What exactly does a bookkeeper do?

In short, a bookkeeper records, stores, analyzes, and keeps all financial records of a company. All transactions your company makes: the income you earn (payments from clients or services rendered), expenses you report (employees, internet, tools, office space, etc).

What is the difference between accountants and bookkeepers?

The simplest way of understanding the difference is, bookkeepers are objective, accountants are subjective. The role of a bookkeeper is to understand the all the company's finances to provide immediate, transparent, and accurate data. An accountant then serves as your guide based on the bookkeeping data. Accountants can create a financial roadmap to grow your business, evaluating what costs are ultimately "saving" funds given a long-enough timeline and what may be beneficial.

Do bookkeepers pay bills?

Yes, one of the primary duties of a bookkeeper is to ensure the lights stay on -- so to speak. Bookkeepers ensure the bills are paid and that there's enough for recurring payments. They ensure suppliers are paid and the forecast remains up to date, even with severe changes (such as a global pandemic). In the case of our firm, we also provide payroll for your employees.

Bookkeeping Services | Huddleston Tax CPAs

Running a small business demands your full attention—and when your time is better spent growing your business, managing the books can easily fall by the wayside. But neglected books lead to bigger issues down the road: missed deductions, inaccurate reporting, or even IRS penalties.

At Huddleston Tax CPAs, we offer accurate, efficient, and reliable bookkeeping services tailored to your specific business needs. Whether you’re behind on your books, need help getting organized, or simply want to offload the financial admin, our team can help—without the overhead of a full-time in-house bookkeeper.

Why Outsource Your Bookkeeping?

Hiring a full-time bookkeeper is costly, especially for small businesses where every dollar matters. On the other hand, doing it yourself can eat away at valuable time and introduce costly errors.

Outsourcing to Huddleston Tax CPAs gives you:

Access to professional, CPA-level expertise
Bookkeeping done right the first time
Cost savings over hiring an in-house bookkeeper
Clear, accurate financials for decision-making and tax prep
QuickBooks setup, support, and consulting

What’s Included in Our Bookkeeping Services

We handle the day-to-day tracking and organization of your business’s financial activity, including:

Income and expense tracking
Invoicing and accounts receivable
Bill pay and accounts payable
Bank and credit card reconciliations
Payroll processing and categorization
Financial statement preparation (P&L, balance sheet, etc.)
QuickBooks Online support and troubleshooting

We work with small businesses across industries—from medical practices and real estate firms to consultants, contractors, and ecommerce sellers.

Bookkeeping Cleanup Services

If your books are a mess—or you haven’t touched them in months—don’t worry. You’re not alone.

Our bookkeeping cleanup services are designed to help you:

Catch and fix data entry errors (like duplicate income or incorrect categorization)
Identify missed expenses or unbilled revenue
Reconcile mismatched bank balances
Remove outdated or unnecessary transactions
Spot potential fraud or unauthorized charges
Get ready for tax season with clean, audit-ready books

This service is especially helpful for businesses that rely on automation tools or software but haven’t had human oversight in months (or years). Even the best platforms only follow instructions—they don’t detect judgment errors, unusual patterns, or costly inefficiencies.

Bookkeepers vs Accountants: What’s the Difference?

While both roles work closely together, they serve distinct purposes:

Bookkeepers record and maintain your business’s financial transactions. Their job is to ensure every dollar in and out is logged, categorized, and reconciled correctly.
Accountants use that data to analyze performance, forecast growth, and identify opportunities to reduce your tax liability or increase profitability.

Think of the bookkeeper as the “recorder,” and the accountant as the “strategist.” Both are crucial to a financially sound business.

QuickBooks Consulting & Support

We work exclusively with QuickBooks—the industry-leading small business accounting software. Our team can:

Set up QuickBooks for your business from scratch
Migrate data from other software
Customize your chart of accounts
Train you or your team on usage and best practices
Provide ongoing QuickBooks support and troubleshooting

Even if you handle your own day-to-day bookkeeping, we can support your setup to ensure it’s optimized for tax planning, reporting, and clean recordkeeping.

FAQs

What does a bookkeeper do, exactly?
A bookkeeper tracks and records all your financial transactions—income, expenses, bills, payroll, and more—to give you accurate, up-to-date financial data.

Will my bookkeeper pay bills or run payroll?
Yes, our bookkeeping services can include bill pay and payroll processing. We’ll ensure your recurring payments are on time and that your employees are paid accurately and reliably.

Can you clean up my books before tax season?
Absolutely. Our bookkeeping cleanup service is ideal for businesses prepping for year-end or trying to catch up after months of DIY or inconsistent tracking.

Do I still need an accountant if I have a bookkeeper?
Yes. Your bookkeeper maintains your records; your accountant uses those records to file taxes, plan strategically, and interpret financial performance.

We’ve helped hundreds of small business owners clean up, streamline, and make sense of their books. Our bookkeeping services are designed to save you time, improve accuracy, and give you confidence when tax season arrives.