How to use a VA to do QBO book keeping... safely.

Question

As the title of the post, what kind of permissions do I give a VA in QBO?

When I hired a CPA to do the books last year, I just added her as an accountant (From Toronto) and really had no worries.

I hired a VA on UpWork (from Pakistan) do I give them the same rights?  What are my risks?  Or is there a safer way to do it?

The work I'll have the VA do, is split the buildings up in the portfolio, run the income / expenses for each building, track the income from the property manager for each building etc.

Thanks BP family.

Paul H. · Answer

@Jennifer Gligoric, thank you very much.  I made a backup before I grant access and will use your advice as I do my D.D.

Thank you,

Jennifer Gligoric · Answer

My advice is to steer away from hiring foreign accounting teams entirely.  I was hiring on Upwork back when it was Odesk & ELance and the platform now is even worse for screening foreign workers than it was way back when.  In my career, I've hired several thousand staff, the last decade, fully remote workers using a variety of talent acquisition methods for a variety of clients, before I opened up Leafy Legal.  In every single case when it came to most VA, support, back office, I ended up spending 3x what I would have paid for a US Citizen hire through the same platform in revisions, communication delays, issues, fixing errors and so on.  The rates seem so attractive but not when it takes them weeks to do what a pro can do in a matter of hours with no communication gaps.  Accounting in particular, especially with so many tax and deduction ramifications for misclassification of expenses, income and depreciation really demands someone in the states.

At first, I would not give them accountant access if you still decide to go this route and I would set user permissions to only give them access as a user and then customize it and oversee them until you get comfortable.  Upwork does not guarantee anything with contractors, other than to allow you to dispute a payment. In the TOS you assume all responsibility for vetting and hiring so (as with anyone with access to your banking & accounting information) use due diligence and make sure that they sign your own NDA, access agreement and make sure when you onboard them you get a copy of their unexpired identification and national insurance number.  In Pakistan, it's the CNIC & you can verify it online.

*I am not an attorney, I simply know the best ones.*

Jennifer Gligoric · Answer

Good Luck :)