What Does a Bookkeeper Actually Do Every Month?

A lot of business owners know they need a bookkeeper but aren't totally sure what one does all month. Fair enough. Here's exactly what happens behind the scenes when I take care of a client's books.

1. Categorize every transaction

Bank and credit card feeds bring transactions into QuickBooks Online automatically, but they don't know that the Home Depot charge was job materials, or that the transfer to savings isn't an expense. I review and categorize every transaction so it lands in the right place.

When something is a mystery, like a Venmo payment with no note, I send the client a quick text. Most months that's just a question or two.

2. Match deposits to sales

Deposits from Square, Stripe, Shopify, or a restaurant POS are usually sales minus fees, and sometimes several days of sales combined. I match those deposits back to the actual sales so revenue and fees are both recorded correctly.

3. Reconcile every account

This is the most important step, and the one most often skipped. For each checking account, savings account, credit card, and loan, I compare QuickBooks to the actual statement and make sure the ending balances match exactly.

Reconciliation catches duplicates, missing transactions, bank errors, and sometimes fraud. If your books aren't reconciled, you can't fully trust the reports that come out of them.

4. Keep invoices and bills moving

For clients who need AR and AP help, I send invoices, record payments, keep an aging report so you know who's late, and enter vendor bills with their due dates so you can pay on time.

5. Record payroll

Whether I run payroll or you use a separate provider, wages, payroll taxes, and benefits need to be recorded correctly. I also reconcile payroll liability accounts so what QuickBooks says you owe matches what was actually paid.

6. Review and close the month

Before closing, I look over the profit and loss and balance sheet for anything unusual. A negative balance in the wrong place or an expense that doubled from last month is worth a second look. Then I close the month so past numbers don't accidentally change.

7. Send reports that make sense

Finally, clients get their monthly reports: a profit and loss, a balance sheet, and a short plain English note about what stood out.

What you do each month

Honestly, not much. Answer a question or two, snap photos of receipts with the QuickBooks app, and read your reports. That's the whole point.

If that sounds like a relief, let's talk.