Your Guide to Finding the Right Staff Accountant

Don’t you just hate it when that happens? If you decide to hire remote accountants, those worries can become a thing of the past. Here’s what you should know about finding the right professionals for your team:

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What is a staff accountant?

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Staff accountants are members of a company’s accounting department. They take care of all kinds of accounting tasks to help businesses grow and usually work under the watchful eye of a certified public accountant (CPA). 

Here are some of their common tasks:

Handle tax-related matters

Filing taxes is a pain in the butt for most people, especially when math isn’t their strong suit. For staff accountants, though, it’s second nature.

Hiring one will be really useful when you want to score the most tax deductions possible. Plus, having a staff accountant on board will help you steer clear of a tax audit. They’ll spot potential red flags before they turn serious.

You also won’t have to worry about being compliant or not, since your staff accountant will stay updated on the latest regulations.

Looking for more specialized help? You can also hire remote tax preparers to focus on your tax needs, ensuring your financial records are audit-proof and optimized.

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Go over financial statements and maintain records

Most people usually associate accountants with filing taxes, but that’s not the only trick they have up their sleeves. Another important function of a staff accountant is to keep track of things like:

• Monthly sales
• Employee salaries and benefits
• Software subscriptions
• Company equipment —
• — and advertising expenses

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They make sure every single penny is accounted for using tools like Excel and QuickBooks. But staff accountants don’t rely on these alone—to be safe, they may double-check the data themselves.

They also compare internal financial records with those from the bank or other external sources to see whether they’re consistent. This process is called account reconciliation and it’s necessary if you want to prevent fraud. Your staff accountant can perform this monthly or quarterly, depending on your business needs.

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Make reports

When they’re confident that the records are accurate and up-to-date, the staff accountant checks how the current numbers look in contrast to the previous month or year. From there, they create their reports and present them to you.

These reports can serve as the basis for budgeting and sales forecasts.      

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Suggest how to grow revenue and lower costs

You can consider your staff accountant as a business advisor of sorts. Using the data from their reports, they can provide you with solid advice on inventory, sales, and manpower. These may include:

• Adjusting the prices of your products or services
• Determining how much money you need to shell out for a new project
• Focusing on one marketing strategy over another

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Staff accountants see the big picture and will recommend the best steps for a company to take, so you better have one on your team if you’re bent on making your business a success.  

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What to look for in a remote staff accountant

To ensure you hire remote accountants who meet your needs, prioritize candidates with:

• Background in accounting or a similar field - This shouldn’t be your staff accountant’s first rodeo. They must already have experience with financial reports, bank reconciliations, and other accounting tasks.

• Proficiency in accounting tools - Your staff accountant should be well-versed in Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, and CRM tools. Most of all, they must love working with spreadsheets.  

• Excellent math and analytical skills - Since they’re crunching numbers, it’s necessary for your staff accountant to be a math whiz. They should also be detail-oriented to ensure the figures are accurate.  

• Great communication skills - Staff accountants must be effective at written and verbal communication. Think of them as translators who interpret numbers, tell you how these can affect your business, and offer solutions.  

• Integrity and confidentiality - Your staff accountant needs to be someone you can trust with confidential information about your company and clients. But it doesn’t just end with keeping their lips zipped. They have to be honest about the data they’re reporting, too.

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Who needs remote staff accountants?

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Not every business needs a staff accountant right away. If you’re just starting, you might opt to hire remote bookkeepers instead. But a staff accountant is a great fit if:

• Your company is expanding and you aim to sustain its growth
• You want to find out whether your marketing or advertising efforts are paying off
• You don’t have the math skills—or energy—to deal with taxes
• You want to remain compliant with the law

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What are the benefits of hiring staff accountants?

You’ll reduce costs

Did you know that 32% of small businesses fail within 2 years? One of the major reasons behind this is running out of finances.  

Since staff accountants are pros, they’re the ones to go to when you need to know how to cut losses or where to invest your resources. They can also take care of taxes so that you can avoid an audit and having to shoulder hefty penalty fees.

Needless to say, they can save your company a lot of money.  

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You’ll make smarter decisions for your company

A staff accountant presents you with reliable data about your company’s sales and finances. With these reports, you can stop playing the guessing game and be more calculated with your next move. The result? Better productivity, fewer efforts wasted, and a boost in profit.  

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You’ll take back your time

By delegating your company’s finances to a staff accountant, you no longer have to dread filing taxes, calculating employee salaries, and wondering if you’re going over budget. You’ll finally be able to fit the stuff you actually enjoy doing into your schedule. Plus, you can be there more for your friends and family.  

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How to hire remote staff accountants using Somewhere

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Finding the right staff accountant to join your team can be tough when you’ve never hired one before, but that’s where Somewhere steps in. We’re a headhunter agency that specializes in matching businesses with talented remote workers in the Philippines.

Here’s how we can help you hire a remote staff accountant from the Philippines at a fraction of the local cost:

Step 1: Let us know about your ideal candidate

Let us know your requirements—whether you need to hire remote bookkeepers, tax preparers, or financial controllers.

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Step 2: We’ll kick off a search

We’ll arrange a call with you to hash out the details and let you meet the project manager assigned to you.

After the call, our team of assessors and scouts will look for candidates who match your staff accountant job description. Each candidate will go through a rigorous screening process before we give you the final list.

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Step 3: Pick from a list of the best candidates

You’ll be given a list of applicants that have made it through the final screening. Review their profiles and narrow down which ones you’d like to get to know more, and then we’ll coordinate the interview schedules.  

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Step 4: Make your decision and start onboarding

Once you’ve chosen the most qualified person for the role, we’ll hand off the relationship to you and you can start orienting them on company SOPs and their responsibilities.

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Learn more: How we helped a real estate investment and development firm find an experienced accountant  

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Remote staff accountant salary—how much does an accountant cost?

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The typical salary of a remote staff accountant is around $1,000-1,600 per month, full-time. The actual amount will depend on their level of experience and responsibilities, but you can expect to pay 80% less than hiring a local counterpart.

This guide will give you a better idea of remote worker salaries in the Philippines.

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Ready to hire a remote staff accountant?

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A staff accountant can keep your business on track for success. They aren't just there to file your taxes. With their data-driven mindset, they can help you maximize profits and make better decisions for the future. You won’t regret hiring one.

Contact us today to get started on finding your new staff accountant.

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FAQs about hiring a remote staff accountant