Can Bookkeepers and Accountants Work Together?

Accountants and bookkeepers work closely together, and they are both vital to keep a business running financially. In fact, many people don’t even know that there is a difference in the two. They both work with numbers, so how could there be a difference or a problem?

The simple difference is this: bookkeeping services for business record financial transactions, usually daily. They occasionally classify and summarize financial data, depending on their training and function in a particular role. 

An accountant for bookkeeping in WA may sometimes act as a bookkeeper, but their training is to interpret, classify, analyse, report, and summarize financial data. Accountants use the data that bookkeepers record to report on how the business is doing. 

Because the roles of bookkeepers and accountants are so closely related, they can overlap at times. This is where a difficult working relationship can occur. The bookkeeper may not understand where his job ends and the accountant’s job begins, thus stepping into the accountant’s territory. If the bookkeeper does not have the knowledge and skills for that territory, the accountant can then be required to clean up any problems with it. 

There are times, also, where the accountant and bookkeeping services for business do not communicate effectively about the client’s finances and needs. This can affect the bookkeeping or the way the accountant interprets and reports on data. In short, when the accountant and bookkeeper are not communicating, there is usually confusion and mistakes to correct. 

The most important aspect of keeping a working relationship running at the top of its game is communication. When the bookkeeper and accountant connect and discuss how they fit together and how they can most effectively work for the client, great things can happen. 

When the bookkeeper and accountant begin working together, it is a good idea to discuss boundaries. Where does one job end and the other begin? Both should agree on tasks and roles to ensure that they are not doing double work and that they do not later dispute what should be done by either. Both the accountant and bookkeeper should understand their skills and expectations and do their work appropriately. 

Discussions should not happen only at the beginning of the relationship. Discuss any new directions or requests from the client as a team, rather than making the decision alone. The work, after all, is for the client, and their needs should be met first. When the accountant and bookkeeper discuss the client’s needs often, they are acting in the client’s best interests, as any accountant for bookkeeping in WA should.

Last, but certainly not least, both the accountant and the bookkeeper should discuss any new concerns immediately. If they are brought up as they happen, the two can work them out quickly and continue to have a peaceful, satisfying working relationship. 

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