7 Best Virtual Bookkeeping Services for 2022

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

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.

* 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

FinancePal is a virtual bookkeeping service that provides an array of fully customizable options that any small business may benefit from, including transaction recording, income statement preparation, balance sheet preparation, payroll, and small business tax preparation services. 

FinancePal has dedicated bookkeepers, CPAs, and tax specialists available to serve your business. 

In addition to their many services, FinancePal tailors its clients’ pricing according to the actual monthly transactions they perform and the industry they serve. For this reason, no two plans are the same.

FinancePal Features

• US-based team
• Custom recommendations 
• Business projections
• Access to transaction recording
• Income and balance sheet preparation
• Small business tax services
• Payroll solutions
• Integrated mobile app
• Centralized data storage
• Monthly or annual payment plans

FinancePal Downsides

FinancePal does not include accounts payable or receivable services in its plans, but they may be added on at an additional cost.

FinancePal Value

Since FinancePal’s service is fully customized and tailored to your business, there is no fixed pricing. However, pricing starts at only $150 per month, making them one of the most affordable bookkeeping services.

FinancePal Add-on Services

FinancePal’s bookkeeping plan also allows you to access a wide variety of services that may assist with your company’s accounting, finance, and tax needs.

• Catch-up bookkeeping
• Sales tax calculations and form preparation
• Entity formation
• Bill payment solutions

Services can be mixed and matched to ensure that your business is 100% compliant and up-to-date. 

FinancePal 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.

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 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

BELAY, a company regarded for its assistants, also offers virtual bookkeeping services. With a vast network of bookkeepers spread throughout the country, BELAY will:

1. Assess the needs of your business,
2. 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 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

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.

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.

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.

KPMG Spark is an ideal choice if you need your accounting software to integrate with other systems. KPMG offers a full suite of accounting services, including payroll and invoicing.

Bookkeeping with KPMG Spark relies on “cloud accounting” to keep your books up to date. Once you connect all your business bank and spending accounts, then transaction data flows into your account in real-time.

The live bank data eliminates manual entry and reduces the chance for errors. It also means your online dashboard is always current, which eliminates the need to do monthly reconciliation.

KPMG Spark Features

• Simple onboarding / account connection process
• Dedicated bookkeeper and manager
• Real-time accounting dashboard
• Monthly income statement
• Balance sheet
• Unlimited users
• Expense tracking
• Invoicing
• 3rd party software integrations

The major disadvantage of KPMG Spark is that it could be too expensive for small companies that follow an accrual-basis accounting system.

That said, the reviews for this bookkeeping service are through the roof and the company employs excellent staff with impressive communication skills.

KPMG Spark Value

Monthly pricing is based on the number of accounts that include transactional data. This includes checking, savings, credit card, loan accounts, as well as payment processors like Stripe or PayPal.

KPMG Spark Add-On Services

• Accept invoice payments (credit card payments include a fee of 2.9% + 55¢ per invoice paid)
• Tax preparation (starting at $125 per month)
• Business licensing (starts at $20 per month)
• R&D credit feasibility study ($500 one-time refundable fee)
• Sales and Use tax
• Payroll services

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.