How to Do Bookkeeping for a Retail Store
October 14, 2026
Hiring a bookkeeper sounds simple until you actually try it. You post a job, get a pile of responses, and suddenly you're trying to judge whether someone knows accrual accounting when you're not totally sure what that means yourself.
The good news: you don't need to be an accountant to hire a good one. You just need to know what you need, where to look, and what to ask. This guide walks you through it, step by step.
To hire a bookkeeper for your small business, first list the tasks you need covered and how many transactions you have each month. Then decide between a freelancer, a bookkeeping service, or an in-house employee, and set a budget. Find candidates through referrals or software directories, check their experience and references, ask specific interview questions, and start with a short trial before committing. Outsourced bookkeeping services often start around $75 a month, while a full-time hire costs tens of thousands of dollars a year.
Before you talk to anyone, get clear on the job. Otherwise you'll either overpay for help you don't need or hire someone who can't handle what you do need.
Ask yourself:
Write this down. It becomes your job description and makes every conversation after this much easier.
There are three main options, and each one fits a different kind of business.
| Freelance bookkeeper | Bookkeeping service | In-house employee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Very small, simple businesses | Most small businesses | Larger businesses with daily on-site needs |
| Cost | Hourly or monthly, varies widely | Monthly fee based on volume | Salary, benefits, and taxes |
| Coverage | One person | A team, so work keeps moving | One person |
| If they leave | You start over | Someone else takes over | You hire and train again |
| Your management time | Moderate | Low | High |
Freelancers can be great, especially if you find someone experienced. The risk is that everything depends on one person. If they get sick, take on too many clients, or move on, your books stall.
Bookkeeping services give you a team and a set process for a monthly fee. For most small businesses, this is the sweet spot between cost and reliability. If you're still deciding whether to get outside help at all, our guide on whether you should outsource your bookkeeping covers the pros and cons in detail.
In-house employees make sense when you need someone on-site every day, for example to handle cash, paper records, or a high volume of transactions that needs full-time attention.
Here's roughly what each option costs.
In-house. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual wage for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks at $50,670 as of May 2025. That's salary only. Payroll taxes, benefits, paid time off, and software push the real cost higher.
Freelancers. Rates vary a lot depending on experience and location. Some charge by the hour, others a flat monthly fee. Always get the price in writing before work starts.
Bookkeeping services. Most price by how many accounts and transactions you have. At BookkeeperLive, accrual-basis plans look like this:
| Plan | Connected accounts | Monthly transactions | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| $75 plan | 2 | Up to 50 | $75/month |
| $100 plan | 3 | Up to 100 | $100/month |
| $175 plan | 4 | Up to 200 | $175/month |
| Custom | Varies | More than 200 | Custom pricing |
See full pricing, including cash-basis plans.
The best bookkeepers usually come from trusted sources, not random job boards.
In most states, bookkeepers don't need a license, so it's up to you to check what they know. Look for:
These questions tell you a lot, fast:
Good bookkeepers answer these clearly and without hesitation. If someone gets vague, especially on pricing or data security, that tells you something.
Before you commit, try a short trial or a single month of work. Then check the results: Are the reconciliations right? Did the reports arrive on time? Were questions handled quickly?
When you do move forward, set things up safely:
After that, review your monthly reports regularly. Even with a great bookkeeper, you should understand your own numbers.
It depends on the type of bookkeeper and how much work there is. Outsourced bookkeeping services often start around $75 a month for smaller businesses, while a full-time in-house bookkeeper typically costs tens of thousands of dollars a year in salary alone.
In most states, no. That's why it's important to check experience, software skills, certifications, and references before you hire.
A bookkeeper records and organizes your financial transactions day to day. An accountant analyzes that information, prepares tax returns, and gives financial advice. Many small businesses use both.
A freelancer can work well for very small, simple businesses. A bookkeeping service is usually more reliable because a team covers your books, so work continues if one person is unavailable.
Hiring an in-house bookkeeper can take weeks. With a bookkeeping service, you can usually get set up within a week or two.
Give them their own user login in your accounting software and connect your bank through secure bank feeds. Never share your personal bank login, and keep payment approvals with you.
Know what you need, pick the type of help that fits, ask the questions above, and start with a trial. That process works whether you hire a freelancer, a service, or an employee.
If you want to skip the hiring process altogether, BookkeeperLive offers a free trial. Send us a month of transactions and see the results before you commit to anything.
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