Outsourcing accounting tasks is becoming more and more popular as new technology and computers are used to handle basic, intermediate and complex business calculations. In early days, small business accounting was handled by business owners or by full charge accountants who kept several transaction-cluttered books. Such practices were adopted by several businesses as computers were not available and such evolving technology was extremely expensive.



Business owners required intermediate to advanced accounting skills to keep the transactions and books balanced which was not a very pleasant job. If a transaction was omitted or forgotten it would take long hours to find and correct the mistake in order to execute the account closing procedures for periodical reporting purposes. The same problem had to be faced if an auditor required specific information.

As the time went by, several boxes of receipts and transaction details had to be kept in order to comply with government business and tax regulations.

Many business owners face the same problem nowadays, but a recent solution has been developed as computer hardware and software evolved. Quickbooks has become a very recognized and widely utilized software application which offers partial solutions to many small businesses.

Accounting outsourcing web-based platforms are available to business owners through a popular QuickBooks interface. This is exactly were accounting outsourcing come into play.

As QuickBooks is used for many basic business operations, data files are generated and kept in your computer which is a good but yet inefficient way to keep your transactions in order.

As business grows, managers, operators and board members may be in need to travel, due to accrued vacations or business related activities. But the fact that business owners are away doesn't mean that the business should be placed on hold during such time, that's why having an accessible and updated business report is a valuable tool in order to asses business finances and make wise decisions. Accounting outsourcing platforms allows business owners access their finances in real time from anywhere in the world without the need of carrying a QuickBooks data file around.

As you can see accounting outsourcing doesn't mean you are sending sensitive information by mail or email to a third party. Accounting outsourcing platforms feature state-of-the-art secure connections to synchronize and update data files between your business computers and its servers which usually handle processing operations of accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll processing, bank account reconciliation, credit cards account reconciliation, periodical financial reports and closing of accounts which are basic tasks every small business needs to complete. As an added feature you may also find personal and business tax processing using the information accumulated and provided through such interface.

Small business owners may wonder 'how does this technology compare to a full charge CPA?', the answer is very simple and can be summarized as 'Opportunity Cost'. Successful business owners just don't have time to constantly be on top of their book keepers and CPA operations, and receiving several phone calls from business operators to report financial activity is just not efficient, so it is important to realize that one person can't perform 2 complex tasks at once, one must choose one or the other. By using such platforms business owners can take care of other aspects of their business such as marketing, business relations and still have an accurate idea of what finances look like.

As far as pricing, using such useful platforms usually cost a lot less than hiring an accountant in the long run. It is also important to remember that such platforms are not only handled by software but by real accountants which assist all clients concerns. A great example of this accounting evolution can be found at Accountiviti.