Guide ·
Do I need a bookkeeper?
The signs you’ve outgrown doing it yourself, the alternatives (software, a bookkeeper, a done-for-you service), and how to choose.
Plenty of owners do their own books until it quietly becomes a second job. Here’s how to tell when it’s time to hand it off.
Signs you need help
- Receipts pile up and tax time is a scramble.
- You’re not sure what you actually made last month.
- You’re behind, or you’ve been surprised by a tax bill.
- The bookkeeping is eating evenings you’d rather spend elsewhere.
Your options
- Do it yourself in software — cheapest, but you’re the bookkeeper.
- Hire a bookkeeper — $400–700/mo in Ontario, plus the software.
- A done-for-you service that sets up the system and runs it.
Pocket Ledger is the third option: the system set up for you and running the day-to-day, for less than a bookkeeper alone. See how we compare to QuickBooks or our pricing.
This is general information, not tax advice. Rules and thresholds change and depend on your situation — your accountant makes the final call.