What a bookkeeper does
- Records sales, purchases, receipts and payments.
- Reconciles bank, card and payment-platform accounts.
- Raises invoices, chases late payers and schedules supplier bills.
- Prepares figures for VAT, GST or sales-tax returns.
- Produces simple monthly reports and hands clean books to your accountant.
- Catch-up work when records have fallen behind.
Bookkeepers record. Accountants prepare accounts, file tax and advise. Many businesses use both.
Credentials and record-keeping rules
- UK: look for AAT or Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB) membership. Firms offering bookkeeping must be supervised for anti-money-laundering. Making Tax Digital requires VAT records to be kept digitally.
- US: the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (AIPB) offers the Certified Bookkeeper designation. The IRS says to keep records for as long as they may be needed for tax purposes, generally at least three years.
- Elsewhere: retention periods and e-invoicing rules differ by country, and several EU countries are rolling out mandatory e-invoicing.
Questions to ask
- Which software do you work in (for example Xero, QuickBooks, Sage or FreeAgent)?
- Do you handle multiple currencies and payment platforms?
- What is the monthly cut-off, and when will the books be up to date?
- Who has access to our bank feeds, and how is it secured?
- Do you work with our accountant, or can you recommend one?
What affects the cost
The number of transactions and accounts, how many currencies and entities, whether payroll or invoicing is included, and how messy the starting point is. Many bookkeepers offer monthly packages based on transaction volume. Catch-up work is usually quoted separately.
Last updated: 16 October 2026
