Hiring a Pakistan-based bookkeeper for QuickBooks or Xero: the handover guide

We've written before about how to hire and vet a remote bookkeeper. This guide covers what comes next: setting up a Pakistan-based bookkeeper inside your QuickBooks Online or Xero file so the work is accurate, auditable and safe from the first week.

1. Give them their own login, with the right role

• Invite the bookkeeper as a named user. Both QuickBooks Online and Xero let you set what each user can see and do — give only the access the work needs.
• No shared logins, and multi-factor authentication on every system, including email and your receipt tool.
• No direct payment authority unless you decide to grant it. The bookkeeper prepares; you approve and release.

2. Connect bank feeds and receipt tools

Make sure every bank and card account has a working feed, and connect the bill and receipt tool you use, such as Dext or Hubdoc. Then agree bank rules together for recurring transactions, so the bookkeeper spends time on exceptions rather than retyping the same entries.

3. Write down your coding rules

A one-page note saves weeks of back-and-forth: which accounts to use for common costs, how you use classes, locations or tracking categories, which suppliers need special treatment, and the amount above which a transaction should be flagged rather than coded. Ask the bookkeeper to flag anything uncertain instead of guessing.

4. Agree a working routine

• Daily: bank-feed matching, bills from Dext or Hubdoc, expense claims.
• Weekly: supplier bills and a payment-run proposal for your approval; sales invoices and a chasing report for credit control.
• Monthly: reconciliations, accruals and prepayments, aged debtors and creditors, and draft management reports.

Done daily, this turns month-end from a scramble into a review.

5. Use a month-end checklist

• Every bank and card account reconciled, suspense cleared
• Aged receivables and payables reviewed, with notes on anything overdue
• UK: VAT figures prepared in the software for your accountant to review and submit under Making Tax Digital
• US: sales tax tracked, and 1099 vendor details kept ready for your CPA
• A short handover note listing open questions

6. Keep sign-off with your accountant

Your bookkeeper keeps the records accurate. Your accountant or CPA still reviews, advises and signs off: year-end accounts, tax returns and regulated filings stay with the qualified professional you already use.

Hours and cost

Pakistan is UTC+5 with no daylight saving. The working day overlaps naturally with UK mornings and early afternoons, and for US clients bookkeepers can work a shifted schedule covering your morning. A dedicated full-time bookkeeper with TechKoders starts at $899/month, all-inclusive; part-time is available. See pricing for your role and hours.

Frequently asked questions

Which software do your bookkeepers use? QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zoho Books and Wave, plus advanced Excel and Google Sheets. We match staff to the software you already run.

Can the bookkeeper make payments? Not unless you grant it. We recommend the bookkeeper prepares payment runs and you approve and release them.

Is my financial data secure? Staff sign NDAs and IP-assignment agreements, work on managed workstations with access controls, and use named accounts with multi-factor authentication.

Related: Offshore bookkeeping · QuickBooks bookkeeper (UK) · Xero bookkeeper (UK) · Bookkeeping vs accounting · Security & compliance

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