AI Answer
What does a bookkeeper need from me each month?
The short list of what a bookkeeper actually needs from you each month, how long it really takes, and what happens when it is late.
The short answer
- Four things: account access, receipts for large or unusual purchases, payroll and sales tax reports, and prompt answers to questions.
- For most small businesses this is 20 to 40 minutes a month once receipt capture is automatic.
- Answer speed matters more than volume. A question that waits a week usually delays the whole close by a week.
- Receipts matter most for large purchases, travel, meals, equipment and mixed personal use — not every coffee.
- Anything sent during the month costs a fraction of what the same item costs to reconstruct at year end.
The four things, in order of importance
Everything a bookkeeper needs falls into one of these. With all four in place, your close runs on schedule almost regardless of complexity.
- Read-only access to every bank, card and loan account
- Receipts for large, unusual or mixed-use purchases, sent as they happen
- Payroll reports, sales tax filings and 1099 contractor details
- Answers on unclear transactions, ideally within two business days
What you do not need to send
Owners routinely over-send, which slows things as much as under-sending. You do not need to categorize anything yourself, keep a parallel spreadsheet, print statements, or send a receipt for every small recurring charge already identifiable on the statement.
Why answer speed decides your close date
A close cannot lock with unresolved items. When questions sit unanswered, the bookkeeper waits or posts an estimate to correct later. A standing fifteen-minute weekly slot to clear questions is the highest-return habit an owner can adopt.
How LedgerDude makes it small
Receipts go in from your phone camera the moment you spend. Questions arrive as a short list you answer in a couple of taps. Anything outstanding shows on your dashboard, so nothing depends on remembering.
Numbers worth watching
Each one is plain math you can check yourself.
| Number | How to figure it | Good range | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner response time | Average days to answer a question | Under 2 business days | The number one driver of how fast your books close. |
| Receipt capture rate | Transactions with a receipt ÷ transactions requiring one | Over 90% | Missing documentation is the most expensive thing to reconstruct later. |
| Owner minutes per month | Time you spend on bookkeeping requests | 20 to 40 minutes | Much more means the process, not the business, is too complicated. |
What thirty minutes a month covers
- Receipt photos during the month
- 18 (about 5 minutes)
- Weekly question review, 4 weeks
- 16 minutes
- Payroll report forwarded
- 2 minutes
- Month-end statement review
- 8 minutes
- Total owner time
- 31 minutes
What this tells you: Half an hour spread across a month replaces the two-day scramble a year-end reconstruction turns into.
What you see inside LedgerDude
This is the page you get each month once your books are closed — the numbers behind every answer on this site.
Real example
Three hours a month down to twenty minutes
Where they started: The owner of a two-location pet grooming business spent about three hours a month sorting receipts into folders, renaming files and emailing batches.
What we did: We replaced the folder system with phone capture at the register, set up direct payroll report delivery, and moved open items into one weekly question list.
How it ended up: Owner time dropped to about twenty minutes a month, receipt capture went from roughly 60 percent to 96 percent, and the close moved from day 19 to day 8.
3 hrs to 20 min
Owner time per month
60% to 96%
Receipt capture rate
19 to 8
Days to close
11 to 1
Unresolved items at close
In one sentence
Account access, receipts for large or unusual purchases, payroll reports, and quick answers to a short list of questions — usually under thirty minutes a month.
Questions people ask
Do I have to keep paper receipts?
No. Clear digital images are acceptable documentation as long as they are legible and retained.
What if I forget to send something?
It shows up as an open item rather than disappearing. Catching it during the month is cheap; at year end it is not.
Is giving read-only bank access safe?
Read-only access cannot move money. It is the standard and safest way to give a bookkeeper what they need.
What if I bought something personal on the business card?
Just say so. It gets recorded as an owner draw, which is normal. Hiding it turns a two-second note into a tax problem.
Keep reading
How long should a monthly close take?
A small business close should finish within ten business days of month end. Past fifteen, the numbers arrive too late to change anything you do.
How much does a bookkeeper cost per month?
Most small businesses pay $250 to $900 a month, driven by transaction volume, number of accounts and how far behind the books are.
What Is Included in Bookkeeping Services?
Longer guide with more detail.
AI Bookkeeping Best Practices for Small Businesses
Longer guide with more detail.
All answers
Every question we have written a straight answer to.
Pricing
Flat monthly plans based on your revenue.
Want your books handled for you?
We read your receipts, match your bank activity, and close your books every month. You get one short list of questions and a dashboard that always tells the truth.