Dropped $150 on a bookkeeping service and it actually paid for itself in a month

I've been freelancing for about 2 years and always did my own books using a spreadsheet (bad idea, I know). Last quarter I got totally lost in receipts and invoices, so I hired a local bookkeeper for $150 a month. She found $400 in deductions I had missed, like my home office square footage and some software subscriptions. It felt like a lot to spend at first, but now I actually understand where my money goes each month. Has anyone else tried outsourcing their finances and seen real returns? I'm curious if I got lucky or if this is common.

3 comments

3 Comments

henry60427d ago

A bookkeeper who misses basic deductions like that probably isn't charging enough to be worth the risk. $150 a month adds up to $1,800 a year, and if you're only saving $400 in deductions that's a net loss of $1,400. Plus now you're locked into a monthly fee for something you could learn yourself with a decent spreadsheet and a few YouTube videos. Your mileage may vary but most small business owners I know who tried this ended up paying more over time than they saved.

kevin_dixon27d ago

Come on, a decent bookkeeper pays for themselves ten times over.

hugo82527d ago

Funny, I used to think exactly like that until I tried it myself and saw the difference.