Choosing to outsource your accounting function is a significant decision, but the transition itself is where many engagements succeed or stall before they begin. Moving your books, processes, and institutional knowledge into someone else’s hands takes more coordination than most people anticipate.
A good outsourced accounting provider will come to that process prepared, communicating with you early to understand your current procedures, flagging opportunities to streamline workflows, and asking for supplementary information based on your industry and how your business operates. Most of what makes a handoff go smoothly is within your control before the engagement formally begins.
What to Gather Before You Hand Off Your Books
The most common source of friction in an outsourced accounting transition is incomplete or inaccessible documentation. Where possible, your provider will request direct access to your accounting, payroll, accounts payable, billing, banking, and credit card platforms, which allows them to pull most of what they need without requiring you to manually export and send files.
For anything not accessible through direct system access, plan to pull together the following:
- Chart of accounts and general ledger history: Your new provider needs to understand how your financials are structured and how transactions have been categorized. Exporting at least 12 months of historical data from your current system gives them a reliable baseline to work from.
- Bank and credit card statements: Typically the past 12 months, sometimes more if there are open reconciliation items.
- Prior financial statements: Balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements, along with any management reports you’ve relied on for decision-making.
- Balance sheet reconciliation workbooks: If your team has been maintaining these, share the most recent versions as they give your provider important context on how accounts have been reconciled historically.
- Vendor and customer records: A current accounts payable and accounts receivable aging report, along with your vendor list and any outstanding contracts.
- Tax filings: Your most recent federal and state returns, and any open correspondence with tax authorities.
- Payroll records: If payroll is being handled separately, your provider will still need to understand your payroll structure to close the books accurately each month.
The cleaner and more complete this package is, the faster your provider can get oriented and the sooner your first close will reflect accurate numbers. If your books are behind or disorganized when you begin, flag that early. Your provider will typically prioritize a catch-up period before establishing a regular close cadence.
Before you hand off your books, it helps to understand how to choose an outsourced accountant that can support your current needs and scale with your business. A good provider will also take time to understand your current procedures, identify opportunities to streamline workflows, and request any additional information specific to your industry or how your business operates.
What the First 30 to 60 Days Look Like
Most outsourced accounting engagements begin with a discovery and setup phase. Your provider will review the materials you’ve shared, ask clarifying questions about your business model and reporting needs, and begin building the workflows that will govern day-to-day operations.
For engagements focused on monthly close and accounts payable, the onboarding period is typically brief. Your provider may have questions during the first two weeks, but should be able to manage those processes independently after that. Engagements that involve accounting cleanup, invoicing, or other additional procedures generally require more ongoing communication, with the level of client involvement varying depending on the scope of work.
By the end of the first 60 days, you should have completed at least one full monthly close with your new provider, established a reporting cadence, and have a clear picture of which processes still need refinement.
Getting the Most Out of Your Outsourced Accounting Provider
The businesses that get the most out of outsourced accounting treat the relationship as a genuine partnership rather than a vendor arrangement. A few practices that make a meaningful difference:
- Designate a point of contact on your side: Your provider will have questions, and having one person who owns the relationship internally keeps things from falling through the cracks.
- Be responsive during the early months: The faster you return documentation requests and answer questions, the faster the engagement reaches a steady state.
- Share context about your business, not just your numbers: If you’re planning to raise a round, add an entity, or expand into a new market, your accounting team should know. That context shapes how they structure your books and what they flag for your attention.
- Revisit the scope as you grow: Outsourced accounting scales with your business. As your business adds complexity, your provider should be able to grow with you, adding controller-level oversight, financial planning support, or audit preparation as those needs emerge.
Treated as a working partnership from the start, an outsourced accounting relationship can grow alongside your business in ways that a traditional in-house function often cannot.
Ready to Make the Transition?
BPM’s outsourced accounting services help businesses across industries and stages, from startups handing off their books for the first time to established companies looking to increase efficiency and access deeper capabilities. Contact BPM today to start the conversation.
