Bookkeeping
Remote Bookkeeping With a Monthly Close: How It Works and What to Ask
A remote bookkeeper can be anywhere. What counts is that the books are worked every week and that someone signs off the month.
Remote bookkeeping with a monthly close means your books are kept online by a team outside your office, and each month is reconciled and reviewed before anyone relies on the numbers. At Right Way Profits, the team works clients' books in QuickBooks Online every week, and Debbie DeKnight reviews and signs off on every monthly close. The firm works with founder-led service and trade businesses across the US.
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What is a monthly close?
A monthly close is the point each month when the books are finished and checked, so the reports can be trusted.
Three things happen. The month's transactions are entered. Each bank and card account is reconciled, which means matched line by line against its statement. Then someone reads the reports and asks whether they make sense before anyone treats them as final. Without that last step you have entries, and you do not yet have numbers you can decide from.
How does remote bookkeeping work?
The books live in online accounting software, so the bookkeeper works on them from anywhere and you can look at them from anywhere.
| In-office bookkeeper | Remote bookkeeping | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the books live | Often on one computer in the office | In online software you can open yourself |
| Who does the work | One person on your payroll | An outside team |
| Who checks the work | Whoever you arrange | Ask. A second person should review the close |
| Where they have to be | Near you | Anywhere |
For a plumbing or HVAC owner who is on job sites all day, that means the books do not wait for someone to be in the office.
How does Right Way Profits run the weekly work and the monthly close?
The team works your books every week in QuickBooks Online, and Debbie DeKnight reviews and signs off on every monthly close.
| When | What happens | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Every week | The books are worked in QuickBooks Online and kept current and reconciled | Debbie's team |
| Every month | The close is reviewed and signed off | Debbie DeKnight |
Debbie's reason for the sign-off, in her words: "nothing goes out the door without my eyes on it." Right Way Profits does not publish a close-by date. Ask about it on the call.
The full service is set out on the QuickBooks Online bookkeeping page.
What should I ask a remote bookkeeper about the monthly close?
Ask how often the books are worked, whether every account is reconciled, who reviews the close and what you receive.
- How often are my books worked? Weekly work keeps the month from piling up at the end.
- Is every account reconciled each month? An account that is not reconciled can hide errors for months.
- Who reviews the close, and is it the person who did the entries? A second set of eyes catches what the first one missed.
- Which software do you use, and can I log in? You should be able to see your own books.
- By what date is the month closed? Get the answer before you sign.
- What do I receive each month? Ask to see it.
| Question | Right Way Profits |
|---|---|
| How often are the books worked | Every week |
| Are accounts reconciled | The books are kept current and reconciled |
| Who reviews the close | Debbie DeKnight reviews and signs off on every monthly close |
| Which software | QuickBooks Online |
| Close-by date | Not published. Ask on the call |
| Price | Not published. Ask on the call |
Is remote bookkeeping with a monthly close right for my business?
It fits a business that wants the books handled every week and is happy to work with a team it does not see in person.
It fits if
- You run a founder-led service or trade business
- Your books are kept in QuickBooks Online
- The books should be handled every week, not caught up once a year
- Profit First or fractional CFO support is in your plans, because both build on accurate books
Look elsewhere if
- You want a bookkeeper who sits in your office
- A tax return is all you need filed. That is a job for your accountant
What if my books are months behind?
Book a call first. The call starts with where your books are now.
Some clients describe their own catch-up, in their own words, on the client testimonials page. Once the books are current, the weekly work and the monthly close keep them that way.
How does it start?
With a 45-minute discovery call by web conference.
- Book a call. The call looks at where your books are now.
- The books are kept clean every week. The team does the weekly work in QuickBooks Online, and Debbie reviews and signs off on each monthly close.
- Your numbers stay ready. Accurate and current, so decisions are not guesses and year end is not a scramble.
What comes after clean books?
Clean books are the base. Profit First and fractional CFO work are built on them.
The post on why clean books come before any CFO advice explains the order. If you are not sure which kind of help you need, compare a bookkeeper, an accountant and a fractional CFO.
Who signs off the close?
Debbie DeKnight, who leads Right Way Profits. She has more than 30 years in accounting and is a Master Certified Profit First Professional.
Frequently asked questions
What is a monthly close in bookkeeping?
It is the point each month when the transactions are entered, the accounts are reconciled against the bank and card statements, and someone checks the reports before anyone relies on them.
Can a bookkeeper work remotely for my business?
Yes, when the books are kept in online software. Right Way Profits works remotely with founder-led service and trade businesses across the US, in QuickBooks Online.
Who reviews the monthly close at Right Way Profits?
Debbie DeKnight reviews and signs off on every monthly close. Her team does the weekly bookkeeping.
How often are the books worked?
Every week. The books are kept current and reconciled in QuickBooks Online, and each month ends with a close that Debbie reviews.
By what date is each month closed?
Right Way Profits does not publish a close-by date. Ask on the discovery call, and ask any bookkeeper you are comparing the same question.
How much does remote bookkeeping cost?
Right Way Profits does not publish a bookkeeping price. Ask on the discovery call, which starts with where your books are now.
Does Right Way Profits file tax returns?
Tax filing is not listed as a service of Right Way Profits. Your accountant files the return, working from books that are current and reconciled.
Books behind, or not sure the numbers are right?
Book a 45-minute discovery call. It starts with where your books are now.
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Where to next
- All services
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- Bookkeeper vs accountant vs fractional CFO
- Profitable on paper, broke in the bank
- How working together works
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- Certified Profit First Professionals, explained
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