Outsourcing & hiring15 Questions to Ask an Outsourced Accountant Before You Sign Anything

Nobody would buy a house without an inspection. And yet plenty of owners sign a 12-month accounting engagement after one friendly call and a PDF with a nice logo on it.

We get why. The sales call is pleasant, you're busy, and you've been meaning to fix the books since the last time you swore you'd fix the books. Asking pointed questions feels a little rude.

It isn't. A good firm will be glad you asked, because the answers show off the process it already has. Below are 15 questions to ask an outsourced accountant before you sign anything, grouped by topic, with what a solid answer sounds like.

Questions about who's doing the work

1. Who will actually work on my books? You want names or roles, not "our team." Is it one person, or a bookkeeper plus a reviewer?

1. Who reviews their work before I see it? This is the big one. If the answer is "the bookkeeper double-checks it," that's self-review. Look for a separate, more senior person (often a controller) who signs off on the month.

1. Who is my main point of contact? You need one person who knows your account, answers your emails and chases the loose ends. At ABFI, that's a Client Accounting Manager.

1. What happens when my person is out sick or leaves? A firm with depth will have someone else who already knows your books. A one-person shop may not, and that's worth knowing up front.

Questions about the monthly process

1. When will my books be closed each month? Look for a specific date, like "by the 10th business day." "As soon as we can" is not a date.

1. What reports will I get? A solid answer names them: profit and loss, balance sheet, cash summary, accounts receivable aging, plus a short note on anything unusual.

1. What do you need from me, and when? Good firms have a list (receipts, bill approvals, payroll changes) and a calendar. You should know your homework before you sign.

1. How do you handle transactions you can't identify? Some firms park them in a suspense account forever. Better ones send you a short list each week or month and clear it before the close.

The month-to-month rhythm matters more than any feature list. You can see how ABFI structures it on the how we work page.

Questions about systems and access

1. Who owns the accounting software subscription? Ideally, your business does, and you're the primary admin. The firm gets its own user login.

1. What other tools will you add, and who pays for them? Receipt capture, bill pay, payroll. Fine to use, but know the extra costs and make sure the accounts are in your company's name.

1. How do you handle bank access and bill payments? You want view access or bank feeds for the firm, with you approving payments before money moves. Nobody should need your banking password.

For more on keeping the keys while handing off the work, see how to outsource accounting without losing control of your numbers.

Questions about money and scope

1. What exactly does the monthly fee include, and what costs extra? Get the scope in writing. Common extras are cleanup of past months, additional entities, extra payroll runs and special projects.

1. What happens to the fee if my volume grows? Say you're at 250 transactions a month today and you'll be at 500 next year. Will the fee change automatically, at a review, or never? Knowing this now avoids a surprise invoice later.

If you're comparing quotes, outsourced accounting cost, line by line explains what each part of a fee usually covers.

Questions about taxes and the exit door

1. How do you work with my CPA? Be clear on who does what. Some accounting firms prepare tax returns. Others, ABFI included, don't: they keep the books accurate and hand organized year-end information to your independent CPA, who handles the tax work. Either can be fine. You just want to know which you're getting.

1. If we part ways, what do I get? The answer should be: everything. Your books, your files, your reconciliations, with a reasonable notice period. If the answer involves the word "fee" more than once, ask more questions.

A worked example: scoring two answers

Say you ask two firms question 2, "Who reviews the work before I see it?"

Firm A says: "Our bookkeepers are very experienced, so they check their own work carefully."

Firm B says: "Your bookkeeper reconciles every account. Then a controller reviews the reconciliations, the payroll entries and anything over $2,500 that hit a new expense account, and posts the closing entries. Your account manager sends the reports once the controller signs off."

Both firms may employ talented people. Only one has described a process. When you're hiring an accounting firm, process is what keeps working on the weeks when everyone is tired.

How to use these questions to ask an outsourced accountant (without an interrogation)

You don't need to read all 15 aloud like a deposition. Pick the five that matter most to you, send the rest by email afterward, and pay attention to how quickly and specifically they come back.

The same list works as questions to ask a bookkeeper, too. A solo bookkeeper may answer 2 and 4 differently (and that's honest), which tells you whether you need to add a reviewer separately. For the bigger picture of what good and bad signs look like, read how to choose an accounting firm: green flags and red flags.