Can a remote bookkeeper handle a church's books?

Yes, when the church can get documents to the bookkeeper reliably. With cloud accounting software and bank access set up as a separate user, recording, reconciling and reporting work the same from any location. What has to be arranged is the paper: someone at the church still counts and deposits offerings, opens the mail, and scans count sheets, invoices and receipts on a regular schedule.

What should a church ask a bookkeeper about security?

Ask whether access to the software and the bank is set up as a separate named user, not a shared login; whether access is limited to what the work requires, with view-only access where that is enough; how statements and payroll documents are exchanged; where the books are kept; and what happens to access when the engagement ends. No arrangement is free of risk, so be wary of absolute promises.

Does a local bookkeeper come to the church to do the work?

Not usually for the routine work. Most bookkeepers, local or not, do the recording and reconciling from their own office in cloud software. Being local mainly makes in-person meetings practical, such as presenting to the board or sitting down with a new treasurer. If you expect on-site hours, say so early, because it changes the scope and the fee.

Does Danielson Bookkeeping work with churches outside Idaho?

Yes. Danielson Bookkeeping & Consulting is based in Kuna, Idaho, and serves churches across the Treasure Valley, including Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Eagle, Caldwell and Star, with in-person meetings when they help. It also works remotely with clients further afield. In both cases much of the ongoing work happens online.

Local or Remote Church Bookkeeper: What Actually Changes

A finance committee comparing bookkeepers often treats "local" as a requirement without asking what it buys. Others assume remote is a lesser arrangement. Neither holds up well. Once the books are in cloud software, most of the work is identical wherever the bookkeeper sits. A few things do change, and they are the ones to ask about.

What stays the same

Recording transactions, coding them by fund, reconciling the bank, running reports, and answering the treasurer's questions are done in the software, from the bookkeeper's own office, in either arrangement. A local bookkeeper does not usually sit in the church office to do them. The quality of the work depends on the bookkeeper's church experience and on the documents the church sends, not on distance.

Who handles the paper

This is the largest practical difference, and it applies to any outside bookkeeper, near or far. Offerings are counted and deposited at the church by church people. Mail arrives at the church. Checks are signed by church officers. So somebody on site has a short list of regular jobs:

Send the signed count sheet and deposit record after each count
Open the mail and scan invoices and bank notices
Collect receipts for card purchases and reimbursements
Print or sign and mail checks, or approve electronic payments

A local bookkeeper may be able to collect a folder in person. Ask whether that is offered before assuming it. In practice a weekly scan is faster and leaves a record. The counting routine itself does not change; see counting and depositing offerings.

For getting those documents across, agree on one channel and one day. Statements, payroll documents and giving reports contain personal information, so a shared folder or the accounting software's own attachment feature is preferable to ordinary email where possible. What matters most is regularity. A bookkeeper who receives everything by the same day each week can close the month on time.

Access to software and bank feeds

The bookkeeper needs to see bank activity and work in the accounting file. Neither requires handing over the church's own login. Things to settle at the start:

The church owns the accounting subscription and the bookkeeper is added as a user
Bank access is a separate user, view-only where the work allows
The giving system and payroll service are set up the same way
At least two church officers can also log in to everything

How feeds and reconciliation fit together is covered in bank feeds and reconciliation.

Meetings with the board

Here local can make a real difference. Some boards want the person who prepared the reports in the room, especially during a difficult season or a first year. A local bookkeeper can attend. A remote one presents by video, or prepares the treasurer to present. Many churches find the second arrangement healthier over time, since the treasurer is the officer accountable to the board. Decide what your board expects, and how often, before comparing proposals.

Response expectations

Distance does not determine how quickly questions get answered. The agreement does. Ask any bookkeeper:

How do we reach you, and what should we expect for a reply?
On what date each month will reports arrive?
What do you need from us, and by when, to meet that date?
Who covers if you are unavailable?

If the church is in a different time zone, add one more: when are you reachable in our working day? Put the answers in the written scope.

Security practices to ask about

A bookkeeper sees bank activity, payroll and giver records. Ask the same questions of a bookkeeper down the road as of one in another state:

Named access. Is your access set up as a separate user wherever the software allows it, with no shared logins?
Least access. Is access limited to what the work requires, with view-only access where that is enough?
Document exchange. How are statements and payroll documents shared?
Where the books live. Are they in an established cloud accounting platform, or in a file on one computer?
The end of the engagement. How is access handed back and removed?

Those five are the practices Danielson Bookkeeping describes on its how we work page, which also says plainly that no system is completely risk-free. Treat a claim of total security from anyone as a reason for more questions.

When local matters more, and when it does not

Local tends to matter more when:

The board wants in-person presentations or training for volunteers
Nobody at the church is comfortable scanning and sending documents
The books need a cleanup that involves boxes of paper records
The church simply prefers to know the person face to face

Remote works as well or better when:

There is no bookkeeper with church fund accounting experience nearby
The church already uses online giving, online banking and cloud accounting
The treasurer and board are comfortable meeting by video

Church experience is harder to find than proximity. A bookkeeper who understands restricted funds and pastoral payroll and is two states away will usually serve a church better than a nearby one who has only kept business books. A capable local volunteer may serve better than either; see treasurer, staff bookkeeper or outside bookkeeper.

Where this firm works

Danielson Bookkeeping & Consulting is based in Kuna, Idaho. Carey Danielson works with churches across the Treasure Valley, meeting in person when that helps, and works remotely with clients further afield. Whichever arrangement you are weighing, the next step is a consistent set of questions for each candidate: 15 questions to ask before you hire a church bookkeeper.

This guide is general information about bookkeeping practice. It is not tax, legal or investment advice, and it does not take account of your situation. For decisions in those areas, work with your CPA, tax adviser or attorney — see what we do and don't provide.