How a Virtual Assistant could help with… your accounts

As a general rule, if you need regular help with your accounts I’d suggest you work with a bookkeeper or a Virtual Assistant who offers bookkeeping as one of their services.  However, if you prefer to handle your accounts yourself and just occasionally need a hand, there are quite a few ways any Virtual Assistant can help.

Accounts Payable

  • Create purchase orders if necessary
  • Coding invoices for payment
  • Data entry invoices
  • Paying invoices
  • Liaising with suppliers with regard to proof of payment,  responding  to queries and ensuring supplier details are correctly recorded

 

Accounts Receivable

  • Producing invoices
  • Reconciliations, whether running all reconciliations or just chasing difficult reconciliations
  • Sending reminders for outstanding invoices on a regular schedule
  • Chasing outstanding payments on a regular basis
  • Produce Statements on a regular basis

In Australia, tasks relating to BAS must be done by a Registered BAS Agent or Registered Tax Agent, so unless your Virtual Assistant is registered, they cannot do your BAS.  If you want to check whether someone is a Registered BAS or Tax Agent, you can at http://www.tpb.gov.au/tpb/agent_register.aspx

Of course, if you do your BAS and Tax yourself, a Virtual Assistant can still help with any data entry into your accounting system.

These are a few of the easiest ways a Virtual Assistant can help with your accounts.  There are a few other areas they could be able to help with, such as payroll, stock control/inventory and banking – however those details are often better controlled on-site.  As a general rule, I’d suggest that the more functions you wish to outsource, the more important it is to hire someone who specialises in the field.  However if you want to be able to just hand off a few things in busy periods, your regular Virtual Assistant might just be the best person to contact.