Bookkeeper vs accountant: what’s the difference?
What a bookkeeper does versus an accountant, when you need which, what each costs, and whether one person can do both for a small business.
People use the words interchangeably, but they’re different jobs. Knowing which you need saves money.
What a bookkeeper does
A bookkeeper keeps the day-to-day records: recording sales and expenses, reconciling the bank, tracking who owes you and what you owe, and keeping receipts filed. It’s the ongoing work that keeps your books current.
What an accountant does
An accountant works at a higher level: preparing and filing taxes, giving advice, and signing off on year-end. They rely on the bookkeeping being done well — messy books mean more of their (more expensive) hours.
Which do you need?
- Most small businesses need both — bookkeeping through the year, an accountant at tax time.
- Good bookkeeping makes the accountant cheaper, because they’re advising, not fixing.
Where Pocket Ledger fits
We set up and run the system that handles the bookkeeping side — the day-to-day, and a clean year-end package for your accountant. See our bookkeeping services.
This is general information, not tax advice. Rules and thresholds change and depend on your situation — your accountant makes the final call.