Best Remote Bookkeeping Services for Small Businesses Using QuickBooks Online

How to Choose the Right Remote Bookkeeping Service for Your Small Business

Finding the best remote bookkeeping services for small business QuickBooks Online users can make managing your finances easier, more accurate, and far less time-consuming.

For many small business owners, bookkeeping starts out as something they handle themselves. But as the business grows, so do the transactions, bank accounts, credit cards, payroll responsibilities, and financial reporting requirements.

That is where professional remote bookkeeping can help.

At Remote Bookkeeping Made Easy, we provide nationwide remote bookkeeping services designed for small businesses using QuickBooks Online. From monthly bookkeeping and bank reconciliations to cleanup, catch-up bookkeeping, payroll support, and financial reporting, we help keep your books accurate, organized, and up to date.

What Are Remote Bookkeeping Services?

Remote bookkeeping allows a professional bookkeeper to manage your financial records without working inside your office.

Using cloud-based accounting software such as QuickBooks Online, your bookkeeping professional can securely access the information needed to categorize transactions, reconcile accounts, review financial activity, and prepare reports from virtually anywhere.

Remote bookkeeping services for small businesses may include:

Why QuickBooks Online Works Well for Remote Bookkeeping

QuickBooks Online is particularly well suited for remote bookkeeping because it provides secure cloud-based access to accounting information.

Instead of exchanging accounting files or requiring a bookkeeper to work from your office computer, authorized users can access the company’s QuickBooks Online account remotely.

This makes it possible for small businesses and their bookkeepers to work from the same financial information while maintaining separate user access.

For growing businesses, QuickBooks Online can also make it easier to connect financial accounts, organize transactions, reconcile accounts, review reports, and maintain consistent bookkeeping procedures.

If you’re comparing bookkeeping platforms or have questions about working remotely with a bookkeeper, visit our bookkeeping FAQs for answers to common QuickBooks and small business bookkeeping questions.

What Should Small Businesses Look for in a Remote Bookkeeping Service?

The best remote bookkeeping service isn’t necessarily the company with the longest list of features. It is the service that understands your business, keeps your records accurate, communicates clearly, and provides the level of bookkeeping support you actually need.

When comparing remote bookkeeping companies, consider:

  • Experience working with small businesses
  • QuickBooks Online knowledge and experience
  • Monthly bookkeeping availability
  • Bank and credit card reconciliation services
  • Bookkeeping cleanup capabilities
  • Catch-up bookkeeping for overdue records
  • Payroll support
  • Financial reporting
  • Secure cloud access
  • Responsive communication
  • Transparent pricing
  • Flexible services that can grow with your business

You should also learn about the company behind the service. Our About Remote Bookkeeping Made Easy page explains our approach to remote bookkeeping, QuickBooks Online, communication, and supporting small businesses nationwide.

Why Small Businesses Choose Remote Bookkeeping

Hiring a full-time in-house bookkeeper isn’t practical for every small business. Many companies simply don’t require a full-time employee dedicated exclusively to bookkeeping.

Remote bookkeeping provides another option.

Instead of paying the salary and overhead associated with an employee, a business can outsource some or all of its bookkeeping functions based on its actual needs.

Remote bookkeeping can help small businesses:

  • Reduce administrative workload
  • Save valuable time
  • Maintain more accurate financial records
  • Keep reconciliations current
  • Identify bookkeeping problems earlier
  • Improve financial reporting
  • Reduce the cost of maintaining in-house bookkeeping staff
  • Prepare cleaner records for tax time
  • Gain better visibility into business finances

Monthly Bookkeeping for Small Businesses

Consistent monthly bookkeeping is one of the most important components of maintaining reliable financial records.

Waiting several months to review transactions can result in duplicate entries, incorrect classifications, missing expenses, unreconciled accounts, and financial reports that don’t accurately reflect the condition of the business.

A professional monthly bookkeeping process can include:

  • Reviewing financial transactions
  • Categorizing income and expenses
  • Reconciling bank accounts
  • Reconciling credit cards
  • Reviewing unusual or duplicate transactions
  • Updating QuickBooks Online
  • Reviewing account balances
  • Preparing financial reports

Keeping these tasks current throughout the year makes it much easier to understand your business’s financial position.

QuickBooks Online Bookkeeping Support

QuickBooks Online is powerful, but simply having the software does not guarantee accurate bookkeeping.

Transactions still need to be categorized correctly, accounts need to be reconciled, and the overall bookkeeping structure needs to reflect how the business actually operates.

Professional QuickBooks Online bookkeeping support can help with:

  • QuickBooks Online setup
  • Chart of accounts organization
  • Transaction categorization
  • Bank feed review
  • Bank reconciliations
  • Credit card reconciliations
  • Financial reporting
  • Correcting bookkeeping errors
  • Cleanup of existing QuickBooks records
  • Catch-up bookkeeping

Bookkeeping Cleanup for QuickBooks Online

Sometimes the problem isn’t that bookkeeping hasn’t been completed. The problem is that it hasn’t been completed correctly.

QuickBooks Online files can accumulate errors over time, especially when multiple people have entered transactions or when bank feeds have been accepted without carefully reviewing the information.

Common bookkeeping problems include:

  • Duplicate transactions
  • Incorrect account classifications
  • Unreconciled bank accounts
  • Incorrect opening balances
  • Old outstanding transactions
  • Personal and business expenses mixed together
  • Duplicate income entries
  • Incorrect credit card balances
  • Financial reports that don’t match actual account activity

QuickBooks cleanup and catch-up bookkeeping can help identify and correct these issues so the business can move forward with more reliable financial records.

Catch-Up Bookkeeping for Businesses That Are Behind

Falling behind on bookkeeping happens to many small businesses.

Owners get busy serving customers, managing employees, generating sales, and handling the day-to-day responsibilities of running a company. Before long, several months of bookkeeping may be unfinished.

Catch-up bookkeeping helps bring overdue financial records current.

This may involve:

  • Reviewing previous transactions
  • Categorizing income and expenses
  • Reconciling bank accounts
  • Reconciling credit cards
  • Correcting bookkeeping errors
  • Updating QuickBooks Online
  • Organizing financial records
  • Preparing current financial reports

Once the books are caught up, the business can transition into a regular monthly bookkeeping schedule.

Financial Reporting for Better Business Decisions

Accurate bookkeeping isn’t only about recording transactions. It should also provide useful financial information that helps business owners understand how their company is performing.

Depending on the business and its bookkeeping needs, financial reporting may include:

  • Profit and loss statements
  • Balance sheets
  • Cash flow information
  • Income and expense reports
  • Account balances
  • Year-to-date financial comparisons

Reliable reports can help business owners evaluate profitability, control expenses, plan for upcoming obligations, and make better-informed financial decisions.

Remote Bookkeeping vs. Hiring an In-House Bookkeeper

Hiring an employee involves more than paying an hourly wage or salary.

Depending on the position, businesses may also have expenses associated with:

  • Payroll taxes
  • Workers’ compensation
  • Employee benefits
  • Vacation and sick time
  • Recruiting
  • Training
  • Office space
  • Computer equipment
  • Software
  • Ongoing management

For small businesses that don’t need a full-time bookkeeping employee, outsourcing can provide professional support without many of these additional employment costs.

Can Remote Bookkeeping Work for Different Types of Small Businesses?

Yes. Remote bookkeeping can work for many types of businesses because much of today’s financial information is already managed electronically.

Remote Bookkeeping Made Easy can provide bookkeeping support for businesses such as:

  • Contractors and construction companies
  • Professional service businesses
  • Law firms and legal practices
  • Medical and healthcare practices
  • Ecommerce businesses
  • Real estate investors
  • Restaurants and food service businesses
  • Startups
  • Consultants
  • Service-based businesses
  • Small and growing companies

How Much Do Remote Bookkeeping Services Cost?

The cost of remote bookkeeping varies depending on the complexity of the business and the amount of work required.

Factors that can affect bookkeeping pricing include:

  • Number of monthly transactions
  • Number of bank and credit card accounts
  • Payroll requirements
  • Accounts payable or receivable needs
  • Complexity of the bookkeeping
  • Financial reporting requirements
  • Whether existing books require cleanup
  • Whether previous months need to be caught up

A small business with straightforward monthly bookkeeping needs will generally require a different level of service than a growing company with multiple accounts, employees, payroll, and hundreds of monthly transactions.

For additional information about typical bookkeeping costs and factors that affect pricing, see our How Much Should I Pay for Bookkeeping Services? guide.

Why Choose Remote Bookkeeping Made Easy?

Remote Bookkeeping Made Easy provides remote bookkeeping and QuickBooks support designed to help small businesses maintain organized, accurate financial records.

Our services are designed around the needs of each business rather than forcing every client into the same bookkeeping package.

We provide support including:

Whether you’re starting a business, replacing your current bookkeeper, moving to QuickBooks Online, or trying to catch up several months of overdue bookkeeping, we can customize a solution around your needs.

Finding the Best Remote Bookkeeping Services for Your Small Business

When searching for the best remote bookkeeping services for a small business using QuickBooks Online, focus on experience, accuracy, communication, flexibility, and the ability to provide ongoing support as your company grows.

The right bookkeeping service should do more than enter transactions. It should help maintain organized records, keep accounts reconciled, provide dependable financial reporting, and make it easier for you to understand your company’s finances.

At Remote Bookkeeping Made Easy, our goal is simple: keep your bookkeeping organized, accurate, and up to date so you can spend less time managing your books and more time managing your business.

Have questions about your bookkeeping or QuickBooks Online? Contact Remote Bookkeeping Made Easy to discuss your business and bookkeeping needs.


Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best remote bookkeeping services for small businesses using QuickBooks Online?

The best remote bookkeeping services for small businesses using QuickBooks Online should provide accurate monthly bookkeeping, bank and credit card reconciliations, transaction categorization, financial reporting, cleanup and catch-up services, responsive support, and experience working with QuickBooks Online. The right provider should also customize its services around the specific needs of your business.

Can a bookkeeper remotely access my QuickBooks Online account?

Yes. QuickBooks Online allows businesses to provide authorized users with access to their accounting information. This makes it possible for a professional bookkeeper to work remotely without needing to be physically located at your business.

Is QuickBooks Online good for small business bookkeeping?

QuickBooks Online is widely used by small businesses because it provides cloud-based accounting tools for tracking transactions, managing accounts, reconciling financial activity, and generating financial reports. Its online accessibility also makes it well suited for businesses working with remote bookkeeping professionals. You can find additional answers about QuickBooks and bookkeeping on our bookkeeping FAQ page.

Can a remote bookkeeper reconcile my bank and credit card accounts?

Yes. Bank and credit card reconciliation is an important part of professional remote bookkeeping. Regular reconciliations help identify missing transactions, duplicate entries, incorrect balances, and other bookkeeping problems.

Can you clean up an existing QuickBooks Online account?

Yes. Our QuickBooks cleanup services can help correct duplicate transactions, inaccurate classifications, unreconciled accounts, incorrect balances, and other bookkeeping problems that may have accumulated over time.

Can a remote bookkeeper catch up several months of bookkeeping?

Yes. Catch-up bookkeeping is specifically designed for businesses that have fallen behind. A bookkeeper can review previous transactions, reconcile accounts, correct errors, update QuickBooks Online, and bring financial records current.

Do small businesses need monthly bookkeeping?

Monthly bookkeeping is generally preferable to waiting until year-end because it keeps financial records current throughout the year. Regular bookkeeping also gives business owners more timely information about income, expenses, account balances, and overall financial performance.

Is remote bookkeeping less expensive than hiring an employee?

It can be. Businesses that don’t require a full-time bookkeeper may be able to reduce expenses associated with salary, payroll taxes, employee benefits, recruiting, training, office space, equipment, and software by outsourcing their bookkeeping.

Can remote bookkeeping help prepare my business for tax season?

Yes. Keeping transactions categorized and accounts reconciled throughout the year can make it easier to provide organized, tax-ready financial records to your tax professional at year-end.

Does Remote Bookkeeping Made Easy work with businesses nationwide?

Yes. Remote Bookkeeping Made Easy provides remote bookkeeping services for small businesses nationwide, including monthly bookkeeping, QuickBooks Online support, payroll assistance, financial reporting, cleanup, catch-up bookkeeping, and account reconciliations.

How do I switch from my current bookkeeper to a remote bookkeeping service?

The process typically begins with reviewing your existing books and QuickBooks Online account, identifying unfinished work or bookkeeping problems, transferring appropriate account access, correcting issues when necessary, and establishing a consistent monthly bookkeeping process going forward. Contact us if you would like to discuss transitioning your bookkeeping.


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