Updated 10/14/2026
Having an accountant by your side lifts a burden off your shoulders.
You stay on top of deadlines, minimize your tax liability, and get unlimited expert financial advice. (At least, that's what monthly accounting is like at CSI Accounting & Payroll, which we've provided for 60 years.)
However, many business owners wait to hire an accountant until after an issue arises, such as developing poor cash flow, falling behind on taxes, or becoming swamped with bookkeeping.
The key is to recognize early signs that your business is ready for professional assistance. We'll talk about that here, breaking down:
- The signs your business would benefit from an accountant.
- The best practices for when to hire each type of accounting solution.
- The right accounting solution for your business's situation.
Signs Your Business Needs an Accountant
Most businesses need some form of in-house or outsourced accounting. However, some small business owners use accounting software in hopes that they can handle their own bookkeeping and taxes.
Even in that scenario, you may still relate to the following:
- You spend too much time working IN your business, rather than ON your business. You have the expertise to benefit your business from a growth and customer experience improvement standpoint, but you spend a lot of time handling responsibilities like bookkeeping instead.
- You stay late to complete accounting tasks on a regular basis. Your time is worth a lot, but you're not taking advantage of the time that outsourcing opens up.
- Your business has experienced rapid growth. Accounting only becomes more complex as a business grows.
- You are having trouble keeping up with changes to tax laws. There are changes every year. Are you on top of following them and claiming every tax credit that you can?
- You’re experiencing an audit. No business is 100 percent audit-proof, so this doesn't necessarily mean you've done anything wrong... but don't rule it out completely. Even the best-case scenario of an audit is temporarily reduced efficiency due to the amount of time it takes.
Read more about the signs that your business is ready for accounting services here.
In any of these scenarios, an accountant can be an excellent partner, saving you time and money in the process. Plus, hiring an accountant is easier than you may think.
When to Work With an Accountant
When should you work with an accountant? The easy answer: Whenever you feel the need.
You don't need to stumble through another year on your own. Many accountants can provide a catch-up service within the current tax season, while making plans for maximizing deductions and reducing your tax liability moving forward.
While annual tax accountants and bookkeeping services go through periods when they're not accepting new clients (or just place them on extension immediately), some monthly accounting services (like CSI) accept new clients year-round while still minimizing the chance of an extension.
Still not sure when to hire an accountant? The complex answer: It depends on which type of accounting solution you're looking for. We'll cover that in the next section.
Choosing the Right Accountant for Your Business
Regardless of the solution you're looking for, you probably want an accountant who specializes in your industry, has a fixed fee, and who is assigned to you (instead of you contacting a call center).
Discovering your ideal level of service is also determined by where your business is in its life cycle, which is also another way of looking at when the "ideal time" is to hire an accountant!
Beginner Level
Startups and other very small, newer businesses may not have the capital or business activity yet to justify a strategic accounting method. Because of this, you may want to start out with any combination of the following bookkeeping and tax options.
- Handle your own bookkeeping or delegate to your support staff as part of their existing role.
- Hire an outsourced bookkeeping service.
- Use an online service to file your taxes or delegate to your support staff.
- Work with an outsourced annual tax accountant on your taxes only.
Intermediate to Expert Level
As your small or medium-sized business starts to grow in revenue and activity, you can (and should) expand your investment. If you're looking for a more comprehensive and accurate accounting experience, the ideal solution is to:
- Hire an outsourced monthly accounting service to handle your bookkeeping, monthly accounting, and annual taxes under one roof. Many will even offer payroll services too!
Plateaued Experts
Of course, after a business enters the large business category, it can finally:
- Hire an in-house, full-service accountant or an entire accounting department.
Hire the Right Accountant at the Right Time
Hiring an accountant for your small business can be a game-changer, freeing up valuable time and resources to focus on growth and development.
By recognizing early signs that your business could benefit from an accountant, you can make a well-informed decision on which accounting solution is best for you. There's a range of options available, including in-house or outsourced accounting, bookkeeping, and taxes.
If you're considering monthly accounting as a solution for your small business, why not check out CSI Accounting & Payroll? Click the button below to schedule a free consultation and see if we can be the right fit for your business!
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