How to hire a bookkeeping assistant

How to hire a bookkeeping assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step bookkeeping assistant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a bookkeeping assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new bookkeeping assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your bookkeeping assistant job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a bookkeeping assistant for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A bookkeeping assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, bookkeeping assistants from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of bookkeeping assistants and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Bookkeeping Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Bookkeeping Assistant	Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks produce financial records for organizations. They record financial transactions, update statements, and check financial records for accuracy.	$13-23
   Accounts Receivable Clerk	An Accounts Receivable Clerk specializes in processing payment records and bill statements of a company or organization. Among the duties include calculating total revenues and unpaid invoices, maintaining financial records and keeping a detailed and organized database, and verifying financial transactions and payment delinquencies... Show more	$13-21
   Accounts Payable Clerk	An accounts payable clerk is responsible for supporting the accounting department by performing clerical duties to file financial reports timely and accurately. Accounts payable clerks manage and verify invoices documents, reconcile balance spreadsheets, process payments for suppliers and vendors, resolve billing discrepancies, confirm and post account statements, record outstanding credits, and maintain an organized record of transactions... Show more	$14-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Entry
   • Financial Reports
   • Credit Card Statements
   • Bank Deposits
   • General Ledger
   • Bank Reconciliations
   • Purchase Orders
   • Accounts Payables
   • Quickbooks Pro
   • Bank Accounts
   • Journal Entries
   • ACH
   • Financial Transactions
   • Tax Returns

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
   • Work with all the ACH'S and cash letters.
   • Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
   • Document, classify and record each transaction in accordance with GAAP standards for review by CPA.
   • Team with CPA to ensure timely and accurate tax preparation and end of year financial statements.
   • Utilize PeopleSoft software to enter accounts into a general ledger system and reconciliation software to reconcile general accounts.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your bookkeeping assistant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A bookkeeping assistant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, bookkeeping assistants' average salary in west virginia is 42% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level bookkeeping assistants 41% less than senior-level bookkeeping assistants.
   • Certifications. A bookkeeping assistant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a bookkeeping assistant's salary.

   Average bookkeeping assistant salary

   $38,456yearly

   $18.49 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level bookkeeping assistant salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 6, 2025

4. Writing a bookkeeping assistant job description

   A bookkeeping assistant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a bookkeeping assistant job description:

   Bookkeeping assistant job description example

   What's this position about?
   
   We're looking for a motivated, detailed-focused assistant with a helpful mindset to assist us with key bookkeeping tasks. Main responsibilities include--
   
   Entering high volume of media bills, allocating to campaigns, and assigning them for approval
   
   Preparing weekly media payment reports and uploading to platform for our AP Manager
   
   Collecting receipts and verifying business purpose for expenses, reviewing, and entering expense reimbursement reports to the system as they come in.
   
   Entering credit card charges daily, collecting receipts, reconciling statements, and processing payments monthly.
   
   Emailing clients collection report on a weekly basis & following up
   
   Flexibility to take on additional tasks associated with our department
   
   Requirements
   
   Requirements for this position
   
   Our successful candidate will have at least one year of data entry experience with Quickbooks, (url removed), and other accounts payable software. Experience with Microsoft Excel and other Office applications is also helpful! You'll also demonstrate a high level of attention to detail; we love people who ask a lot of questions! You'll also have experience with maintaining confidentiality with sensitive information.
   
   Benefits
   
   The perks we offer
   
   Base salary for this position is in the upper $40s plus potential overtime. Our teams also enjoy fully paid premiums for comprehensive health insurance, generous paid time off, and the opportunity for an annual bonus. Management treats us like ballers, even while remote, and before quarantine we traveled to Hawaii, Cabo, and New Orleans together the last three years.
   
   Our stance
   
   Liquid is committed to creating an anti-racist, anti-sexist environment. We're building an ad agency where committed and creative people from all backgrounds can do their best work.
   
   We're looking forward to getting to know you!
   
   No agencies please. This is a pretty good description of the roles and responsibilities for this position, but is not a full job description. Responsibilities and supervisors may change. We regret we cannot support visa sponsorship at this time, and may not be able to respond to all applicants.
   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right bookkeeping assistant for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with bookkeeping assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit bookkeeping assistants who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   To find bookkeeping assistant candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as efinancialcareers, financialjobsweb.com, careerbank, financial job bank.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit bookkeeping assistants, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new bookkeeping assistant

   Once you've selected the best bookkeeping assistant candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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