What Does a Bookkeeper Do? A Guide for Business Owners

Running a business involves more than providing a great product or service. Behind every successful business is a financial system that keeps track of where money is coming from, where it is going, what is owed, and what needs to be reported.

That is where a bookkeeper comes in.

A bookkeeper helps keep your business finances organized, accurate, and up to date. Whether you operate a small business, construction company, professional practice, retail store, or growing corporation, good bookkeeping gives you a clearer picture of your financial position and helps you make better business decisions.

What Is Bookkeeping?

Bookkeeping is the process of recording and organizing the financial transactions of a business.

Every time your business receives a customer payment, pays a supplier, purchases equipment, pays an employee, or incurs an expense, that transaction needs to be properly recorded.

A bookkeeper makes sure these transactions are entered correctly and categorized appropriately so that your accounting records accurately reflect what is happening in your business.

What Does a Bookkeeper Actually Do?

The responsibilities of a bookkeeper can vary depending on the business, but commonly include:

Recording Income and Expenses
Bookkeepers record business transactions and categorize revenue and expenses correctly. This helps business owners understand how much they are earning and where their money is being spent.

Bank and Credit Card Reconciliations
Your accounting records should match your actual bank and credit card statements. A bookkeeper regularly reconciles these accounts to identify missing transactions, duplicate entries, incorrect amounts, or other discrepancies.

Accounts Receivable
Bookkeepers can help manage money owed to your business by creating invoices, recording customer payments, and monitoring outstanding balances.

Keeping accounts receivable organized can improve cash flow and help prevent invoices from being forgotten.

Accounts Payable
A bookkeeper can also track bills and amounts owed to suppliers and vendors. This helps businesses stay organized and plan upcoming cash requirements.

Payroll Support
Depending on the services provided, a bookkeeper may assist with payroll processing, employee records, payroll deductions, and payroll-related reporting.

GST/HST and Government Remittances
Canadian businesses may have several filing and remittance obligations throughout the year. A bookkeeper can help maintain accurate records for GST/HST, payroll remittances, and other government reporting requirements.

Financial Reports
One of the biggest benefits of proper bookkeeping is access to useful financial information.

Bookkeepers can prepare reports such as:

  • Profit and Loss Statements
  • Balance Sheets
  • Accounts Receivable Reports
  • Accounts Payable Reports
  • Cash Flow Reports

These reports allow business owners to better understand their profitability, expenses, debt, and overall financial position.

Bookkeeper vs. Accountant: What’s the Difference?

Bookkeepers and accountants often work together, but their roles are different.

A bookkeeper generally focuses on maintaining accurate day-to-day financial records. An accountant may use those records for financial reporting, tax planning, year-end accounting, and other higher-level accounting services.

Think of bookkeeping as building and maintaining the financial foundation of your business. The more accurate that foundation is, the easier it is for your accountant to complete year-end work and provide meaningful financial advice.

Why Is Bookkeeping Important?

Many business owners focus heavily on sales and operations while bookkeeping gets pushed aside.

Unfortunately, falling behind can create problems.

Poor or outdated bookkeeping can make it difficult to know whether your business is actually profitable, how much customers owe you, what bills are coming up, or how much cash you have available.

Keeping your books current gives you better information to answer important questions such as:

Are we making money?

Where are our largest expenses?

Can we afford to hire another employee?

Do we have enough cash for upcoming payments?

Which customers still owe us money?

Are our financial records ready for tax season?

Good bookkeeping turns financial information into something you can actually use to manage your business.

When Should You Hire a Bookkeeper?

If you are spending evenings and weekends catching up on receipts, invoices, bank transactions, and spreadsheets, it may be time to consider professional bookkeeping.

You may also benefit from a bookkeeper if your books are several months behind, your bank accounts are not reconciled, you are unsure whether transactions are being recorded correctly, or your accountant regularly has to make significant corrections at year-end.

As your business grows, bookkeeping usually becomes more complex. Having an organized system in place early can save significant time and frustration later.

Focus on Your Business — We’ll Focus on the Numbers

At Persistent Bookkeeping Services Inc., we help businesses maintain accurate, organized, and up-to-date financial records.

Our goal is to become an extension of your business by helping manage the financial administration that takes time away from running and growing your company.

From day-to-day bookkeeping and reconciliations to payroll, government remittances, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and financial reporting, we can tailor our services to the needs of your business.

Instead of wondering whether your books are up to date, you can have reliable financial information available when you need it.

Looking for a Bookkeeper in Edmonton?

If your business needs help getting organized, catching up on bookkeeping, or managing its finances on an ongoing basis, Persistent Bookkeeping Services Inc. is here to help.

Contact us today to discuss your bookkeeping needs and find out how we can help you spend less time managing the books and more time growing your business.


How to Hire a Professional Bookkeeper Near Me

If you’ve searched “professional bookkeeper near me,” chances are your business has reached a point where managing the books yourself is taking too much time—or you simply want greater confidence that your financial records are accurate.

Hiring the right bookkeeper can help you stay organized, understand your cash flow, meet important deadlines, and have reliable financial information when you need it.

But how do you know which bookkeeper is right for your business?

Here are some important things to consider when hiring a professional bookkeeper.

1. Look for Experience That Matches Your Business

Not every business has the same bookkeeping needs.

A construction company may need job-cost tracking, equipment and vehicle expense management, payroll, and detailed accounts payable. A retail business may have large transaction volumes and sales-tax considerations, while a professional services company may have relatively simple monthly bookkeeping.

Ask potential bookkeepers whether they have experience working with businesses similar to yours.

Relevant industry experience can make the onboarding process easier and help your bookkeeper understand the transactions appearing in your accounts.

2. Ask What Services Are Included

Before hiring a bookkeeper, make sure you understand exactly what they will handle.

Professional bookkeeping services may include:

  • Bank and credit card reconciliations

  • Recording and categorizing transactions

  • Accounts payable

  • Accounts receivable and invoicing

  • Payroll processing and support

  • GST/HST reporting

  • Payroll remittances

  • Financial statement preparation

  • Cash-flow reporting

  • Year-end preparation for your accountant

  • QuickBooks Online setup and cleanup

  • Catch-up bookkeeping

The right arrangement depends on your business. Some owners only need monthly bookkeeping, while others want a bookkeeping firm to function more like an outsourced accounting department.

3. Check Their Knowledge and Experience

Bookkeeping is not a regulated occupation in Canada, meaning businesses should do their own due diligence when choosing someone to manage their financial records.

Ask about the bookkeeper’s education, experience, software knowledge, and professional certifications.

For example, the Certified Professional Bookkeeper (CPB) designation requires demonstrated bookkeeping experience and successful completion of an examination.

Credentials can be valuable, but practical experience, attention to detail, communication, and knowledge of your industry are also important.

4. Make Sure They Understand Accounting Software

Modern bookkeeping should make running your business easier—not create additional paperwork.

Ask whether your bookkeeper has experience with the accounting system your business uses, such as QuickBooks Online, and whether they can integrate your banking, payroll, receipt management, invoicing, and other business systems.

A good bookkeeper should be comfortable using technology while still understanding the accounting behind the software.

5. Ask How Often Your Accounts Will Be Reconciled

One of the most important bookkeeping procedures is reconciliation.

Your bank and credit card accounts should be compared against your accounting records regularly to identify missing, duplicated, or incorrectly recorded transactions.

Ask:

How often will you reconcile my accounts?

For many businesses, monthly reconciliation should be a minimum. Businesses with higher transaction volumes may benefit from more frequent bookkeeping.

6. Ask What Financial Reports You Will Receive

Bookkeeping shouldn’t simply be about entering transactions.

Your financial information should help you understand your business.

Ask whether you will receive regular reports such as:

Profit & Loss Statement – Shows your revenue, expenses, and profitability.

Balance Sheet – Shows your company’s assets, liabilities, and equity.

Accounts Receivable Report – Shows which customers owe your business money.

Accounts Payable Report – Shows upcoming amounts owed to suppliers.

Cash-Flow Reporting – Helps you understand upcoming cash requirements.

A professional bookkeeper should also be able to explain these reports in language you understand.

7. Look for Good Communication

Your bookkeeper will be working with important financial information, so communication matters.

Ask how frequently they communicate with clients and how quickly they normally respond to questions.

You shouldn’t have to wait until year-end to discover that documents are missing or an account hasn’t been reconciled.

Good bookkeeping involves consistent communication throughout the year.

8. Don’t Choose Based on Price Alone

It can be tempting to search for the cheapest bookkeeper near you, but price shouldn’t be the only consideration.

A lower monthly fee may not save money if important services aren’t included or your accountant later has to spend additional time correcting the books.

Instead, compare the overall value.

Ask each bookkeeping company to clearly explain:

What services are included?

How frequently will my books be updated?

Are payroll and government remittances included?

Will I receive monthly financial reports?

Are there additional charges for year-end preparation or bookkeeping cleanup?

Clear pricing and a clearly defined scope of work can prevent surprises later.

9. Ask the Right Questions Before Hiring

Before choosing a bookkeeper, schedule a consultation and ask questions such as:

  • How many years of bookkeeping experience do you have?

  • Have you worked with businesses in my industry?

  • What accounting software do you use?

  • How frequently will my bookkeeping be completed?

  • Who will actually be working on my account?

  • How do you protect confidential financial information?

  • Do you handle payroll and government remittances?

  • What financial reports will I receive?

  • What is included in the monthly fee?

  • How will you communicate with my accountant at year-end?

Taking the time to ask these questions can help you find a bookkeeper who fits your business rather than simply choosing the first result that appears when you search “bookkeeper near me.”

Looking for a Professional Bookkeeper in Edmonton?

If you’re searching for a professional bookkeeper in Edmonton or the surrounding area, Persistent Bookkeeping Services Inc. can help.

We provide bookkeeping solutions designed to give business owners reliable financial information while reducing the amount of time they spend managing paperwork and accounting administration.

Our services can include bookkeeping, bank and credit card reconciliations, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll support, government remittances, financial reporting, QuickBooks Online, catch-up bookkeeping, and ongoing monthly bookkeeping.

Whether you need help getting your books caught up or you’re looking for an ongoing bookkeeping partner, we can tailor our services to your business.

Spend More Time Running Your Business

Your time is better spent serving customers and growing your company—not spending evenings trying to reconcile bank statements.

Persistent Bookkeeping Services Inc. can take care of the books while giving you a clearer understanding of your business finances.

Looking for a professional bookkeeper near you? Contact Persistent Bookkeeping Services Inc. today to schedule a consultation and learn how we can help your business stay organized, compliant, and financially informed.