- US median pay$50,670 a year[2]All industries, BLS May 2025
- One-time fee$2,500–3,000[1]On the start day, only if you hire
- Free replacementWithin 180 days[1]One per placement, fee paid, role, hours and pay unchanged, no refund
What the week looks like at an accounting firm
A small practice lives by the tax calendar. In season, the phones ring, clients send photos of receipts by text, and returns wait on one missing form. Between deadlines the work turns to monthly bookkeeping clients, payroll runs, notices from tax authorities and advisory calls. Partners spend too many evenings chasing paperwork instead of reviewing work, and the same questions come in from dozens of clients at once.
What a bookkeeper does for accounting firms
- Categorise bank and card transactions for a set of small business clients
- Reconcile accounts and clear suspense items before the review
- Prepare a month-end package with questions for the reviewer
- Work through client catch-up files one period at a time
A bookkeeper records transactions, reconciles bank and card accounts, chases invoices, prepares bills for payment and closes the month. A bookkeeper does not sign tax returns or give tax advice: that stays with your accountant, who should agree the setup and review the close.
Tools accounting firms commonly use
- QuickBooks
- Xero
- Excel
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- Calendly
- Karbon
- TaxDome
- Gusto
Common in this kind of business, not a checklist: name your own stack in the brief.
How to test a candidate for an accounting firm
Share a sample client ledger in a test company with bank feed items, one owner's draw posted as an expense and an unreconciled deposit. Ask for corrections and notes for the reviewer. Judge whether they explain the reasoning, not only the numbers.
What to keep in-house or check first
Signing returns, tax advice and contact with tax authorities stay with licensed staff. Client tax records are sensitive: your professional body and tax authority may set rules on data security and on disclosing or getting consent for offshore preparation, so check before sharing anything. Use a portal instead of email, individual logins and multi-factor authentication.
General caution, not legal advice: check the rules that apply to you with a qualified adviser.
Available now
No published bookkeeper profile on Stafka today. Send the brief, we reply within one business day with a yes or a no.
Choose a country: shared hours
Bookkeeping has deadlines rather than shifts. A weekly rhythm and a fixed month-end date matter more than shared hours, apart from a short regular call with whoever approves payments.
Against a 9–17 client day in winter[3][4][5][6]; for New York, on a 9–18 local day or a 13–22 shift. Check your own office.
What it costs
We do not publish a pay band for bookkeepers yet: where a profile lists a monthly rate, that is what the person asks for. The BLS figure of $50,670 a year is for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks[2] across all industries: we have no separate figure for this niche. Paying through Deel adds $49 a month[7]; Wise and Payoneer also work.
See also: bookkeeper pay in the US, by state · pricing and replacement terms.
How hiring through Stafka works
- Send the brief or post the job free. Name your accounting software, your country's tax setup, monthly transaction volume, and the accountant who reviews the books.
- Within 5 business days of a confirmed brief you get 3 matching profiles, or a plain no. Most apply through our Telegram bot with a written and a voice English task; each profile shows the English level (B1–C2); Silkstaff checks English on a live call before any client interview.
- You interview, choose and contract the person directly through Deel, Wise or Payoneer. Candidates never pay.
Questions
Can a remote bookkeeper work under our firm's name?
Yes, in the sense that they work as your contractor under your review and your engagement letters. Decide if clients will know, and check what your engagement letter and professional rules say about using outside staff.
Can offshore staff see client tax documents?
Sometimes, with conditions. In the US, for example, preparers may need client consent before tax return data goes outside the country, and professional bodies have their own rules. Check with your compliance adviser and start with tasks that do not expose identity numbers. This is general information, not legal advice.
Where can an accounting firm hire an affordable bookkeeper?
The usual routes are a freelance marketplace, an agency with a monthly margin, or a direct hire in a lower-cost country. On Stafka it is a direct hire: you pay the person the monthly pay you agree with them, plus $2,500–3,000[1] once if you hire, with no monthly margin.
General information for small employers, not legal or tax advice: check contracts, tax and data rules for your country with a qualified adviser. Tool names belong to their owners; we are not affiliated with them. Spotted a mistake? Write to hello@silkstaff.com.