Outsourcing your bookkeeping: this is what you provide (and nothing more)

What you provide at the start

To start, your bookkeeper needs: your Chamber of Commerce number and VAT ID, access to or an export of your existing records if any, your latest VAT returns and your latest income tax return. Coming from another bookkeeper, the depreciation schedule and closing balance are added. Your new bookkeeper usually requests those documents directly from the old firm.

Just starting and no records yet? Then the list is even shorter: your registration details, your business account and your first invoices and receipts. Setting up the administration is then precisely the bookkeeper's job, not yours.

The monthly routine: three things

After that it comes down to three habits. One: scan or forward receipts and purchase invoices immediately, ideally the moment you get them. Two: create your sales invoices in the accounting software, so they land in the records automatically. Three: keep your business account linked, so transactions come in by themselves. Altogether this costs most freelancers a few minutes per week at most.

The rest is up to your bookkeeper: processing and matching transactions, preparing and filing VAT returns, asking questions when something is unclear and raising a flag when something stands out. You do not need to know ledger accounts or understand VAT boxes.

What you do not need to do

You do not need to sort your receipts, type them into a spreadsheet or pre-categorise them. In fact, better not to, because double work leads to errors. A photo of the receipt is enough. You also do not need to keep up with tax rules; spotting that the small businesses scheme or a deduction is relevant for you is part of your bookkeeper's job.

One thing always remains your responsibility: completeness. A bookkeeper can only process what they see. Business costs paid privately, cash turnover or a new income stream: mention it briefly, and your records will truly be correct.

Why a messy start is no problem

Hesitating because your records are a mess or there is a backlog? For a bookkeeper that is daily work. Clearing backlogs, requesting missing invoices and restructuring an administration is part of the craft. The only bad start is the one you keep postponing: every month of waiting makes the catch-up bigger and the chance of missed deductions greater.