast.

While bookkeepers don’t prepare tax returns, bookkeepers can prepare some tax forms you may use in your business like the 1099s you give to contractors.

A bookkeeper also makes sure you don’t miss valuable tax benefits. By maintaining the financial documentation you need to claim any credits and deductions, you’re maximizing your savings come tax time.

Your bookkeeper considers tax implications all year long so there’s no more stress, overwhelm, or a last-minute deep dives into a shoebox stuffed full of wrinkled receipts when it comes time to file your business returns with any and all taxing authorities.

Even if you use software like QuickBooks, a professional bookkeeper makes sure that account information is flowing correctly between your bank and other financial sources and that every single transaction is being recorded accurately.

When your bookkeeper spots something that’s ended up in the wrong place, they’ll fix it so your financial records are always correct and compliant.

Need a report generated and not quite sure what it is trying to tell you? A good bookkeeper can translate and help you make sense of your financial reports so you can confidently make critical business decisions based on the best information available.

If you don’t currently have an accounting system, we can help there too.