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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Bookkeeping and QuickBooks Consultant

💰 $ - $

AccountingBookkeepingQuickBooksFinanceConsulting

🎯 Role Definition

A Bookkeeping and QuickBooks Consultant is a results-driven accounting professional who manages full-cycle bookkeeping and delivers QuickBooks implementation, cleanup, training, and ongoing advisory services. This role combines technical proficiency in QuickBooks (Online and Desktop) and complementary tools with a client-facing consultative approach to ensure accurate books, timely reporting, tax-ready records, and improved financial processes for small to medium-sized businesses, nonprofits, and startups.

Key search terms: Bookkeeping, QuickBooks Consultant, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, bookkeeping cleanup, QuickBooks implementation, bank reconciliation, month-end close, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll compliance, financial statements.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Junior Bookkeeper or Accounts Clerk
  • Accounting Assistant in a small business
  • Administrative/operations role with bookkeeping responsibilities

Advancement To:

  • Senior Bookkeeper / Lead Bookkeeper
  • Accounting Manager
  • Controller or outsourced finance manager for small businesses
  • QuickBooks ProAdvisor / Independent Consultant or Practice Owner

Lateral Moves:

  • Payroll Specialist
  • Accounts Payable/Receivable Supervisor
  • Implementation Specialist for accounting software (Bill.com, Xero)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Provide full-cycle bookkeeping services for a portfolio of clients using QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop, including recording daily transactions, maintaining the general ledger, and ensuring month-to-date accuracy.
  • Perform detailed bank, credit card, and loan reconciliations monthly to verify cash balances, identify discrepancies, and prepare reconciliations with clear supporting documentation.
  • Maintain accounts payable workflows: code invoices, enter bills, schedule vendor payments, reconcile vendor statements, and manage payment approvals while keeping cash flow optimized.
  • Manage accounts receivable functions including invoicing, applying customer payments, tracking overdue accounts, issuing statements, and working with clients on collections as needed.
  • Prepare and post adjusting journal entries at month-end and year-end (accruals, prepayments, depreciation, owner draws) and document rationale for audit trails.
  • Compile accurate month-end and year-end financial statements — balance sheet, profit & loss, statement of cash flows — and deliver concise variance analysis and narrative explanations for stakeholders.
  • Clean up and convert existing client accounting systems to QuickBooks, handling chart of accounts redesign, opening balance adjustments, historical transaction imports, and mapping legacy data.
  • Implement QuickBooks best-practice workflows: classes, locations, products/services, sales tax settings, and user access permissions to support scalable bookkeeping operations.
  • Configure and integrate third-party apps (Bill.com, Hubdoc, Dext/Receipt Bank, TSheets/QuickBooks Time, Gusto/QuickBooks Payroll) to automate data capture, AP/AR, and payroll processes.
  • Administer payroll setup and ongoing payroll processing through QuickBooks Payroll or integrated providers, ensure payroll tax filings are accurate and timely, and prepare payroll-related reports.
  • Prepare sales tax reports and filings, configure tax authorities in QuickBooks, and support quarterly/annual sales/use tax reconciliations to mitigate compliance risk.
  • Reconcile merchant accounts and payment processors (Stripe, Square, PayPal) to QuickBooks, troubleshoot fees and payouts, and ensure e-commerce revenue is recorded correctly.
  • Support financial close cadence by creating and maintaining month-end checklists, standardized close procedures, and delivering reliable timing for internal and client reporting cycles.
  • Create and maintain budgets, cash flow projections, and forecasting models in QuickBooks or Excel to help clients plan operations and assess financial health.
  • Review and improve internal controls related to cash handling, bill approvals, expense reimbursements, and segregation of duties for small teams or virtual bookkeeping environments.
  • Prepare client-ready management reports and KPI dashboards, tailoring visuals and commentary for non-financial owners to drive informed decision-making.
  • Conduct client-facing QuickBooks training sessions (remote or in-person), create step-by-step documentation, and upskill client teams on transaction entry, reporting, and period close routines.
  • Serve as the client’s primary point of contact for bookkeeping inquiries, provide monthly advisory calls, and make recommendations for process improvements and cost-saving opportunities.
  • Support year-end tax preparation by delivering organized, reconciled financial data to external CPAs, preparing schedules (fixed asset, payroll, 1099/1098 summaries), and closing books for tax filing.
  • Monitor and resolve troubleshooting issues with QuickBooks data integrity, run reconciliation reports, investigate unreconciled items, and coordinate with Intuit support or third-party service providers as needed.
  • Administer multi-entity or multi-location setups in QuickBooks, allocate intercompany transactions, and prepare consolidated reporting where applicable.
  • Implement and maintain document management protocols (digital filing, vendor invoice indexing, transaction backup) using Hubdoc, Google Drive, or secure client portals to ensure audit readiness.
  • Conduct periodic process audits and quality reviews on client books to ensure ongoing compliance with GAAP or client-preferred accounting bases and recommend corrective actions.
  • Provide ad-hoc financial projects such as inventory reconciliations, job costing for construction or professional services, grant accounting for nonprofits, and system upgrades/migrations.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc financial analysis requests including profitability reviews by product or client, margin analysis, and one-off reconciliations.
  • Assist clients in developing and documenting internal accounting policies and procedures to standardize financial operations.
  • Help evaluate, select, and implement new accounting or automation tools to streamline bookkeeping and reporting workflows.
  • Provide light tax-related support such as 1099 vendor preparation, sales tax audit preparation, and coordination with tax preparers.
  • Collaborate with business owners to translate bookkeeping insights into operational actions such as pricing updates, expense reduction, and cash management strategies.
  • Participate in client onboarding, project scoping, and project management tasks to ensure successful QuickBooks rollouts and migrations.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • QuickBooks Online: advanced setup, customization, reconciliations, reporting, and admin-level troubleshooting.
  • QuickBooks Desktop (Pro/Premier/Enterprise): file conversion, multi-user setup, and Desktop-specific features and reporting.
  • QuickBooks Payroll and payroll tax compliance: payroll processing, payroll liabilities, tax deposits, and filings.
  • Full-cycle bookkeeping: AR/AP, bank and credit card reconciliations, journal entries, trial balances, and month-end close.
  • Financial statement preparation: balance sheet, profit & loss (income statement), cash flow statements, and variance analysis.
  • Accounting fundamentals and GAAP knowledge, including accruals, deferrals, depreciation, and basic cost accounting.
  • Integration and automation tools: Bill.com, Hubdoc, Dext/Receipt Bank, Gusto, Expensify, TSheets/QuickBooks Time.
  • Spreadsheet proficiency: Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets — pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, basic macros for reconciliations.
  • Data import/export and CSV mapping experience including IIF/CSV imports for QuickBooks and bank data cleaning.
  • Sales tax and compliance knowledge: filing schedules, nexus considerations, and state/local tax setup in QuickBooks.
  • Experience with e-commerce and payment platforms integration (Shopify, Stripe, PayPal, Square) and reconciling payout summaries.
  • Experience migrating, cleaning, or converting bookkeeping data from legacy systems into QuickBooks with audit-ready outcomes.
  • Familiarity with nonprofit accounting, job costing, inventory accounting, or multi-entity consolidations (where applicable).

Soft Skills

  • Client advisory and relationship management with the ability to explain complex accounting concepts in plain language.
  • Strong attention to detail and a systems-oriented mindset for maintaining clean, reliable books and audit trails.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to handle multiple clients, deadlines, and month-end close schedules.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication: delivering reports, training documentation, and action-oriented recommendations.
  • Problem-solving and critical thinking to investigate reconciling differences and propose corrective entries or process fixes.
  • Confidentiality and professionalism in handling sensitive financial and payroll data.
  • Adaptability and continuous learning mindset to stay current with QuickBooks updates, tax changes, and automation tools.
  • Coaching and training ability to upskill client staff on QuickBooks best practices and bookkeeping processes.
  • Project management capability for leading migrations, implementations, and software rollouts.
  • Sales acumen and consultative selling for upselling advisory services, software integrations, and recurring engagements.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent; strong bookkeeping experience and demonstrated QuickBooks proficiency required.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
  • Certifications such as QuickBooks ProAdvisor, AIPB Certified Bookkeeper, or CPA (preferred for advisory/manager roles).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Accounting
  • Finance
  • Business Administration
  • Taxation or Financial Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–7 years of progressive bookkeeping experience with hands-on QuickBooks use; many roles expect 3+ years for consultant-level responsibilities.

Preferred: 5+ years of full-cycle bookkeeping and QuickBooks consulting experience, demonstrable client-facing advisory work, and experience with software integrations (Bill.com, Hubdoc, payroll platforms). Industry experience (e-commerce, nonprofit, construction, professional services) is a plus.

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