What Your Bookkeeper Notices Before Your Accountant Ever Does

Your bookkeeper often sees problems long before they become expensive. That’s not because accountants aren’t thorough — it’s because bookkeepers are in your numbers every week or month, not just at year-end.

Here are some of the early warning signs a bookkeeper usually spots first.

Cash Flow Pressure

Even profitable businesses can struggle with cash flow. A bookkeeper sees:

• Slow-paying customers

• Bills piling up

• Bank balances trending down month after month

Catching this early gives you time to adjust — before stress sets in.

Transactions That Don’t Quite Add Up

Duplicated expenses, uncoded transactions, missing receipts — small things that don’t look

dramatic but add up quickly if left unchecked.

As a bookkeeper, I see these issues early, and they always raise a red flag with me because these issues frequently lead to huge problems at BAS time.

BAS and GST Risks

Bookkeepers notice:

• GST claimed incorrectly

• BAS liabilities growing faster than expected

• Activity statements not lining up with actual trading

Fixing these early avoids nasty surprises later, saving you from a lot of time, stress and money!

Systems That Aren't Coping Anymore

As your business grows, the systems that once worked can quietly begin to fail. A bookkeeper sees when:

• Software isn’t being used properly

• Processes are inconsistent

• Manual work is increasing instead of reducing

Why This Matters to Bookkeepers, Accountants and Business Owners

By the time your accountant sees your books, the year is usually finished. A bookkeeper helps keep things clean, current, and under control all year round — making life easier for everyone.