Virtual bookkeeping services make it possible to outsource this crucial task at very affordable rates. In fact, our research shows that using a virtual bookkeeping service can save your business over 83% compared to hiring an in-house bookkeeper.
Virtual services combine the automation of accounting software with the guidance of a professional bookkeeper. Most importantly, virtual bookkeeping services maintain accurate records your business can depend on to make important financial decisions.
This year we looked at dozens of popular virtual bookkeeping services and narrowed it down to those that will work best for your business. Each offers slightly different services and features, so choose the one that best suits your needs.
7 Best Virtual Bookkeeping Services for 2022
1. 
Xendoo is our top pick because of their great reputation for excellent customer service, dedicated support, and being easy to use.
Backed by a team of bookkeepers and CPAs, Xendoo can get your business financials under control through expert guidance and regular check-ins. They’re also an affordable option that can scale with your business.
With Xendoo, you’ll find all of the services you expect from a virtual bookkeeping service: cash or modified accrual bookkeeping, P&L statements, and balance sheets.
Xendoo Features
- Dedicated bookkeeping team
- Weekly bookkeeping
- Monthly financial reporting
- Profit and loss statements
- Compatible with QuickBooks and Xero
- Intuitive mobile app
- Monthly trend graphs
- Free one-month trial
Xendoo Downsides
Xendoo previously offered a very low cost entry-level plan. Now if you can live with monthly reconciliation and have 60 or fewer transactions per month, we recommend Streamline Bookkeeping.
Xendoo Value
As your company grows, you can upgrade to a different plan at any time and start receiving more in-depth financial advice.
| Xendoo Plan | Features | Number of Accounts | Average Monthly Expenses | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | Weekly bookkeeping, Dedicated team | Up to 4 | Up to $50k | $395 per month |
| Growth | Cash or modified accrual, Tax consult | Up to 6 | $50k to $75k | $695 per month |
| Scale | Custom chart of accounts, Deferred schedules | Up to 12 | $75k to $125k | $995 per month |
Xendoo also offers a free trial and 10% off annual billing.
Xendoo Add-on Services
If your business is months (or even years) behind on bookkeeping, Xendoo will appoint a team of experts to help you get your books up-to-date and ready for tax season.
- Catch-up bookkeeping
- Modified accrual accounting (included in Growth & Scale plans)
- Monthly reports delivered early in the month
- Monthly tax consulting
- Business and personal tax return services
- Annual depreciation schedules
- Sales tax return filing
Xendoo can meet your needs for growth and compliance. They have successfully helped a variety of clients in multiple industries through their business changes – they can likely do the same for yours.
2.
Bookkeeper360 is a full-service accounting platform developed for business owners. You can choose to monthly or weekly reconciliation and like most virtual bookkeeping services, the pricing is based on your business’s monthly expenses and whether you use cash basis or accrual accounting.
With many add-ons, the Bookkeeper360 platform is highly customizable and can take on most of your back office duties. Notably, Bookkeeper360 is the only provider on our list that offers HR and Payroll services themselves (other providers may offer the service, but outsource the work to other companies).
Bookkeeper360 Features
- You can choose to use QuickBooks or Xero software.
- Bookkeeper360 integrates with popular platforms including Shopify and Expensify, making it a good option for businesses that sell products and services online.
- The service handles monthly reconciliation of bank statements.
- Full-service payroll is available for as low as $45 per month.
- Add-on service can include an outsourced HR department.
- Customer service can be contacted via phone, email, and online chat.
- All staff is based in the USA.
Bookkeeper360 Downsides
The base price for Bookkeeper360 is slightly higher than some other services, so if you’re looking for the lowest cost possible they might not be your first choice.
Bookkeeper360 Value
Bookkeeper360 is easily scalable and is a good choice for medium-sized, growing businesses that want to outsource their bookkeeping, accounting, HR, and payroll with a single provider they trust.
| Bookkeeper360 Reconciliation | Accounting Method | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | Cash | Starting at $349 |
| Weekly | Cash | Starting at $499 |
| Monthly | Accrual | Starting at $499 |
| Weekly | Accrual | Starting at $699 |
* Annual billing will save you 10%.
Bookkeeper360 Available Add-Ons
- Comptroller / CFO Advisory
- Tax Prep and Planning
- Back-Office
- HR and Payroll Solutions
- Revenue Recognition
- Category Tracking
- Inventory Management
- Multi-Entity Reporting
3.
BELAY, a company regarded for its assistants, also offers virtual bookkeeping services. With a vast network of bookkeepers spread throughout the country, BELAY will:
- Assess the needs of your business,
- Then match you with highly vetted and reliable candidates.
Unlike other virtual bookkeeping services that lock features into systems of tiers, BELAY offers a flexible pricing structure. This is especially helpful if you have changing needs or experience cyclical or seasonal shifts in demand.
The process begins with an initial call. During this time, you’ll speak with a BELAY Client Success Consultant who will learn about your organization’s goals, tools, and culture. From there, they’ll facilitate a kickoff meeting with up to three of their U.S.-based bookkeepers, allowing you to decide exactly which one is the right fit for your business.
BELAY’s client success team will also regularly check in on your progress, ensuring that you’re satisfied with your virtual bookkeeping services.
BELAY Features
- Monthly bank and credit card reconciliations
- U.S.-based accounting team
- E Commerce Support
- Flexible pricing structure
- Regular journal entries
BELAY Downsides
Although they’ve been in business over 10 years, BELAY does not offer tax filing services (though the company said they have plans to launch this service soon). Additionally, more advanced services like payroll processing come at a premium.
BELAY Value
With a network of over 1,000 U.S.-based accounting professionals, BELAY will match your business with several qualified candidates, allowing for an optimized level of customized service.
Partnering with BELAY gives you access to an expansive network of professional virtual assistants. Once they match a bookkeeper with your business, BELAY will continue to monitor the partnership to support both you and your talent.
| BELAY Plan | Features | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Monthly bookkeeping, Journal Entries, & Financial Reports | $450 |
| Growth | Invoicing, Recording Deposits, & Payroll Processing | $650 |
BELAY Available Add-Ons
Having a dedicated bookkeeper––one who handles financial reports, balance sheets, and reconciles all your bank and credit card accounts––should allow you to run your organization more effectively. BELAY also offers a variety of add-ons that can help your business offload repetitive and often time consuming tasks.
- Virtual Assistants
- Social Media Managers
- Website Specialists
- Invoicing services
- Accounts payable processing
- Payroll processing
4. 
If your business needs a reliable and skilled bookkeeper, then Paro can help you find a match. And in case you’re wondering (we were) the name Paro has its roots in Latin, meaning “Going beyond the traditional.”
Through its carefully curated network of highly skilled accountants, bookkeepers, and financial experts, Paro matches companies with top talent to augment or take over all accounting responsibilities. Paro’s founder came from the consulting world with the goal of connecting SMBs with talent from the big 4.
Central to Paro’s process is its AI-powered “Growth Platform.” Through this software, Paro matches businesses with financial experts who have the skills required for the role.
Using Paro, your business could run a recruitment search for a virtual bookkeeper with experience in your industry and expertise in your accounting software. From there, Paro will present you with a list of candidates, allowing you to compare their rates, experience, and job success rate.
The freelancers Paro connects you with are also highly vetted. Currently, Paro only accepts 2% of applicants to work on its platform.
Paro Bookkeeping Features
- Flexible resources
- Account reconciliation
- Financial reporting
- Full charge bookkeeping
- Financial controller leadership
- Accounting management
- Accounts payable
- Payroll services
- Tax advisory and filing
Paro Downsides
The main draw of Paro is its machine-engineered algorithms that streamline the process of finding bookkeeping talent; however, this match is based only on the information you enter. Businesses that are unsure of the exact type of financial help needed might opt for a more comprehensive solution, like Bookkeeper360.
Paro Value
Taking the guesswork out of recruiting financial expertise, Paro offers businesses of any size the chance to work with industry-leading talent. While their vetted freelancers take on accounting processes, you can focus your efforts on running your business.
Paro also has specialists for emerging verticals like cannabis & crypto.
Paro Available Add-Ons
With an extensive team of financial experts that runs the gamut of industries, Paro can help you find the right talent for bookkeeping and additional needs. These include:
- Corporate development
- CFO strategy services
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Current state assessments
- Corporate tax filing
- Business system / process optimization
- Internal audits
5. 
Ideal for small and growing businesses, 1-800Accountant is a comprehensive digital solution for accounting procedures. By combining localized financial expertise with a cloud-based accounting platform, the company helps business owners obtain optimal tax savings while minimizing time spent crunching numbers.
For new and small businesses looking to offset the burden of accounting procedures, 1-800Accountant offers an affordable solution with industry-leading expertise. As your business expands, they also make it easy to add on payroll, bookkeeping, and tax preparation services, as needed.
1-800Accountant Features
- Bookkeeping services from $153 per month
- 24/7 access to support from accounting professionals
- CPAs employed in every state, advising you of the best practices in your region
- Staff averages more than 17 years of experience
- Payment completed through flat, annual fees with no transaction limits
- Integrated mobile application
- Entity formation
- Payroll services
- Tax preparation, review, filing, and signing
1-800Accountant Downsides
While affordable, the 1-800Accountant base service is limited to portal access and accountant support. Features like tax preparation are found on higher-tier plans.
1-800Accountant Value
| 1-800Accountant Service | Features | Starting at |
|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeping | Dedicated bookkeeping support | $153 per month |
| Payroll | Expert IRS compliance support | $89 per month |
| Tax Preparation & Filing | Schedule C, 1065, 1120(s), 1040 | $365 per year |
| Tax Advisory | Proactive tax planning, flat-rate pricing | $1,125 per year |
1-800Accountant Add-On Services
1-800Accountant’s base package includes access to their accounting portal, a dedicated accountant, 24/7 access to tax advice, tax planning services, and quarterly reviews. Their higher-tier plans include:
- Personal tax preparation
- Business tax preparation
- Priority support
- Financial reports
6.
Streamline Bookkeeping is a virtual bookkeeping service that specializes in helping small businesses and professional service firms. Most clients have 1-20 employees and include doctors, attorneys, chiropractors, web designers, architects, consultants, real estate investors, and non-profits.
Streamline Bookkeeping Features
Streamline Bookkeeping is run by an experienced CPA so they can help you increase profitability by making informed financial decisions.
- Personalized service
- Monthly reconciliation
- Transaction coding and categorization
- Monthly phone meetings to review financial reports
- General ledger
- Profit & loss statement
- Balance sheet
- W-9 management
- 1099 filing
During initial setup you’ll get a customized client checklist detailing how your accounts are reconciled. Next they will set up secure limited access or view-only access with your financial institutions for fraud prevention. It also improves accuracy of data entry.
Streamline Bookkeeping Downsides
Since Streamline Bookkeeping focuses on smaller businesses, they might not be a good fit for you if your business is growing rapidly or if you already have more than 50 employees.
Streamline Bookkeeping Value
Pricing is a fixed monthly fee based on your average number of monthly transactions. Although a QuickBooks Online account is required, when you sign up for QBO through Streamline Bookkeeping you’ll receive a 50% discount on the subscription.
| Streamline Bookkeeping Plan | Average Monthly Transactions | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | Up to 60 | $199 |
| Custom | More than 60 | Custom |
7.
Bench is an excellent low-cost solution if you only need bookkeeping, but they also offer accounting services. Bench now offers licensed tax professionals and year end filing as part of their Premium plan.
Related: Full Review of Bench Bookkeeping
Bench Features
- Bench uses a proprietary software that is user-friendly even to those who are not very tech-savvy.
- The price differences in plans are not significant, so the decision to upgrade isn’t a hard choice.
- The mobile app allows you to monitor accounts and real-time cash flow reports when you’re on the go.
- Accrual accounting is available – for an extra fee.
- The flat-rate tax service is a convenient add-on for Bench users, as their financial information is already stored in the software.
- Offers historical bookkeeping service in which a bookkeeper will work through past months of disorganized bookkeeping.
Bench Downsides
Bench is no-frills. While customer support is knowledgeable, it can take up to 24 hours to get a response. This could be an issue if you have urgent financial concerns.
Bench Value
If you can get by with basic bookkeeping, Bench is one of the lowest-cost solutions for virtual bookkeeping. They also offer the option to add on new services down the road.
| Bench Plan | Includes | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Monthly Bookkeeping | $299 |
| Premium | Bookkeeping & Taxes | $499 |
If your business already has a dedicated CPA, then Bench may be the best option for you. Bench’s in-house bookkeepers will communicate directly with your accountant so that you can focus on running your business.
What to Expect from a Virtual Bookkeeping Service
Virtual bookkeeping services differ in the mix and thoroughness of the services that they offer.
Virtual bookkeepers use bookkeeping software to organize the daily financial activities of your business – including the payments you’ve processed, and the expenses incurred. Most basic bookkeeping services will also reconcile your accounts monthly and send you updated financial reports. However, some services go as far as handing your payroll and HR.
Focus on the range of services that your business needs and can afford. Most virtual bookkeeping services offer add-on services, allowing you to easily upgrade when you need additional help beyond basic bookkeeping.
If costs are your primary concern, also look into free bookkeeping software. Although free software will require more of your time, it might be worth using until you can afford to hire a virtual bookkeeping service. The important thing is that you maintain financial records so you can understand how your business is performing.
Virtual Bookkeeping Service vs. Online Accounting Service
While bookkeeping typically refers to the recording of financial transactions, accounting refers to interpreting and analyzing those recorded transactions. Most virtual bookkeeping services are responsible for recording and synthesizing your financial statements. That way, your CPA can use these statements to help you with taxes and financial planning.
Some bookkeeping services included in this list also offer tax service and financial planning. Those that do often have an in-house team of CPA’s that can help with long-term planning, even if you already have a dedicated accountant.
Final Thoughts on Virtual Bookkeeping Services
While you can do your own books with paid or free bookkeeping software, you won’t get very much out of it if you aren’t well-versed in finances. And it could take a lot of your time.
The best virtual bookkeeping services are extremely affordable and only cost between $200 to $400 per month – a savings of $34,000 per year compared to an in-house bookkeeper. When focusing on the expense, keep in mind that bookkeeping provides a high ROI.
If you struggle to keep up with your books, then a virtual bookkeeping service will help prevent a big headache come tax season. When you understand your financial position, you can make well-informed financial decisions that will help your company grow.
