Virtual Assistant for
Bookkeeping

Updated: October 2026 · By the MyVirtualExpert team

If you run a small business in the USA or Canada, the books usually get done late at night or not at all. Receipts pile up, invoices go out late, and by the time your accountant asks for the month-end numbers you are digging through email. A virtual assistant will not replace your accountant, but a trained VA can keep the day-to-day bookkeeping admin moving so your accountant gets clean records and you get your evenings back.

Short answer: a VA is a good fit for the routine, rules-based side of bookkeeping: data entry, receipts, invoicing, payment follow-ups and reconciliation prep. Tax filings, financial advice and anything that needs a licence or professional sign-off stay with your CPA or accountant.

1. Bookkeeping tasks a virtual assistant can handle

• Receipt and bill capture: collecting receipts from email, apps and shared folders, attaching them to transactions and naming files consistently.
• Transaction entry and categorising: entering expenses and income in QuickBooks Online, Xero, Wave or similar, using the chart of accounts and rules your accountant sets.
• Invoicing: creating and sending invoices from your templates, setting up recurring invoices and logging payments received.
• Accounts receivable follow-up: polite reminder emails for overdue invoices, a weekly aged-receivables list, and flagging customers who need a call from you.
• Accounts payable prep: entering vendor bills, tracking due dates and preparing a payment list for you to approve. You stay the one who releases the money.
• Bank reconciliation prep: matching bank and card feeds to entries and listing anything that does not match, so your accountant reviews rather than starts from scratch.
• Expense reports and mileage logs: pulling team expenses together and chasing missing receipts.
• Simple reports: a weekly snapshot of cash in, cash out and overdue invoices, built from your software's standard reports.
• Month-end checklist: making sure every receipt is attached and every open question is listed before your accountant closes the month.

Most of this is covered by an administrative virtual assistant who has been trained on your software and your process.

2. What should stay with your accountant

Being clear about limits protects you. Keep these with a qualified professional:

• Filing income tax returns, sales tax returns (USA) or GST/HST/PST returns (Canada).
• Payroll decisions and remittances, unless your accountant sets up and supervises the process.
• Year-end financial statements and anything that needs a professional's sign-off.
• Tax planning, business structure and financial advice.
• The final say on how unusual transactions are categorised.

A simple rule: the VA prepares and organises, your accountant reviews and files, and you approve payments. Many accountants like this split because they spend less time cleaning up.

3. USA and Canada differences to keep in mind

The day-to-day work is nearly identical in both countries, but a few details change how you brief your VA:

• Sales tax: US sales tax depends on the state and sometimes the city. In Canada, invoices may need GST, HST or PST depending on the province. Have your accountant set the tax codes in your software so the VA applies them consistently instead of guessing.
• Currency: if you bill or buy in both USD and CAD, tell your VA which account each currency belongs to and how your software handles exchange rates.
• Deadlines: give your VA a calendar of your filing dates so month-end prep is done well before your accountant needs it.

Our VAs work your time zone, whether you are on Eastern, Central, Mountain or Pacific time. See how we support US businesses and Canadian businesses.

4. Keeping access safe

Bookkeeping means sensitive data, so set it up properly from day one:

• Use user roles, not your login. QuickBooks Online and Xero both let you invite a separate user with limited permissions. Give the VA only what the job needs.
• No banking passwords. Connect bank feeds yourself. The VA works from the feeds and never needs your online banking login or the ability to send money.
• Use a password manager to share any other logins, so access can be removed in one click.
• Sign an NDA. Every MyVirtualExpert VA signs one before starting.
• Keep an audit trail. Accounting software logs who changed what, and you can review it at any time.

For a fuller checklist, read Is It Safe to Hire an Offshore Virtual Assistant?

5. How much does a bookkeeping VA cost?

It depends on your transaction volume. A business with a few dozen transactions a month may only need a few hours a week. A busy shop, agency or contractor may need a part-time VA who also handles invoicing and follow-ups.

With MyVirtualExpert you can start on the flexible plan at $10/hour, move to part-time (80 hours/month) from $699, or go full-time (160 hours/month) from $1,199 if bookkeeping is one part of a wider admin role. There is no setup fee and plans are month-to-month. Compare options on our pricing page.

6. How to get started

1. List the tasks you want off your plate and how often they happen.
2. Ask your accountant which parts they want the VA to prepare and how they like records organised.
3. Write a one-page process for each task, or record a short screen video of how you do it today.
4. Set up limited access in your accounting software and a password manager.
5. Start with one or two tasks, such as receipts and invoicing, then add more once the routine is working.

After a free 30-minute call, we can usually have a VA onboarded in 24–48 hours, and if the fit is not right we replace the VA at no cost.

Frequently asked questions