Top FAQs about Bookkeeping for CPAs

A CPA’s role goes way beyond categorizing transactions or reconciling a bank statement. Bookkeeping might be part of the picture, but it’s not the whole canvas.

CPAs are strategic thinkers. You interpret financial data, guide business decisions, and help clients stay compliant. But in order to do all that? You need clean, accurate, and timely books. That’s where modern bookkeeping comes in—and it’s why you can’t afford to treat it like a low-priority task.

2. Why are more CPA firms integrating bookkeeping services?

In the past, CPA firms often left bookkeeping to clients, third parties, or junior staff. But that old-school approach? It’s costing you money, clients, and growth.

Modern firms are building bookkeeping into their core offerings because:

• Clients want a one-stop shop.

• Clean books are the foundation for accurate tax prep and high-impact advisory.

• It creates recurring revenue and stronger, stickier client relationships.

Bookkeeping isn’t just busywork—it’s the base layer for everything else you offer. If you want to scale, advisory starts with the books.

3. How should CPA firms offer bookkeeping services?

Offering bookkeeping isn’t just a checkbox—it’s a strategic decision that impacts your firm’s operations and client experience. Here’s how to do it right:

• Standalone service vs. packaged offering: Some firms sell bookkeeping as a separate subscription, making it easy to scale recurring revenue. Others bundle it with tax or advisory services to create a seamless client journey and increase perceived value.

• In-house, outsourced, or hybrid: Decide whether to handle bookkeeping internally, outsource it to a trusted partner like Botkeeper, or blend both approaches depending on client size and complexity.

• Leverage technology: Use automation and integration to streamline workflows, reduce errors, and free up your team to focus on advisory.

• Set clear expectations: Define scope, turnaround times, and communication protocols upfront to avoid scope creep and keep clients happy.

Done well, bookkeeping becomes a powerful entry point for deeper advisory services and long-term client loyalty—without burning out your team.

4. Do CPA firms outsource bookkeeping?

Many do—and that’s okay. Because let’s be honest: juggling 15 client inboxes, three platforms, and a staff bookkeeper who just gave notice isn’t a strategy.

Outsourcing bookkeeping means:

• Lower overhead

• Higher consistency

• Instant scale

Especially when you do it with a product like Botkeeper, the platform built exclusively for accounting firms. We handle the grunt work while you focus on high-value stuff. Like client strategy. Or finally taking a vacation.

5. How can CPAs streamline bookkeeping for clients?

Repeat after us: Standardize, automate, delegate.

• Standardize your workflows and client expectations

• Automate the inputs (think bank feeds, OCR, categorization)

• Delegate the execution to a partner like Botkeeper

Don’t waste your CPAs on data entry. It’s like putting a Ferrari in a carpool lane.

6. How do I start a bookkeeping business as a CPA?

Easy(ish). You’ve already got the credibility and compliance chops. Now you should consider:

• A defined niche – Specializing helps you stand out in a saturated market. It allows you to streamline your processes, speak your clients’ language, and become the go-to expert in that industry. Niche = focus = faster growth.

• A pricing model – Pick one that aligns with your goals and client expectations:

  • Hourly: Easy to start with, but caps your earning potential and penalizes efficiency.

  • Fixed fee: Predictable for clients and easier to scale, but you need clear scope and systems.

  • Value-based: Charge based on outcomes or client impact—great for advisory-heavy services but takes confidence and clarity.

• The right tech stack – Your tech should automate the boring stuff, play nicely with other tools, and scale as you grow. Look for:

  • Cloud-based systems

  • Strong integrations (API access)

  • Automation-first platforms like Botkeeper that do the heavy lifting for you

Build your firm like a startup. Think scale, automation, and client experience.

7. What automated bookkeeping software is best for CPA firms?

Depends on who you ask. And you’re asking us, so as far as we’re concerned, there’s only one answer. Botkeeper checks every box:

• Automated transaction categorization

• Machine learning that improves over time

• Automatic exception handling, close tracking, and more

It plugs right into QuickBooks and Xero. No manual work. No messy spreadsheets. Just clean, actionable data.

8. What are the pros and cons of hiring in-house bookkeepers or outsourcing?

Here’s a breakdown of how the two compare:

In-house bookkeeping

• Pros: Direct oversight, firm-specific training, tight team integration

• Cons: Higher payroll costs, slower to scale, risk of turnover or burnout, time-intensive management

Outsourced bookkeeping

• Pros: Lower overhead, flexible scaling, consistent delivery, access to specialized technology and expertise

• Cons: Less direct control, requires strong processes and communication to succeed

The truth? For most firms, outsourced bookkeeping offers a better path to scalability and profit—especially when you're working with a platform like Botkeeper that's built specifically for CPA firms.

9. How much should CPA firms charge for bookkeeping?

It depends on your services, client size, and value delivered. But one thing’s clear: undercharging is a growth killer.

You’re not just pushing buttons. You’re creating clarity, confidence, and a launchpad for advisory services. Price like it. And don’t forget to bake in the efficiency gains you get from automation.

10. How does Botkeeper help CPAs with bookkeeping?

Short answer? We take the grunt work off your plate. Long answer?

• We ingest and categorize transactions automatically

• We reconcile accounts with superhuman speed

• We give you real-time dashboards

• We scale with you—whether you’ve got 10 clients or 1,000

Botkeeper was built for accounting firms. We don’t compete with CPAs or bookkeepers—we make them unstoppable.